Nearly two years ago, Wallace Lee, now 44, was charged with murder in the deaths of Meghan Bowen, 33, and James Harden, 39. Next week, Lee will stand trial for those murders. Jury selection will begin Monday, Sept. 11, and the trial will likely begin Tuesday, Sept. 12. Bowen and Harden were shot to death at a residence at 38 Meadowbrook Lane in November 2015. Authorities arrested Lee shortly thereafter and charged him with their murders. He has remained in the Coffee County Jail ever since. Lee, who was also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of…
Author: Robert Preston, Jr.
A Coffee County resident is the focus of a federal investigation into fraud at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and has reached a plea deal on charges related to theft of federal money intended for low-income housing developments in Michigan, according to stories published in The Detroit News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Lorena Loren, 56, allegedly stole $336,240 while she was executive director of the St. Clair, Michigan, Housing Commission, according to the AJC. At least part of the money earmarked for the housing developments bought Loren a home at 9125 East Baker Highway. Though listed as a…
“I bring experience to the table. I started working as an attorney for insurance commissioner Ralph Hudgens in 2011. I’ve worked in all areas of the department. It’s an important job that touches everyone’s lives,” said Jay Florence, the current deputy insurance commissioner and a candidate for insurance commissioner in the 2018 election, Tuesday as he and former University of Georgia head football coach Ray Goff stopped in Douglas on a tour of South Georgia. About six weeks ago, Commissioner Hudgens announced that he would not run for re-election. Florence immediately recognized the opportunity and decided to run for the…
After two weeks of fairly easy victories, the Coffee Trojans seemed to meet their match when the Ware County Gators came to town. Despite poor first half play that had the Trojans down by a point at halftime, Coffee rallied in the third and fourth quarters to defeat the Gators 21-14 in yet another game that had to be moved due to the threat of bad weather. The Trojan offense that had steamrolled its way through the first two victories sputtered against a Ware County team that seemed to know what the Trojans were going to do before the ball…
Saturday night, authorities discovered what they believe to be the body of Ruben Barboza, 20, in the creek that runs behind Hebron Baptist Church. A statement posted on the Coffee County Ga. Police Scanner Facebook page from Sheriff Doyle Wooten describes what led investigators to the body. Barboza had been reported missing from Atkinson County on Friday. A Coffee County deputy on patrol in the area noticed vehicle parts on the roadway and damage to the bridge that spans the creek. He stopped for further investigation and saw the body floating in the water. A vehicle that matched the description…
Once again, the story of Saturday night’s Coffee Trojan football game was senior linebacker/running back Jameon Gaskin. Known primarily as an elite defensive player, Gaskin has dominated on the offensive side of the ball in the young 2017 season. Against the Brunswick High Pirates, Gaskin led the Trojans to a 30-13 win with 173 yards on 26 carries. He scored three more touchdowns to bring his total on the year to six. The game took place on Saturday evening after a late-afternoon thunderstorm postponed the contest Friday. Brunswick had to go back to the coast then return again less than…
For the third time this year, the city has experienced a wastewater spill at the water treatment plant. Thursday afternoon, the city released a statement announcing the spill. It’s the largest spill this year (but not the largest the city has experienced). This spill involved 720,000 gallons and occurred at 6 p.m. on Aug. 23. The largest such spill took place in early 2015 when 4.4 million gallons flowed in the Seventeen Mile River. The city’s statement reads as follows: “The City of Douglas Wastewater Collections System experienced a major spill of wastewater, which occurred directly into the Seventeen Mile…
Back in April, Rue 21 released a statement announcing the closing of 12 of its stores in Georgia. You can add one more to that list. The Douglas Rue 21 is closing its doors. There is a large banner over the front entrance of the store announcing the bad news. This latest development is but one of many such closings that signal a tremendous shift in retail in the United States. Almost weekly, news hits of another retail giant shuttering its brick and mortar locations. Most notably, K-Mart announced that its Douglas store was closing as well. As more and…
The last few weeks, nearly all of the talk around the Coffee Trojans football team has been about the running back position. That was the area that was of most concern heading into the season opener tonight against Effingham County at the Erk Russell Classic in Statesboro. The perceived running back woes have been solved. Jameon Gaskin, one of the state’s best linebackers, has shown that could also be one of the best ball carriers as well. A career defensive player, Gaskin has been called into duty on the offensive side of the ball this year. Those same great football instincts that made him an elite-level linebacker…
A new policy for Coffee High School students, approved and passed by the board of education two months ago, gives the school system permission to randomly drug test all students who drive to campus and those who play sports. The policy outlines detailed procedures for the testing and the consequences for failed tests. A synopsis of those guidelines can be found below, along with a link to the policy on the school system’s Web site. Coffee High administration includes consent to test forms in athletic registration packets for student-athletes and in the parking permission registration information for student drivers. According…