Author: Staff Reports

A 30-year-old man is behind bars at the Coffee County Jail following an investigation which determined the suspect influenced the winnings of the Georgia Lottery by tampering with scratch off tickets. Sheriff’s investigators began looking into a complaint initiated by the manager of the store, who believed the employee was stealing lottery tickets in late September. Following a month-long investigation, which included interviews of the clerk and observations of video, detectives determined the clerk was scratching certain information on the tickets and then using the lottery machine and this information to determine if it was a winning ticket. If the…

A former Fitzgerald physician, Dr. Edd Colbert Jones, III, was taken into custody Tuesday after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and dispense controlled substances including Oxycodone, Alprazolam and Diazepam, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Dr. Jones was indicted on April 12, 2016 after being arrested a year earlier. In entering his plea, Dr. Jones admitted that he was a licensed physician operating a general practice in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He and co-conspirator Shannon Benedict devised a scheme whereby Ms. Benedict would receive prescriptions in her name and the names of others. The pills received…

City of Douglas Utilities notified residents Tuesday that Ricketson Construction will have a planned water outage on Wednesday, November 2, from approximately 5 to 9 p.m. to lower an 8” water line that is in conflict with the installation of a 36” storm drain pipe that will cross Old Axson Rd. City representatives urge residents to make necessary arrangements to be prepared to be without water during this time period. “We apologize for any inconveniences that this may cause our customers,” officials stated. The map pictured above highlights the location that will be affected by the outage. …

A 51-year-old Alma woman faces multiple felony assault and weapons charges after allegedly threatening her boyfriend with a rifle and temporarily blockading herself inside a residence when officers arrived. Alma police received a call to a residence on E. 7th St. just after midnight Sunday regarding a woman threatening to shoot her boyfriend. As officers from APD and the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene, they discovered Karen Story (51) of Alma had pointed a small caliber rifle at her boyfriend, threatening to shoot him. Story locked herself inside of the residence, authorities said, and refused to allow officers…

The Douglas Fire Department will install smoke detectors beginning October 31, 2016 through November 7, 2016 in high risk areas of Douglas. The smoke detectors will be installed in areas that are at high risk for fire damage, officials stated. According to a press released issued earlier this week, the Douglas Fire Department received a 2016 Chesney Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial Grant Award to help with the cost of providing and installing the smoke detectors. This free public service is being provided to help encourage fire safety and prevention of the loss of life and property, city representatives said. “We are…

The City of Douglas announced today the promotion of Captain Larry Wilson as fire chief of the Douglas Fire Department. Mayor Tony Paulk, the Douglas City Commission, and city manager met following the city commission meeting on Monday, October 10, and held discussions of the fire Chief position within the Douglas Fire Department, according to a press release issued Wednesday afternoon. Other promotions within the fire department include Captain Casey Wright as the assistant fire chief. “We welcome Larry to the management team of the City of Douglas,” said City Manager Terrell Jacobs. “Larry brings 29 years of fire service…

Douglas residents have the opportunity to vote in the general election whether or not to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays between the hours of 12:30 and 11:30 p.m. The Douglas – Coffee County Chamber of Commerce is currently conducting an online poll to see what local residents think about this issue. You can cast your vote in the poll by clicking here.

A suspected Alma drug dealer who allegedly faked a heart attack after she was arrested and had been missing since Friday night is back in custoy. The Alma Police Department and the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office arrested Delama Fay Bennett (46) of Alma and another individual following a drug transaction at Alma’s Goldwasser Park. Bennett was charged with sale of a controlled substance. Late Friday evening, Bennett allegedly faked a heart attack while in jail and was transported to the Bacon County Hospital. She was later released after the determination was made that she suffered no medical emergency and fled…

Coffee County voters showed up in full force Monday during the first day of early voting, with over 550 ballots being cast, according to Elections Supervisor Misty Hayes. Advance voting continues through Nov. 4 at the Coffee County Board of Elections Office located at 224 West Ashley St. in Douglas. Voting hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office will also be open for advance voting Saturday, October 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 912-384-7018. The elections supervisor reminds the public of a few rules to follow during advance voting: *NO…

A man wanted by Alma police on charges of aggravated assault and entering an auto was arrested in Maine just south of the Canadian border on Sunday. Authorities had been on the lookout for 28-year-old Joshua Brock since last week after he allegedly fought and pulled a knife on a local business owner after being caught rummaging through a vehicle. Minutes before this incident, officers discovered the suspect had attempted to break into another vehicle at another business in town and was captured on video tape. Brock was captured in Ashland, Maine on Sunday by Ashland Police. The following…