Author: Robert Preston

Police have filed charges and made an arrest in the shooting death of Lea Merritt of Douglas, which took place Sunday afternoon at a North College Avenue address. According to a Douglas Police Department spokesman, officers have charged Merritt’s brother, Caleb Barrett, with involuntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Barrett stands accused of shooting Merritt in the backyard of the family residence as a result of a family dispute. Barrett has been arrested and is being held in the Coffee County Jail. The investigation into Merritt’s death is ongoing and more serious charges…

I know we’ve already had several Tyreek Hill stories lately. But for the last couple of weeks, it seems as though he always does something worthy of another post. Sunday, Hill did what the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him to do – run kicks back for touchdowns. Late in the game against the Houston Texans, Hill took a kick 105 yards for a touchdown. Unfortunately, there was a holding penalty called that negated the score. But look at how Hill blows by the entire Texans’ coverage team. Nobody is even close to him. I don’t think there’s anyone in the…

Another day, another shooting death in Douglas. This afternoon, officers from the Douglas Police Department responded to a call at a North College Avenue address. There they found Lea Merritt of Douglas dead from a gunshot wound. According to multiple sources, the investigation led officers to Merritt’s brother, Caleb Barrett. Sources report that Barrett allegedly shot Merritt, possibly as a result of some type of family dispute, in the backyard of the residence. Officers took Barrett in for questioning this afternoon. Late today, two other officers remained at the residence processing the scene. Thus far, the police department hasn’t issued…

Junior defensive back/receiver Jarquavious Jefferson had one of the best back-to-back series of any Coffee Trojan player this season Friday night. Late in the second quarter, with the Trojans leading the University Christian Fighting Christians (Jacksonville, Fla., the school Coffee head coach Robby Pruitt’s formerly coached) 21-14, Jefferson took a UC punt into the end zone for a touchdown to give Coffee a 28-14 advantage with 1:58 left in the second quarter. After the kick, Jefferson intercepted a Donell Stubbs pass to give the ball back to the Trojans. Coffee then ran out the clock and took a 28-14 lead…

Police are investigating the death of a Douglas woman whose body was found in a room at the Fountain Inn Thursday morning. The Douglas Police Department is investigating the incident and hasn’t released much information. According to a police spokesman, the body of Martha Faye O’Neal, 62, was found at the Fountain Inn on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 15. The police department sent O’Neal’s body to the crime lab for an autopsy and toxicology tests. The autopsy has been completed but the results have not yet been made available. Toxicology testing could take as long as six months. If…

Sept. 20, 2006. It’s a day I will never forget. It has become one of the most significant days of my life. That morning, in broad daylight, inside Jon’s Sports Park, a children’s amusement park in Douglas, someone shot and killed Doris Worrell, a young mother of three, in cold blood. Her husband Jon found her body shortly after 11 a.m. and made the 911 call. Paola Yarberry, an 18-year-old immigrant from Venezuela who lived with the Worrells and worked at the facility, was inside at the time of the shooting. There were video cameras in the park; however, the…

Deputies responded to an odd call on Cypress Pond Road recently and arrested a female subject on marijuana charges as well as a probation violation. The call came in about 6:37 on an early August morning. A female called 911 but wouldn’t give the operator any information. Deputies went to the residence, 716 Cypress Pond Road, where they spoke with the homeowner, who said he was the female subject’s boyfriend. He stated that he woke up and noticed that the female, Jennifer Hearell, wasn’t in the house. He started looking for her but couldn’t find her. According to the incident…

There was something about the way Kansas City Chiefs rookie and former Coffee Trojan Tyreek Hill darted into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown Sunday afternoon against the San Diego Chargers. It looked routine enough – quarterback Alex Smith took the snap and looked to his left, in Hill’s direction. Hill took a step off the line, Smith fired a strike to his lightning bolt of a receiver, and Hill did the rest. With a nice barrier of blockers in front of him, Hill eluded a couple of Chargers and scored the Chiefs’ first touchdown of the season.…

Earlier this week, the Douglas Lions Club grew by three members. The club welcomed Jessi Frost, Doug Walker, and Ashley Yaunches in the fold. The Lions Club, started in 1917 in Chicago, exists to to empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubs. Lions International strives to be the global leader in community and humanitarian service. These new members will help the local Lions Club make a difference in Coffee County and beyond.

At this week’s Broxton City Council meeting, the council signed a proclamation recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Childhood cancer is an issue that touches every community in the country. Coffee County, however, seems to have had more than its fair share of youth who suffer from this dreaded disease. The proclamation provides some staggering facts. Consider the following: Cancer is the leading cause of death in the U.S. among children ages 1-14. Cancer also claims an estimated 1,350 lives annually from that same age group. There is a 1 in 285 chance that a child will be diagnosed…