UPDATE: Decatur Police report the suspect is now in custody. Also, my earlier post title incorrectly statedthe police had made an arrest and classified it as a “carjacking”. That’s what I get for working off my phone.
From Decatur PD…
Investigators have obtained arrest warrants for a 16-year-old male from DeKalb County for armed robbery and criminal attempt to commit theft by taking of a motor vehicle for this case.
Does “Investigators obtain arrest warrants for….” = “Decatur Police Make Arrest…” The latter sounds more reassuring.
Makes me sick to my stomach to hear about a 16 year old doing this. A life already wasted. At least it’s not a 15 year old this time. I can only hope that something/someone reaches this 16 year old such that he turns his life around.
You know, I hate to hear things like this, too. But since he’s only 16, I don’t think we can say his life is already wasted. It seems to me that I read far too many posts like this on this board whenever it turns out that some kid has done something really bad. We’re far too ready to write these kids off, and maybe that’s part of the problem. He’s still young enough to be reached. I just hope he can get referred to the people/programs who can reach him.
Agree but I get the sense that there is no longer much support out there for programs to help kids like this. Certainly not a lot on this board. In my heart of hearts, I believe that a 16 year old is still a child and worth redeeming, but that kind of comment often results in negative, cynical, and even hateful responses.
Worth trying to redeem, yes, but he needs to be incarcerated (if guilty). Armed robbery can’t be chalked up to mere immaturity. It’s an incredibly serious crime that requires a perpetrator to be removed from civil society for a time, if for no other reason than to protect the rest of us.
As someone whose family members are often strolling or driving around Downtown Decatur, I don’t disagree with the concept of protecting ourselves from dangerous 16-year olds. I just consider those teens to be still children with the potential for reform and redemption. Even better than hoping that delinquent teens can be redeemed would be if we could prevent delinquency in the first place. There’s evidence-based programs and individual interventions for families and children that work, but they have costs and come without a 100% guarantee.
I don’t disagree that there is some potential for reform. How much — who knows?
As to the sort of preventative programs to which I think you’re referring, I am a lot more skeptical. If throwing gobs of public money at social problems was the answer, we’d be living in a crime-free nirvana by now.
You have aim when you throw! That may be the problem.
Clearly, locking up more of our people than almost any other nation is working really well. And you’re right, that does cost gobs of money
There’s still a sheriff’s helicopter circling downtown. Looking for anyone else?
So, is this the first person to be put into the new jail (pictured)?
We have a city jail? I don’t remember seeing it when I did Decatur 101. But I guess our police have to do something with people we arrest. Or do we take them right to the county jail?
From what I understand, like in the old police station, the new one has a few holding cells…. Mostly used for holding for questioning and for court. We don’t keep anyone here very long, and generally the DPD takes those in custody to the DeKalb jail without much delay.
Helicopters this morning before 8 am were for a car fire at Clairmont and North Decatur. Video on Channel 2 looked like it was in the parking lot in front of Chase Bank.