Second fed checkpoint in Douglas County
Federal agents and police swooped down on I-20 Thursday morning, casting their second dragnet of the week in Douglas County.
Authorities pulled truckers off the highway and searched them at a weigh station west of Cobb, in an effort to catch and deter terrorists and criminals.
"It's not associated with any specific threat," said Jon Allen, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, noting that thousands of similar operations occur across the country each year. "It's something that's done randomly and unpredictably."
No major bad guys were caught in the dragnet, although a driver was caught with a suspended license Tuesday and a pair of truckers were arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana Thursday, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. The men had less than an ounce of marijuana, enough for personal use, sheriff's Chief Deputy Stan Copeland told the AJC.
Besides the TSA, the operation included the Federal Air Marshal Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Georgia State Patrol and Douglas County sheriff's deputies.
The operation gummed up I-20 Tuesday during the afternoon rush hour, but traffic moved smoothly Thursday, Copeland said.
"It was really well run, so it didn't back down onto I-20," he said of the road block at the weigh station.
A few people who dropped by the Douglas County courthouse Tuesday complained about the traffic backup, county spokesman Wes Tallon said. But when they heard that the feds were trying to catch terrorists and criminals, they changed their tone, he said.
"The response I've heard has been very supportive," Tallon said Thursday. "On Tuesday there were some comments, but today there were none."
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
