Author: Robert Preston

A series of complaints filed against the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla has made national headlines and placed a local physician squarely in the crosshairs of what will undoubtedly be an explosive and politically charged investigation. Yesterday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a story outlining a complaint made against the ICDC, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, alleging substandard COVID-19 testing, reporting, and protective protocols along with a large number of hysterectomies performed on immigrant women at the facility. Much of the basis of the complaint comes from statements made by a former employee, Dawn…

A Coffee County Grand Jury indicted eight individuals in connection with the death of Vann Brown, 39, which occurred at a residence on Woodrow Harper Road near Ambrose on Jan. 1, 2020. Brown was attending a wedding reception at the home of Jeffery Harper and family when an altercation took place after midnight. During the altercation, Brown lost his life. Details of the incident have not been officially released by authorities. However, according to witnesses, Brown had become unruly at the party. He was asked to leave multiple times but refused. As a result, an altercation took place. The…

Tyler Bashlor, the hard-throwing right-handed reliever who played for the South Georgia State College Hawks, has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bashlor, a Savannah native, was drafted by the New York Mets in the 11th round in 2013 after two years at SGSC. He made his Major League debut in 2018. Since then, he has been up and down between the minors and the big leagues. He pitched 54 innings in 48 games with a 5.33 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 2018 and 2019. In late July, the Mets designated Bashlor for assignment. Last week, the Mets traded…

Ms. Mary Ellen Daniel Hall, age 69 of Douglas, passed away early Thursday morning, August 6, 2020 at Coffee Regional Medical Center following a short illness. Ms. Hall was born December 29, 1950 to the late Jesse Alvin Daniel and the late Leslie Burch Daniel. Ms. Hall, a native of Atkinson County, was a painter by trade. She was a member of Saving Grace Ministries. Survivors include: Sons Bobby Wayne Daniel and John Royals both of Panama City, FL, and Kenneth Allen Rowland of Moultrie, GA; brothers J. A Daniel and Fred Hartley, both of Douglas, GA, Johnny Daniel of…

For the second time this year, an inmate at Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls has been released because his conviction was overturned. Thursday, July 24, 2020, Dennis Perry, who had been in prison for 20 years after a jury convicted him of killing two people in Camden County, walked free after a judge overturned his conviction. Because Perry was being held in Nicholls, several motions were filed in Coffee County. According to documents obtained from the Coffee County Courthouse, Perry was convicted because “the State lost, withheld, and actively suppressed critical exculpatory, impeachment, and other favorable evidence in violation…

Roscoe Allen, 60, has been arrested and charged with aggravated stalking for allegedly threatening Mayor Tony Paulk during a meeting with citizens at the George Washington Carver Shopping Center (The Block) Tuesday night. On Feb. 6, 2020, Superior Court Judge Kelly Brooks granted Mayor Paulk a restraining order against Allen after Allen allegedly made other threats toward Paulk earlier this year. The restraining order states that Allen can’t be within 500 yards of Mayor Paulk for one year. Tuesday night’s alleged incident was a violation of the restraining order. Mayor Paulk was meeting with a large number of…

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, voters in the city of Douglas voted 1,889 to 334 to approve the Douglas redevelopment referendum, commonly called the tax allocation district (TAD). The TAD is, for all intents and purposes, the Douglas Square Shopping Center, which will be the home of several new retail businesses. Among the businesses slated for the TAD is a Chik-fil-A restaurant. The COVID-19 virus shut down many segments of the economy and delayed the start of construction of the shopping center. A couple of weeks ago, work finally began. Friday, one of the biggest questions surrounding the shopping…

As we stand on the eve of our nation’s 244th birthday, I would like to take a moment and share a few remarks with you. We live in tumultuous times but we must not forget that despite America’s flaws, this is remains the greatest country history has ever seen. It’s not perfect. It’s not going to be perfect. Not ever. But it’s still the best. The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, aside from God’s holy word, are the greatest documents ever written. They altered the course of history and without them, the world would be…

Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls is #1 in the state – in a rather unenviable category. According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, CCF leads the state in the number of inmate COVID-19 cases. The department of corrections has reported that CCF has had 177 positive cases among inmates, well ahead of Autry State Prison, which has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases with 76. CCF, however, has reported one inmate death. Coastal State Prison is tops in that category with five. The Georgia Department of Public Health reports that Coffee County has had 534 total COVID-19…

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has been accepting nominations for county committee members on Monday, June 15, 2020. Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2020 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 1, 2020. “I encourage America’s farmers, ranchers and forest stewards to nominate candidates to lead, serve and represent their community on their county committee,” FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce said. “There’s an increasing need for diverse representation, including underserved producers,…