Several individuals pleaded guilty to their criminal charges last week in the Superior Court of Coffee County. One of the defendants, Latisha Brockington, was previously denied bond three times but has now been released after receiving a lengthy probation sentence.
The Douglas Police Department charged Brockington in May after she shot at a female, Courtney Sanders, in front of the victim’s home on South College Avenue. Shortly after Brockington’s arrest, DouglasNow obtained documents showing that in 2021, Brockington and Sanders were in an altercation that led to Sanders allegedly pulling a gun on Brockington. Sanders was taken into custody on one count of aggravated assault, with Brockington receiving the same charge earlier this year, but released on bond.
As a part of Sanders’ bond conditions, she was ordered to stay away from Brockington.
The incident report stated that people were parking in front of Sanders’ home for a party across the street from her residence. Brockington was in one of the vehicles that pulled up, with Sanders telling officers she advised Brockington and the other occupants not to park in front of her home. The vehicle reportedly drove off but came back with Brockington as the driver. Sanders told the officer she heard two gunshots, with one of the bullets striking her left arm. She also reported hearing another gunshot as the vehicle came back shortly after.
A witness corroborated Sanders’ story, but two other individuals signed affidavits stating that Sanders had punched Brockington in the face, leading her to fire the shots at Sanders in self-defense.
Ultimately, Brockington was charged with aggravated assault and booked into the Coffee County Jail. She appeared before a judge in the Superior Court of Coffee County three times, once for her initial bond hearing and twice for reconsideration motions.
While Brockington’s mother and defense attorney told the judge she had no criminal history, was attending school, and was a “good girl who never got in trouble,” Brockington was denied release each time.
Last week, Brockington pleaded guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. However, after pleading guilty under the First Offender’s Act, Brockington received a 10-year probation sentence.
Following the plea and nearly seven months of incarceration, Brockington was released from the Coffee County Jail.
James Nolan, 39, pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property in the second degree, which was one of three counts he was charged with in March.
According to his warrant, Nolan damaged his mother’s vehicle by kicking the left front fender, causing a dent that exceeded $500. As a part of his plea, the two misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and obstruction of law enforcement officers were not prosecuted.
In those warrants, Nolan was accused of trespassing on a woman’s property, where he was notified that he was not authorized to be, and attempting to headbutt an officer during his arrest.
Nolan was facing a 5-year prison sentence but instead received five years of probation.
A local man will now serve 12 years on probation but will no longer reside in Coffee County after his plea included banishment from parts of south Georgia. Stephen James Martin, a 51-year-old former resident of Nicholls, was indicted on his charges, four counts of financial transaction card fraud and forgery in the fourth degree, by a Coffee County grand jury last month.
According to the indictment, Martin bought items at Walmart, Harvey’s, and Nicholls Food Mart on four separate occasions using another individual’s debit card between June and August. He also was charged with forgery for possessing a check in the same individual’s name with the written amount being less than $1,500 and not authorized by the account holder.
Martin pleaded guilty to all four charges and was ordered to serve three years on probation consecutively for each count. The judge also banned him from the areas of South Georgia, south of Interstate 16 and east of Interstate 75. Martin is also required to pay a restitution fine of $1,192.39.
In August, Martin was arrested on an aggravated stalking charge for allegedly stalking the same victim by violating a temporary restraining order by calling her several times. The case was pending but was dismissed on the same day Martin pleaded guilty in his other case.
While two other cases were listed on the calendar, one was dismissed, and the other defendant did not plead guilty. The case has been placed on the next criminal trial calendar, with jury selection beginning on February 9, 2023.