Archived News

The DeKalb County Police Department has identified the man believed responsible for taking Jalen and Amari Mattison at 2 a.m. on Feb. 22 as Charles Watson of Stone Mountain.  Detectives said they do not intend to file charges against him at this time.

At approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday, Watson turned himself in at the DeKalb County Police headquarters, where he was interviewed.  Detectives said that after further investigation they concluded that it was not Watson’s intention to kidnap the children.  Watson removed the children from the gas station on Wesley Chapel Road after their mother, Ashely Mattison, did not return within 30 minutes after speaking with a police officer near her disabled car.  Detectives said they later learned the mother was delayed in returning to her children because she accompanied the tow truck driver to a location along Wesley Chapel to drop off her disabled vehicle.  She returned to the gas station and discovered her children were missing.