Author: Staff Reports

Earlier this week, the Douglas Police Department made a post on its Facebook page that local law enforcement was looking for Justin Guy Russ, 19, who allegedly fled a traffic stop back in February. Friday, the police department announced that Russ had been located and arrested. However, the department didn’t release any information regarding how officers found Russ or what exactly they charged him with. According to a post on the Douglas Police Department’s Facebook page, a member of the HEAT Unit stopped a vehicle that was driving at a high rate of speed through a residential neighborhood. During the…

Running from the law usually doesn’t end well for those who are trying to escape. Just ask Jeremy Ely Gaskins and Garrett Zackary Adams, both of whom were apprehended after Gaskins allegedly attempted to outrun police, first in a vehicle then on foot. The two men are in custody after fleeing from the Douglas-Coffee HEAT Unit Wednesday morning, leading to an aerial and foot pursuit that lasted through mid-afternoon. Gaskins, 34, fled from officers attempting to make a traffic stop near West Green. Gaskins led officers on the chase before fleeing on foot in the area of Fire Line Road…

The Douglas-Coffee County HEAT Unit is looking for Justin Guy Russ after he allegedly drove away from a traffic stop back in February. According to a post on the Douglas Police Department’s Facebook page, a member of the HEAT Unit stopped a vehicle that was driving at a high rate of speed through a residential neighborhood. During the stop, the officer discovered that the driver, Justin Guy Russ, 19, had a suspended license. According to the Facebook post, Russ tried to call his mother to come to the scene. The officer then told Russ he was about to be arrested…

The City of Douglas will soon be looking for a new city manager. After nearly 11 years, city manager Terrell Jacobs has announced he is resigning his position, effective June 15, 2018. Jacobs made the announcement during executive session following Monday night’s regular city commission meeting. Jacobs has served as Douglas’s city manager since June 2007. Jacobs announced that he will be joining the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) as Municipal Operations Consultant. In this role, he will provide advice and assistance to member cities along with supporting a range of consulting service initiatives aimed at improving municipal operations and strengthening…

A fire completely destroyed a house on North Madison Avenue Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a cloud of boiling smoke that blanketed a large portion of northern Douglas. Firefighters responded about 2 p.m. and battled the blaze for nearly an hour. Approximately 10 firemen aimed a steady stream of water at the home. Police blocked North Madison Avenue while the firemen worked to control the scene. The home was a total loss. In spite of the tremendous damage, there were no injuries. The fire department is investigating the incident. John Higgs contributed to this report.

The U.S. Marshals are looking for Audrey Leterell Jenkins, a federal inmate who was released from prison on March 25 due to a clerical error, and are offering a generous reward for information leading to her arrest. The Marshals believe she may be in the Bacon County area. According to a press release issued by the U.S. Marshals on Friday morning, Jenkins pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 15, 2017. She entered her plea in federal court in Jacksonville, Fla. She was sentenced to 21 years in prison. After her sentencing, she was sent to Alma to…

Former Atkinson County Probate Judge Margie O’Brien has been indicted on 83 charges of racketeering and theft by taking for allegedly stealing money from the Atkinson County Probate Court between 2010 and 2017. The total amount of the alleged thefts is a staggering $432,711. The Atkinson County Grand Jury handed down the indictment, which is over 50 pages long, earlier this week. The Atkinson County Citizen reported the story on April 5. DouglasNow.com also obtained a copy of the indictment earlier this week. O’Brien is accused of handling the deposits for the Probate Court herself. She allegedly wrote all of…

The Douglas Police Department is looking for help in finding a 13-year-old who went missing from the local Department of Family and Children Services office over a month ago. On March 2, 2018, Coeby Chauncey, 13, went missing or ran away from the DFACS office, according to a post on the Douglas Police Department’s Facebook page. Officers contacted a family member who reported that Coeby is with family. However, the individual police spoke to denied knowing which family member he was staying with or where he was living. Thus far, no one has come forward with any further information. Police…

Thursday, March 29 was a bad day for Jesse David Floyd, 29, a suspected drug dealer and thief in Broxton. But it was a great day for the victims from which he allegedly stole, who just might get a portion of their stolen property back. On Thursday March 29, officers from the Broxton Police Department were attempting to serve a felony probation warrant on Jesse Floyd at 450 Ocmulgee Street Lot A-15 when Floyd jumped out of a window in the rear of the residence and began to run from the scene. A brief foot pursuit ensued in which Floyd…

The Georgia State Patrol Historical Society presented Bridgett Taylor of Douglas with a $3,500 scholarship earlier this month at the Department of Public Safety Awards Banquet. Bridgett currently attends South University in Savannah, where she is working towards a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She will graduate in 2020. Bridgett also attended South Georgia State College in Douglas, where she obtained an associate’s degree in biology. Bridgett’s father is SFC Lawton Taylor (retired) of Douglas, who worked with the Troop J Implied Consent Unit. Two months after Bridgett was born, doctors diagnosed her father with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. He was a…