On Friday, June 14, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports that a Ford F-150 had been abandoned and burned at an address on Canton Highway in Cumming.

On the scene of 4675 Canton Highway deputies found a severely burned vehicle and a witness who stated that he observed the truck pull into the driveway at about 5 p.m. The witness told deputies that “3-4 Hispanic males in their 30’s” got out of the vehicle and started walking “casually” down the driveway into the wood line as the vehicle began burning.

Fire quickly spread from the driver side area of the vehicle, the witness stated, and although he attempted to extinguish the fire, the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

While on scene, deputies were told by dispatch that the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a hit and run collision by a similar vehicle, that happened on Canton Highway earlier in the day.

“While inspecting the truck I noticed an uneaten sub sandwich with a sticker on it from the Publix located in Canton, GA saying that the sandwich was made on this date, placing the truck in Cherokee County,” a deputy stated in the report.

This incident is now under investigation by the Forsyth County and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, as well as local arson investigators.   

Alleged hit and run investigated in south Forsyth

Sheriff’s office deputies responded to a residence in south Forsyth on Friday, June 14, in reference to a hit and run collision that allegedly took place on Granite Lane a day prior.

According to a sheriff’s office report, homeowners told authorities that while traveling down Granite Lane, approaching Peachtree Parkway, their car was struck from behind by a black Hyundai. One of the homeowners stated that the vehicle immediately fled the scene after the collision.

When asked why they hadn’t called 911 sooner, the homeowners stated that they, “thought [The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office] would have cameras and be able to find out … because in China they have cameras on every street corner.”

After taking witness statements, deputies investigated the damage to the homeowner’s vehicle and noted in the report that the damage was, “in a strange position.”

“The damage appeared to come from one small contact point, as if the bumper has hit a pole, or a fire hydrant,” the report stated. “It was not over a large surface area or high enough to be consistent with a front bumper of another vehicle.”

Animal cruelty reported by local authorities

A sheriff’s office incident report states that on Thursday, June 13, deputies were alerted by an investigator with Forsyth County Animal Control that earlier in the week an abandoned and abused dog had been taken into their custody.

According to the report, the dog was recovered from a home off Pisgah Road in northwest Forsyth and was in a critical condition.

“The dog was malnourished, blind, had matter fur, has wire caught in his fur and his nails were overgrown. He was unable to stand on his own,” the report states.

Witnesses in the surrounding area told the investigator that the dog’s owner would come by occasionally to dump food in the home’s yard, but due to the animal’s blindness and inability to walk it was unable to locate the food. No water was provided to the dog, the report states.

No further information was released on a criminal investigation into the animal cruelty charges, but the report states that the residence the dog was found at was in default and had been taken over by the bank.

The dog was taken to the Forsyth County Animal Shelter for treatment and the incident is under investigation by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.