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Thief uses forklift to steal car
Ford Mustang taken from body shop at Ginn Motor Co.
Ginn Theft
Surveillance video captures the theft of a 2017 Ford Mustang convertible from the body shop at Ginn Motor Co. early Wednesday morning, July 18, 2018.
Darryl Welch
Published: Jul 20, 2018, 5:12 PM

COVINGTON, Ga. – Police are looking for the person who broke into a Covington car dealership using a forklift early Wednesday and stole a car.

According to a Covington Police Department incident report, officers responded to a burglar alarm for the clean-up bay at Ginn Motor Co. on the Access Road at 12:05 a.m.

When they checked the business, they reportedly didn’t see anything disturbed. According to the report, the clean-up bay is in the rear of the business inside a gated area.

At 12:25 a.m., a dealership employee came to the business to check the alarm and reportedly saw a small white or silver car speed out of the body shop area onto the side road and then onto U.S. 278.

According to the report, officers found a large forklift sitting behind the body shop area and the fence lying down, along with a set of tire tracks visible in the grass leaving the business.

When they checked the building, police reportedly found a mop bucket at the bay window and the broken bay window glass had been removed and stacked beside the building.

CPD obtained video footage from the incident and has posted photos of the suspect on its Facebook page.

The stolen car was reported as a 2017 Ford Mustang convertible. A reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for its theft.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Mark Joyner at 770-385-2196 or mark.joyner@covingtonpolice.com.
Newton County jury finds Covington man guilty of felony murder
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson - photo by Courtesy of the Newton County Sheriff's Office
Kate Verity
Published: Mar 31, 2025, 9:15 PM

NEWTON COUNTY – On Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Shane Alexander Robinson of Covington was found guilty of killing Charles Edward Stanley III over three years ago.

The Newton County District Attorney’s Office released that a jury deemed that Robinson was guilty on three charges: Felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

On March 5, 2022, sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight, Robinson shot an AR-style firearm at a vehicle that Stanley was driving along Harvey Wood Drive. According to the District Attorney’s release, Robinson fired the weapon 13 times into the vehicle, killing Stanley.

According to a previous report by The Covington News, an arrest warrant stated that Robinson “grabbed his AR-15 (rifle) and drove” from his home to Harvey Wood Drive to “scare” Stanley.

“When Charles was backing up, Shane admitted to firing several rounds at the vehicle,” the 2022 warrant stated. “Furthermore, Shane also initially stated that he fired rounds at the vehicle as it was driving away.”

Robinson initially faced charges of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, unauthorized discharge of firearms within 50 yards of the public highway, and reckless conduct. It is not clear if some of these charges were dismissed.

Sentencing is set for a later date, which has not been announced. A co-defendant’s case is still pending.