Crime & Safety

Police: Man Who Stole From Granny Also Flashed Kids

The suspect was caught after trying to disguise his car, police say.

United States Marshals arrested a man in Stone Mountain last week for fraud and then discovered he was wanted for public indecency against children in Columbus, Ga. 

Javonte Oden, 23, was taken into custody Jan 22 accused of stealing cash and a debit card from his great-grandmother, with whom he had been living until she kicked him out, according to the Ledger-Enquirer. He allegedly racked up more than $2,000 on her account.  

Officers connected the car he was driving at the time of his arrest, a freshly painted Honda, to crimes allegedly committed last November in Columbus against children. Police there had been looking for a man who matched his description and drove a black Honda with a white hood. 

Columbus Police Sex Crimes Sgt. Mark Richards told a hearing Friday that a man had been reported exposing himself to young teenagers at school bus stops over a period of several days. 

Oden is facing five counts of child molestation, two counts of enticing child indecency and public indecency, as well as 11 counts of financial transaction card fraud and one count of exploiting an elder. Bond was set at $198,000.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.