Author: Robert Preston

The Douglas Police Department is investigating the shooting deaths of two purebred huskies on the Highway 206 Connector, according to a post on the DPD’s Facebook page. On Jan. 1, 2020, the two dogs, which lived on Schley Street in Douglas, left their property without their owner’s knowledge. Three hours later, the owner learned that her dogs were on the Connector in front of Coffee Middle School. Both of the huskies had been shot, one fatally. The surviving dog was taken to a local veterinarian for treatment. However, the dog passed away during surgery on Jan. 2. Officers…

It always amazes me what goes viral and what doesn’t. This year’s biggest stories showed a shift in not only our coverage but also in the manner in which our readers consume news. The two biggest stories of the year weren’t even stories at all – they were simply Facebook posts that were only a couple of sentences each. The most popular stories of the year took place a little over six months and less than a mile apart: An auto accident that took place near General Coffee State Park on Saturday, Oct. 19, and the tragic drowning of…

A local hunter made an interesting discovery Saturday morning when he went deer hunting. According to posts made on Facebook over the weekend, Tommy Greene of Douglas headed to his deer stand Saturday morning on a tract near Worth Lane just off Highway 268. When you go to the woods, you never know exactly what you’re going to find. But Greene didn’t expect this. He found a white 2019 Jeep Wrangler, stripped of its tires, rims, grill, and interior. The Jeep, which only had about 15,000 miles, had been reported stolen earlier in the week from Swainsboro. Apparently,…

Wyatt Miller received the Christmas present of his dreams on Tuesday when he learned he was leaving the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad for a home on the Dallas Cowboys’ 53-man roster. With one game left in the 2019 regular season, the Dallas Cowboys picked up a couple of players on Christmas Eve, one of whom was former Coffee Trojan Miller. The other was linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong. Dallas added Miller and Armstrong, both of whom are on the 53-man roster, after guard Xavier Su’a-Filo and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch suffered injuries that landed them on injured reserve, according to Heavy.com.…

Friday morning, two Carnival cruise ships – the Glory and the Legend – crashed into each other while the Glory docked in Cozumel, Mexico, just before 9 a.m. Joe and Jana Merritt; their three daughters; and Jana’s mother, Janice Taylor, all of Douglas, were passengers on the Legend when the accident happened. According to media reports, Carnival has called the accident an “allision” instead of a collision because one of the ships – the Legend – was docked at the time. Video footage shows the stern of the Glory coming into contact with the bow of the Legend…

One individual is in jail and police are looking for another suspect in connection with Sunday afternoon’s fatal shooting at Amberwood Apartments in Douglas. Onterio Laroy Wilson, 27, was shot multiple times but survived the shooting. He was transported to Coffee Regional Medical Center via private vehicle where he underwent surgery. After recovering from the procedure, he was transported to the Coffee County Jail. The Douglas Police Department has not released his exact charges. A press release from the DPD is expected later today. Additionally, the DPD has arrest warrants for Abraham Levi Gordon, 24, of Douglas, in…

Little Bit might be in more than just a little bit of trouble after being implicated in a stabbing and beating incident Sunday afternoon on North Pearl Avenue. According to a report obtained from the Douglas Police Department, a female subject identified only as Little Bit is a suspect in an altercation with a male named Devon Stone. Little Bit allegedly hit Stone in the head with an aluminum softball bat and stabbed him in the back. The report states that a police officer responded to a call a 1305 North Pearl Avenue about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The officer…

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and Pearson Police Department are looking for Emanuel Rojo, a 23-year-old Hispanic male, who ran from Coffee County deputies Tuesday afternoon. Rojo is wanted in connection with multiple shootings in the Atkinson and Coffee area. Rojo is described as 5’6″ tall, 150 pounds, a neck tattoo that reads “JR,” full beard and dark hair. He was last seen in the area between the Satilla River Hills and Bear Creek Mobile Home Park, wearing blue jeans and a blue hoodie or jacket. Rojo has an outstanding aggravated assault warrant and multiple pending charges. Rojo has been…

According to a statement posted by Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson, James Mitchell Metts, 32, an escaped inmate from the Bacon County Jail in Alma, has been captured in Telfair County. Telfair County authorities captured Metts Tuesday night after a short foot chase. Coffee County K9 units and officers from the Georgia Department of Corrections assisted in apprehending Metts, who had escaped from the Bacon County Jail Sunday morning. He allegedly stole an Audi A4 soon after escaping. The car was recovered in Telfair County a little later.

Wednesday afternoon, a Coffee County jury convicted Dedrick Allen Johnson of Nicholls of two counts of concealing a death in connection with the February 2019 murders of Kristian Bell, 25, and Steven James Ward, 35. The bodies of Bell and Ward were found buried in a makeshift grave on property off Deep Woods Road just outside of Nicholls on Feb. 9, 2019, during an investigation into Bell’s disappearance. Both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Friday morning, Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey sentenced Johnson to 10 years on each count, which will be served consecutively. Johnson was 29 at the…