Crime & Safety

Arrests Made in String of Arson, Vandalism Cases

The Douglasville Police Department has arrested three men in connection to a string of arson and vandalism incidents that occurred in the Chapel Hills subdivision over a five-month period. A fourth man is expected to turn himself in today.

The Douglasville Police Department has arrested three men in connection to a string of arson and vandalism incidents that occurred in the Chapel Hills subdivision over a five-month period. A fourth man is expected to turn himself in today.

Those arrested include:

  • Matthew Johnson, 27, charged with second degree arson, seven misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass damage to property, 11 misdemeanor counts of damaging a mailbox and six felony counts of criminal damage to property.
  • Jose Santiago-Ramos, 27, charged with two misdemeanor counts criminal trespass damage to property, two misdemeanor counts of damaging a mailbox and one felony count criminal damage to property.
  • Jesus Santiago-Ramos, 24, charged with second degree arson, seven misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass damage to property, 11 misdemeanor counts of damaging a mailbox and six felony counts of criminal damage to property.

Eric Pruitt, 27, is expected by police to turn himself in today. He will be charged with second degree arson party to a crime, five misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass damage to property, nine misdemeanor counts of damaging a mailbox and five felony counts of criminal damage to property.

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The total amount of damage over a five-month period is estimated at $36,200, which includes a torched van, damage at the Kids R Kids daycare, damage to the Chapel Hills Golf and Country Club, as well as several residences and common areas throughout the Chapel Hills subdivision.

The men told police that it all began when they got together and drank at a home in Chapel Hills, according to Investigator Brandon Nutter, Douglasville Police Department. 

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They told police they began walking around the neighborhood and started  pulling mailboxes out of the ground and spray painting street signs. Much of the spray painting vandalism contained vulgarity, according to Nutter.

There were several separate incidents like this throughout January.

Investigators said the vandalism then escalated when three of the four men went on to damage tennis courts and golf greens at the Chapel Hills Golf and Country Club in late March. 

Security cameras in the area caught images of men which were posted to Facebook by the police and were shown on Douglasville Patch. 

In late April, the buses and playground at Kids R Kids were vandalised when bus seats were slashed and a fire extinguisher was sprayed inside one of the buses. Playground toys were thrown into the woods as well.

Using crime mapping and pattern analysis, the police located an area where the suspects could have been operating out of.

On the night of May 11, three suspects were spotted leaving the scene of a burning bus. An area resident called 911 and told officers which house the men went into, Nutter said in an email.

Nutter, who worked the case from March 23 to April 30, said he was able to match the video from March to the suspects from the arson.

"This case is a great example of the patrol division making good detailed reports when the crimes were first reported," Nutter's email continued. "Several detectives over several months doing the follow up investigations, citizens and victims being involved in the investigation and providing possible suspects to detectives, and the use of analytical techniques and historical data in linking the crimes over several months to the group of suspects.

"Once the suspects were identified the courts/warrant division assisted in locating and arresting the subjects," he continued. "As in most cases at Douglasville PD this was an all-around team and community effort to locate and arrest these subjects."

"My hat's off to our team of detectives," Police Chief Chris Womack said. "There were a lot of pieces to this puzzle but we got the bad guys put in jail. They caused a tremendous amount of damage and they're lucky they didn't injure someone or themselves. The van they torched was melted all the way down to the metal rims.

"We take these type of crimes seriously," he said. "If you're around here tearing up people's property, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. People like this need to find something more productive to do with their time."

Related Douglasville Patch story:

Police Search for Those who Vandalized Chapel Hills Country Club


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