Author: Staff Reports

Authorities in North Georgia charged a Coffee County man with 27 traffic violations after he allegedly went on a vehicular rampage Tuesday, ramming nearly a dozen other vehicles on I-285 during rush hour traffic. Sandy Springs police say that 29-year-old Brady Wiggins was driving a pickup truck and pulling a horse trailer on the busy interstate when the incident began. Witnesses at the scene stated Wiggins intially struck one vehicle, then sped off hitting more in his path. One witness went so far to state the offender intentionally chased him down the emergency lane. Police said Wiggins later crashed his…

City of Douglas firefighters John Cooper and Robert Beecher were honored Monday during the regular meeting of the Douglas City Commission. Cooper and Beecher were presented the “Life Saving Award,” which was given to both firefighters following their actions and bravery while responding to a structure fire on South College Avenue on July 6. On Sunday, July 6, 2014, at 10:08 a.m., the Douglas Fire Department (DFD) responded to a structure fire on the second block of South College Avenue with an occupant inside the structure.Upon arrival, units of the DFD found heavy smokes and flames showing. Although there was…

If you think you’re having a rough day, take a look at this picture and be thankful at least you’re not this boat owner. Traffic came to a screeching halt Wednesday afternoon on Ga. Hwy. 158 West at the entrance to Baymeadows as motorists were blocked by this boat in the middle of the highway. The vessel apparently somehow broke loose from the trailer pictured at the right of the photo.

The Douglas Police Department released statistics of the Douglas-Coffee Drug Unit (DCDU) for the month of September via the department’s Facebook page on Monday. Overall, the DCDU claimed a total of of 31 arrests on charges ranging from simple possession to sale and distribution. Drug detectives seized over $8,000 during the month and executed four searches. The entire report may be viewed below.

A Coffee County man complained of injuries after his vehicle collided with with a cow shortly after dark Saturday night. According to officials, 40-year-old Reginald Styles was traveling east in a white Nissan Altima on Ga. Highway 158 around 6 p.m. Saturday, when he struck a black cow walking in the same lane. The animal died at the scene and Styles complained of chest pains. At the time of this report, authorities were unsure of the cow’s owner.

Douglas police are currently investigating a Sunday night incident in which a father and son were allegedly robbed at gunpoint in their separate homes. Police were dispatched to 1220 Turner St. around 9 p.m. Sunday where they met with the complainant, 38-year-old Tony Ricardo Street. Street stated to officers he was at his home on Green Ave. earlier in the evening when two black males forced their way into the residence and demanded money, while brandishing a gun. The alleged assailants took the victim’s wallet, which contained around $900 cash and then forced him into their vehivcle, a black Chevy…

Officials with the Douglas Police Department are reporting two arrests in regards to the suspected burglary and arson of a local downtown business last month. On October 2 at approximately 2:40 a.m., the Douglas Fire Department, along with officers from the Douglas Police Department, responded to Lott Hardware, 107 West Bryan Street, in reference to a fully involved structural fire. Assistance was required from several other city departments and from other local agencies.The incident caused road closures and disruption of normal business in the downtown area. The original cause of the fire could not be determined at that time. The…

An auto accident that occurred on Ga. Hwy. 32 in Irwin County claimed the life of a Douglas man Monday morning. Authorities state 49-year-old Lamar Hosack of Douglas was driving on Hwy. 32 when his Chevrolet pickup crossed over the lane into oncoming traffic. Hosack’s vehicle collided with a 2014 Dodge pickup driven by 47-year-old Jeffery Fuller. Hosack was was dead at the scene and Fuller was transported to a hospital for evaluation, though he did not have any visible injuries. The accident occurred near mile markers 26 and 27 on Hwy. 32.

Coffee County and City of Douglas firefighters had to battle heavy winds early Saturday morning as officials attempted to extinguish a residential fire. The Coffee County Fire Department responded to a report of a mobile home fire at around 4:50 a.m. Saturday at Town and Country Mobile Home Park off W. Walker Street. While two residenrts were able to safely evacuate, the home was ultimately completely destroyed. Due to heavy winds at the time and the close proximity of the fire to other residences, county officials had to call city firefighters to the scene for assistance. It took several hours…

A mobile home manufacturing company will be bringing around two hundred jobs to Coffee County in the coming weeks, following the formal announcement of the industry’s opening Monday afternoon. Live Oak Homes plans to begin operations in about four weeks at the industrial facility formerly occupied by Fleetwood in Broxton. Live Oak originally purchased the complex in 2010. The Georgia Department of Labor will be working with the industry to staff the new operation. To learn more about Live Oak Homes, click here.