Author: Staff Reports

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…

Merchants – check those $100 bills that customers bring into your stores. On October 18, 2024, officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 49-year-old Douglas man after he allegedly passed four fake $100 bills at a local convenience store. The bills were marked for movie use only, according to a report from the sheriff’s office. The incident was reported on October 15. A store employee called law enforcement and spoke to deputies once management realized the bills were fake. The employee said that they had been busy and didn’t notice the money was counterfeit. As a result, the…

Michael Bussey, 50, of Douglas, was arrested on October 17, 2024, after he allegedly fired several shots from a handgun at a vehicle with three occupants inside. The three individuals had stopped by Bussey’s residence to see if he and his family needed help cutting down trees, according to an incident report from the sheriff’s office. The alleged incident happened just after 10 a.m. on October 17 at a residence on Green Willow Road. According to one of the complainants, he and two of his family members were in the vehicle and stopped at the residence. The report says that…

A 20-year-old Douglas man was arrested at the Dollar General on Highway 32 West after he was allegedly seen pleasuring himself in a Nissan Altima in the parking lot. According to an incident report from the sheriff’s office, a store employee told deputies that she had received several phone calls from people stating that there was a man in the parking lot committing the indecent act. A deputy spoke with a witness who stated that she had seen the individual, identified as Tyree Anjoris Cooper, 20, of Douglas, clearing pleasuring himself in the front seat of the car, the report…

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, two juveniles and an 18-year-old allegedly embarked on a crime spree in Alma that included two burglaries, an armed robbery at the Huddle House, and the robbery of a citizen near an ATM. The Alma Police Department issued the following statement on its Facebook page: “During the early hours of September 27, 2024, our great little community suffered devastating damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Not 24 hours later, while our hometown was trying to piece back together our lives and landscape, a crime spree began to take place in the City of Alma. The…

A Jeff Davis County native was arrested Tuesday afternoon near Denton for allegedly committing several property crimes in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Multiple agencies were involved in the operation. Wilbur Brandon “Bam Bam” Yawn was arrested on Post Road in Jeff Davis County on active warrants for armed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling (two counts), armed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance (three counts), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance (three counts), and several other thefts including the theft of a gun. The stolen gun was recovered. Officers from the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office…

On September 29, 2024, officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disorderly person call on Estlee Mercer Road in Douglas. The call resulted in the arrest of Stanley Keith Mills, 48, of Douglas, on disorderly conduct charges. A report of the incident states an officer responded to the Estlee Mercer Road address and spoke to Mills. According to the report, Mills began yelling at the deputy and telling him to get off his property. The deputy asked where a 75-year-old female subject was. The female was the victim in this incident, according to the report. Mills replied…