Author: Jerry A. Hudson

Information provided by Douglas police on Wednesday via the department’s Facebook page purports to show a marked decrease in overall crime in the city between January to June, 2014, and January to June, 2015. The informational graphic claims substantial decreases in major crimes such as roberries, assaults, burglaries, and sex crimes. The only crimes listed on the chart which showed small increases were motor vehicle thefts and criminal trespasses. Douglas police did not offer any comments on the graphic or any information regarding how the statistics were compiled. Douglas Now has provided an image of the information given by the…

A Coffee County woman is using social media to try to locate and help one local family who may need assistance with their child’s back-to-school needs. Kaci Murray is asking the community to send her the names of a parent, or parents, with school-aged children who might be struggling financailly. This Friday, July 17, Murray states she will draw the name of one family and will help purchase the children’s needed clothes and supplies. “I love helping people, and I just want to help a child in need,” Murray says. To contact Kaci with the name of a possible family…

A Coffee County teenager who had been reported missing since Thursday afternoon was located shortly after the story first appeared on Douglas Now Saturday morning. Sheriff’s office detective and media liaison Jamie Hersey reported just before noon that 17-year-old Page Tanner was safe and on her way to be reunited with family. Hersey did not provide any details regarding the teenager’s disappearance or circumstances which led to her being found. Page Tanner was first reported missing around 2 p.m. Thursday, and family members became extremely concerned when the vehicle she was last seen driving was located with her personal belongings…

The family of a Coffee County teenager missing since Thursday afternoon is in need of answers after the truck she was last driving was recently found with all her belonging still in the vehicle. Page Tanner was reported missing around 2 p.m. Thursday and was last seen driving a 2004 Chevy Silverado pickup. Family members state the vehicle has since been located with her personal belongings still inside, including her wallet, pocket book, phone, and the keys to the truck. Ms. Tanner is described as white female, approximately 5’5″-5’6″, 135 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is pictured…

Local activist Chris Adams was back at the Coffee County Courthouse Thursday morning, this time with a handful of reinforcements and a permit to picket issued by the City of Douglas. Adams first showed up outside the courthouse Wednesday morning, dressed in a Confederate Army replica uniform and waving a former state flag of Georgia that prominently displayed the Confederate battle emblem. Adams was asked to leave shortly after appearing Wednesday by someone he thought was a law enforcement officer. “The man came up to me and said the ‘head lady’ at the courthouse wanted me to leave because she…

Community organizers in Jeff Davis County are working to solve a 25-year-old cold case and bring the victim’s alleged murderer to justice. According to information provided on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s websie, Rhonda Sue Coleman left a senior class meeting on May 17, 1990, and never made it home. Her car was found abandoned beside the highway in Hazlehurst, and her body was discovered three days later in a wooded area in Montgomery County. Coleman was a lifelong Hazlehurst resident, a student at Jeff Davis High School, and lived with her mother and father at the time of her…

Traffic in downtown Douglas came to a near crawl Wednesday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm moved through the area wreaking havoc on the city’s streets. Around 5:30 p.m., a storm traveling north hit the Douglas area causing extensive damage primarily on the city’s north end. Debris was strewn along several of the town’s most heavily-traveled streets including N. Peterson Ave., N. Madison Ave., W. Walker St., and W. Ward St. Fallen trees brought traffic to temporary standstill as emergency crews worked fervently to clear the stricken areas. Approximately 200 Douglas residents experienced power outages as a result of the storm.…

Douglas police are currently investigating two burglaries that occurred over the weekend in the same area at a physician’s office and local pharmacy. John Bailey, owner of Fulco Drugs on Shirley Ave., stated he received a call at home from his alarm company around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, who advised him there had been a perimeter breach at the business. Bailey said he opted to disregard the alarm at that time since it was not reported as a ‘glass break’ or similar occurrence that would indicate entry into the building. Around 8:30 Sunday morning, a passing motorist contacted 911 after observing…

A suspected victim of domestic violence is safe tonight thanks to a compassionate act on the part of three Douglas police officers who went above and beyond the call of duty. According to Waycross Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Ian Sansot, Douglas Police Officer Joseph Brackett reached out to him Friday evening inquiring if he knew of any nearby shelters for battered women. Brackett stated he had met with a woman who had contacted the police through 911 requesting assistance for her and her children. The victim told authorities she had spoken to representatives at one shelter in the area,…

A storm that tore through Coffee County Friday afternoon left a trail of devastation in its path, causing power outages and blocking traffic on one of the area’s major highways. Around 1:45 p.m., heavy winds and rainfall hit southern Coffee County. About five miles south of Douglas on U.S. Hwy. 441, a pine tree gave way, knocking down power lines and blocking the entire southbound lane. Residents of the Green Acres community, along with others in the general area, experienced power losses for some time following occurrence. One vehicle was damaged as a result of the tree in the highway.…