A Georgia family was confronted by two neighbors who carried semi-automatic firearms. The neighbors thought the family was trespassing called the police and had this family arrested. After a clarification, the neighbors are now under arrest facing serious charges. Guess it's necessary to carry firearms if you're in a neighborhood watch. It's getting worse, and yes it's in the South.
 |
| Robert Canoles and his son Branden were arrested after a confrontation with neighbors. |
Courtesy of Fox 5 Atlanta
An interracial couple Jean and Angelica Kalonji purchases a home. Their son's realtor urged them to change their locks. As they were attempting to enter the home, the neighbors Robert and his son Branden Canoles stormed the home with firearms drawn.
This story comes from the Inquisitr and WSBTV Atlanta.
A black man and his family were held at gunpoint by their new neighbors while they were trying to change the locks in Newton, GA reported WSBTV.
The Kalonji Family had just closed the purchase on a foreclosed home and were excited to begin the moving process. The realtor advised the family to begin by changing the locks on their new home.
Jean Kalonji was in the process of changing the locks on the front door when their new neighbors mistook the Kalonji’s for thieves breaking into the house and confronted them with guns.
“He say to put the hands up and get out from the house otherwise he would shoot us,” recounted Jean about the incident.
Angelica Kalonji, Jean’s wife stated:
“I get up my hands up, they put me by the wall.”
The neighbors held the Kalonji’s at gunpoint and called the local authorities not believing they were the owners of the house. When authorities arrived they arrested the family who did not have the closing paper work with them at the time, charging them with loitering and prowling.
The realtor, Yvette Harris, said the deputies had no right to arrest the couple, stating:
“They rightfully own this house.”According to Newton County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mark Mitchell authorities are investigating why everything that happened.
“We’re kind of on the ground floor to this as far as looking into it exactly what occurred, why it occurred.”The experience brought back painful memories to Jean who was raised in the Congo.
“There, they put me down with the gun to my head. Here, the same.”
Neighborhood watchmen charged in arrest mix-up By Jeff Dore
 |
| Jean Kalonji, the homeowner that was arrested |
NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. —
Jean and Angelica Kalonji's son closed on a Newton County home Thursday and, on the agent's advice, they went over to change the locks.
Neighbors then showed up with guns drawn.
"(I was) told to put my hands up and to get out, otherwise he shot us,” Jean Kalonji said.
The Kalonjis said they were so glad when Newton County sheriff's deputies arrived to straighten things out, but the deputies took them to jail and charged them with loitering and prowling.
"For me to get out, we had to pay bond," Kalonji said.
Channel 2’s Jeff Dore talked with a spokesman for the Newton County sheriff, who said they have now dropped charges. The father-son pair of neighborhood watchmen in the confrontation turned themselves in to the Sheriff's Office Monday evening. Robert, 45, and Branden Canoles, 18, were charged with false imprisonment, aggravated assault and criminal trespass.
As for the deputies who arrested innocent new residents, they were not on administrative leave at this time.
“They just spontaneously arrested him, arrested his wife, threw them in jail, made no phone calls, made no effort to verify the truthfulness of what they were saying and told the people with the guns in essence, ‘Thank you for your good service,’” Kalonji family attorney Don Samuel said.
The deputies are facing an internal investigation within the Newton County Sheriff's Department.
"The case is still fluid. We're still investigating the case. And also our Office of Professional Standards, there's an internal investigation as well," Lt. Mark Mitchell of the Newton County Sheriff's Department said.
No comments:
Post a Comment