Crime & Safety

Alpharetta Man One of Two Arrested in South Forsyth Liquor Store Robbery

Both suspects were in custody within a few hours following the armed robbery.

Two men have been arrested and charged with the Sept. 2 robbery at a South Forsyth County liquor store, according to a news release Thursday by the .

Jonathan Blake Reid, 21, of DeMalle Court in Alpharetta, was charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and tampering with evidence.

Jamario Stephan Barnwell, 21, of Walnut Way in Union City, was charged with two counts of armed robbery.

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Lt. Col. Gene Moss with the Sheriff's Office said around 9:19 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2, the Sharon Crossing Beverage, located at 1465 Peachtree Parkway was robbed at gunpoint.

“A black male entered the business, armed with a handgun and wearing a mask. He demanded money from the two clerks inside the business,” said Moss.

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The news release stated, earlier in the evening employees at a nearby store noticed a suspicious vehicle parked behind the shopping center.

“As these same employees were getting ready to close their store, they saw that this vehicle had moved around to the front of their business and had backed into a parking space. At that time, the employees wrote down the license plate number of the car," Moss said.

As the Uniform Patrol Division deputies were gathering information about the robbery, the employees of the nearby business provided them with a description and license plate number of the suspicious vehicle--a 2009 Toyota Corolla.

Moss said that the identity of the suspects was gathered quickly thanks to the awareness of the employees at the nearby business.

Deputies wasted no time in obtaining information about the vehicle’s owner and address--that turned out to be in the Johns Creek jurisdiction.

Authorities in Johns Creek were notified immediately of the robbery and the information obtained. When officers arrived at the residence at 410 DeMalle Court, they spotted the [suspicious] Corolla and saw two men get out of the car.

“The male fit the physical description of the person who went into the [liquor] store,” said Major Dan Jagoe with the Forsyth County Criminal Investigations Division. “At that time, Johns Creek Police set up a perimeter as our investigators and crime scene unit were on their way to the store and residence.”

According to Jagoe, when one of the suspects, Jonathan Reid, realized Johns Creek Police were on the scene, he fled out the back door of the residence.

“He ran out the door with the mask and the money. He had everything with him but the gun," said Jagoe.

After a search of the residence authorities found the other suspect, Jamario Barnwell.

Reid and Barnwell were placed under arrest and remain in the with no bond. They are waiting for an appearance before a Superior Court judge.

The weapon has not yet been recovered.

“This was a great effort between Forsyth County and Johns Creek,” Moss added. “The information was gathered quickly by our Uniform Patrol deputies and provided to Johns Creek Police Department so that both suspects were in custody within a few hours after the robbery.”


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