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29-year-old Mableton woman shot to death during robbery

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer
Sunday, February 8th, 2015, 4:19pm
29-year-old Mableton woman shot to death during robbery

MABLETON, Ga. -- Cobb County Police are investigating a robbery and shooting that left a 29-year-old woman dead.

Fabiola Zabaleta was found shot at around 9:15 p.m. Saturday in a parking lot in the 1300 block of Veterans Memorial Highway.

Police said it appeared Zabaleta was shot during a robbery. She was rushed to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Investigators are now searching for three suspects. Two are described as black or Hispanic men, both between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall, wearing hoodies and armed with handguns. The third suspect is the person driving the getaway car, which police described as a four-door sedan, possibly a Honda Accord.

Anyone with information in the robbery or Zabaleta's death is encouraged to call detectives at 770-499-3945.

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Alcohol compliance checks: Mableton

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer
Monday, February 2nd, 2015, 9:43am
Alcohol compliance checks: Mableton

MABLETON, Ga. -- Cobb County police performed a series of alcohol compliance checks on Mableton businesses last week.

An underage volunteer visited 27 shops and restaurants and attempted to buy alcohol.

These locations passed the check and did not sell alcohol to the volunteer:

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Drug cartel members sentenced to federal prison

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer
Thursday, January 8th, 2015, 9:21am
Drug cartel members sentenced to federal prison

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- Three members of a Mexican drug cartel have been sentenced for conspiring to deliver liquid methamphetamine to homes in Cobb County.

Gabriel "Negrito" Jimenez-Antunez, 39, pleaded guilty to acting as a distributor for the cartel. He lived in Mexico, but coordinated the delivery of shipments to Austell and Mableton.

DEA and IRS agents were already investigating Jimenez when in spring 2013, they learned he had recruited two people to carry out day-to-day activities of the drug trafficking, including receiving shipments and depositing the proceeds at banks. The other two defendants include Jimenez's brother-in-law, 38-year-old Pablo Saucedo-Aparicio of Mexico, and an associate, 49-year-old Martin Ascencio of Mableton.

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2 suspects rob Mableton bakery

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer
Monday, January 5th, 2015, 1:35pm
2 suspects rob Mableton bakery

MABLETON, Ga. -- Cobb County Police are investigating an armed robbery at a Mableton bakery.

It happened Saturday at around 9:30 p.m. at Panaderia y Pasteleria, at the corner of Veterans Memorial Highway and Powell Drive.

Police said two suspects entered the bakery and demanded money from the register. When employees hesitated, one of the suspects opened the register and began taking cash, while the other suspect stole wallets from two customers inside the store.

The suspects forced everyone inside the bakery to the floor, then ran from the building.

Witnesses described the suspects as Hispanic men wearing black clothing. They were both armed with handguns.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Cobb County Police at 770-499-3945.

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Personal Safety Tips

Submitted by Sylvia Small on Thursday, November 27th, 7:00 pm
Personal Safety Tips

By Greg Norred, CEO, Norred & Associates

Over the course of your life, the chances of being the victim of a crime are at least one in three, higher if you live in a large city, and higher still if you’re a woman. The criminal’s objective is to maximize gain and minimize risk, and he’ll usually pick the easiest target with the most to offer. Given these odds, it pays to take precautions by following some basic safety rules:

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Markea Berry's mother pleads guilty

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer
Tuesday, September 30th, 2014, 7:23pm
Markea Berry's mother pleads guilty

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- The mother of a Cobb County teenager who starved to death two years ago has pleaded guilty to her involvement in the girl's death.

Ebony Berry entered her plea in court Tuesday morning. She faced one count each of involuntary manslaughter, first-degree cruelty to children and second-degree cruelty to children in the death of her 16-year-old daughter Markea.

A judge sentenced Berry to 30 years in prison and 10 on probation. She will not be allowed to have any contact with children, and must undergo mental evaluations and treatment while on probation.

"I just want to apologize for everybody having to come out today for my situation and my circumstances involving my daughter," Berry told the court.

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Marietta employees sentenced for Section 8 fraud

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer
Tuesday, September 30th, 2014, 8:08am
Marietta employees sentenced for Section 8 fraud

MARIETTA, Ga. -- Two former City of Marietta employees are among four people charged with stealing from the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program.

The program, also known as Section 8, helps low-income families pay their rent. Shantel Bowens and Debbie Bailey worked for Marietta's Housing Choice Voucher Program, which oversees local tenant and landlord participation.

Bowens and Bailey pleaded guilty in July and May, respectively, to conspiring with two landlords to steal money from the program.

According to federal prosecutors, Bowens, 43, of Atlanta, reactivated the closed accounts of former Section 8 tenants. She then altered computer records to link the tenants to two co-defendants, landlords Babatunde "Babs" Abass and Tunji "Chris" Imoukhuede.

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