An Atlanta man is in jail after deputies say he broke into a Monroe County assisted living facility early Friday morning, sexually assaulted an employee, and stole a laptop.
What happened: According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, 39-year-old Derrick Hablin entered River Place Assisted Living in Monroe County at about 2:30 a.m. Friday. Deputies say he pushed a female employee into a corner and touched her inappropriately. The woman broke free, alerted coworkers, and called 911. As he left the building, Hablin allegedly took a laptop and a charger.
What’s important: Deputies located Hablin shortly after the call. He is also connected to thefts in the River Forest Subdivision, according to the sheriff’s office. Hablin is being held without bond at the Monroe County Jail.
The charges: Hablin faces five charges:
- Burglary, which means entering a building to commit a crime
- Kidnapping
- Sexual battery, which means unwanted sexual touching
- False imprisonment, which means unlawfully holding or confining someone
- Identity fraud
How this affects real people: The attack happened at a facility that cares for older adults, where overnight staff often work with limited backup. The employee was able to get help, but the sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information about the case to call.
If you have information: Contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 994-7010. Tips may be left anonymously.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Back in the day, adulthood meant civility. Responsibility. Probably owning a sensible pair of loafers. But lately, it feels like a critical mass of humanity has collectively decided, ‘What if, instead, we didn’t?’
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B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
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