Author: Staff Reports

Tazarion Nyquavious Strozier and Jamal Paulk have been named as suspects in the fatal shooting of Leroy Mason III. Mason was shot and killed on the 1100 block of South Madison Avenue just after 10 p.m. on November 14, 2024. [Note: Thursday, November 21, 2024, around 4 p.m., Paulk turned himself in and was booked into the Coffee County Jail on murder charges. Strozier remains at large.] While patrolling the area around 10:13 p.m. that night, an officer heard multiple gunshots. He went to the scene and found a vehicle stopped in the middle of Madison Avenue. Inside the vehicle…

Chris Johnson, owner of Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services, will remain in jail until at least December 5, 2024, after his November 19 bond hearing was continued. Johnson is being held in an out of county facility following his October arrest after 18 decomposing bodies were found inside the funeral home. On October 27, 2024, Johnson was arrested at his home on 17 counts of abusing a dead body and transported to the Coffee County Jail. He was later transferred to an out of county facility for his safety. Last week, Marilyn Bennett, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney, filed a…

The Jeep Compass that Devin Jeter rented near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport on November 7, 2024, has been found in the Ocmulgee River. Jeter’s body was found deceased in the river last week near Lumber City. According to a press release from the GBI, on November 19, 2024, at about 9:45 a.m., the Georgia State Patrol dive team located the Compass. The Jeep was recovered from the Ocmulgee River, near where Jeter’s body was discovered. Investigators found no visible damage on the Jeep. The GBI is still seeking the public’s help to gather any information that could assist in this case.…

Friday, the GBI announced that its agency has identified 12 of the 18 remains found at Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services on October 26, 2024. The GBI and the Coffee County Coroner’s Office have notified the families of the identified remains, as well as provided them with the necessary information for them to finalize arrangements for their loved ones. Out of respect for their privacy, the GBI will not be releasing their identities at this time. The GBI continues its work to identify the other 6 remains that were found and expects this to occur soon. The GBI Crime Lab…

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…