Author: Jerry A. Hudson

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Medical Examiner’s Office has positively identified 17-year-old Tydarius Akeem Reed of Douglas as the victim found along a railroad track in western Coffee County early Monday morning. Reed’s body was discovered after local authorities responded around 2:30 a.m. Monday to a portion of the CSX railway system between Dennis Harper Rd. and Palmetto Rd. in reference to a person being struck by a train. GBI agents and local investigators located the body of a black male who, at that time, had been identified. Authorities state the investigation into Reed’s death remains active and ongoing. Anyone…

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and local authorities are attempting to identify a man killed early Monday morning after being struck by a train in western Coffee County. Around 2:30 a.m., Coffee County deputies responded to a portion of the CSX railway system between Dennis Harper Rd. and Palmetto Rd. in reference to a person being struck by a train. GBI agents and local investigators subsequently located the body of a black male who has yet to be identified. Local officials stated the man had been decapitated and was also missing an arm. A backpack believed to be the…

Alma police are on the lookout for the driver of a stolen car who fled the scene of an accident that injured two people Friday evening. The accident occurred when a white Chevrolet Silverado traveling east on W. 19th St. in Alma disregarded a stop sign and struck a Toyota Avalon, occupied by two local residents, traveling south on S. Pierce St. The passenger in the Avalon had to be extricated from the vehicle, and both occupants were taken to Bacon County Hospital for treatment. Authorities say the driver of the Chevrolet fled the scene on foot, and it was…

Being a red letters Christian isn’t an original concept of mine. In fact, it’s not even an original title. Founded by Pastor Tony Campolo and Christian social activist Shane Claiborne, the organization Red Letter Christians states its mission is to “mobilize individuals into a movement of believers who live out Jesus’ counter-cultural teachings.” They go on to state, “The goal of Red Letter Christians is simple: To take Jesus seriously by endeavoring to live out His radical, counter-cultural teachings as set forth in Scripture, and especially embracing the lifestyle prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount. By calling ourselves Red…

A Coffee County man sentenced to probation two years ago after admitting to having consensual sex with a 14-year-old female at a local motel has absconded, and authorities are asking the public’s help in locating him. DouglasNow.com first reported Keith Samuel Smith’s sentencing in Deceber 2014 when he was given 20 years of probation after pleading guilty to one count of statutory rape. Testimony given at the time revealed Smith and the victim were at a party at the Fountain Inn motel when the two engaged in intercourse. Since Smith did not have any prior convictions and the act was…

Two people were arrested by Coffee County sheriff’s officials Thursday following a bizarre case that led authorities to the discovery of a small arsenal allegedly intended to be used to penetrate a former government facility in Alaska. Authorities say the investigation began when they were alerted that two men, identified as 30-year-old Michael Mancil and 22-year-old James Dryden, Jr., were purchasing large quantities of high-powered firearms, magazines, and ammunition at several locations around Coffee County. Mancil was also already the subject of another investigation into sales of methamphetamine, authorities said. County law enforcement convened a surveillance operation at a residence…

James Robert Jacobs, charged with the 2014 murder of nursing home patient Alexander Hunter, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison plus 10 years to serve on a charge of concealing a death. Both sentences will run concurrently. Assistant District Attorney Ian Sansot provided the following statement which gives detailed information surrounding this disturbing incident that has haunted the Coffee County community for over two years: “This case began when Detective Jamie Hersey of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office received information that Mr. Hunter was buried in the shed at the personal care home, Rosewood Manor. This personal care home…

An investigation into a suspected case of child molestation that began last year resulted in the arrest of a 20-year-old man this week on various sexually-related criminal charges. Douglas police stated officials were notified of a reported sexual assault committed against a 14-year-old female victim on July 25, 2015. Authorities quickly established the female had been the victim of a sexual assault, and a suspect was identified. The alleged attacker initially denied having any relations with the victim, officials said. Evidence obtained during the investigation was sent the GBI Crime Lab for analysis, and investigators received those results on Sept.…

Mitchell Shahee Jump of Coffee County could very well become famous as the new poster child for drug abstinence following this recent run-in with the law. Jump was found by authorities slumped over the center console of his vehicle and subsequently charged with methamphetamine possession after a 911 caller reported a strange car parked in their flower bed. Deputies responded to a residence on Woodpecker Trail during the early morning hours of Sept. 6 in response to a vehicle parked in a flower bed of someone’s front yard. When they arrived, officials found 39-year-old Jump passed out and slumped over…

Two Alma teenagers and one unnamed suspect went on a criminal spree Wednesday morning, but were ultimately thwarted in their thieving efforts by local and state police. Officials with the Alma police department stated an officer observed three young men walking in a neighborhood near the Bacon County Middle & High Schools around 6:30 to 7 a.m. Wednesday. Once the men saw the officer, each fled in separate directions. APD was quickly assisted by deputies with the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office and troopers with the Georgia State Patrol. While searching for the individuals, reports of entering autos and a…