Arrest Made in Entering Autos Case

During the early morning hours of December 1, 2017, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department took a report of an entering auto where a gun and a tablet were stolen from a vehicle. Initial investigations lead us to an apartment complex off Stewart Mill Road in Douglas County. Investigators from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office began going door to door in the apartment complex talking with residents. While speaking with residents we were able to locate an apartment where a search warrant was conducted and items from the entering auto were located inside the apartment. Several other stolen items were located, and we were able to arrest William Dale Honea Jr and solve three Entering Autos, two Burglaries, and a Larceny theft case.

Snow Debris Cleanup

The snowstorm that brought several inches of snow to Douglas County on December 8th and 9th left a lot of broken branches and other storm debris clogging roads and driveways. Our inmate crews were on hand to help clear limbs and other debris.

Clinton Park Entering Autos

On Sunday, December 3, 2017 between the hours of 1pm and 2:30pm several vehicles were broken into in the parking lot of Clinton Park. The suspect vehicle is a dark blue Hyundai Santa Fe Sport edition, the vehicle is between a 2014 and 2017 model. There is at least 1 tall and slender black male occupying the vehicle. Any information concerning this vehicle or incident, please contact Det. Erin Garner at 678-486-1280 or the Sheriff’s Office at 770-949-5656.

 

HEAT Unit Receives Grant

PRESS RELEASE
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Awarded $32,240.159 Grant for Local DUI Enforcement

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has announced that the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is one of 17 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the 2017/18 grant season. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, our department award totals $32,240.59.

The goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to combat crashes, injuries, and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of DUI.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office H.E.A.T Unit will use the grant from GOHS to develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors.

“Agencies like the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office receive this H.E.A.T. grants because they have shown a particular dedication to protecting their citizens from impaired drivers,” said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood. “This dedication is crucial because alcohol-related crash deaths still account for 25 percent of traffic fatalities in Georgia. We are grateful to Sheriff Phil Miller and his staff for their continued hard work.”

Totaling $3.2 million for 2017, H.E.A.T. grants fund specialize traffic enforcement units in counties throughout the state. The program was designed to assist Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities with grants awarded based on impaired driving and speeding data.

Sheriff Tim Pounds and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office are very pleased and appreciative to be receiving this grant for the eleventh consecutive year in a row. By receiving this grant once again we will be able to continue to have a specialized unit that focuses on traffic safety and traffic enforcement to help keep our county roadways and citizens safe.

As law enforcement partners in the Operation Zero Tolerance DUI and Click It or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHS’s year-round waves of high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks, and sobriety checkpoints.

For more information about the H.E.A.T. program or any other GOHS campaign, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org or call 404-656-6996.

Christmas Stocking Donations

Pastor James Cowan from the Lithia Springs Assembly of God dropped off boxes of hand-crafted stockings that included toys, coloring books, and other things for needy children. Pastor Cowan and his church have been donating these stockings every Christmas for at least the past 10 years.

Holiday Season Will Bring Increased DUI Enforcement In Georgia

From the Georgia GOHS:

Holiday Season Will Bring Increased DUI Enforcement In Georgia

Don’t wreck the holidays before you can deck the halls

(ATLANTA) The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is teaming up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and law enforcement officers this holiday season to remind all motorists that drinking and driving will not only get you on Santa’s naughty list, but it will also send you straight to jail.

That means that from Dec. 15 to Jan. 2 in Georgia, law enforcement all over the state will be looking to prevent tragedy before it strikes during the holiday enforcement campaign of Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over. While Georgia’s impaired driving laws are enforced 24/7/365, the holiday season brings extra emphasis because of the increased number of travelers hitting the road to see friends and family.

Why the continued emphasis on drunk driving? In 2016, Georgia experienced 368 alcohol-impaired fatalities, which is 10 more than 2015, for a total of 24 percent of all traffic fatalities. This means nearly a quarter of all traffic deaths in Georgia involve an impaired driver.

“The holidays should be a time for celebrations and making memories, not a time of tragedy,” GOHS Director Harris Blackwood said. “Not only do we want people to get a designated driver to begin with, but we want them to know that if they fail to do so, they will go to jail. No warnings, no excuses.”

According to NHTSA, 37,461 people were killed in traffic crashes in 2016 and 28 percent of those fatalities involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08, which is the current limit in all 50 states. These crash deaths affect motorists, passengers and pedestrians alike.

“Unfortunately, alcohol at many holiday events contributes to the number of impaired drivers on our roads,” Blackwood said. “When you are planning what you are going to wear, what time you are going to arrive and what you are going to bring, also plan ahead for your sober ride home with a designated driver, ride service or a friend.”

Drinking and driving should never be combined. It’s essential to plan a sober ride in advance if the holiday celebration will include alcohol. The alternative could change your life, not to mention the lives of your passengers, or of other pedestrians or drivers and passengers nearby.

GOHS and NHTSA suggest the following safety tips to enjoy a safe night out this holiday season:

  • Plan ahead. If you plan to drink, plan for a sober driver to take you home. If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take the responsibility seriously.
  • Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve only had one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation to get home safely.
  • Use rideshare programs like Uber or Lyft.
  • Download GOHS’ ‘Drive Sober, Georgia’ smartphone app for a list of sober ride programs and taxi services in your area or program taxi company phone numbers into your phone ahead of time.
  • Be prepared to take keys away from someone who is impaired and if you see an impaired driver while on the road, call 9-1-1 or dial *GSP from your cell phone to be connected to the nearest state patrol post.

“We want to keep Georgia’s roads safe this holiday season and help people understand that the only time they should be behind the wheel is when they are sober,” Blackwood said. “Alcohol affects people differently and you do not have to be feeling or acting drunk to be too impaired to drive.”

For more information on the impaired driving program at the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, go to www.gahighwaysafety.org or visit us on social media at www.facebook.com/gahighwaysafety and @gohsgeorgia on Twitter.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Awarded $20,000.00 Traffic Enforcement Grant

PRESS RELEASE

 

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced today that it has been awarded a major traffic enforcement grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) in Atlanta. We received the grant in recognition of its lifesaving work as the coordinating agency of GOHS’s Western Regional Traffic Enforcement Network. There are sixteen traffic enforcement networks across the state that help enforce Georgia’s year-round safety belt, speed, and impaired driving campaigns.

“This is our way of supporting the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office through its continued leadership via Coordinator Lieutenant John Jewell and the Western Regional Traffic Enforcement Network,” said GOHS Law Enforcement Services Senior LEL Ed Weaver. “We want to make sure they can continue their region-wide efforts to protect Georgia motorists from drunk and otherwise dangerous drivers. They’ve proven their dedication and this grant serves not only as recognition for that hard work but as means for continuing the GOBS mission of reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities on our roads.”

The Western Regional Traffic Enforcement Network includes law enforcement agencies in eight counties, which include Douglas, Carroll, Haralson, Heard, Troup, Coweta, Meriwether, and Paulding counties. Sheriff Tim Pounds and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office are very pleased and appreciative to receive this grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. This grant will assist and help us, along with the other agencies in the Western Regional Network by keeping our roadways safe for the citizens of each county.

The GOHS grant awards $20,000.00 to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, with half to support the activities of the traffic enforcement network and half to be spent on traffic safety equipment for our agency. The coordinator in the Western Regional Traffic Enforcement Network region will coordinate year-round waves of high visibility, concentrated patrols, multi-jurisdictional road
checks and sobriety checkpoints as a partner in campaigns such as Click It or Ticket, Operation Zero Tolerance, and the Thunder Taskforce.

For more information on the award, please contact Lieutenant John Jewell at 678-486-1219 or by email at jjewell@sheriff.douglas.ga.us. For more information on the grant program, call 404-656-6996 or visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.

Decorations at Deer Lick Park

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Deer Lick Park, thanks to our trusty work crew. They spent time last week decorating the park in preparation for the tree lighting ceremony on December 9th. Festivities start at 3 pm, and the actual lighting of the tree is at 6 pm.

Christmas in Dispatch

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least in Dispatch. The four shifts compete during certain holidays (Valentines, Independence Day, Halloween, etc.) to come up with the best decoration. The theme this time around was gingerbread houses/edible dwellings. Congratulations to B Team for their massive effort! Their house will go on display in our main lobby, and the members of B Team get a day where they can opt to dress in plain clothes instead of their uniforms. The other teams’ creations are either displayed at a school or senior living center, depending on that team’s choice. Congrats again, and we can’t wait to see what y’all come up with next time!

 

Scam Alert: False Warrants

It has been brought to our attention that someone is attempting to scam citizens by claiming they are with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and are using Lt. Tim Walker’s name. The scammers tell victims that they have a case where there is an arrest warrant with a preset bond and if you were to send money through Western Union, an app, or website, the case would be taken care of. This is not how we do business. If you receive a call from 770-545-6452 or 770-917-3162, please ignore the request and do not send them any money. If you have already received one of these calls please contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to file a report.

Hassell, Gerald Carlton

Name: Gerald Carlton Hassell
AKA:
Sex: M
Race: Black
Build:
Weight: 219lbs
Height: 5’8″
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Bald
Tattoos:
Scars:
Glasses:
Facial Hair:
 

Offense(s):  Aggravated Battery

If you have any contact with this individual, please notify the following:
Emergency: (770) 949-5656
Tipline: (770) 920-7139
Warrants Division: 770-920-7141 or 678-486-1283
Capt. Randy Daniell
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (770) 920-4976
E-Mail: jdaniell@sheriff.douglas.ga.us
Lt. Michael Wheeler
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (770) 577-5102
E-Mail: mwheeler@sheriff.douglas.ga.us
Sgt. Rodney Howard
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (770) 920-4976
Email: rhoward@sheriff.douglas.ga.us
Inv. Alina Atkins
Fugitive Investigator
678-718-4404
Email: Inv. Alina Atkins
Inv. Rodney Pettaway
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (678) 486-1242
Email: rpettaway@sheriff.douglas.ga.us
Inv. Jeff Lentz
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (678) 486-1217
Email: jlentz@sheriff.douglas.ga.us
Dep. John McLucas
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (770) 920-4981
Email: jmclucas@sheriff.douglas.ga.us
Dep. Jerrell Young
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (678) 486-1216
Email: jyoung@sheriff.douglas.ga.us
 

Thanksgiving Luncheon

It’s a Thanksgiving tradition for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to open their doors to county employees for a special meal. Every year, Mrs. Mitchell and her wonderful kitchen staff provide a turkey and dressing lunch with all the trimmings to Douglas County employees. We always enjoy starting off the holiday season with good food and good fellowship.

Holiday Entering Autos

The busy holiday shopping season starts this week, and we’d like to share some tips on how to prevent thieves from breaking into your vehicle.

When possible, remove your belongings from your vehicle or hide them from sight. Entering autos is a wide spread problem around the Metro Atlanta area. Thieves can quickly break into a car and help themselves to a potential gold mine of items: electronics, cash and credit cards, and firearms. Electronics such as laptops, cellphones and tablets, and credit cards can be used to steal your identity while your firearm may be used during the commission of another crime.

Firearms are a popular item on the thieves’ shopping list. If you frequently travel with a firearm, consider purchasing a vehicle safe to secure your weapon when you’re away from home. When you are at home, taking your firearm inside is the safest way to secure it.

When possible, park your vehicle in a well-lit area. An exterior, motion-activated light can be a good deterrent for thieves. A security camera mounted on the outside of your home can help you keep an eye on your property and in the event of a theft, it can aid investigators in identifying the suspect.

Parking lots, whether at the mall, a big box store or at a hotel are popular hunting grounds for thieves. This is especially true around the holidays when people are making large purchases. When walking to or from your vehicle, be aware of your surroundings. When possible, park in a well-lit, high traffic area. A thief is less likely to act when they believe a witness may see them. Hide your purchases in the trunk, under your seats, or take them home.

 

Add a new location

×
×