Author: Staff Reports

A fourth individual has been arrested and charged in connection with a fight that occurred last week at Ambrose’s only convenience store. Bryce Kirkland, 25, was arrested Friday and charged with terroristic threats and acts after allegedly sending threatening text and social media messages vowing revenge against the three subjects who allegedly fought the victim, who is Kirkland’s grandfather, in the altercation. The fight allegedly took place over a deer hunting dispute on Monday, November 4, 2024. Clyde Rucker, 71, met Rob Smith Jr., 55, and two teenagers, Dillon Smith and Carter Holley, at the store, which is where the…

A suspected impaired 17-year-old driving a Ford F-150 allegedly drove through a Georgia State Patrol road check Monday night which led to a short chase that, thankfully, ended uneventfully. According to a report from the Georgia State Patrol, the driver of the pickup, Wyatt Kenneth Mercer, 17, of Douglas, approached the road check on Old Pearson Highway. He didn’t stop for the road check, the report says, and kept going. Three troopers gave chase and Mercer quickly stopped. Mercer states that he did not know the officers were conducting a road check. He thought it was a traffic stop so…

A driver of a car crash at the intersection of North Madison Avenue and East Ward Street who had active warrants attempted to flee Coffee Regional Medical Center where he was receiving treatment for his injuries, according to a report from the Douglas Police Department. He was apprehended and transported to the Coffee County Jail. The report states that when officers arrived to work the wreck, which occurred on November 2, 2024, they discovered that Matthew Cauley, one of the drivers, had active warrants through the county. He was taken to CRMC for treatment. However, after arriving at the hospital,…

Three individuals – a 55-year-old and two teens – have been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged assault that occurred at a convenience store in Ambrose. All three were arrested Wednesday afternoon, booked into the Coffee County Jail, and released. The incident took place Monday when Rob Smith Jr., Dillon Smith, and Carter Holley met with Clyde Rucker, 71, at the store to discuss a deer hunting dispute. Things got heated during the meeting and a fight ensued. According to reports, Rob Smith Jr., Dillon Smith, and Holley allegedly assaulted Rucker, causing serious injuries that required hospitalization. Wednesday afternoon, agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested all…

Chris Johnson, the owner of Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services who was arrested on Sunday, October 27, 2024, after authorities discovered 18 decomposing bodies in the funeral home while serving an eviction notice, has been transferred to the Tift County Jail for safety reasons. Johnson was transferred to Tift County last week. Johnson was being evicted from the funeral home location on Highway 441 South after falling behind on his rent. For several months, he had been working on a new location for the funeral home in downtown Douglas but he had also fallen behind on the rent for that…

The trial of Jason Anderson, who was charged in connection with the death of Vann Brown, has been rescheduled for February 3, 2025 after being continued several times. The trial had been set to begin on the last Monday in September; however, Hurricane Helene rolled into town and shut everything down, including court. Jason Anderson was indicted in May of 2022 on charges of murder, aggravated assault, and making a false statement. He was initially charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless conduct in connection with Brown’s death, which took place on January 1, 2020 at a wedding reception on…

Earlier this month, Thomas Trey Lane, 23, of Douglas, was arrested and charged with several violations after he allegedly stole a 1998 Ford Ranger from a home. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, on October 6, 2024 around 10 a.m., the owner of the truck walked outside and noticed that it was gone. The owner had parked the truck inside an unlocked gate and left the keys in the floorboard. When he came out of the house the next morning, the truck was gone. The owner said he owned the truck outright so it hadn’t been repossessed. It…

A high-speed chase that was headed towards downtown Douglas ended in spectacular fashion Wednesday night with a PIT maneuver that sent the fleeing vehicle crashing into a ditch by the OYO Motel. According to an incident report from the Douglas Police Department, just before 9 p.m., an officer on McNeil Drive saw a vehicle that matched the description of one that had been reported stolen earlier. The vehicle, a silver 2014 Buick Enclave, was headed west on McNeil Drive. The officer fell in behind the Enclave and initiated a traffic stop just before the intersection of McNeil Drive and North…

Authorities are investigating the death of a 56-year-old Douglas man after he was found dead on Isaac Brigmond Road. The deceased, Edward Tate Harper, 56, had just been released from jail a short time before his passing. Harper was found deceased in a field. His truck was not far away. Family members report that Harper may have been in an altercation of some kind while he was in jail. However, officials noted that his body did not show obvious signs of any kind of struggle or fight. Wednesday morning, Tate’s body was sent to the state crime lab for further…

What started out as an eviction at Johnson Funeral and Cremation Services in Douglas on Saturday turned into something much more macabre when 18 bodies in various states of decomposition were found inside the funeral home. At least one of the bodies was that of a child. There were also two dead pets – a dog and a cat — in the funeral home. The funeral home, owned by Chris Johnson, who unsuccessfully ran for coroner in the May election, has been the subject of an investigation for quite some time. However, the investigation currently underway at the funeral home…