Man threatens to send workers ‘back in a box’ over cigarette prices, GA cops say
A man accused of hurling threats at gas station employees while haggling over cigarette prices is behind bars, Georgia police said.
Michael Lee Ansel, 39, was charged with terroristic threats and acts and obstruction in the incident Sunday, July 27, in Douglas, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Deputies were called to the business around 7 p.m. on a report of an armed robbery, the department said. Witnesses said a man, later identified as Ansel, came into the store and began arguing with workers about the price of cigarettes.
The man left twice, but returned a third time with a weapon and threatened to shoot employees, witnesses told police. Authorities later learned he was carrying a hatchet.
Deputies reviewed security video from the business, which helped confirm Ansel’s identity, according to the sheriff’s office. A search of the area ensued, and deputies found him just before midnight.
While speaking with authorities, Ansel acknowledged threatening to “send (employees) back in a box” and voiced frustration over a price discrepancy, deputies said. The cigarettes were reportedly advertised for $6 but sold for $12, leading to his “outburst,” Ansel told authorities.
When told he was under arrest, Ansel “immediately jumped in a nearby pond,” deputies said. Authorities pulled him to safety, after which Ansel suffered a seizure, according to deputies.
Deputies provided medical aid and arrested him soon after, the sheriff’s office said.
Ansel was taken to the Coffee County Pre-Trial Detention Center where he remains held without bond, according to deputies.
Douglas is about a 115-mile drive southeast from Macon.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Man threatens to send workers ‘back in a box’ over cigarette prices, GA cops say."