Roswell police make arrest in home invasion

Roswell police have arrested one suspect in the Jan. 8 home invasion at Horseshoe Bend subdivision in which an upscale pawn shop owner and his family were beaten, tied up and robbed.

The suspect, Joseph J. Marino, 25, of Atlanta, was arrested Jan. 15 at the Waffle House on Holcomb Bridge Road near its intersection with Ga. 400 for possession of marijuana and possession of a schedule IV drug, said Lt. James McGee, a spokesman for the Roswell Police Department.

McGee would not say what lead police to Marino.

"We had a lot of good information on this guy," he said. "A lot of investigation went into this."

A second suspect, described as a black man in his mid-20s, is still at large. McGee said Marino is not cooperating with investigators to give them his name and location.

"He's lawyered up and isn't talking," said McGee. "But we have a very good idea of who [the second suspect] is. It's just a matter of time.

"It would be best for him to just give himself up."

Marino and the second suspect are accused of waiting for the owner of Sandy Springs' Happy Hawker Pawn Shop outside his Steeple Chase Pointe home. When the man went outside to walk his dogs at 10 p.m., they allegedly pistol whipped him, then tied up him, his wife, 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son in the home.

"They were all roughed up, especially the husband," said McGee at the time of the incident.

The men took an undisclosed mount of money - which police say was the motive of the crime - and escaped on foot while the family managed to call 911.

The family was taken to North Fulton Regional Hospital that night, where they were checked out and released.

Roswell police released a sketch of the they believed was Marino Jan. 9. He was booked into Fulton County Jail Jan. 17 on 15 charges, including two counts of armed robbery, four counts of false imprisonment, three counts of battery, and more.

McGee said homeowners in Horseshoe Bend were integral to the capture of Marino.

"The residents called and said they'd seen two guys matching who we were looking for earlier in the day," said McGee.
- www.northfulton.com

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