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Details revealed in security guard kidnapping
MUG---Jarius-Shorter
Jarius Shorter

CONYERS - More details related to the three teen suspects who allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a security guard a month ago were revealed during their preliminary hearing this week.

Justin Kohn, 17, Jarius Shorter, 15, and Duwayne Fleeting, 15, all from Conyers, were arrested on July 22 following the kidnapping and sexual assault of a female working a security job for a filming company July 20.

Kohn and Shorter both appeared in Rockdale County Magistrate Court Wednesday afternoon. Fleeting's hearing was postponed until next week because his family hired a private attorney who wasn't present.

Conyers Police Department Investigator Buck Vaughn, the lead investigator on the case, told the court that for most of the night only two of the suspects were in the vehicle. The two juveniles initially forced the security guard out of her vehicle and into the trunk of the car.

The two juveniles then made plans to pick up Kohn. However, Fleeting told Shorter, who was driving, to take him home after he nearly shot himself in the leg accidently.

"The point when he almost shot himself, he became scared and didn't want to participate anymore," said Vaugh.

After dropping Fleeting off, Shorter picked up Kohn and the two went joyriding. They presumably spent some time on Interstate-20, driving as fast as 100 miles-per-hour. They went to the Bank of America on West Avenue where they forced the victim to give them her PIN number and withdrew an undisclosed amount of money from her account.

They also made a stop at McDonalds on West Avenue where they bought the victim a Sprite soda at her request, according to Vaughn. The victim also told deputies that there were three other people, one male and two females, she heard during the night, but couldn't give any detailed information about them.

Eventually, the two suspects went to Johnson Park, where the sexual assault was performed. Vaughn says that there were two different scenarios that transpired each involved one of the suspects.

In the first situation, Shorter made the victim get out of the trunk of the car, take off all her clothes while standing at the rear of the vehicle, and use a sex toy on her that was already inside the victim's car.

The second sexual act involved Kohn requesting the victim manually and orally "manipulate his penis," said Vaughn. A few seconds into the act, the victim began to cry and Kohn allowed her to stop.

In both situations, Shorter was holding a handgun, not pointed at the victim, in his hand and observing the acts.

The entire ordeal lasted for about six hours, from 11:30 p.m. to about 6 a.m., before Shorter and Kohn released the victim on Johnson Road. The victim walked to the Texaco on Klondike Road where she called police.

Police released still images from a video captured by the camera at the Bank of America ATM of the driver and passenger, Shorter and Kohn, in the stolen vehicle. Shorter's face can clearly be seen in all the pictures as his black bandanna was down from his face and around his neck.

As the photos made their way around social media, Shorter's father kept receiving messages and calls telling him that his son had committed a crime, said Vaughn. Shorter's father then brought him to the police department to clear his son's name.

While the police investigators were interviewing Shorter, he confessed to crime and told police Fleeting and Kohn were also involved.

Kohn was identified in a lineup by the victim as one of the suspects and police found a pair of her Beats headphones, which were in the stolen vehicle, on his bed when they searched his residence.

Both Shorter's and Kohn's cases were moved up to the Rockdale County Superior Court to continue at a later date.

Shorter is facing charges that include kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery, armed robbery, aggravated assault, financial card theft and high jacking a motor vehicle. Kohn's charges are armed robbery, kidnapping and aggravated sexual battery.

Fleeting, who's scheduled to be in court Wednesday, Aug. 26, is facing armed robbery, kidnapping and high jacking a motor vehicle charges.