Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly was in the spotlight a lot this past summer, after a report by BuzzFeed claimed he "held women against their will in a cult" at his homes in two cities, including one in Johns Creek.
Kelly's homes in Johns Creek are in the news this week because someone burglarized them. Mike Petchenik of Channel 2 Action News reports that an associate of Kelly's broke into homes the singer rents on Old Homestead Trail and at Saints Devon Crossing, stole several items and then sold them to the highest bidder.
Alfonso L. Walker, 50, of Lawrenceville, is the man police are looking for in the case. Police say Walker was supposed to turn himself in on Tuesday, but didn’t. He is facing several felony charges, police said.
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According to a Johns Creek Police report obtained by Channel 2, items were reported missing from the Old Homestead Trail home on Nov. 26 when a maid showed up to clean the home. After noticing furniture and electronics were missing, the maid called “the house manager” who then called police.
“(The maid) found that the place had literally been ransacked,” Johns Creek Police Lt. Chris Byers told Channel 2. “… (Walker) felt like he was owed some money.”
Among the items missing were a 79-inch TV, lamps, sofas, a leather recliner and bar stools, according to the report. Police also said a “diamond-encrusted” hooded sweatshirt was taken from the home.
According to another Johns Creek Police report obtained by Channel 2, a neighbor near the Saint Devon Crossing home called police after he saw men loading furniture and other items from the home into several vehicles on Nov. 27. Police said that, according to Kelly’s assistant, no one was supposed to be at the residence.
After conducting a perimeter check of the home, police noticed a broken window on the back porch. The front door was also unlocked, police said. Police searched the home and found that most of the furniture, personal items and electronics had been removed.
“I didn’t even know (Kelly) was living there, to be honest, so we didn’t know there was anything to steal,” a neighbor told Channel 2.
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Kelly previously rented another home in Johns Creek. The parents of Joycelyn Savage believed their daughter was being held at a "guest house" of Kelly's on Creek Wind Court. Johns Creek police checked that home a year ago after Savage's parents requested a well-being check and found no one was home.
Since BuzzFeed's first story about Savage was published in July, a few other women have come forward with similar allegations. Jerhonda Pace, who broke a non-disclosure agreement, told BuzzFeed that she was "slapped, choked and spit on" by Kelly. Kitti Jones told Rolling Stone that Kelly "kicked and slapped" her, and made her call him "daddy." Newsweek published a timeline of 11 sexual misconduct allegations against Kelly.
Kelly had a concert in Atlanta at the Wolf Creek Amphitheatre on Aug. 25, even after Fulton commissioners — led by former Atlanta mayoral candidate John Eaves — sent a letter to LiveNation, formally requesting the concert be canceled. The show went on as Eaves and a handful of other protested, but Kelly's show in Memphis was canceled, along with planned concerts at four other different venues across the country.
Lawyers and spokespeople representing Kelly have repeatedly denied all claims of sexual misconduct against him. In August, Johns Creek Police gave the Fulton County District Attorney a file on Kelly. Since then, Paul Howard — the DA — has not brought forth any charges against Kelly.
Channel 2 reached out to a spokesperson for R. Kelly but never heard back.
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