A Brookhaven man faces multiple felony charges after a woman texted 911 saying she was being held against her will by an armed man.
Brookhaven Police arrested David Renard Devaughn, 34, on Aug. 28. He is charged with aggravated assault by strangulation; armed robbery; trafficking cocaine; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He’s being held at the DeKalb County Jail.
The arrest came after Chattahoochee River Valley 911 Authority, known as ChatComm 911, received text messages in Spanish at about 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 28.
A dispatcher used an online translator to read the text messages in English and learned they were coming from a woman who said an armed man was holding her against her will.
“Over the next one-half hour, 911 dispatchers worked diligently to determine the location of the victim by exchanging text messages with her,” according to a press release.
Brookhaven Police officers also cross-referenced reports of previous incidents to narrow her location to a specific building inside an apartment complex in the 3500 block of Buford Highway, the release says.
Officers went to the complex searching for the woman and heard a fight in an apartment. After getting no response from those inside, officers made a forced entry.
Inside the apartment they found Devaughn and arrested him. Police later got a search warrant where they found the illegal drugs and firearm. They also found evidence that connects Devaughn to an Aug. 15 armed robbery, according to the release.