Decatur Square, Decatur, GA (submitted by Trae)

UPDATE: Decatur PD’s press release…

On Wednesday July 14, 2010 at approximately 6:30 pm the Decatur Police Department responded to a reported robbery in the 200 block of Maxwell Street. The victim stated she was unloading groceries from her vehicle when she was approached by two young African-American males. The victim stated one of the males was armed with a handgun and the other was carrying a large stick. The males concealed their faces with their shirts. One of the males demanded the victim surrender her car keys and she complied. The suspects were last seen driving southbound on Third Avenue. The victim was not injured during the incident. The victim’s vehicle has not been recovered at this time.

The victim’s vehicle is described as follows:  Make: BMW Model: 325i Year: 2003 Color: Blue License: BFX1819

The suspects are described as follows:
SUSPECT #1 Race: African-American Gender: Male  Age: 18-20 Body Type: Slender Hair: short or low hair cut
SUSPECT #2 Race: African-American Gender: Male  Age: 18-20 Body Type: Slender Hair: short or low hair cut

Anyone having information about this crime should contact the Decatur Police Department at (404) 373-6551 or email to policefeedback@decaturga.com.

A reader who wishes to remain anonymous writes in…

I thought you might want check with the police about a car jacking that took place yesterday afternoon on Maxwell St. in Oakhurst. We live a few houses down and did not witness the event, but apparently the woman was approached by a group of men as she exited her car in her own driveway and they stole her car. The police responded quickly and were questioning witnesses when my husband got home from work. It is extremely unnerving that this happened on our street, at someone’s home, and in the afternoon.

I have a note in to Decatur PD.  Stay tuned.

From the Decatur Minute…

The City of Decatur has employed Rudledge Alcock Architects and Lord Cultural Resources to complete a master plan for the renovation or redevelopment of the Beacon School complex at 420 W. Trinity Place. This building currently houses the Decatur Police Department, the Ebster Recreation Center, dance and choral performance spaces and artists’ studios.

A public input meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street. The community is invited to come and learn more about the master plan and help plan the project.

Note the choice between “renovation or redevelopment”.

It will be interesting to see how much interest/passion there is among residents for preserving this old school building – one of the few remaining reminders of the old mid-century Beacon Hill neighborhood – which is in pretty rough shape these days.

Construction at the new location of Cakes & Ale is well underway at the intersection of Sycamore Dr. and Church St. and all that lovely brown stucco is finally being removed from the quiet eastern elevation.

If the rumors are true, the restaurant plans to install a door and windows along this wall before all is said and done.

A pic of the construction action along the Sycamore Sidewalk can be viewed after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Melanie DeToma submitted this note to DM last night…

To the Decatur community, I want to thank you all for your kind words and prayers during this unspeakable, horrific time for our family. My son, Gary, was a bright, shining light in our lives. He was smart and creative and funny, oh my goodness, he was funny. He had the sweetest little southern accent you ever heard, and he adored his little brother, Will, whom he called Bubba. He just learned to ride his bike without training wheels, and he rode like a fiend.

When Gary was only 3 years old he managed to get his hands on a phillips head screwdriver, and the next thing we knew he had removed most of the striker plates from the door frames in the house. He happily pulled the plates and screws from his pocket and reinstalled them when asked. Smart! He loved, loved, loved tools of all kinds. Just last week he told me in the car that when he’s a big daddy he’s going to be a “tool man”. I asked what that meant, and he said people would bring him their cars to be fixed. I didn’t tell him that my aspirations were more along the lines of fixing cancer or solving the national debt problem. He was just so full of ideas all the time.

His father, for whatever reason, chose to end Gary’s life on Monday. I feel like the light in my soul has been snuffed out. I look at Will and remind myself that I have to forge ahead through this grief somehow, but I don’t know how. I’m trying to get through the days. We all are.

Thank you all for your concern and prayers and food. We will need them even more in the days and weeks to come as we try to shake off this cloak of grief and resume our lives in a new and unwelcome way. We are not discussing the particulars of Gary’s upcoming memorial service, as we are trying to fly under the radar of the media circus surrounding this case. If you happen to have knowledge of the service as to the date and time, please don’t post it on the internet. Remember, there is a criminal trial underway–a murder trial of a stunningly beautiful 5-year-old boy–and none of us wants to give Gary DeToma even a modicum of help with his defense.

As to the candlelight vigil, I will not attend, but I will not object to a show of community support. It’s so nice to live in a place like Decatur where a person can belong and enjoy life.

Per Melanie’s wishes, no details of Gary’s funeral will be posted on this site.  That goes for comments as well.