Author: Staff Reports

An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers has been making the rounds throughout the country, sheriff’s officials reported Wednesday. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. Authorities say the con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about the individuals they are calling (there is a lot of information that can be obtained by anyone over the internet) , and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. Victims are told they owe…

A 26-year-old Coffee County man was arrested last week on one felony theft charge after authorities recovered a golf cart that had been reported stolen. On May 15, deputies, with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office located a stolen golf cart at 399 McKinnon Rd. During the investigation, Trevor Maine McKinnon was arrested and charged with theft by receiving stolen property. The golf cart was recovered and returned to the owner.

Douglas police are searching for a vehicle similar to the one pictured above that was involved in a home invasion last Sunday. The incident occurred on N. Chester Ave. on May 22 when the alleged perpetrator held the victim at gunpoint while she unloaded groceries during daylight hours. The subject carried a black semi-automatic pistol and is right handed. The vehicle is described as follows: • Possibly 1990-2000 “light blue” Ford Explorer• Possibly silver on lower door panels• “old”rims described by victim The victim described the offender as a medium-toned black male, between his late teens and mid-20’s, around 5’4″,…

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating a multi-vehicle auto accident that resulted in injuries and halted downtown traffic Monday afternoon. The accident occurred around 2:30 p.m. in the area of Ward St. and N. Madison Ave. The Douglas Police Dept., along the with Georgia State Patrol, Douglas Fire Dept., and EMS responded to the scene. Few details are known at this time regarding the cause of the accident or the extent of those injured.

Editor’s note: The following story appeared Sunday, May 22, on eastmanexaminer.com and has been republished here with permission from the author, Jimmy Joines. “DouglasNow.com” has not verified any statements or facts mentioned within the article, and it has been edited only for grammar and punctuation. The first apparent announcement of an “impending area drug court” first became public knowledge when Chief Superior Court Judge H. Frederick Mullis, Jr. appeared before the Dodge County Board of Commissioners on April 4, 2016. Mullis was there to further explain his request that the Dodge Commissioners effectively turn over control of the county’s Drug…

Video courtesy, ‘Coffee County Ga. Police Scanner’ on Facebook

The Georgia Department of Education recently released its new ratings for local schools, and Coffee County’s Eastside Elementary stands out as a top performer. The ratings, referred to as the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI), are based on student performance on state standardized tests, but also include some other factors. Eastside earned a rating of 90.7 and was recently featured as part of an article in the Atlanta Journal- Constituion that featured 29 Georgia public schools that are making a difference in low-income areas. The article can be read here.

Friday evening, May 13, the Alma Police Department and the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office arrested three individuals, recovered three stolen vehicles, two stolen firearms, and responded to an arson. The events began just after 9 p.m. when a BCSO deputy sheriff discovered a vehicle on U.S. 1 north of Alma that had been reported stolen from Appling County. Deputies gave a description of the last known driver, who was apprehended twenty minutes later by APD officers on W. 8th St.; officers observed the suspect walking out of the bushes behind the senior center on W. 8th St. David Hughes…

A 38-year-old Douglas man was killed in Valdosta when he was struck by a vehicle while walking along a state highway. Authorities say Lester Brooks was walking eastbound on Ga. Hwy. 38/U.S. 84 in the area of Moore Crossing Rd. in Lowndes County when he was struck by an unknown vehicle. The vehicle fled the scene, and Brooks was pronounced dead shortly after authorities arrived. The Georgia State Patrol’s Valdosta Post continues to work the incident and suspects the vehicle that struck Brooks may have been a tractor trailer. Officials are asking anyone who may have information pertaining to the…

Around 5 a.m. last Thursday, May 5, the Douglas-Coffee Drug Unit (DCDU), along with members of the Georgia Department of Corrections Probation-Parole, conducted a sweep of probationers and parolees who were purported to have previous and possibly current links to organized criminal activity. The action was a coordinated part of a statewide crack-down on organized criminal activity. The Department of Corrections personnel checked for probation and parole compliance, and DCDU agents investigated any signs of ongoing drug activity. As a result of the investigation, three probationers /parolees were arrested for violations of the Georgia Controlled Substance Act. Those arrested…