Author: Staff Reports

A man who found a debit card abandoned in an Alma parking lot apparently thought he’d treat himself to a few early Christmas gifts, but authorities had other ideas. Officials stated 49-year-old Stacy Tyle Lee discovered the card in the Bacon County Hospital parking lot and later utilized it on four separate occasions for personal gain. Alma police subsequently arrested Lee, charging the debit card bandit with four counts of financial transaction card.

Douglas Mayor Tony Paulk and city commissioners voted last week to amend the municipal alcoholic beverage ordinance which will allow alcoholic beverages to be consumed and sold on Sundays. Douglas citizens were given the chance to vote on the ordinance in November during the primary election. Citizens voted to allow Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages, as well as Sunday sales for consumption of alcoholic beverages. The amended alcoholic beverage ordinance took effect on December 12, 2016. Citizens should be aware of the exceptions to the days, hours, and sale of the amended alcoholic beverage ordinance. The sale of alcoholic beverages…

Local law enforcement discovered nearly $300 in counterfeit currency, along with high grade marijuana and packaging materials, after a passenger in a vehicle allegedly tried to discard the contraband during a traffic stop last Friday. Coffee County officials initiated the stop on Hwy. 221 N. for reckless driving. According to authorities, the driver attempted to elude officers briefly before pulling into a residence on Spring Meadow Rd. Deputies made contact with the driver of the vehicle, identified as Leetavou Dyshun Pittman, and the passenger, identified as Briana Thigpen. Pittman and Thigpen allegedly stated to officers that they were lost. Deputies…

The Douglas Lions Club recently presented a check for $1,500 to support local breast cancer awareness. In the above photo, Lorna Hurst, President of Beta Sigma Phi, receives the donation from Lions Club President Brian Norris.

Some Douglas residents will be without power Wednesday as part of a scheduled outage announced today. Officials stated the outage will last for approximately two hours between 1 and 3 p.m. due to necessary line maintenance. The areas targeted are the following streets/roads/drives: Wendell Sears Rd., Hillsway Dr., Maplewood Rd., Creekside Dr., Pintail St., Mallard Pointe Dr., Mandarin St., Muscovy Dr., Teal St., and Drake Dr.

Coffee and Bacon County authorities are on the lookout for a man who allegedly stole over $30 thousand of merchandise in Alma before heading to Douglas, where he took two lawn mowers from a local business. Officials reported an unknown white male tore down a gate at Hall’s Construction on W. 12th St. in Alma last week and stole a 16’ cargo trailer containing over $30 thousand worth of equipment. After stealing the trailer, the man drove to Douglas, broke into Crosby Equipment on S. Peterson Ave., and took two Kubota zero-turn mowers. Some of the contents of Hall’s…

City of Douglas officials alerted residents over the weekend that a phone scam is currently targeting Douglas Utility customers. If you receive a phone call from 800-876-1090, do not answer the call, and report the incident to local law enforcement authorities. The scam caller states they are the City of Douglas Disconnection Department and the customer’s utilities are about to be disconnected. The scam caller has even tried, officials say, to get customers to meet them at Walgreens to pay with cash. Although the City of Douglas does have an automatic calling system that alerts customers their account is past…

A man believed to be responsible for a string of vehicle entries and property thefts occurring on the north side of Douglas was jailed last week on numerous charges, according to police officials. “Over the past few months, there have been numerous vehicle entries reported on the north side of Douglas,” authorities said in a release posted to Facebook. “The Douglas Police Department has been investigating these reports and working with the public to obtain video and other evidence in an attempt to identify and arrest the offender(s).” As a result of the investigation, police arrested 49-year-old Edward James Battle…

City of Douglas officials met with owners and managers of local hotels on Thursday, December 1, to discuss tourism related initiatives, concerns, and other issues, according to a press release issued Monday. Officials did not detail any specifics regarding the issues discussed. Out of the 11 hotels in Douglas, city officials stated, representatives from nine hotels were present for the meeting. In attendance representing the City of Douglas was City Manager Terrell Jacobs, Public Information Director Georgia Henderson, City Commissioners Johnnie Lee Roper and Commissioner Cindy McNeill. “We see the meeting as a success in opening the doors of…

Two convicted felons from Florida were recently jailed in Coffee County after authorities discovered a quantity of marijuana, cocaine, and a firearm during a road check on a local county road. Coffee sheriff’s authorities stated the Georgia State Patrol, Douglas-Coffee H.E.A.T. Unit, and the sheriff’s office were conducting the check just prior to midnight, Dec. 2, on McKinnon Rd. at Osbon Mills Rd. south of Douglas. A black Toyota Camry stopped at the check, and authorities allegedly detected the odor of marijuana coming from within the vehicle. The driver and passenger were identified as 21-year-old Brandi Nicole Fletcher and 23-year-old…