Eatonton, Ga. -- The Georgia Bulldogs may be playing in South Bend, Indiana, but Putnam County, Georgia is dealing with dozens of complaints about tickets.
Hundreds of fans have been told they're not receiving tickets they have paid for after a ticket broker, Jeff Cook, allegedly oversold his allotment. Fans have shown up to Notre Dame's campus only to find out they don't have a ticket.
Fans back in Georgia have done everything they can do get in touch with Cook, but a note on his door said he is out of town for a family emergency.
Dozens of upset customers have reached out to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and complained.
The Sheriff, Howard Sills, went to Cook's house last Friday when he first received a complaint. Cook let him in, and Sills said he was actively mailing about 300 tickets to customers. The fan who made the initial complaint received his tickets, but that's not the case with everyone else.
Sills is not thrilled about Cook's business practices. He's closely following Cook's business, and said that if he has indeed stolen fans' money by not giving them their tickets, he will "throw his ass in jail."
Sills was unsure what a reasonable amount of time would be given for Cook to refund customers. But the charges against him could be theft by taking/ deception and even racketeering, according to Sills.
However, Sills said there is no case if the fans who have already traveled to South Bend come home to find their tickets had arrived in their mailbox before the game. If Cook gets fans the tickets before the game, he's covered.
Sills said they received a complaint about Cook earlier this year during the Masters. Roughly four fans had complained, but the case was dropped because he either delivered the tickets or refunded customers.
The Office has also received complaints from Cook's neighbors. Sills described one as being "mad as a hornet" about the floods of people who have driven to Cook's residence to try and find out if they're getting tickets.
Sills promises he will follow up on the complaints after Saturday's game, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
