Vandals in Rockmart still not caught, police urging citizens not to hinder in investigation

Rockmart Police Chief Keith Sorrells is urging citizens of Rockmart not to become part of the problem as an ongoing vandalism spree explodes through the small town. Sorrells says he’s seen many citizens that are taking protection to the extreme. Aragon is just the latest in a number of vandalism cases in Polk County. But in this incident, police have a suspect in at least two of the cases. Aragon Police Department reports state the latest incident happened last Wednesday when a woman on Sixth Street discovered that someone had attempted to slash her tire. There are no suspects in that case. However, police do have a suspect in two cases occurring in early June on Sixth Street. In one of those cases, a resident found a man near the rear driver’s side window of his Ford Explorer holding a hammer in his hand. The complainant told police he recognized the man. Based on the witness’s statement, police are looking for 20-year-old Justin Lee Ballew of Aragon for questioning. The vehicle-owner reportedly called out Ballew’s name and the man then took off. No entry was made into the vehicle but the incident left a long scratch on the Explorer. Another resident at that Sixth Street home told police that her car had been broken into and several items had been stolen, including a GPS system. Police are still looking for Ballew.