Sometimes there is just more to the story. Such was the case recently in Fairburn when investigations by city police related to reports of an armed robbery and a home invasion led to the arrest of the men reporting the crimes.

One such case involved Fairburn resident Clifford Cagle who reported being robbed at gunpoint March 15 after leaving Oz Pizza on W. Broad Street. Cagle reported being robbed as he exited the restaurant shortly after 9 p.m., according to police reports. He said a man approached him carrying a gun and demanded money. Cagle said the man took $62 and fled on foot. Cagle provided officers with a description of the man and the gun he was carrying. The area was searched but the man was not located, reports said.

Looking further at the case, something did not seem right, said Chief Charles Long, and investigators decided to interview Cagle a second time. That interview shed a new light on the incident, Long said.

“He admitted that he spent the money and then made up the crime because he didn’t want to have to admit to a third party that the money was gone,” said Long.

Cagle was charged with making a false report.

Another questionable incident came after a Jan. 10 report by 51 year-old John Wayne Bridges, who was shot in the leg and assaulted in his W. Broad Street home by two males, said Long. After another report of a home invasion at the residence March 13, investigators decided to interview Bridges to try to determine if there was anything contributing to the incidents that occurred so close in time, Long said. Bridges admitted during the interview that he had sold drugs out of the residence. He was charged with disorderly conduct-drugs and maintaining a disorderly house.

“Sometimes there is more going on than what appears. In this case he was doing something that made him a victim. He was selling drugs,” Long said. “We told him this kind of activity was not welcome in Fairburn and it will not be tolerated.”

The two men involved in the Bridges’ shooting are still on the loose, Long said. Police, he added, are taking steps to prevent future occurrences at that location.

Long praised officers and investigators for following through on the cases and uncovering the truth that was initially hidden from view.

"False reports of crime are fraudulent and they create fear and panic in the minds of the public. That’s why it’s important to thoroughly investigate all reports of criminal activity,” said Long. “So here we have two separate instances where the victim ended up being arrested. And they contributed to the fear and public perception by involving themselves in illegal actions. They contributed by either making up crimes or by being involved in things that lead to them. Either way, it’s unacceptable.”

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