Author: Robert Preston

Nine defendants, including one individual from Douglas, have been accused in a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court of operating a drug trafficking operation in multiple south Georgia counties. The indictment includes charges of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and an amount of cocaine and marijuana, along with illegal firearms charges, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges carry a possible penalty of up to life in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system. Once the…

A local attorney spent a night in jail after hitting a parked vehicle at a convenience store, crashing into a ditch, then fleeing the scene, according to an incident report obtained from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office. According to the report, on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020 at around 5 p.m., a black 2016 Ford Super Duty pickup pulled into the convenience store at the intersection of Woodrow Stone Road and Highway 158 West near Baymeadows. The driver of the vehicle, identified as attorney Marc Metts, 43, of a Woodlake Circle address, went into the store and purchased several items.…

Ward 3 city commissioner Olivia Pearson has been arrested and charged with criminal trespass after an incident that happened at the Coffee County elections office about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. According to witnesses, Commissioner Pearson was in the office assisting a voter. After completing the voting process, Commissioner Pearson allegedly began pushing buttons on a machine. Election officials asked her to stop but, said witnesses, she refused. The incident became heated and Commissioner Pearson was asked to leave. She eventually left the premises after officials called 911. Police officers arrived on the scene after she had left. A short…

COVID-19 has claimed another public event – the annual Festival of Lights Christmas Parade held the first Saturday in December in downtown Douglas. At Monday night’s regular city commission meeting, commissioners agreed to cancel the parade this year due to COVID-19 concerns. The city has turned the parade over to the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce; however, the city is still an integral part of parade planning. According to city manager Charlie Davis, the Chamber expressed some reservations to him regarding the parade. He added that Coffee Regional Medical Center had also asked the city to consider not holding…

A man with ties to Douglas was one of a total of 13 arrested in Michigan for allegedly conspiring to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over her coronavirus restrictions, according to multiple media reports. Ty Garbin of Hartland, Michigan was one of the alleged conspirators. Media outlets in Michigan have reported that Garbin moved to Hartland from Douglas. Garbin’s Facebook profile states that he is originally from Douglas and moved to Michigan last year. Officials from the Douglas Police Department and Coffee County Sheriff’s Office have no records of Garbin nor have any authorities from Michigan contacted local enforcement regarding…

Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Steve Anderson of Douglas was taken into custody after agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Internal Revenue Service, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office, and Douglas Police Department conducted an all-day investigation at his home and offices. Late Tuesday afternoon, officers transported Dr. Anderson to the Coffee County Jail. The exact charges Dr. Anderson is being held on have not been released. However, the charges involve alleged violations of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. Likewise, officers have not announced what they were looking for or what they found during the investigation. Dr.…

According to a story posted on www.lawandcrime.com, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released statements disputing stories published by various news outlets alleging substandard COVID-19 protocols and non-consensual medical procedures, namely hysterectomies, at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla. Likewise, Coffee Regional Medical Center has released a statement to DouglasNow.com regarding this same issue. In one statement, published on lawandcrime.com, ICE officials reported that the agency has inspected ICDC numerous times, both announced and unannounced, and it has always been in compliance with national standards. In a second statement, also published on lawandcrime.com, the…

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…