Author: Robert Preston

A threesome. A sawed-off shotgun. An entirely preventable and nearly fatal gunshot wound. These three factors have the City of Douglas facing possible litigation after a botched domestic/shots fired investigation back in April of 2017. Here are the basics. On April 26, 2017, at 7:11 p.m., 911 received a domestic disturbance call at 1304 North Pearl Avenue. Two officers, John Derek Young and Sgt. Stacey Williams, responded. Young was first on the scene. Sgt. Williams, Officer Young’s supervisor, arrived after Young. According to the incident report written by Officer Young, the three parties involved were Katina Marie Coon, 35, of…

City commissioner Olivia Pearson’s second felony voter fraud trial, which will take place in Wayne County, will begin on Thursday, Feb. 22. Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey, who presided over the first trial, will also hear the second trial. The trial shouldn’t last very long. Hopefully, the jury will render a verdict before the weekend begins and this long, drawn-out, convoluted, and burdensome matter will finally end. In March of last year, Pearson was tried on the same charges; however, Judge Spivey declared a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict. The jury deadlocked at 11-1. Pearson has a new legal team…

Two Trojans are state champions after rolling through the 6A state wrestling tournament last weekend. For the second year in a row, John Watt (120 pounds) won a state wrestling championship. He was joined at the top of the podium by Derick Newton (285 pounds), who won his first championship. Watt is headed to Appalachian State University on a wrestling scholarship while Newton, an All-State defensive lineman and one of the state’s sack leaders, has signed a football scholarship with Kansas State. These two state titles are a part of what is shaping up to be a banner year for…

For the first time since 2008, the Coffee Trojans are region champions. The men’s basketball team defeated the Valdosta Wildcats in the Region 1-6A tournament finals 76-49. They rolled through the region schedule with a perfect 10-0 record and that regular season run with the region title. The Trojans will host a first-round playoff game next week, probably Friday night, against the loser of Effingham County and Bradwell Institute. As of the publishing deadline, the outcome of that game hadn’t been decided. “These kids work hard. I’ve had several coming in at 6:30 since March. It’s all attributed to their…

“I knew tax reform would be good but what’s happening is incredible. Two years ago, the other side was screaming about a $15 per hour minimum wage. Now companies are doing that on their own. This president understands the power behind giving people an incentive to better themselves,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Allen following President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address Tuesday night. Rep. Allen, a Republican whose 12th Congressional District includes Coffee County, spoke with DouglasNow.com about an hour after President Trump concluded his remarks. Rep. Allen believes in President Trump’s agenda, particularly what he’s doing with…

Dr. Fred Gilliard apparently just can’t help himself. Dr. Gilliard, a physician who used to live in Douglas and was a prominent member of the Coffee County community while he was here, is likely headed to prison for a third time after pleading guilty to illegally prescribing oxycodone and other opioids from his practice near Augusta. According to a story published in The State, a South Carolina newspaper, and by the Associated Press, the drugs he prescribed were then sold throughout the Murphy Village area in North Augusta, S.C. Murphy Village is home to the largest community of Irish Travelers,…

Researchers in North Florida are trying to figure out why a dead juvenile humpback whale washed up on Fernandina Beach Sunday. The whale, which is an estimated 35 feet long and 6,000 pounds, washed up on the south end of Amelia Island, Fla., about halfway between Peters Point and Amelia South condominiums – an area very familiar to Coffee County residents and one in which several locals own property. Monday, researchers, volunteers, officers, and interested citizens gathered around the carcass to take tissue samples and just see what was going on. Scientists swarmed the dead whale and will perform a…

City commissioner Olivia Pearson’s second felony voter fraud trial will take place in Wayne County. Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey, who presided over the first trial and will also hear the second trial, signed the change of venue order last week. The date of the trial has yet to be determined. In March of last year, Pearson was tried on the same charges; however, Judge Spivey declared a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict. The jury deadlocked at 11-1. Pearson has a new legal team and her second trial was supposed to begin in Douglas in October. However, her…

At Thursday night’s annual Chamber of Commerce banquet, Chairman Stanley Lott, who had served two years as chairman, passed the gavel to Donnie Bradshaw, the Chief Financial Officer at Elixir Extrusions. During Lott’s two years, the Chamber celebrated 35 ribbon cuttings, brought in more revenue than any other consecutive two-year period, and grew 238 new members to 702. An emotional Lott recounted the two years he served. Those two years were eventful for the Lott family; in addition to the expected challenges that come with holding such a position, Lott also suffered and made a full recovery from a stroke…

For the first time, the Chamber of Commerce presented the Community Partner of the Year Award at the annual Chamber event. The award went to South Georgia State College. Dr. Ingrid Sellers, SGSC president, accepted the award on behalf of the college. SGSC makes a $75.1 million impact on the local economy. “We are very grateful to the Chamber for recognizing South Georgia State College,” stated Dr. Sellers. “All of us are very proud of our students and the fact that we contribute to the workforce of this region.”