Author: Robert Preston

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…

DouglasNow.com has learned that Friday night, officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Larue Sheffield on multiple charges relating to the death of his wife Edith Sheffield, who was killed in a house fire that took place on Jan. 18, 2013. Edith Sheffield’s body was found in the home the following day during the investigation of the fire. Officers determined that Edith had been shot with a shotgun before the fire erupted. Larue Sheffield has remained a suspect in the court of public opinion since the fire – to the point that State…

Around 9 a.m. Friday, a tractor-trailer and a minivan collided on Highway 32 just a few miles west of Douglas. Officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol, as well as first responders from the Coffee County Fire Department and EMS, responded to the scene. The tractor-trailer, a Freightliner day cab pulling a short recycling trailer, was headed west on 32 and jackknifed across the roadway. The minivan was traveling east on 32 and hit the passenger side front corner of the truck. The truck driver was uninjured. There were at least two occupants of the…

On Dec. 13, the Community Foundation of Coffee County awarded five local charities with a total of $7,500 in grants to assist them with the work they perform for the families and children of the community. Here are the organizations and the amount each received: Camp 151 — $2,250; Called to Care — $2,250; Coffee Alliance for the Arts — $1,000; Fellowship of Christian Athletes — $1,000; and the LIA Foundation — $1,000. Camp 151 is a local faith-based organization that renovates homes during the summer. Guided by adult leaders, youth from throughout the area work tirelessly for…

A two-vehicle accident on Highway 221 North in West Green Tuesday afternoon resulted in multiple injuries and a major traffic slowdown through the area for several hours. According to information from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, a vehicle apparently ran a stop sign and struck a prison transport van carrying inmates from Coffee Correctional Facility. All inmates are accounted for, with several being transported from the scene to area hospitals for treatment. In addition to the inmates, several individuals in the other vehicle were injured. The identities of the occupants of both vehicles have not been released. The…

Another Dollar General is coming to Coffee County. And a few people aren’t very happy about it. At Monday’s regular county commission meeting, commissioners voted to rezone 1.97 acres at 4736 East Baker Highway from Agriculture to Commercial. Springhill Land Trust/Terramore Development LLC of Thomasville made the request for the purposes of constructing a new Dollar General store, the ninth Dollar General in the county. Ray Parker, county code enforcement director, told commissioners that the Planning Commission had reviewed and approved the request. His department also recommended that commissioners give the rezoning their approval. Before the commissioners…