46 of Middle Ga.’s most wanted jailed in crime sweep. Locals tired of ‘being scared’

A poster board of mugshots — the faces of 46 of Middle Georgia’s most wanted — took center stage at a news conference here Monday.

Late last week cops from federal, state and local agencies rounded up nearly four dozen of the region’s alleged troublemakers in a two-day arrest sweep in Macon that was dubbed “Operation Shockwave.”

Charles Peeler, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced the jailings, which were part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative.

The aim, Peeler said, was to find people who are “thorns in the side” of the city and get them off the streets. He described some of them as “violent individuals, trigger pullers.”

Peeler said, “People deserve to live in safe neighborhoods, and it doesn’t matter if the safe neighborhood is a country club or the projects.”

In all, eight guns and “multiple pounds” of the drug ecstasy were seized, he said.

Deputy John Edgar of the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force issued what amounted to a warning to local criminals.

“If you’re a violent felon and you have a warrant,” Edgar said, “we’re gonna find you, we’re gonna arrest you and we’re gonna prosecute you. ... This community is tired of it. They’re tired of looking over their shoulder, of being scared.”

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 4:28 PM.