ALBANY, GEORGIA – A multi-agency press conference held today at the Law Enforcement Center in downtown Albany announced a GBI-led arrest operation in the Albany-area last month had led to the capture of nine offenders, several of whom were charged with violent crimes.
The arrest operation focused on Violent Repeat Offenders (VROs) with outstanding arrest warrants in the Albany-Dougherty County area and was conducted on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, resulting in a total of nine arrests. Led by the GBI Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the arrest operation included members of the Albany Police Department, Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, Dougherty County Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Community Supervision-Albany, Poulan Police Department, DEA Columbus Field Office, FBI Albany Field Office, U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force and ATF Macon Field Office. The operation was also supported by the Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. The operation is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. In addition to the arrest of individuals charged with violent crimes, other non-violent suspects with outstanding arrest warrants in the Albany area were taken into custody.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The following individuals were arrested during the operation and are facing state charges:
Mareo Jackson, 20, of Albany is charged with murder;
Russell Roberts, 30, of Albany is charged with two counts of aggravated assault;
Terry Burnette, 58, of Albany is charged with probation violation for manufacturing methamphetamine;
Jerrell Leconte Stroud, 26, of Albany is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault, gang participation and violation of probation;
Jovonta Frazier, 27, of Albany is charged with failure to appear for court;
Johnnie Fletcher, 64, of Albany is charged with shoplifting;
Corey Jenkins, 33, of Albany is charged with probation violation.
During the search for other suspects, an apparent indoor marijuana growing operation was discovered at 504 Johnson Road, Albany. A search warrant was obtained for the residence resulting in the recovery of several suspected marijuana plants and seven firearms (one shotgun, two rifles and four handguns). This investigation is ongoing. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Agents arrested the following two individuals at the residence, both charged with state crimes:
Willie Ernest Robinson, 26, of Albany, is charged with manufacturing marijuana and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony;
Pamela Rose Lucy Verney, 24, of Albany is charged with manufacturing marijuana and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
DOJ’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The GBI Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office is in Albany and services 42 counties in Southwest Georgia. The office is the collaborative effort between the GBI, Albany Police Department, Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, Dougherty County Police Department, Americus Police Department, Worth County Sheriff’s Office and Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office. The Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office is partially funded with Byrne/JAG grant funds.