Author: Staff Reports

This year, the July 4 fireworks started a little early at a house on Lagens Way. According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, on July 4, 2025, deputies responded to a report of an assault at a residence on Lagens Way. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the complainant who alleged that she was physically assaulted during a confrontation at the location. Following the investigation and corroboration from eyewitnesses, 50-year-old Bonnie Marie Duque was identified as the primary aggressor in the incident. Deputies located Duque a short time later and placed her under arrest without incident. As a…

A domestic call at a residence on Highway 32 West landed a Coffee County man in jail after deputies found him allegedly hiding in a nearby field. According to a press release from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, on the evening of July 8, 2025, deputies responded to the residence in reference to an alleged domestic dispute. When they arrived, they spoke with the female victim, who displayed visible injuries consistent with battery, the release says. As the investigation continued, officers found the suspect, identified as Juan Garcia Jimenez, 23, in a field near the residence. The release states that…

On July 6, 2025, a traffic stop conducted by a Coffee County Sheriff’s Deputy resulted in the arrest of Robert Dean Turner, age 62, for suspected possession of methamphetamine. At approximately 1:18 AM, a deputy initiated a stop on Spring Oak Street in Douglas in which Turner was the driver. Upon speaking with Turner, he admitted to being on probation for possession of methamphetamine. During the investigation, deputies discovered a baggie containing a white, crystal-like substance suspected to be methamphetamine. Turner was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine. He was transported to the Coffee County Jail where he remains.

An 18-year-old Douglas man was arrested and jailed on numerous charges after allegedly attempted to steal a gun from someone he met on Facebook Marketplace. The suspect, Fritz Barner, 18, of Douglas, was meeting the victim in order to trade a camera for a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun. According to an incident report from the Douglas Police Department, Barner snatched the gun from the victim and ran off, pointing the gun at people who chased him in an attempt to get him to stop. The incident took place around 1:30 p.m. on June 26, 2025, at a local business.…

The Atkinson County School System is implementing a personal electronic device ban at all schools for the 2025-2026 school year. The school system released a statement on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon. The post states the following: Atkinson County students in grades K–12 are required to keep personal electronic devices — such as phones, earbuds, smartwatches, and fitness trackers — locked and stored throughout the entire school day, from the first bell to the last bell. It is highly recommended that all devices be left at home. Device Storage Procedures by School Level: Why This Policy? Our goal is to:…

On June 19, 2025, an officer with the Douglas Police Department received a tip that an individual with an active warrant was at the Comfortel Inn on North Peterson Avenue. The officer went to the location and found Jennifer Cheyenne “Pinky” Sanchez, 30, of Douglas. The incident report states that the officer made contact with the person to whom the room was registered. The individual opened the door and the officer saw Sanchez sitting on the couch. She was arrested on the warrants and taken to the Coffee County Jail. She was booked into the jail on warrants for possession…

Around 10 p.m. on June 29, 2025, an officer from the Douglas Police Department arrested two individuals who were looking around the Goodwill store in a suspicious manner. One of the suspects was identified as Christopher Lamar Jordan, 44, who had been arrested once in late May and again in mid-June for allegedly violating family violence orders. The incident report from the police department states that an officer saw a suspicious vehicle and a female, identified as Misty June Harper, 44, of Douglas, looking around the dumpsters at the Goodwill store. Jordan was a passenger in Harper’s vehicle. The report…

Tuesday afternoon, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office issued a release stating that an incident had occurred at the Coffee County Jail on Monday, July 7, 2025 “involving an individual who is currently receiving medical care.” The statement went on to say that Sheriff Fred Cole has requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct “a full and independent investigation” into the matter. DouglasNow has learned that the incident in question involves an attempted suicide in the jail. On Monday, a female inmate attempted to take her own life. She was discovered by jail staff, who contacted EMS. The inmate was…

A June 22, 2025, fight at Georgian Woods Apartments sent a Douglas man to jail, where remains incarcerated. According to an incident report from the Douglas Police Department, on June 22, at around 5:40 a.m., police officers responded to Georgian Woods Apartments on McNeil Drive in reference to a fight. Officers learned that one of the participants of the fight was Lamichael Perterries Brockington, 37, of Douglas, and he was still on the premises. Officers found Brockington in one of the apartments. Brockington had multiple warrants for his arrest, according to the report. The police officers were able to get…

An early morning domestic dispute last month allegedly led to a broken phone and a short trip to jail. According to an incident report from the Douglas Police Department, on June 9, 2025, at 2:50 a.m., an officer was dispatched to Georgian Woods Apartments on McNeil Drive in reference to a domestic dispute. When he arrived, he learned that the suspect, Jalen Blackshear, 26, of Douglas, and the victim had gotten into an argument. The report states that the two, who lived together at the apartments, had been at a separate location earlier in the evening, had argued, and separated.…