Author: Robert Preston

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…

Wednesday night, a shooting took place at the In and Out store on East Baker Highway in Douglas. The Douglas Police Department posted a press release on its Facebook page late Thursday afternoon. Larry Tyrone Webb, 41, was shot multiple times in the parking lot of the store around 7 p.m. Wednesday night. He was transported from the scene and flown by Air Evac to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries. At the scene, officers learned that Webb was shot inside of a vehicle during an altercation with another individual who had left the scene. Investigators were able to obtain…

A fatal tractor-trailer accident in Irwin County on Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of a Coffee County man and closed Highway 32 near Irwinville for several hours while authorities, firefighters, and hazmat officials cleaned up the accident site. The accident took place when a tractor-trailer driven by Walter Stubbs left the roadway. Details of the accident have not been released. However, the rig, a tanker owned by Fletcher Oil Company in Douglas, crashed then exploded into flames and burned for a long time on the side of the roadway. Stubbs did not survive the accident. A hazmat team from…

The greatest mystery in Coffee County has been solved: Holt’s Bakery is re-opening on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. Holt’s has been closed since a fire destroyed the interior of the building on May 16, 2018. After the fire, the Holt family took the time to completely renovate the building. Initially, there were unsubstantiated reports that Holt’s would re-open for the 2018 holiday season. The holidays came and went, and Holt’s remained closed. DouglasNow.com has received a number of messages – too many to count – asking if we knew when Holt’s would re-open. The answer was always the…

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…