Author: Robert Preston

Back in April, Rue 21 released a statement announcing the closing of 12 of its stores in Georgia. You can add one more to that list. The Douglas Rue 21 is closing its doors. There is a large banner over the front entrance of the store announcing the bad news. This latest development is but one of many such closings that signal a tremendous shift in retail in the United States. Almost weekly, news hits of another retail giant shuttering its brick and mortar locations. Most notably, K-Mart announced that its Douglas store was closing as well. As more and…

The last few weeks, nearly all of the talk around the Coffee Trojans football team has been about the running back position. That was the area that was of most concern heading into the season opener tonight against Effingham County at the Erk Russell Classic in Statesboro. The perceived running back woes have been solved. Jameon Gaskin, one of the state’s best linebackers, has shown that could also be one of the best ball carriers as well. A career defensive player, Gaskin has been called into duty on the offensive side of the ball this year. Those same great football instincts that made him an elite-level linebacker…

A new policy for Coffee High School students, approved and passed by the board of education two months ago, gives the school system permission to randomly drug test all students who drive to campus and those who play sports. The policy outlines detailed procedures for the testing and the consequences for failed tests. A synopsis of those guidelines can be found below, along with a link to the policy on the school system’s Web site. Coffee High administration includes consent to test forms in athletic registration packets for student-athletes and in the parking permission registration information for student drivers. According…

A shoplifting call Thursday night at the Douglas Wal-Mart escalated into a high speed chase that spanned two counties and five different agencies. The call came from Wal-Mart that a suspect, identified as Devon Michael Boyd, 19 of Florida, had allegedly taken items from the store. Douglas police tried to apprehend Boyd but he had other plans. Driving a black Ford pick-up, Boyd fled the scene. Once the chase entered the county, deputies took over. Troopers from the Georgia State Patrol picked up the chase at the Jeff Davis County line. Boyd was headed for Hazlehurst when troopers performed a…

Embattled city commissioner Olivia Pearson is set to stand trial again on charges of felony voter fraud in October. Pearson was tried in March on the same charges; however, Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey declared a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict. The jury deadlocked at 11-1. Pearson’s second trial has been continued twice since March. Her trial, which was on the June and August calendars, has been continued twice. Since the first trial, Pearson has a new legal team. The continuances have been granted to allow her new counsel to familiarize themselves with the case. Commissioner Pearson’s…

Quarterback Wade Sumner and running back Marquavious Jefferson each scored touchdowns in the Coffee Trojans’ preseason scrimmage Thursday night against the Colquitt County Packers in Moultrie. The Trojans also saw something they haven’t seen in quite a while – a field goal in excess of 30 yards – courtesy of Pancho Rivas’s leg in the third quarter. Despite the bright spots, the Trojans fell to the Packers 42-17 on a hot, muggy night in Moultrie. The Packers, who have won two of the last three state titles in Georgia’s highest classification, scored early and often against Coffee. Colquitt found the…

Monday morning, Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey issued a bench warrant for the arrest of George Darryl Harper after Harper failed to show up for a bond revocation hearing. Harper was arrested in February 2016 after officers discovered 325 pounds of marijuana near his residence. He had been charged with trafficking and manufacturing marijuana. Following his arrest, Harper had been released on $100,000 bond. According to the district attorney’s office, Harper’s revocation hearing was taking place for non-compliance, although officials didn’t say exactly how he wasn’t complying. Harper didn’t show up in court Monday and further investigation revealed that he…

Last Thursday, two agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation spoke to the Douglas Rotary Club. Agents Jason Nipper and Kellyn Wilkes spent a few minutes discussing the various divisions of the GBI, their scope of investigations, and the relationships the GBI has with other law enforcement agencies. During a question and answer session, the agents got a little more specific regarding several of these topics. Most people know very little about exactly how the GBI gets involved in local cases and the jursidiction the agency has in criminal investigations. The agents’ discussion Thursday shed a great deal of…

Friday, Tywone Brewton, 18 of Douglas, was arrested in connection with a shooting that took place in the city a week ago. On Friday, July 14, Ricardio Cortez Mitchell, 28, was shot on South McDonald Road. He was life-flighted to Jacksonville, Fla., where he remains in critical condition. Brewton, nicknamed Squirm, turned himself into authorities on Friday, July 21. Brewton was charged with aggravated assault. The investigation is ongoing and more charges may follow. Brewton was a rising senior at Coffee High School. A running back for the Trojans, he was one of Coffee’s most formidable offensive weapons last year…

Normally, not much goes on in West Green. Tonight was a little different. A Peterbilt tanker truck hauling liquid fertilizer rolled into a ditch as the driver negotiated a turn. The truck fell into the ditch then slowly rolled over, emptying the contents of the tank. The load was about 1,000 gallons and it poured into the ditch. It wasn’t particularly potent fertilizer; there was no odor at all at the scene of the accident. There were no injuries and because the truck came to rest well off the roadway, traffic wasn’t affected very much. Vehicles had to slow down…