Author: Staff Reports

Make plans to be at ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ beginning at 5:50 p.m. this Friday night at the Martin Centre in downtown Douglas. Dancing stars and judges will be arrving on the red carpet moments before the doors open for a night of fun and excitement you will not want to miss. Limited tickets are still available at Douglas National Bank, First National Bank, and Ameris Bank. The event kicks off at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. Judges will determine which couple does it best, but you can help decide which one takes home the title of…

National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists confirmed Monday that severe damage on the western side of Coffee County caused during Sunday’s storm was due to a tornado touchdown. NWS officials surveyed the area and classified the tornado as an E-F-0, with maximum winds of about 85-miles per hour. More information on the findings of the NWS can be found here.

Coffee County was hit hard Sunday afternoon, as heavy rains and wind ripped through the area. Severe damage to homes and trees was reported primarily on the county’s western side, extending from the Ambrose area to Evans Mobile Home Park about three miles west of the Douglas city limits on Ga. Hwy. 32. Douglas Now has been unable to confirm witness repots of a tornado at this time.

Douglas police say they have identified the man responsible for a burglary earlier this week at the Central Square Complex as 21-year-od Shaquille Hakeem Vickers and are seeking the public’s help in bringing him to justice. Police officials say on Tuesday, April 14, Vickers entered the Central Square Complex, busting numerous windows at the location and damaging several bubble gum machines in order to steal a small amount of change. Police added today that Vickers is also a person of interest in several other cases. Anyone with any information that would assist in locating Shaquille Hakeem Vickers is asked to…

Gov. Nathan Deal today signed HB 1, legislation that permits the use of medical cannabis oil to treat certain conditions. The law took effect immediately upon Deal’s signature. Deal signed an executive order last month instructing state agencies, physicians and law enforcement officials to prepare for the law’s enactment. “For the families enduring separation and patients suffering pain, the wait is finally over,” Deal said. “I applaud the efforts of the Department of Public Health and the Georgia Composite Medical Board to see that this legislation is implemented safely and in a timely manner. Now, Georgia children and their families…

Garland Thompson of Douglas is one of five Georgians Gov. Nathan Deal named to the Soil and Water Conservation Committee on Wednesday. Thompson retired as senior vice president for the SunTrust Bank of Coffee County and presently serves as chairman of the board. He has served on the Georgia Agribusiness Council, the University of Georgia Agriculture Alumni Board, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, the Sunbelt Exposition Board and the Douglas-Coffee County Industrial Authority. He earned an associate’s degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia and attended banking school at Louisiana…

Douglas police are on the hunt today for a man they say burglarized the Central Square Complex Tuesday afternoon, causing extensive damage. Authorities reported this morning that the man in the picture above entered the complex at around 5:30 p.m. He allegedly busted numerous windows at the location and damaged several bubble gum machines in order to steal the small amount of change inside them. The Douglas Police Department is attempting to identify this person and is asking for the community’s assistance. Anyone with any information that would assist in identifying the individual in the photo is asked to contact…

A man dubbed “the vending machine bandit” Tuesday in an article on DouglasNow.com was arrested later the same day and now faces multiple counts of robbery and criminal damage to property. Douglas police officials reported that Casey Elbert Smith was located by the police department and captured with the assistance of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office yesterday. Smith was wanted in connection with an April 11 incident of criminal damage to property that occurred when he allegedly destroyed a vending machine at local car dealership David’s Auto Sales, causing over $500 in damage, and made off with an undisclosed amount…

Coffee County Sheriff’s Office officials reported Tuesday the capture of a man wanted on federal charges who had managed to avoid apprehension since 2014. Detectives and K-9 officers with the Douglas – Coffee Drug Unit (DCDU) arrested Jose Alberto Sandoval – Moya on federal conspiracy charges. Sandoval – Moya was the subject of a federal investigation in the middle district of Georgia and had eluded capture since October 2014 when the DCDU and agents of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation initially attempted to serve the arrest warrant at a residence on Boardwalk Circle in Douglas. DCDU found him Tuesday in…

A Douglas man’s futile attempt to flee the law was short-lived during an incident last week, resulting in his arrest on multiple charges. A City of Douglas police officer initiated a traffic stop just after 11 a.m. on April 8 after observing the driver and passenger were not wearing seat belts. According to an incident report filed at the police department, the passenger in the vehicle, later identified as 28-year-old Terrance Danyell Gibson, gave the officer a false name and attempted to flee the scene on foot. Gibson was apprehended a short time later and now faces charges of obstruction,…