Author: Robert Preston

Friday afternoon, a jury convicted Walter Russell “Rusty” Wright of felony murder in the death of Oletha Brady, 57, who was found shot to death inside the residence at 6280 Highway 32 West, Lot 4, on May 13, 2017. Wright had been charged with malice murder, felony murder, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey will sentence Wright on Jan. 30. Around 1 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, 2017, deputies with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence in reference to a female found unresponsive inside. Upon…

A multi-agency manhunt took place near Nicholls Tuesday afternoon after an Alma man ran from police during a traffic stop. According to Nicholls police chief Jamie Merritt, he attempted to stop a black Chevrolet Tahoe speeding through town Tuesday afternoon. The driver, Terrence Brackins, didn’t stop until he was a couple of miles west of Nicholls. Initially, he stopped in the middle of Highway 32. Chief Merritt told Brackins he had to get out of the road; Brackins then pulled off of the road onto the shoulder. When Brackins pulled over, a passenger, Willie Robert Wade, jumped out…

Melinda McSwain, 46, of Broxton, has been indicted on murder charges in the 1991 disappearance of Sabrina Long in Macon, according to a story published last week in The Macon Telegraph. Officers from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested McSwain in October on charges related to Long’s disappearance, a case that has puzzled the Macon community for nearly three decades. Little information has been released regarding the new developments in the case; GBI officials have only said that agents reviewed the case and found probable cause to arrest and charge McSwain. McSwain and Long were classmates at Southwest…

Funeral services for Phoebe Ella Deen Haskins, 85, of Whigham, are at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, January 19, 2019, at the Whigham United Methodist Church, Whigham. Rev. Christy Brandy and Rev. David Hibberts will officiate. Interment will be in Reedy Branch Baptist Church Cemetery, Broxton at 4:00 p.m. Mrs. Haskins passed away at the home of her daughter in Whigham on Monday, January 14, 2019. Active pallbearers will be her nephews, Marcus Ricketson, Ricky Ricketson, Ottis Lee Deen, Jr., Johnny Cecil Newell, Darren Shrouder, her great-nephew, Daniel Waldron and her brother-in-law, Cecil Newell. Honorary pallbearers will be her nieces, Judy Carter,…

At the first county commission meeting of 2019, commissioners named Jimmy Kitchens as commission chair and Johnny Wayne Jowers as vice chair. “I’d like to thank Mr. Dovers for the work he’s done for the past year. He’s a young guy and he took over and he’s done real well. He’s just as seasoned as he can be now. We sure thank him,” said Commissioner Kitchens to Commissioner A.J. Dovers, outgoing commission chair. Commissioners also appointed the following county officers: Clerk – Tracy Vickers, deputy clerks – Princess Porter and Abbie Paulk, attorney – Tony Rowell, auditor – Hurst…

George Darryl Harper, 62, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison on charges of trafficking and manufacturing marijuana. He was sentenced last week in federal court. Harper was arrested in February 2016 after officers discovered over 300 pounds of marijuana at a residence near his farm. He was released from the Coffee County Jail shortly afterwards, after being granted a $100,000 bond by a Superior Court judge. Harper failed to appear in court for a bond revocation hearing in July 2017. Coffee County deputies apprehended Harper on Nov. 30, 2017, after deputies spotted Harper driving a…

On Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, eight county officials took their oaths of office for 2019. Of those eight, seven were returning to their office; only one, newly elected school board member Tonya Wilkerson, was new. Probate judge Beverly Johns administered the oaths of office. In addition to Wilkerson, the following officials were sworn in for another year: Dwayne Gillis (Superior Court judge), Jeff Kight (Superior Court Judge), Jesse Jowers (school board), A.J. Dovers (county commission), Katy Paulk (solicitor), Bryan Preston (school board), and Oscar Paulk (county commission). Superior Court judge Kelly Brooks made a few remarks to everyone…

When people find themselves in trouble, they often head to familiar surroundings. That’s what Bo Dukes did after being accused of sexual assault last week. And the U.S. Marshals were waiting for him. Authorities, including the Marshals, were looking for Dukes, accused of helping conceal the 2005 death of Ocilla school teacher Tara Grinstead, after he was charged with rape, aggravated sodomy, false imprisonment, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon last week. According to media reports, Dukes assaulted two women at gunpoint in Houston County on New Year’s Day. Dukes was arrested in Irwin County…

What was the biggest story of 2018 in Douglas and Coffee County? It wasn’t the domestic violence/threesome case that led to the shooting of a Douglas man after a senior police officer allowed an offender with a sawed off shotgun leave the premises with the illegal weapon (thought that story did provide readers with the most entertaining video of the year). It wasn’t the story of a probation officer accused of stealing fine money from probationers. Nor was it the story of a few Douglas city commissioners eating thousands of dollars worth at expensive restaurants in Savannah at the GMA…

When DJ Suede, known around Douglas as Keenan Webb, went to Wal-Mart last Thursday, he went with a purpose. And it wasn’t to do any Christmas shopping – at least not for himself. Keenan, a DJ who has made a name for himself with his remixes and vines, wanted to help make Christmas a little easier for a few folks in his hometown. And that’s when he saw Tammy Leggett. Tammy and her family had decided to help others this Christmas as well. Thing is, Tammy’s husband, Gary, had been out of work earlier in the year. Because…