Douglas County Sentinel

A Douglasville man will remain jailed after a judge denied him bond Thursday on charges of sexual exploitation of children.

Wilton Pierce Allen, 57, faces three counts of sexual exploitation of children. He made his first court appearance Thursday, when Douglas County Chief Magistrate Judge Zaine Hedge denied bond based on the nature of the charges.

According to arrest warrants from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Allen had videos of children engaged in sexual activity stored in a Google Drive folder.

Man charged with sexual exploitation of children A Douglasville man will remain jailed after a judge denied him bond Thursday on charges of sexual exploitation of children.

A Douglas County couple faces a long list of charges after police say they allegedly manufactured fake identification documents and vehicle registration tags at their home.

Police searched the Langdale Chase home of Mario Andre Barber, 46, and Brittany Amber Baker, 42, for four days last week, prompting concern from neighbors in the southern Douglas County community.

Barber and Baker are charged with eight counts of unlawful sale of a government ID bearing a government logo, six counts of possession of a false ID, four counts of identity fraud, and two counts each of manufacturing a false ID, unlawful possession of a state logo, fourth-degree forgery and possession of ma*****na.

Both were arrested at their home on May 26 and made their first court appearances Friday, when Magistrate Court Judge Zaine Hedge denied bond because of the seriousness of the charges.

Couple jailed in elaborate fake ID scheme, police say A Douglas County couple faces a long list of charges after police say they allegedly manufactured fake identification documents and vehicle registration tags at their home.

Douglas County high schools seem to be making the grade when it comes to advanced placement courses.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods named all five district high schools Advanced Placement Honor Schools in at least one of the eight categories.

Alexander High received AP Honors in four categories, the most among the schools.

The 2026 AP Honor Schools are named based on the results of 2025 AP courses and exams. A list of categories is below, and a complete list of schools in each category is linked in the description.

AP exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning while in high school. Students who earn a score of 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit.

Overall, Woods named 316 AP Honor Schools from 110 school districts for 2026 across the state.

All five Douglas high schools named AP Honor Schools Douglas County high schools seem to be making the grade when it comes to advanced placement courses.

Douglasville police have charged a third man in an April bar fight that they say involved alleged members of a Georgia motorcycle gang.

Jake Todd Follis, 52, of Temple, was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated assault, affray, disorderly conduct and two counts of participating in criminal gang activity. He was released Tuesday on a $10,000 bond.

Jeffrey Keith Freeman, 43, of Douglasville, and Jorge Luis Delgado Perez, 38, of Charlotte, N.C., were arrested two weeks ago on the same charges. Freeman is free on a $14,000 bond, while Delgado Perez is free on a $10,000 bond.

The three men are among a group of Vagos Motorcycle Club members accused of assaulting a man at Topps Bar and Grill on Douglas Boulevard on April 4, according to arrest warrants. Investigators did not say how badly the victim was injured.

Third man arrested in alleged motorcycle club assault Douglasville police have charged a third man in an April bar fight that they say involved alleged members of a Georgia motorcycle gang.

Douglas County officials are taking a targeted approach to attracting retail businesses and restaurants with the creation of a retail task force and a new partnership aimed at recruiting retailers to the area.

The task force includes representatives from the Douglas County Commission, Douglasville City Council and the Development Authority of Douglas County. The effort addresses long-standing concerns from residents who want more higher-end shopping, dining and entertainment options closer to home.
“Douglas County residents want more retail options. They want more restaurants, they want more shopping opportunities, they want more entertainment destinations. They want more reasons to spend their time and money in Douglas County,” said Breezy Stratton of Elevate Douglas, which is managing the process.
As a result, officials said successful retail recruitment requires specialized expertise and long-term planning.

To support those efforts, Elevate Douglas will create a director of business development position beginning July 1. Retail development will be among the position's responsibilities.

The Douglas County Commission also approved an agreement with Retail Strategies LLC, a retail recruitment firm that will work to attract businesses to the county. The agreement calls for payments annual of $50,000 for three years.

County launches recruitment effort to attract retail businesses Douglas County officials are taking a targeted approach to attracting retail businesses and restaurants with the creation of a retail task force and a new partnership aimed at recruiting retailers

Now is the time to register your float for the City of Douglasville - Government Independence Day Parade. See information below to register.

Want to see your organization rolling through downtown Douglasville this Independence Day?

Now is the time to register your float for the Douglasville Independence Day Parade!

We're inviting businesses, churches, schools, civic groups, sports teams, nonprofits, and community organizations to help us celebrate America's birthday and showcase the spirit of Douglasville.

🎆 Independence Day Schedule:
🇺🇸 Parade at 10 a.m. (Fairburn Rd. to Town Green)
🎉 Festival at 11 a.m. (Douglasville Town Green)
🎇 Fireworks at Dusk (Shot off from West Pines and viewable from surrounding areas)

Ready to join the parade?

Register your float today at https://orlo.us/9946y

Tag an organization that should be part of this year's celebration! 👇

Douglasville police arrested a teen Monday, charging him with shooting one man in the back and firing at another man in a car during an apparent drug deal gone bad in March.

Casey Lamont Lowery, 17, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a person under 18 and possession of ma*****na.
Lowery made his first court appearance Monday morning, when Chief Magistrate Judge Zaine Hedge denied him bond.

Police: Teen shot man during apparent drug deal Douglasville police arrested a teen Monday, charging him with shooting one man in the back and firing at another man in a car during an apparent drug deal gone bad

Faced with funding requests totaling more than five times the program's budget, Douglas County officials are turning to a new points-based method for awarding grants to local nonprofit organizations.

In prior years, finalists were proposed by the Community Service Program and approved by county commissioners.

Nonprofits now are ranked using a points-based scoring matrix that evaluates their organizational structures and demonstrated community impacts. Points are assigned by a scoring committee, according to Hopson.
Forty-three organizations applied for grants, with funding requests totaling more than $2.7 million. The program has a budget of $515,000.

Commissioners appeared unanimous in the support of the new method of grant distribution.

New scoring system aims to stretch limited grant dollars Faced with funding requests totaling more than five times the program's budget, Douglas County officials are turning to a new points-based method for awarding grants to local nonprofit organizations.

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