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Dunkin' Donuts store robbed
Gun pointed at customer at Ga. Highway 20 location
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Tisa Smart Washington
Updated: Dec 26, 2008, 5:00 AM
Published: Dec 24, 2008, 11:21 PM

 Deputies with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating an armed robbery that occurred Dec. 20 at the Dunkin' Donuts on Ga. Highway 20 in Covington.

 According to the incident report and verified by the manager in the store at the time of the incident, just before closing, a masked man entered the restaurant. The robber grabbed the only customer in the store and put a gun to the customer’s head. The perpetrator ordered the two employees on duty to turn the lights off, lock the door and empty the cash register.

 The employees complied and the robber escaped on foot with the money. Authorities later learned the robber may have escaped in a blue Honda that was waiting for him in the nearby Kroger parking lot.

 There are no suspects in the case.

If you have any information in this case, call the Newton County Sheriff’s Office at (678) 625-1400. Anonymous tips can be left at (678) 625-5007 and online at www.newtonsheriff.ga.org.
Newton County native charged with threatening school in Warren County
Mason Garrett taught at Warren County High School
mason garrett
Mason Garrett, a Newton County man, was arrested for making terroristic threats at Warren County High School. Photo via McDuffie County Sheriff's Office.
Kate Verity
Updated: May 9, 2025, 9:23 PM
Published: May 9, 2025, 9:14 PM

WARREN COUNTY — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) arrested a Newton County native who taught at a school 75 miles east of Covington.

Mason Garrett, 22, was arrested on April 29 for making verbal threats at Warren County High School (WCHS), where he is a teacher. 

According to a press release from the GBI, Garrett – a 2020 Alcovy High School graduate –  allegedly made verbal threats to shoot staff and students at WCHS. The incident reportedly occurred on school premises on April 24.

“On Monday, April 28, 2025, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer requested the GBI to investigate a potential incident involving terroristic threats and acts made by a teacher at the school,” the press release states.

The following day, the GBI arrested Garrett and charged him with one felony count of terroristic threats and acts. He was booked into the McDuffie County Jail.

The GBI is continuing to investigate the situation. Following the investigation, Garrett will be prosecuted in the Toombs Judicial Circuit.

The GBI requests that anyone with information call 706-595-2575. Additionally, anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or on the See Something, Send Something mobile app.