Author: Robert Preston

DouglasNow.com obtained copies of two accident reports from the Georgia State Patrol Friday, both of which describe two vehicle v. pedestrian accidents that took place on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. The accident that has grabbed the most attention was actually the second one that happened that Saturday night. It was the one that resulted in the death of Amanda Kay Floyd Wynn, who was struck and killed on Highway 158 East just outside the city limits of Douglas. According to the report, the accident happened at 10:49 p.m. A blue 2008 Cadillac Escalade driven by Thomas George “T.G.”…

Last week, Melinda McSwain, formerly of Broxton, who was arrested in October in connection with the 1991 abduction and murder of Sabrina Long, 19, of Macon, was denied bond in a Macon courtroom. There were also several shocking revelations during the hearing. Long’s boyfriend dropped her off at her step-father’s home on the night of Aug. 14, 1991. Around midnight, she called her mother and said she was going to the home of Keith Loyd, a neighbor. That was the last time anyone heard from her. According to a story posted online by The Macon Telegraph about Thursday’s…

Another pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle Saturday night, the second such incident this month. Saturday night just after 11 p.m., Amanda Floyd of Douglas was struck and killed by a vehicle on Highway 158 East just outside the city limits of Douglas. According to reports, the driver of the vehicle that struck Floyd stopped on the side of the road. Deputies from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office stopped with the vehicle. The driver told the deputies that he/she had hit something back toward Douglas but wasn’t sure exactly what it was. One of the deputies headed…

According to a statement released on the Douglas Police Department’s Facebook page, no charges will be filed in the shooting death of Larry Tyrone Webb, 41. Webb was shot on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, at the In and Out store on East Baker Highway during an altercation. He initially survived the shooting and was transferred to Navicent Health Center in Macon, where he later passed away. Officers with the Douglas Police Department have wrapped the investigation and decided not to file charges. According to the statement, “the investigation shows that the actions taken during this altercation were justified…

Are you interested in revitalizing Wheeler Park? If so, mark your calendar for Wednesday, Feb. 27, at noon. The Community Foundation of Coffee County has received a private donation earmarked for Wheeler Park improvements. It has also received a grant that provide additional funding for the project. Wheeler Park is one of the most heavily-used parks in the city. In the not too distant past, the park has received some new playground equipment, including tennis court improvements. However, the picnic shelter and the small baseball field are quite dated and in need of a facelift. This project through…

Monday night, the Douglas city commission hired Capt. Shane Edmisten of the Suwannee (Ga.) Police Department as the new chief of the Douglas Police Department. Assistant chief Brannen Pruette had served as interim police chief since Gary Casteloes retired last summer. Pruette had also applied for the chief of police position. Originally, the city selected five applicants to interview for the position: Edmisten, Pruette, Broxton police chief Scott Harper, Robert K. Ellison (an officer with the Milton Police Department), and Calvin Troy (former chief of the Quitman Police Department). An interview panel comprised of city department heads…

The driver of a tractor-trailer hauling peanuts walked away from a spectacular truck v. train accident on the railroad tracks at Barrington Road west of Douglas. The truck, a Peterbilt day cab tractor, was taking a load of peanuts to Premium Peanut when the accident occurred. There are no crossing arms at that crossing, which is used heavily by big trucks going to and from Premium Peanut. The train, which was traveling east, struck the hood of the truck. The impact knocked the hood off and separated the engine, transmission, and front axle from the truck. The trailer rolled…

SunTrust and BB&T, two banking companies with branches in Coffee County, have announced that they are merging into a new bank, which will be the sixth-largest in the United States. The two institutions have referred to the transaction as a “merger of equals” that will, according to an email sent by SunTrust to its customers, “create a distinctive client experience enhanced by increased capacity for investments in transformative technology.” Exactly what that means remains to be seen. The merger is an all-stock transaction valued at $66 billion. According to a story posted by NPR, the merger is titled in…

News broke late yesterday afternoon that two bodies had been discovered near Nicholls. DouglasNow.com has confirmed that the two bodies are those of Kristian Bell, 25, who had been reported missing from the Nicholls area, and Steven Ward, described by friends alternately as either her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend. Earlier this week, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release and photo seeking information regarding Bell, who had not been seen since Jan. 20. Bell and Ward were found yesterday buried behind a residence on Deep Woods Road, which is off Roberts Cemetery Road in the Nicholls area. …

Motorists using Highway 135 Friday morning encountered a macabre scene near the city limits sign, almost directly across the road from the entrance to Optima Chemical. A male subject, identified as John Aubrey Pond, 28, of Willacoochee, had been struck and killed by a vehicle before daylight Friday. First responders covered Pond with a sheet; however, it was visible for several hours to passersby while officers completed the investigation. Law enforcement treated the scene as a hit and run. Apparently, Pond had been walking home from a nearby convenience store when he was struck by a vehicle. Officers were…