ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — A suspect has been identified as the person responsible for a phone scam in Lee County, the sheriff’s office said Monday, March 23.

Demarquis Mikel Canidate is reportedly wanted for impersonating a public officer in connection with a recent phone scam. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said Canidate is also wanted for a probation violation.

LCSO said the scam targeted citizens, claiming that they had active warrants for failing to appear for jury duty. In the calls, Canidate reportedly tried to collect money from victims. Officials say Canidate falsely identified himself as a law enforcement officer.

Chief Deputy Eddie Burgess says demands like these should raise red flags for residents, and they should immediately hang up.

“Unfortunately, it is a weekly occurrence, so that’s the unfortunate side of it. The fortunate side is that people have gotten wise to this, and most folks do know to go ahead and hang up,” Burgess said. “But we, the Sheriff’s Office gets calls about this on a weekly basis, and it’s unfortunately an ongoing issue.”

Multiple scam cases under investigation

It is not the only case they are dealing with. Earlier this month, Lee County put out another BOLO for Javoris Bland, wanted across multiple jurisdictions for identity fraud and financial transaction card fraud.

Some residents say these scams go further, with scammers leaving voicemails. One resident received a voicemail from someone claiming to be “Deputy Steve Noble with the Warrant and Citations Division at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.”

Canidate was recently released from state prison, serving a 20-year robbery by sudden snatching sentence. If arrested, he will be facing impersonating a public law enforcement officer and probation violation, and possibly more charges.

The Sheriff’s Office says they think they will catch up to Canidate soon and believes other scammers will learn from him.

“We will be seeing him soon. As you can see, if you look at our post, he has fooled around enough to find out, and so we will be looking for him,” Burgess said. “He’s a good example of someone, given that these sorts of situations have become so widespread, that he’s someone that we are going to make an example out of. That way, whenever this pops up again and someone thinks, oh, this is an easy way for me to make money and victimize people, maybe they’ll think twice.”

LCSO said if anyone has information about Canidate’s whereabouts, they can contact the sheriff’s office at 229-759-6012.

The sheriff’s office reminded the public that law enforcement officials will never call and demand a payment over the phone. LCSO said if anyone has information about Candidate’s whereabouts, they could contact the sheriff’s office at 229-759-6012.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.