Author: Staff Reports

After almost a month on the run, a third suspect in a home invasion/armed robbery that occurred Dec. 14 is finally in custody. Coffee County Sheriff’s officials reported Sunday morning that Kenneth Powell Jr. was apprehended earlier this week. Investigators received information that Powell could possibly be located at a residence in Groves Mobile Home Park on U.S. Hwy. 441 just south of Douglas. Authorities responded to the location and received consent from the home owner to enter and soon discovered Powell hiding under the kitchen sink. Powell was taken into custody without incident. Also arrested in this case the…

One suspect was arrested following an early morning shooting Saturday Alma that also resulted in two individuals being jailed on numerous drug charges. Alma Police Chief Michael Leslie reported that officers responded to a shooting at 141 Briteblue Dr. around 1 a.m. One of the victims, identified as Marcus Batton, had been shot several times, and his wife, April Batton, had been beaten. The victims told authorities the shooters were demanding money during the assault. APD followed up on information provided by the victims and were able to make one arrest, but Alma police have not released the name…

An Alma man was arrested on multiple drug charges Tuesday after a Nicholls police officer initiated a traffic stop for a suspended vehicle registration. Authorities stated the traffic stop occurred around 9:35 p.m. Tuesday when the Nicholls P.D. stopped a vehicle driven by Brett Antoan Staten of Alma on McGowan St. Coffee County K-9 officers, along with the Douglas-Coffee Drug Unit, assisted with the stop, and a subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of approximately 0.2 grams of methamphetamine, which was concealed inside a pack of cigarettes, a small amount of marijuana, and several prescription pills that…

Coffee County Sheriff Doyle Wooten released the following information Monday regarding recent drug arrests: On Dec. 16 at approximately 1:55 p.m., Coffee County K-9 deputies, along with Douglas-Coffee Drug Unit (DCDU) detectives conducted a traffic stop on a 2001 Ford Mustang on New Forest Hwy. at Wright Quick Stop for window tint violation. During the stop, Angela Vickers was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine. Authorities say Vickers had in her possession five packages of methamphetamine that weighed approximately 35 grams. Javarra Vickers was also arrested for possession of synthetic marijuana (two packages), which is a Schedule I controlled substance. Around 11:35…

A 27-year-old man was killed just after midnight on New Year’s Day after suffering a large laceration to the neck caused by fireworks. Coffee County Sheriff’s officials stated deputies and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to 185 Belle Avenue in the Hidden Lakes subdivision around 12:20 a.m. in reference to a male subject, identified as Stephen Goodman, who had a fireworks explosive detonate on him. According to authorities, witnesses at the location stated Goodman accidentally placed a firework in a tube upside down and lifted the tube above his head. They believed that when the firework exploded it shot out…

Wallace David Lee, who is accused of the Nov. 19 murders of 33-year-old Meghan Bowen and 39-year old James Harden, appeared at a committal hearing in Coffee County Magistrate Court Wednesday. According to the district attorney’s office, committal hearings, also sometimes called preliminary hearings, are held to determine whether or not probable cause exists to bind the case over to a grand jury. In cases in which a defendant has bonded out or has already been indicted by a grand jury, defendants are not entitled to such hearings. Lee has been incarcerated at the Coffee County Jail since Nov. 19…

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office reported Wednesday the arrest of James Henry Young, III for alleged cocaine and marijuana sales. Officials stated that on Dec. 28 around 3:30 p.m., officers wtih the Douglas Heat Unit and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Young on outstanding warrants for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a housing project. He has also been charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of housing project. According to information obtained through the Ga. Dept. of Corrections, Young was released from prison in 2012 after serving a…

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office issued the following press release Wednesday in regards to the arrests of four individuals on varying drug charges: “On Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 11:45 a.m., the Nicholls Police Department and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a probation search at 501 Sessoms Street in Nichols. The male that lives there is on felony probation and was identified as James White. White had under his mattress two different types of schedule four pills and will be charged with possession of a controlled substance, two counts. Later on the same day at 12:45 p.m., the Georgia…

City of Douglas officials are encouraging citizens to be proactive and report any suspicious activity around its municipal parks to law enforcemtent following some recent acts of vandalism that occurred at Roundtree Park, which recently underwent major upgrades. Parks representatives issued the following press release on the matter Tuesday: “Contractors and employees for the City of Douglas recently made repairs and renovations at Roundtree Park in an effort to make the park more accessible and enjoyable for citizens. ‘Unfortunately, we recently had some vandalism at Roundtree Park,’ says Parks and Recreation Director, Stevie Young. ‘We want our citizens to use…

As we move into 2016, the DouglasNow.com team plans to add a video component to our news and advertising coverage. We are excited about the possibilities and opportunities this would open to both our readers and our advertisers. Our friends at Coffee Chrysler allowed us to shoot our first video on their sales lot on South Peterson Avenue in Douglas, Ga. What you see here is but a sample of what we will be doing in the coming weeks and months. There are still a few issues we have to work out but all in all, we are pleased with…