Cherokee Sheriff's Office Charges Juvenile in Macedonia Kroger Restroom Incident

A juvenile initially located during a missing person call was later charged with attempted rape connected to a March 10 incident at the Macedonia-area Kroger.

The Cherokee Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that a juvenile has been arrested and charged with Criminal Attempt to Commit Rape in connection with an incident involving multiple female restrooms at the Macedonia Road Kroger on March 10, 2026.

The arrest grew out of an unrelated call two weeks later. On Sunday, March 22, at approximately 8:30 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a missing or runaway juvenile in the Free Home area of Cherokee County. They located the juvenile and safely returned him to his home — but found him carrying several bags containing items stolen from a Kroger store in the Macedonia area. He was charged with Theft by Shoplifting and released into his mother's custody.

That shoplifting investigation opened a second door. During the course of it, deputies developed reason to believe the juvenile may have been involved in the March 10 restroom incident at the same Kroger location. Following a formal interview with detectives, he was charged with Criminal Attempt to Commit Rape, a felony, and Criminal Trespass in connection with that earlier incident.

The juvenile was taken into custody and transported to the Marietta Regional Youth Detention Center. Because the suspect is a juvenile, the Cherokee Sheriff's Office stated that no additional identifying information will be released.

The Macedonia Road corridor sits in the southern portion of Cherokee County near the Cobb County line — one of the most densely developed stretches in the county, lined with retail centers, established neighborhoods, and several schools. The Kroger there is a high-traffic anchor store for that part of the community, drawing shoppers from across south Cherokee County on a daily basis. An incident of this nature at a location so many families visit routinely is likely to heighten concern among residents, particularly parents.

The Cherokee Sheriff's Office has not released details about the nature of the March 10 incident beyond confirming it involved entry into multiple female restrooms and resulted in the attempted rape charge. Anyone with additional information related to either incident is encouraged to contact the Cherokee Sheriff's Office.