Members of Graham’s police force arrested three people on Thursday after they allegedly tried to disrupt a traffic stop at the Pines apartments along Ivey Road.
Christopher Lee Jordan, Matthew Jamal Cobb, and Wesley Alexander Cobb were reportedly part of a “small crowd” of residents who approached the traffic stop in a state of agitation as the officers conducted the operation at about 2:20 p.m. According to the police department, the three suspects refused to heed orders to back away from the traffic stop and were consequently arrested.
Jordan, a 29-year-old white male of 740-A Ivey Road; and Matthew Cobb, a 22-year-old black male from 736-G Ivey Road were subsequently charged with failing to comply with an officer’s lawful command and for resisting, obstructing and delaying law enforcement.
Meanwhile, Wesley Cobb, a 19-year-old black male of 736-G Ivey Road has been charged with allegedly assaulting a police officer and a government official.
A fourth suspect, who is under 18 years of age (considered a juvenile, whose identity is not required to be released), was also detained during the dustup and later released to his or her parents.
According to the police department, a routine internal investigation has been launched in the wake of this incident since the officers involved had used physical force to make the arrests.
In the meantime, Graham’s police chief Kristy Cole has issued a formal statement to justify the traffic stop that had sparked the unrest at the Pines.
“The Graham police department has put a greater focus on the Pines apartments following resident complaints of crime and quality of life issues,” Cole went on to explain in this statement on Friday. “Residents of the Pines apartments should not only have an expectation but also a right to feel safe from crime and violence in their community.”
Cole goes on to observe that during the 15-month period between January of 2021 through March of 2022, the city’s police department had received 233 calls for service about this particular set of apartments. These calls accounted for roughly 44 percent of those logged along Ivey Road and included some rather serious offenses, including an instance of gunfire that left a bullet fragment lodged in a child’s car seat.
Cole noted that the Pines apartments have also been on the department’s radar as a suspected location for gangs and illegal narcotics. She added some residents have posted statements on social media to indicate they’ve felt frightened or intimidated by these activities.
Cole insists that the department’s heightened emphasis on the Pines is in line with a community policing strategy that directs the agency’s personnel to areas where they’re needed most.
“These changes in policy and practices are helping to better identify locations having profound public safety concerns,” the chief adds. “Currently we have identified these issues occurring in an around the Pines apartments.”
Read each of these stories in this week’s (April 28) edition of The Alamance News and online at alamancenews.com:
Graham Police: Pines Apts. has become hot spot for crimes involving guns, drugs, and gangs: https://alamancenews.com/graham-police-pines-apts-has-become-hot-spot-for-crimes-involving-guns-drugs-and-gangs/
Serious charges involving previous incidents at the apartment complex: https://alamancenews.com/other-violent-crimes-at-the-pines/
Some “regulars” have serious criminal records: https://alamancenews.com/some-charged-at-the-pines-have-long-prior-records/
Covid eviction moratorium has prevented expulsion of criminal characters from the complex: https://alamancenews.com/evictions-moratorium-made-it-harder-to-get-rid-of-bad-actors/
Community policing is Graham police chief’s focus: https://alamancenews.com/a-model-for-graham/
