On September 23, 2024, a Coffee County deputy arrested a 56-year-old Douglas man who had active warrants after the deputy saw him at Evans Mobile Home Park. The suspect, identified as Edward Tate Harper, 56, allegedly tried to dispose of illegal drugs during the investigation and ended up with more charges.
According to a report from the sheriff’s office, a deputy saw Harper at Evans Mobile Home Park. He knew Harper had active warrants so he initiated a traffic stop. The deputy asked Harper to get out of his vehicle. He did but the vehicle began rolling forward. The deputy told Harper to get back in the truck and bring it to a stop. According to the report, when Harper got back in the truck, he did not attempt to stop the vehicle. Instead, the report says that Harper appeared to pull objects out of his pockets.
When the vehicle finally stopped, the deputy got Harper out of the truck, the report says. A passenger in the vehicle told officers that Harper had discarded drugs while he was supposed to be stopping the vehicle. More deputies were on the scene by then and they found a container nearby containing suspected methamphetamine. Harper was arrested and charged with violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act and transported to the Coffee County Jail.
