Author: Staff Reports

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…

Mike’s Check Cashing owner Mike Grantham welcomed the Coffee County community today with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Douglas – Coffee County Chamber of Commerce. Mike’s Check Cashing is located at 801 N. Peterson Ave. They can be reached at 912-393-3577.

Editor’s note: This is a general sample ballot for Coffee County residents provided to DouglasNow.com by the county registrar. The state senator from our 7th district is Republican Tyler Harper, who is running unopposed. His name was unintentionally cut off from the sample ballot provided to us, but will appear when you go to vote. Also, only City of Douglas residents will be allowed to vote on the local measure concerning alcohol sales on Sundays.

Douglas police are hoping a video they released Friday will lead to the apprehension of armed robbers who recently struck a local store. Around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, officers with the Douglas Police Department responded to 608 E. Baker Hwy. (In & Out) in reference to an armed robbery. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office responded, as well, to assist in looking for the offenders. When authorities arrived, they were told two armed individuals went inside the store and demanded money. The offenders made off with an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency and fled on foot wearing all dark clothing,…

Officials with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office provided the following information regarding the recent arrests of several individuals on varying charges including burglary and motor vehicle theft: Sept. 23 – Deputies from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to 1445 W. Walker St., also known as Town and Country Mobile Home Park, after a reported burglary. As deputies and detectives arrived at the scene and began to canvas the neighborhood, some viable leads were quickly obtained and some property was located immediately in the same area. Detectives followed the information to just inside Irwin County and back to the Fountain…

Alma police are searching for several people believed to have recently passed over $700 in counterfeit checks at a local store. On Oct. 4, a black male and black female entered Three D’s (Valero) on S. Pierce St. in Alma and cashed two counterfeit checks, fraudulently receiving $767.87. The following day, APD learned the checks were counterfeit, created in the names of a local business and bank, with routing numbers belonging to a different bank. The two are believed to have been accompanied by two other black males. Anyone who recognizes either of these individuals is asked to…