Author: Robert Preston

Roscoe Allen has been released from jail after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and aggravated stalking charges stemming from two separate incidents – one in March of 2019 and the other in July of 2020. Allen had been incarcerated since his arrest on aggravated stalking charges in the 2020 incident. The aggravated assault charge came after Allen allegedly pulled a gun on another individual on March 24, 2019, inside Time Out Sports Bar in Douglas. Allen was arrested and released following the incident. A grand jury indicted him on those charges in July 2019. In February 2020, Superior…

Ward 3 city commissioner Olivia Pearson entered a not guilty plea and requested a jury trial in State Court of Coffee County yesterday. The appearance stemmed from her arrest on Oct. 27, 2020, at the Coffee County Elections Office on criminal trespass charges. Commissioner Pearson was arrested when she allegedly refused to leave the elections office after being asked by elections officials to vacate the premises. The charge is a misdemeanor. If convicted, the maximum sentence is a $1,000 fine and/or one year in jail. A date for Commissioner Pearson’s trial has not been set. She is being represented…

Mr. Christopher Vawn “Spanky” Luke, age 45 of Nicholls, passed away late Wednesday night, March 3, 2021 at Navicent Health in Macon due to injuries received in an automobile accident. Mr. Luke was born March 21, 1975 to the late Lavawn Luke and the late Shirley Ann Raper Luke. Mr. Luke, a native of Coffee County, was employed with American Truck Parts as a wrecker truck driver. He was also a farmer and a member of Young Farmers Association. He was a member of Pineview Church of God in West Green, GA Survivors include: His wife: Angela Renee Lewis Luke…

On Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, two employees of the Coffee County Elections Office, Misty Hampton and Jil Riddlehoover, resigned, leaving the office temporarily closed in the aftermath. The county has not made any statement regarding the resignations. DouglasNow.com submitted an open records request to the county regarding this incident. The county responded quickly and sent DouglasNow.com copies of the resignation letters submitted by Hampton and Riddlehoover. Hampton’s letter states the following: “. . . the County contends that I submitted time sheets for time worked, and was thereafter paid, when in fact I did not work all the hours…

Monday morning, the Coffee County Commission unanimously voted to close nearly one mile of Cherokee Road near West Green. Kerry Van Moore had filed the application for the closure. The section in question starts at the intersection of James Moore Road and runs to the intersection of Moore Road. During the public hearing portion of the meeting, one couple – Bruce and Donna Deen, who also live on the road – spoke in favor of closing the road. After the Deens’ comments, the county voted to close the road contingent upon Moore granting an easement to the Deens that…

In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, Coffee County Schools will be hosting a Teacher Job Fair on Saturday, March 13, from 9:00AM – noon, o the campus of Coffee High School, located at 159 Trojan Way. All of the elementary, middle and high school system administrators will be present to conduct informal interviews. The school system is interested in interviewing applicants from all teaching fields, with special emphasis in the area of General Curriculum and Adaptive Special Education, Early Childhood, Middle Grades and Secondary Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Spanish. All interested applicants, who are certified in the state of Georgia or…

A Douglas man has been arrested on child pornography charges after a lengthy investigation. On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, Ashley Carter, age 41, of Coffee County, was arrested and charged with Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation after a collaborative child pornography investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (Savannah) and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. This investigation is still ongoing and additional charges are possible.

Georgia has been a hotspot for the entertainment industry over the last several years. Filmmakers have shot major motion pictures throughout the state, including neighboring Ben Hill County. Now Douglas is getting its opportunity to host a Hollywood production. A few scenes from the upcoming Robert DeNiro/John Malkovich film “Wash Me in the River” will be filmed at The Fun Place on Thompson Drive. Filming is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Randall Emmett is directing the film. The chairman and co-founder of Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, he is primarily known as a producer. His credits include “2 Guns,”…

Like many rural counties in Georgia, Coffee County trended red in Tuesday’s run-off elections for U.S. Senate and Public Service Commissioner. However, that trend did not hold true throughout Georgia. While the two Senate races haven’t officially been called, Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) has claimed victory over incumbent Kelly Loeffler (R) and John Ossoff (D) has a slim lead over incumbent David Perdue (R). Long-time Republican Public Service Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald has fared better than his party-mates running for Senate. He holds a larger although still scant lead (two points) over Democrat Daniel Blackman. That race hasn’t been called…

Wyatt Miller’s NFL journey isn’t over. According to www.seahawks.com, the Seattle Seahawks signed Miller and fellow offensive tackle Andrew Jones to the practice squad. Miller, in his second year in the league, has been a part of the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. Dallas released Miller in September because of an undisclosed injury, seahawks.com reported. Miller was on the Cowboys’ active roster for one game last season but did not play. Miller, a 6’5”, 300-pound tackle, is a former Coffee Trojan. He played at the University of Central Florida and then signed with the Jets…