Look out, Pullman Yard urban explorers - police are charging some trespassers with felonies

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Heads up to urban explorers, “Hunger Games” fans, or everyday residents curious about neighborhood landmarks: If you’ve recently snapped a photo inside the fence at Pullman Yard and posted it online, you might want to keep the name of a good lawyer in your pocket.

Over the last several months, Capitol Police have been perusing social media posts for images snapped at Pullman Yard, the state-owned facility that’s a frequent setting for movie and TV shoots and a favorite haunt of urban explorers, graffiti artists, and movie buffs. Capitol Police and DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies have arrested and jailed alleged scofflaws on charges of criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, and in some cases, felony theft of service. Feel free to peer through the fence but think twice about stepping inside.

Pullman Yard has always been a magnet for urban explorers and graffiti artists, a slowly crumbling token from Atlanta’s railroad past that’s nestled in a growing intown neighborhood. Developers and nonprofits over the years have pitched ideas on how to preserve, adapt, or overhaul the land and its buildings, but the state has no current plans to sell the property. 

In the past months, officers have increased patrols and started seeking out people whom they think snuck past the “no trespassing” signs. One urban explorer contacted by CL says they noticed an uptick in security after an abandoned train car housed inside one of Pullman Yard’s buildings went mysteriously missing. In May, a Dunwoody teen who snuck in to Pullman Yard died after falling through a skylight.

“The fact is that people go out there and it’s becoming more of a popular scene to visit and it’s just a problem,” says Georgia Capitol Police Captain Lewis Young. “We recently had a 19 year old fall through the roof out there and died. It’s dangerous to be out there. And obviously the the Georgia Building Authority, the state agency that oversee’s the state real-estate portfolio doesn’t want people out there without the authority from them to be on it. It’s an ongoing problem.”

Capitol Police officers are catching people in the act, as they always have, Young says, and slapping them with a trespassing charge. But officers are also periodically checking social media and pursuing people who have snuck in to Pullman Yard in the past, he says. People who have taken photos and posted them on social media, in some cases, are being charged with felony theft of services. Young says the felony charge is warranted because professional photographers are inviting people to meet them and take photos without paying fees to rent the facility.

“They’re doing it as a business,” he says. “‘Meet me here we’ll do a photo shoot over here.’ GBA is not their backdrop. You don’t go on other people’s property and take photos for personal gain.”

GBA records show the agency has earned nearly $340,000 since 2015 renting out Pullman Yard.

Clay Parks, a lawyer who is representing two individuals accused of trespassing at Pullman Yard, says that, based on his discussion with an investigator, approximately 60 warrants signed by a DeKalb magistrate judge are outstanding. It is unclear how many how many are for misdemeanor or felony charges. The Capitol Police, and in some cases, DeKalb County sheriff deputies, are serving the warrants.

Parks says that some of the arrests involved several deputies or officers. Officers have also visited people at their place of employment. He says one of his clients was met by four officers at his place of business and residence. 

Young could not confirm whether officers have visited people at their jobs or how many officers have served warrants. We’ve asked the Georgia Department of Public Safety for records on how many warrants have been served and arrest reports. A DeKalb Magistrate Court staffer says the office can only search warrants according to the suspect’s name, not the judge’s.  

Parks says his clients, both of whom have no prior criminal records, were detained for hours after voluntarily turning themselves in at the DeKalb jail. The person charged with only the misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass spent approximately 6 hours in custody before he was released, Park says. His other client facing a criminal trespass misdemeanor and felony count of theft of service — “because a picture he did not take, and was not present for the taking of, was posted on social media site maintained by a business he partially owns,” Parks says — spent approximately 35 hours in jail “with real criminals, was fed only one meal during that time, was forced to change into prison issued clothing, and kept in handcuffs during a bond hearing.” Parks says his client was released on his own recognizance but missed work and family obligations “all over posting a photograph to social media.”

In Parks’ opinion, law enforcement is using a heavy hand by pursuing people who are basically curious about cool buildings and urban areas. A misdemeanor criminal trespass conviction, at worst, can result in up to a $1,000 fine and, depending on the case, up to 12 months in jail. A felony conviction comes with heavy penalties and could haunt someone’s record, Parks says. 

“People’s lives could be dramatically affected by this, especially with a felony,” he says. “They might not able to get in school, get jobs, pursue military careers in some cases... Is this where we really should be putting limited police resources?”

Parks wonders why the state and law enforcement did not first raise awareness to urge people not to visit Pullman Yard and the Atlanta Prison Farm, a favorite spot of bicyclists and another place where law enforcement is said to be cracking down on trespassers.

The City of Atlanta owns the prison farm. APD Spokeswoman Elizabeth Espy says the city is not aware of any arrests at the property. She added that the SWAT team — APD has a facility nearby — frequently drives through the property and asks people who are found on site to leave.  

“Further, taking warrants on people who have posted pictures doesn’t sound legally sound,” she says. “We have permitted several filming events when people on the crews could easily take photos.”

Young says the posted signs should be sufficient enough warning to people that trespassing is verboten. And he says the law is the law. Young says it is reasonable to assume that people who have visited in the recent past and posted photos of their excursions might be contacted by law enforcement. For anyone thinking about visiting? Don’t.

“My message to anyone: if you don’t belong in Pullman Railyard, you need to stay out,” Young says. “It’s for safety of the person. We’ve seen that dangerous things can happen. I see the excitement of things that have been filmed there. it’s a dangerous place to go, first and foremost. You see the signs that say ‘do not trespass.’ And obviously you need to follow the law. There’s no reason to be on the property unless you have permission. It’s just like anyone else’s property.”

GBA Spokesman Paul Melvin did not respond to requests for comment.