Author: Staff Reports

A former Coffee County Jail officer has been arrested and charged for allegedly bringing contraband into the jail and distributing it to inmates. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, on December 6, 2024, detectives received information that drugs and/or other contraband was being brought into the jail and given to inmates. A jail officer was allegedly bringing in the illegal items. On December 10, 2024, during an interview with detectives, jail officer Terrell Styles, 26, admitted to smuggling in and distributing the contraband. Styles was arrested and charged with giving inmates prohibited items. He was booked into the…

Demetrius Seshawn Eady, 30, of Douglas, was arrested on two charges after he allegedly refused to speak to Douglas police officers who attempted to talk to him while he was walking on North Pearl Avenue near Alunza Street at 2 a.m. on December 13, 2024. During the investigation, officers discovered that Eady was a suspect wanted in connection to an aggravated assault that took place in November, according to a report from the Douglas Police Department. The report says that an officer saw Eady walking on North Pearl. The officer attempted to talk to Eady but Eady wouldn’t give the…

A Bonaire man remains in the Coffee County Jail after he allegedly took his three-year-old son from the child’s mother’s home in Douglas and attempted to take him back to Bonaire. Houston County authorities arrested the man, identified as Lemoria Jay Moses III, 33, after Coffee County officials notified them that Moses may be headed to Houston County with the child. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, just before 4 a.m. on December 6, 2024, an officer responded to a call on Pinecrest Drive. In the report, the complainant stated that at 3 a.m., Moses came to…

In response to the unprecedented damages caused by Hurricane Helene, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) has officially launched the HEARTS Georgia (Housing Emergency Assistance and Recovery Through Sheltering) program to support survivors of Hurricane Helene. This state-run, first-of-its-kind program provides temporary shelter to survivors whose primary residences were majorly damaged, destroyed, or deemed uninhabitable. The HEARTS Georgia program provides non-congregate sheltering in hotels or motels for eligible survivors in the 61 counties federally declared for FEMA’s Public Assistance and Individual Assistance programs. This program will help survivors transition into long-term housing solutions, supplementing the immediate efforts…

Two Douglas teens were charged with aggravated assault and other charges after they allegedly fired a shot at another person following an argument on Mitchell Street According to an incident report from the Douglas Police Department, on December 9, 2024, at approximately 4:30 p.m., E911 received a call of shots fired at a Mitchell Street address. According to the 911 call, someone in a black Dodge Challenger had fired a shot at a male subject. Several units responded and spotted a black Challenger nearby. Officers stopped the car, which was occupied by Messiah Jamal Denning, 18, and Donivan Turner, 17,…

Wheeler Park remains closed due to damage sustained from Hurricane Helene. However, people are still visiting the park and allowing children to play on the equipment. The equipment is not safe and city officials are asking people to stay out of the park until repairs are completed. Wheeler Park has been closed since September 27, 2024. The caution tape that was around the equipment has been removed by someone not affiliated with the city or recreation department officials. New caution tape will be around the equipment as soon as possible. Please do not remove the tape; it is there for…

Tuesday morning, deputies from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Gabe Carelock, 46, near Pridgen after he allegedly led officers on a chase in a vehicle through a field then on foot through a swamp. A K-9 tracking unit from Ware State Prison eventually caught up to Carelock and he was taken into custody without further incident. Officers had been looking for Carelock, who had several active warrants both in Coffee County and out of county, for a while. Carelock is no stranger to the inside of the Coffee County Jail and he knew deputies were on his trail. He…

A 22-year-old Fitzgerald woman has been charged with aggravated assault after she allegedly attempted to run over the father of her child in the Walmart parking lot in Douglas. According to an incident report from the Douglas Police Department, on November 17, 2024, just after 8 p.m., the male victim and a female were walking through the parking lot at Walmart when a white Nissan Sonic allegedly driven by Tanea Webb, 22, of Fitzgerald, attempted to run over the victim. Webb and the victim have a child together, the report states. Walmart provided security footage of the parking lot which,…

Mark the calendar for a fantastic opportunity to beautify the city! On Saturday, March 15, 2025, from 9am to 11:30am, the Keep Douglas Beautiful Board and volunteers will offer the Clear Your Clutter Pick-Up event in an effort to declutter and enhance citizens home surroundings. “If you’re within the city limits and have large, unwanted items cluttering your space, this is your chance,” says Christian Mikell, KDB Executive Director. “Don’t miss out on this free service to help those who may not have the ability to bring items to the monthly Junk Drop Off location.” Anyone living in the city…

The net cast by Chris Johnson, Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services, and the associated criminal investigations continues to grow. Friday morning, a 52-year-old Douglas man was arrested in Fitzgerald on three charges – two counts of insurance fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony – related to the Johnson case. But it’s not what you think. Prior to the investigation that officers launched on October 26, 2024, the one with which everyone is familiar, there was another ongoing criminal investigation into the operations of the funeral home. Authorities had evidence indicating that Johnson may have forged a…