Author: Robert Preston

Douglas city commissioner Olivia Pearson and a friend jumped in the middle of a traffic stop conducted by three city police officers – Sgt. Stacy Williams, Cpl. Chad Williams, and Ofc. Patrick West – while investigating a drive-by shooting in the city just hours after Gabriel Demetrius Douglas had been murdered at a local business. Commissioner Pearson, who has had a history over the years of getting involved in traffic stops, compromised the officers’ safety and the integrity of the investigation through her actions. According to reports written by all three officers, Sgt. Williams initiated a traffic stop after a…

“We’ve got a sophomore defensive back, Jarquavius Jefferson, who is a tremendous athlete. He hasn’t played a lot of football so he doesn’t know a whole about the game. He’s primarily a basketball player and he’s been getting by mainly on his athletic ability. When he learns how to play football, he’s going to be a great player,” said Coffee Trojans’ head football coach Robby Pruitt way back in August. It looks like Jefferson picked up on the game pretty quickly. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has released its All-State teams for the 2015 football season, and Jarquavius Jefferson is Coffee’s lone…

This weekend, I watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I found it to be a worthy addition to the Star Wars canon. While it re-introduced us to most of the original cast and righted the wrongs of the prequels, Episode VII is not without its problems. Before we dive into the new film, let me give you a little background. The Star Wars mythology is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, George Lucas created what may be the single most important story/universe/mythology/pop culture phenomenon in cinema history. Every single aspect of Star Wars has reached iconic status:…

Chris Hobbs, a former Douglas resident and Coffee High School graduate, placed sixth in the National Physique Committee (NPC) Nationals bodybuilding contest recently in Miami. Hobbs, 38, who stands 5’8” and competed in the Heavyweight division at 215 pounds, came up just a few places short of earning a pro card at Nationals. To turn pro, a competitor must place in the top two in his or her class. During the course of his career, Hobbs has competed in a number of contests at the local, state, regional, and national level. His list of titles includes Mr. Teen Georgia, Junior…

I don’t know what to say. I’ve covered a lot of ball games over the years and I’ve never been at a loss for words. I’ve always had an angle, a lead, a story after a game. Tonight, however, I don’t. The Kell High School Longhorns inexplicably defeated the Coffee Trojans 14-7 in the second round of the state playoffs at Jardine Stadium. It was tough to watch. It’s even harder to explain. “I’m disappointed. I’m heartbroken. We just made too many mistakes. There’s not a whole to say,” said head coach Robby Pruitt following the game. Coffee came into…

Larry Parker, the husband of former Coffee County Chief Magistrate Loretta Parker, lost his life in a tragic auto accident on Interstate 10 in Florida Tuesday afternoon. Larry Parker’s nephew, Lamar “Monkey” Parker, suffered serious injuries and was life-flighted from the scene of accident to a hospital in Panama City. Details of the crash haven’t been released. However, apparently the Parkers, who haul mobile homes, were parked on the side of I-10 changing a flat tire on the house they were transporting. While they were changing the tire, a motor home veered into the emergency lane and struck the back…

Friday the 13th proved to be the Coffee Trojans’ lucky day. Friday night, the Trojans throttled the Warner Robins Demons 37-10 at Jardine Stadium in the first round of the state playoffs. The win was Coffee’s 10th of the season; it’s the first time since 1981 and 1982 that the Trojans have had back-to-back 10-win seasons. The Demons looked like they would play the Trojans tough. On their first possession, the Demons kicked a 28-yard field after a long but quick drive. Early in the game, the Demons had a 3-0 lead. Coffee answered with a 28-yard field goal attempt…

For the first time since 2002, the Coffee Trojans are region champions. All the Trojans had to do in order to secure their first share of the region title in 13 years – and the first championship they have won outright since 1982 – was defeat the embattled Bradwell Institute Tigers Friday night in Hinesville. Smart money said the Trojans would win the game going away. After all, the Tigers were 0-9 going into the game and hadn’t mustered much offense during the entire season. But this is the kind of game in which a team can easily slip up,…

Another Friday night, another Coffee Trojans victory. The Trojans improved to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in region play after a dominating 41-14 win over the Richmond Hill Wildcats at Jardine Stadium. The Trojans scored on their first two possessions of the game and never looked back. Sophomore running back Tywone Brewton scored twice while Demetrius Davis, Jeremiah Ashley, Thomas Spencer, and Tray Bryant each found the end zone once apiece. Three of those scores came on plays close to 50 yards or greater. Ashley ran 48 yards for his touchdown. Spencer covered 62 yards, and Bryant’s score came on a…

The Coffee Trojans won big Friday night over the Brunswick Pirates 27-3. But that’s not how the game started. In fact, for most of the first half, it didn’t look like either team was going to score. The Trojans finally broke the scoreless tie late in the second quarter when Demetrius Davis scampered 22 yards into the end zone on a Statue of Liberty play. The extra point was good and Coffee had a 7-0 lead with just over a minute left in the quarter. Seconds later, Tray Bryant recovered the ensuing kick on the Pirates’ 17-yard line to set…