The Ware County Emergency Operations Center was officially activated Thursday as Hurricane Helene is forecast to start impacting the area in the evening, according to county officials.

A teenager was found dead after the Waycross Police Department responded to reports of gunfire on Columbus Street near Elizabeth Street at approximately 4:45 p.m. Thursday, the department said.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – Lt. Scott Rowell, who Waycross police identified as the officer who fired multiple shots at a car containing two teenagers one week ago, has resigned, the department confirmed Saturday. Waycross community leaders say a resignation from the officer who shot at a car with two teens inside is not enough. “Trying to come up behind him.”The supervisor recommended the officer try to run the car’s tag and then to attempt a traffic stop safely. Officer Shook and Lt. Scott Rowell were wearing body-worn cameras but, according to a GBI spokesperson, the two officers did not turn them on. Officer Shook remains on administrative leave pending the results of the GBI’s investigation.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – Police officers did not turn on their body cameras during a traffic stop that ended in an officer shooting at two teenagers in South Georgia, investigators say. RELATED: Man threatens action if Georgia officer isn’t arrested | Georgia pastor wants officer firedIn the calls, Officer Jesse Shook can be heard saying he was following a silver Acura he saw speeding near the local Walmart. “Trying to come up behind him.”The supervisor recommended the officer try to run the car’s tag and then to attempt a traffic stop safely. Officer Shook and Lt. Scott Rowell were wearing body-worn cameras, but according to a GBI spokesperson, the two officers did not turn them on. Officer Shook and Lt. Rowell remain on administrative leave pending the results of the GBI’s investigation.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – Police are investigating after the only synagogue in the Waycross area was broken into and vandalized. According to the Waycross Police Department, police were dispatched Wednesday afternoon to the Waycross Hebrew Center on Screven Avenue. They just took crackers and drinks and threw them around," said Al Jacobson, who has worshipped at the Waycross Hebrew Center for all of his life. "Over and over and over, this carpet was just white," Jacobson said. Jacobson said his family has been in the area since the 1920s and the Waycross Hebrew Center was built in 1953.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – Two women were taken into custody Friday after a police chase led to a SWAT standoff, the Waycross Police Department said. Five minutes later, police said, an officer spotted a vehicle near Hicks Street and Lee Avenue that matched the description provided by the caller. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver kept going, which led to a pursuit, according to the Police Department. One passenger in the car, who was later identified by police as Rachelle Monroe, got out and starting running down Samuel Street. Police said the driver, Veneta Bailey, continued traveling before stopping in a nearby business parking lot on Memorial Drive, where she was taken into custody.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – Police are asking for help to identify a woman suspected in the theft of a Salvation Army kettle from a Waycross Walmart. The Waycross Police Department released images of a vehicle and a woman walking by the kettle. Anyone with information on the woman's identity is asked to notify Detective Sgt. Teresa Grant at 912-287-2929 or 2933. Tipsters can also call the police department at 912-287-2921 or the tip line at 912-287-2924.

WARE COUNTY, Fla. – A Ware County Sheriff's Office narcotics detective is on unpaid suspension pending the outcome of both a criminal and internal investigation into "inappropriate cellphone communications" he had with a woman who'd been arrested on drug charges. Deputies said the communications took place while Detective Jeff Nolan was with the Waycross Police Department two years ago. Sheriff Randy Royal became aware of them Oct. 30, then suspended Nolan and asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate. Royal hopes to get a report from GBI next week.