Author: Staff Reports

A major railroad crossing in Douglas is set to close next week for repair. The crossing is expected to remain closed for at least two days. CSX Transportation has announced that they will be performing an emergency track repair in Douglas on South Peterson Avenue beginning at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. It is set to reopen on Thursday, November 21, 2024, by 8 p.m. This is a total closure; no traffic will be allowed to cross until the work is complete. A surfacing defect has been identified in the crossing.This project will necessitate rerouting traffic. Signage will…

Justin McCarter had 26 points and nine rebounds while three other Hawks scored in double figures to give South Georgia State College a 97-60 win Saturday afternoon over the junior varsity team from Reinhardt University. It was the third straight win for SGSC (3-0), which has outscored its opponents so far this season by an average of 101-53. Other top scorers for the Hawks included Amren Hoard (18 points and eight rebounds), Grant Raven (12 points and 11 rebounds), and Chandler Thomas (10 points and four rebounds). The Hawks made 49 percent of their field goals, shot 33 percent from…

In the early morning hours of October 30, 2024, officers from the Douglas Police Department arrested two individuals with active warrants sleeping against public buildings in separate incidents. One subject had warrants in Coffee County while the other subject was a fugitive from justice wanted out of Florida. The first incident happened around 3 a.m. at Ollies. An incident report from the Douglas Police Department states that an officer saw a male subject, identified as Ryan Smith, 35, of Douglas, laying against the building. The officer turned around to speak to him and noticed that Smith had stood up and…

A former Coffee County resident has been arrested on illegal drug and gun charges in connection with an investigation in Bacon County. According to a press release from the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office, last Thursday, the sheriff’s office Narcotics Unit served a search warrant at an apartment complex on Floyd Street. As a result of the investigation, officers found 45 ounces of methamphetamine, 1,118 pressed fentanyl pills, and 2.5 ounces of marijuana. They also discovered $600 in cash, a $100 counterfeit bill, and a semiautomatic handgun. Jason Marquis Taylor, age 39, of Alma and formerly of several Coffee County addresses,…

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…