Social Media Helps Thwart Home Invasion
By Brande Poulnot, CartersvillePatch
Original publication date: March 17, 2011
Bartow County, Ga. — Social media could be credited with the arrest of one of four men suspected in a home invasion on Highway 20 Spur. A 19-year-old man used his computer to notify a friend of the alleged burglary around 9 p.m. Wednesday.
According to the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office incident report, a 64-year-old grandmother was sitting on her couch watching TV when two men broke through a back door window. One of the men held her at gunpoint while the other allowed two additional men in through the front door.
The woman said the men removed her jewelry — necklaces, earrings and bracelets — looked for additional gold jewelry and asked where the money was kept.
The woman’s 17-year-old granddaughter said she heard yelling and saw one of the men as she left her bedroom to investigate. The man pointed a gun at her head and asked if anyone else was in the home and where the money was located, she said.
The men searched multiple rooms, moving the younger woman along with them. She said one man pulled her by her hair from room to room.
The older woman’s 19-year-old grandson, who was upstairs, heard screaming, saw several masked men wearing gloves and hid inside the home. He then contacted a friend via Facebook and asked the friend to call 911, Sgt. Jonathan Rogers said.
Deputies were dispatched to the home about 9:30 p.m. and saw a man run onto the front porch. Despite verbal commands to stop, the man ran back through the house and left through a closet window.
The man, later identified as Wilney Perlaza Ramos, 34, of Houston, Texas, was apprehended on Ivy Lane after a brief foot chase with deputies. He is charged with armed robbery.
In a news release, investigators say one of the victims was bound and gagged during the incident.
Rogers said although investigators have not found a direct connection between the four men and the victims, he believes the family was likely targeted and the incident planned. The family had owned a motel in the area of the home, but sold it and now owns a liquor store in Tucker.
The older man of the house was likely at work during the alleged home invasion. The alleged burglars got away with jewelry, but investigators are tracking down leads to try to identify the other three men involved.
Rogers said they are contacting other metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies to determine if similar crimes may link the group.
None of the victims were physically injured during the incident.
Article posted with permission of the CartersvillePatch.
