Gravel Hill home invasion suspect arrested in California

ALBANY — The Dougherty County Police Department announced Friday that one suspect is now in custody and another suspect, although still on the run, has been identified in the attempted murder/home invasion that occurred June 15 on Gravel Hill Road and left victim Francis Weatherbee paralyzed.

“We have one suspect in custody,” Lt. Steve Mitchum of the Dougherty County Police Department said. “John Bevon Mincey, 24, was apprehended out in California. Mincey is from Albany but was actually staying out at Travis Air force Base.”

Travis Air force Base is located in Fairfield, Calif., a distance of 2,545 miles from Albany.

According to Mitchum, Mincey was, at one time, an employee of Francis Weatherbee.

“Mincey used to be an employee of the Weathebees,” the DCP lieutenant said. “We have been keeping the family updated on the progress of the investigation and the information that we have been getting. I will say that information that led us to Mincey did come in on a tip.”

Within days after the attack, Francis Weatherbee’s father, Frank, along with family members and friends, put together a $70,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

According to original reports, at 2:13 p.m. on June 16, officers were dispatched to 4602 Gravel Hill Road in reference to a shooting. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Wetherbee lying face-down on the back porch of the residence with at least one visible gunshot wound.

“Francis Wetherbee stated that there were four or five people in his residence at an unknown time on June 15,” the report said. “Francis Wetherbee was only able to confirm the subjects shot him and took his 2007 gun-metal blue Toyota Tundra and also a black Anderson trailer.”

Wetherbee’s father, Frank, confirmed the attack, saying that his son had been beaten with a baseball bat before being shot twice by a group of five people consisting of three black men, one black woman and one white man. The suspects demanded that Wetherbee open his gun safe.

“They knew, or somebody had told them, that there was a gun safe in there.” Frank Wetherbee said. “They beat him bad, trying to make him open that safe. He (Francis) thinks that there were four guys and one woman involved. All were black except one white man. They shot him twice. The bullet just barely missed an artery, and he lay there for 12 to 14 hours before he was found at the house They left him for dead. Nobody knew it. He is paralyzed from the waist down, but he is alive.”

Frank Wetherbee went on to say that his son, who is recovering, was in good spirits despite everything that has happened.

Since June 16, even with a $70,000 reward, progress on the case was slow, but now with Friday’s development, progress may be accelerating, Mitchum confirmed. With one suspect in custody, DCP is now turning its attention to the other four possible suspects.

“We were kind of onto another suspect that we had already had warrants on,” Mitchum said. “His name is Kareem Williams, and he is still on the run. Williams is 20 years of age and already had active warrants on him from the city. He was actually involved in a shootout, got shot in the stomach and left the hospital before APD could arrest him. We are actively seeking him. Also, we are still looking at additional suspects, and we are still investigating the incident while actively trying to tie the rest of the people who are possibly involved to the crime.”