A Douglas man has been indicted on murder charges in Cook County stemming from the 2021 death of Jonathan Taylor McManus, 29, of Wedowee, Alabama, according to a story published in the January 21, 2026, edition of The Adel News-Tribune. The story, written by News-Tribune editor Charles Shiver, states that Derrick Brandon Thomas, 42, of Douglas, was indicted for felony murder (four counts related to multiple offense against one victim) and aggravated assault (three counts, against the murder victim and two other individuals). The indictment states that on September 11, 2021, Thomas caused the death of McManus while Thomas was…
Author: Staff Reports
Tuesday afternoon, about 10 protesters gathered in the grassy area in front of Longhorn Steakhouse and Arby’s for what was billed as a peaceful protest called No Kings, No Occupation. Organizers said it would be an anti-Trump, anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement event in solidarity with the Free America Walkout by 50501, focused on opposing authoritarian policies, mass deportations, and U.S. militarism while emphasizing community solidarity and organizing. The protest took place between noon and 2 p.m. and was permitted by the City of Douglas so long as protesters stayed out of the roadway. Organizer Lawton Hurst issued the following statement…
Margaret E. Heap, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, today announced that, based on joint criminal investigations conducted by federal, state, and local partners in the Southern District of Georgia, the federal government has disbursed $3,072,605 in equitable sharing of forfeited assets to over 50 local law enforcement partners and federal agencies for the 2025 fiscal year. Agencies in South Georgia, including the Douglas Police Department, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office, Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office, and other area law enforcement departments will receive funds. “The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,…
An official with the City of Pearson was arrested over the weekend and charged with DUI and other traffic related offenses, according to an incident report from the Georgia State Patrol. On Saturday, January 17, 2026, just after 5:30 p.m., a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol initiated a vehicle stop on a gray 2018 Chevrolet Cruz driven by Ladowell Shermae Williams, 27, of Pearson. Williams is the municipal court clerk for the City of Pearson. The trooper stopped the car because of window tint. When he approached the car, he could smell marijuana in the vehicle. According to the…
Friday afternoon, troopers from the Georgia State Patrol investigated a four-vehicle hit-and-run accident on the Willacoochee Highway. A school bus was involved in the accident but was not struck by the other vehicles. There were no injuries reported. According to the accident report from the Georgia State Patrol, the school bus, which was driven by Sarah Dezarae Taylor, was stopped facing north on Highway 135 unloading children in front of 1483 Willacoochee Highway. Vehicle three, a 2018 Ram 3500 pulling a trailer driven by Servando Plascencia of Pearson, was traveling north on Highway 135 behind vehicle one, a 2018 Ford…
A Douglas police officer intercepted a woman looking for a ride to Green Acres who allegedly had illegal drugs on her person. The incident happened on January 8, 2026, at 1:25 a.m., according to a report from the police department. The report says that the officer was patrolling on Highway 441 South when he saw a vehicle pull into Pizza Hut. He followed the driver in and spoke with him. The driver said he was meeting a woman who was at the Econo Lodge to give her a ride to Green Acres. The driver was not suspected of doing anything…
A 74-year-old Douglas man was arrested and jailed after he allegedly called 911 multiple times because of problems with family members. The incident happened at 3:20 p.m. on January 8, 2026. A report from the sheriff’s office says that Sergio Sandoval, 74, of Douglas, called 911 numerous times because he did not want a relative on his property. After a brief investigation, deputies learned that the relative in question had permission to be on the property and the only way to have him removed was to evict him. Sandoval, the report says, did not want to go through that process.…
On December 31, 2025, just before midnight, a deputy responded to a Harris Road address in Broxton in reference to a meet complainant call. The incident soon turned into something more bizarre pretty quickly. The complainant stated that Lori Marie Smalley, 41, of Broxton, was loud and acting strange, according to an incident report from the sheriff’s office. When the officer spoke to Smalley, she said that the complainant and one other person who lived in the home were dead, one was a skin walker and therefore wasn’t real. She also said that the complainant had shot Smalley in the…
On January 5, 2026, a Coffee County deputy responded to the Jet store on Highway 441 South in reference to a call you don’t hear much anymore – a gas drive-off. The incident actually happened around 2 p.m. on January 3 when Matthew Rashad Deen, 24, of Douglas, went to the store to buy diesel fuel for his 2015 Chevrolet pickup. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, Deen handed the store manager a debit card so she would turn on the pump. The card, however, was not in Deen’s name. With a presumably working debit card in hand,…
Traffic stops at 3 a.m. often end up being more than just traffic stops. Here’s another such case. On December 20, 2025, just before 3 a.m., a Douglas police officer made a stop at Peterson Avenue and Franklin Street. There was a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver, 46-year-old Sara Ann Williams, stated that she had been smoking marijuana in the vehicle and she didn’t have a valid driver’s license, according to the incident report. The officer ran her information and discovered that her license was suspended and she had an active warrant for theft by…