Middle Georgia turned to public nuisance lawsuits to crack down on crime. Is it working?
One of the ways counties in Middle Georgia have addressed criminal activity over the past five years is through the legal system, targeting local businesses where crime is most concentrated, rather than focusing on individual offenders.
These efforts have resulted in businesses either operating on a strict set of rules issued by the court or fully closing. Some of the locations end up torn down, and others have new leadership.
Officials say the effort has reduced crime in the area and forced businesses to implement stricter security measures that prohibit patrons from engaging in criminal and drug activity.
12 lawsuits filed by Macon-Bibb
Most recently in Macon-Bibb County, the government cracked down on a house on Carnation Street, which, according to court records, was the site of a “bootleg” bar and restaurant. The amount of crime and drug activity associated with that house led a judge to order it shut down due to being a public nuisance.
That’s just one example. The county has declared 11 businesses as “public nuisances” over the past five years, according to court records. Those businesses have often been local gas stations and motels, where Macon-Bibb County has claimed that there had been a “substantial criminal and drug-related activity,” mostly based on analysis from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office after responding to a certain location multiple times.
One business faced two lawsuits over the same allegations.
Court records show that 10 cases have been resolved and two remain pending. One of the two pending cases has not seen activity since 2023, the other lawsuit, filed against Green Meadows Townhomes, remains active after appellate courts reversed a local judge’s decision. . Appellate judges claimed the judge’s decision to declare a public nuisance was an abuse of discretion.
If a judge declares a business a public nuisance, the owners must follow a strict set of guidelines decided by the court. For example, the owners must install surveillance systems and signage in their parking area that prohibit loitering, among other restrictions, depending on the type of business.
Those businesses would be forced to pay a fine and, at worst, shut down their business if they don’t follow the court’s guidelines for operating.
Another case was at Friends Food Mart on Houston Avenue, across from Pendleton Homes. Crime at the store sometimes spread to the residential development. After three teenagers were fatally shot in two incidents, Macon-Bibb County requested an injunction.
Crime around Houston Avenue and Pendleton Homes has steadily declined, according to data analyzed by The Telegraph.
‘Reduction of crime in the area’ after injunction
“One of the top priorities for Macon-Bibb that was identified several years ago was public safety, which is why we have focused significant time, effort, and resources to implement a multi-level, community-based strategy to address it,” Chris Floore, chief communications officer for Macon-Bibb County, told The Telegraph in a statement.
One of those strategies was using policy and the legal system to directly address spots in the community where crime became “a significant concern,” according to Floore. It required hotels and stores to implement new security measures.
After the measures were put in place, city officials saw a reduction in crime in the area, Floore said. “So, we work closely with the sheriff’s office to identify spots where this method might help.”
“We will continue to look at data provided by the Sheriff’s Office and make a determination with our partners on the most effective strategy needed to improve public safety in that area,” Floore said.
The Telegraph is currently reviewing crime statistics at the cited locations.
How other counties have addressed crime
The Houston County District Attorney’s Office has filed two injunction suits over the past five years; one on a house on Todd Road in Perry, and the other on a nightclub called the Cru Lounge, according to District Attorney Eric Edwards.
The house on Todd Road was known for distributing drugs, and Cru Lounge was a nightclub that “had very frequent criminal activity, including use of narcotics as well as violent offenses occurring at them,” Edwards told The Telegraph.
His office focuses on the prosecution of individuals, but this time it wasn’t enough. Filing a public nuisance lawsuit against the owners was a rarer approach; by the end of the case’s history, both of those locations were given to new owners.
What used to be Cru Lounge on 85 Ga. 247 is now Mad Hatter Cafe and Confections, a whimsical cafe inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
“Our favorite outcome is getting these properties in the hands of someone who can use them to improve our community, use them the way they’re designed to, without harboring criminal behavior,” Edwards said.
Fort Valley recently ordered the destruction of a dilapidated structure due to the frequent drug activity and the property’s conditions, according to Jim Elliot, the city attorney. In Peach and Crawford counties, Susan Ryan, spokesperson for Macon District Attorney Anita Howard, told The Telegraph that, though Howard would be responsible for cases like these, she has not been approached by law enforcement in those counties regarding an injunction lawsuit.
As for Baldwin County and Milledgeville, no records were found.
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
