🌱 Local Sentenced For Identity Fraud + Burglary Suspect Wanted

Morning, neighbors. It's me, Sean Peek, your host of the Douglasville Daily — here to tell you everything that's fit to print about what's happening in our community today. Here goes.

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Now, today's weather:

An afternoon thunderstorm. High: 88 Low: 71.

Here are the top 5 stories in Douglasville today:

1. A Douglasville woman has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for her involvement in an identity theft and fraud ring. Evidence presented during the trial of 41-year-old Quinae Shamyra Stephens suggests she enlisted her 23-year-old son, Deandre Copes, in a multi-state crime spree that involved stolen vehicles, false identities, and the dark web. Stephens’s son was previously sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. (Department of Justice)
2. The Douglas County School System is hosting a series of training sessions for parents interested in assisting their children with educational technology. The sessions will cover how to use and gain insights from common classroom technologies such as Google Classroom, ClassLink, and the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Parents can visit the district website to view the full calendar of events and register for an upcoming session. (Douglas County Georgia Schools)
3. The Douglasville Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in identifying a suspect in a burglary that was committed at the Turf Care Shop last month. The suspect is pictured in several surveillance photos that were shared to the department's Facebook page on Thursday. Anyone who has information about this crime or recognizes the subject in the photos is asked to contact Detective Brown at 678-293-1717 or email brownm@douglasvillega.gov.(Douglasville Police Department)
4. The Douglasville City Council announced on Thursday that it plans to increase the property taxes it levies this year by 9.24 percent over the rollback millage rate. By Georgia law, the council will be required to hold three public hearings to give the public a chance to express their opinions on the increase. The first of the three hearings is scheduled for Aug. 15 at 10:00 a.m. at the Douglasville Conference Center. (Press Release Desk)
5. The Douglasville Police Department is now hiring both certified and non-certified police officers. Non-certified applicants will be eligible to attend a ten-week police academy and receive compensation at an annual starting salary of $44,534, which will be increased to $50,031 once they complete the academy and become certified. Interested parties can apply online at douglasvillega.gov or call 770-920-3010 for more information. (Douglasville Police Department)

Today in Douglasville:

• Annual Free Market Event At New Mountain Top Baptist Church (9:00 AM)
• Paint Party At L&R Alpaca Haven Farm (12:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Douglas County Animal Services Building will reopen today after temporarily closing earlier this week due to staffing shortages. Please keep in mind that there may still be delays. (Douglas County Happenings via Facebook)
• Mark your calendars! Metro Garage Doors in Douglasville will host its Seventh Annual First Responders Lunch on Sep. 9 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. All first responders are invited to attend, and all donations from the event will go to support the work they do. (Douglas County Fire/EMS Department via Facebook)
• Registration is now open for the next Citizens Law Enforcement Academy class! Now through Aug. 26, you can reserve your spot by contacting the Training Division of the Douglasville Police Department at DPDTraining@douglasvillega.gov. (Douglasville Police Department via Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you around!

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.