Author: Kristen Kitchens

Several people were released from the Coffee County Jail this week following bond hearings, where many defendants with pending charges appeared before Judge Andy Spivey. Several interesting statements were made during the hearings, including a man attempting to list a victim’s address as the home he would reside in if granted bond. Many other individuals who recently made local headlines were also granted and denied release. The proceedings took place on Wednesday in the Superior Court of Coffee County, with local prosecutors, defense attorneys, and Judge Andy Spivey hearing several bond motions on over 35 individuals seeking to…

The three wanted suspects involved in the Douglas Police Department’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) investigation, Ricky James Smith, Zacheyus Venisee, and Chance Kyrell Mack have all been arrested and booked into the Coffee County Jail. DouglasNow also obtained copies of the warrants in the case, which include additional information regarding the charges. According to a copy of the Coffee County Jail roster, Smith and Mack were booked into the facility on Monday, August 15, after 8 p.m. Venisee was arrested on Tuesday around 10:38 a.m. Mack was charged with one count of violation…

Devin Cole Edwards and Stephanie Amanda English, both of Douglas, have been charged with trafficking methamphetamine following a search at their residence. While being transported to the jail, English allegedly managed to slip out of her handcuffs and consume suspected marijuana in the patrol car. According to a report by the Coffee County Drug Unit, on August 11, detectives conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with individuals involved in an ongoing investigation for a cracked windshield and failure to maintain lane violation. When the vehicle was pulled over, the investigators reported smelling “the odor of…

A 74-year-old man, Jimmie Vann of Glenwood, has been charged with three counts, one felony, after allegedly assaulting his wife and his daughter, whom he reportedly threatened to kill by “blowing her head off.” According to a Coffee County Sheriff’s Office report, on August 8, a sergeant was dispatched to a residence on Kingwood Road and spoke to a man regarding a domestic dispute. The report said the witness claimed that his mother-in-law and wife had an argument with his father-in-law, Jimme Vann. The sergeant then spoke to the daughter, a Douglas resident, who said Vann…

Jared Highsmith, the man arrested last month for allegedly placing two tracking devices under his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle, is back in jail on a contempt order for allegedly violating a Temporary Restraining Order when the crime was said to have occurred. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Highsmith on July 8 after being contacted by Highsmith’s ex-girlfriend, who claimed that she found a tracking device under her vehicle. While the female and deputy were speaking, the deputy advised that she check again for a second device after she began to have concerns about him knowing her location at certain…

The Douglas Police Department has arrested a second suspect, 20-year-old Jo-Dorn Wright, on murder charges for the 2021 death of Joshua Lashawn Brown. Brown was discovered deceased on July 15, 2021, at Georgian Wood Apartments on McNeil Drive in Douglas. He was 21 years old at the time of his death. At the time, no further details were released, including the cause of death. According to a copy of two arrest warrants, Brown succumbed to his injuries after “being shot numerous times in the body and upper body.” Wright has been charged with…

A second suspect, Zykirria Kenyonna Jackson, has been arrested on one count of RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), with Douglas Police Department investigators still seeking three other wanted individuals charged in the case. Last week, the DPD released the names of five individuals charged with “various white-collar crimes,” including RICO, accusing the suspects of being “related to the forgery of numerous checks all over Georgia.” Jackson, listed as 19 years old, is the second suspect to be apprehended, with Macorian Toran Saffold, Jr., age 22, taken into custody on August 4. According…

A 61-year-old man from Douglas, identified as Ethan Rogers, was recently arrested on two counts of child molestation by officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office. A CCSO deputy reported that on July 29, he was dispatched to a Douglas residence and spoke to a woman who said Rogers had molested her child the previous night. The victim spoke to the deputy and reported that she was at a friend’s house and was riding a four-wheeler with Rogers after he “insisted” he ride on the same ATV as her. According to the report, while Rogers was…

Ryan Duke, the man who was acquitted for the murder of Tara Grinstead in May but currently serving time for concealing her death, will appear in his first hearing this month on his newest charges in Ben Hill County. Douglas Now recently spoke to Duke’s defense counsel Ashleigh Merchant, who stated they were prepared to challenge the indictment, one they claim is time-barred due to the four-year statute of limitations. Less than two weeks after Duke was acquitted of Grinstead’s murder in a two-week trial in Irwin County, prosecutors announced a new indictment, with Duke now facing six…

Several criminal trials will take place in August, including proceedings for defendants charged with murder and aggravated assault. One of the more notable cases on the calendar is that of Michael Clark, who was arrested in April on several felony charges including aggravated assault. Judge Andy Spivey filed an order last month announcing the jury selection date for the case. Clark was initially hit with several charges in April after he allegedly entered a home he previously resided in with his ex-wife, threatened her and a male at the house, and pointed a firearm at the…