Four gang members plead guilty in Canton car break-ins
Kadarius Keyonte Odims, Trentavious Watkins, Damonte Dekeys Brown, and Shaquavion Adkins (Cherokee County Sheriffs Office)
CANTON, Ga. - Four members of the Nine Trey Gangsters Bloods gang have pleaded guilty to a series of car break-ins and other criminal activities in Canton. The defendants, Kadarius Keyonte Odims, Trentavious Watkins, Damonte Dekeys Brown, and Shaquavion Adkins admitted their involvement in the crimes committed in January 2019.
"When gang members enter our community to commit crimes against our residents, they learn quickly that Cherokee County doesn’t tolerate gang activity," Treadaway said. "Our law enforcement agencies work together to investigate these crimes, and the District Attorney’s Office is equipped with a specially trained unit to aggressively prosecute them."
The case involved the use of the Georgia RICO statute to prosecute two gang leaders who directed criminal activities in Cherokee County from outside its borders. "Through strategic use of the Georgia RICO statute, we successfully prosecuted two gang leaders who never even stepped foot in our county. These men used their gang leadership positions to direct criminal activity here and, ultimately, they both pled guilty to their crimes and were sentenced to prison," Treadaway added.
The charges stem from the early morning hours of January 24, 2019, when Canton Police responded to reports of car break-ins on Oconee Way. A resident witnessed two men breaking into his car and attempted to intervene, leading one of the men to fire shots at him. Law enforcement found a bullet hole in the witness’s garage, bullet holes in a neighbor’s residence and vehicle, and shell casings in the street. The men entered a total of 19 unlocked vehicles.
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Damonte Dekeys Brown, 24, of Kennesaw, and Kadarius Keyonte Odims, 23, of Powder Springs, were identified as the men who fired shots. Two additional co-defendants, Shaquavion Adkins, 28, and Trentavious Watkins, 25, both of Athens, held leadership roles in Nine Trey Gangsters Bloods and were charged with directing the criminal activity.
"The co-defendants worked together as an enterprise for the purpose of illegally obtaining money and property," said Assistant District Attorney Kelly Chavis, who prosecuted the case. "Money generated through organized criminal activity is typically used to pay gang membership dues or to further the interests of the gang."
The indictment for Brown and Odims included 75 charges, including violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the Street Gang Act, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and multiple counts of entering an automobile and criminal damage to property.
"In text message conversations prior to the crimes, both Watkins and Adkins reached out to Odims to make sure his dues were paid," Chavis said. Odims and Brown committed the crimes to pay their dues to the Nine Trey Gangsters Bloods.
The four defendants entered guilty pleas at separate hearings over the past two years:
Damonte Dekeys Brown (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
Brown admitted to all 75 charges and entered a non-negotiated guilty plea on June 23, 2022. He was sentenced to 50 years, with the first 12 years to serve in prison by Superior Court Judge Tony Baker.
Kadarius Keyonte Odims (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
Odims admitted to 75 of the same charges and entered a non-negotiated guilty plea on August 16, 2020. Senior Superior Court Judge Jack Partain sentenced him to 30 years, with the first 20 years to serve in prison.
Shaquavion Adkins (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
Adkins entered a negotiated guilty plea on August 16, 2022, admitting to one count of violation of the Street Gang Act. He was sentenced to 10 years, with the first year to be served in confinement.
Trentavious Watkins (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
Watkins entered a negotiated guilty plea on April 17, 2024, admitting to one count of violation of the Street Gang Act. He was sentenced to 10 years, with the first year to be served in confinement.
All four men were banned from Cherokee County and ordered to have no contact with the victims, co-defendants, or any known gang members, particularly those associated with the Bloods and Nine Trey Gangsters Bloods.
The case was investigated by the Canton Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kelly Chavis of the Gang/Organized Crime Unit, Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit. Investigator Kyle Smith, formerly with the Canton Police Department, led the investigation.