Law Enforcement Complex Ground Breaking
After some eight years of planning and building up Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) proceeds, the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Department and the County Commission have begun work on the new Sheriff’s Department administrative building on Hwy. 341 just north of the Hazlehurst city limits. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held last Thursday where…
Read More48 charged in Operation Sandy Bottom
The Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Department was one of a number of law enforcement agencies involved in Operation Sandy Bottom, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, whose investigation resulted in the arrest of 48 defendants. A former prison guard has admitted participating in a drug trafficking operation in south Georgia that included smuggling contraband…
Read MoreGBI arrests jailer
GBI Arrests Jeff Davis County Jailer on Sexual Assault Charges On July 16, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Jeff Davis County Detention Officer Cody Ewing, 20, on a charge of sexual assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority. On July 13, the GBI Region 4 Douglas Office was requested by the Jeff Davis…
Read MoreMr. Ridge Stone, 26
Mr. Ridge Stone, 26, of Hazlehurst, passed away at University of Florida Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla. Mr. Stone was born March 25, 1995, in Toombs County. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Marion and Hudson Stone, aunt, Debbie Horton and uncle, Wilbur Stone. He traveled a lot with his job, Aubrey Silvey…
Read MoreMr. Reuben M. White, 86
Mr. Reuben M. White, 86, passed away July 23 at Houston Medical Center. Services were held July 26 at Central Baptist Church in Warner Robins with a private interment at Coody-Berryhill Cemetery in Cochran. Reuben was born Jan. 19, 1935, in Cochran to the late C.W. White and Bessie Berryhill White. Reuben grew up in…
Read MoreLaw Enforcement Officers Honor Kirby
Dozens of law enforcement vehicles and a few hundred officers converged on Hazlehurst last Wednesday to show their respects for one of their fallen. Jeff Davis Sheriff’s Department Investigator Duane Kirby was laid to rest following long battle with cancer. As the funeral procession, led by the flashing blue lights of dozens of law enforcement…
Read More1996 — A United America — By Tommy Purser
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics set to open this week after a year of COVID delay, my mind has been wandering back to 25 years ago — July 13, 1996. If I had to come up with the top 10 experiences I’ve had in my 73 years, carrying the Olympic Torch during the prelude to…
Read MoreDozens Arrested On Drug Charges
On June 24, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office, the Jeff Davis County Drug Unit, the Georgia State Patrol and the Hazlehurst Police Department set up checkpoints to inspect motor vehicle operators and make sure everyone is driving safely. During these inspections, operators were in violation of several…
Read MoreSchool Board Has Short Meeting
Monday night’s meeting of the Jeff Davis County Board of Education was a short one as the board members present (Andy Ramay was not at the meeting) quickly disposed of the bulk of the agenda before going into closed session to discuss personnel. There was one rarity at Monday’s meeting — a split vote. The…
Read MoreTemper Flares Again At Council Meeting
By MARY ANN ANDERSON A sometimes-heated exchange about how to best spend $772,453 in funds the City of Hazlehurst received from the American Rescue Plan set off a profanity-laced kerfuffle between Mayor Bayne Stone and members of the Hazlehurst City Council during last week’s regularly-scheduled workshop. With Stone referring to ARP stimulus check as “Santa…
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