Dawsonville man charged with kidnapping, aggravated stalking

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Lumpkin County deputies arrested Ryan Cookston, 31, of 6275 Auraria Road in Dawsonville last week on charges of kidnapping and aggravated stalking.

Sarah Stonecypher walked into the Waffle House on Aug. 5 and asked employees to call police to report a domestic violence situation.

When they arrived Stonecypher advised them that she had been staying at a domestic violence shelter with her children due to a family violence protection order against Cookston. She said she left the shelter at approximately 10:30 p.m. to bring clothes for her son to her mother-in-law’s house.

As she was returning to the shelter, she said she stopped briefly at the intersection and Cookston jumped into the passenger side of the car.

She said he had what appeared to be a knife in his hand and demanded she drive. According to the report, he began yelling at her about going to the shelter and for taking his child away from him. At one point, she said, she spotted a patrol car and tried to get the officer’s attention but was not successful. As they were driving, she said, he was punching holes into the back of the car seat asking who is in the trunk.

She complained about needing to use the bathroom and eventually stopped at the Waffle House, went in and had employees contact law enforcement.

Deputies did locate a screwdriver on the passenger side floor board of her car that appeared to have blood on it. When they took Cookston into custody, they discovered he also had a warrant out of Forsyth County, and transported him to the Lumpkin County Detention Center.

 

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