Stone Mountain resident reaches 70th arrest milestone

Convicted felon Eddie Brantley, a 45-year-old Stone Mountain resident, was arrested for the 70th time March 7, this time for operating a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was lifted around 7:10 p.m. after it was left running around 7:10 p.m. while the owner picked up their dry cleaning at a location near 950 W. Peachtree St. in Midtown. Around 10:20 p.m. later that evening, APD spotted the stolen vehicle close to 98 Broad St. N.W. and promptly arrested Brantley.

Brantley is officially being charged with theft by receiving stolen auto, adding to his already extensive list of prior charges. Brantley has been separately arrested close to 6 dozen times, a staggering amount for a man who has not yet reached 50. He has been charged with a bevy of different crimes, including armed robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Brantley’s rap sheet is actually pretty impressive when you think about it. If it is to be assumed that these arrests are all on his adult record, Brantley has been arrested on average every four and a half months of his life. If the arrests also include his juvenile record, Brantley has been arrested, on average, roughly every eight months.

Community response to Brantley’s latest arrest is mixed. Some wonder why Brantley is not in prison already, based on his extensive rap sheet. Others praise APD’s quick work in solving the crime. The arrest has sparked conversation among Atlantans over the effectiveness of the court system in situations such as this. “It’s more like a catch and release program,” remarks a Facebook user in a thread on the APD’s post about the arrest.

However, the police are using Brantley’s latest crime as a cautionary tale, urging residents to make sure their cars are turned off, locked, and valuables are out of sight when exiting the vehicle.

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