Author: Staff Reports

By Kristen Kitchens On Friday morning, at 11:30 a.m., Ryan Duke was found not guilty by an Irwin County jury following 7 hours of deliberations. As expected following Ryan’s admission, the jury did find him guilty on one count of concealing the death of another. Sentencing for the charge will take place Monday at 9 a.m. The trial began last Monday, May 9, with the state and defense hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses, including GBI investigators, friends and family of Grinstead’s, psychologists, and others involved in the case. The state accused Ryan of breaking into Grinstead’s home…

The trial for Ryan Duke in the murder of Tara Grinstead began last Monday morning, with several new details into her death and disappearance being revealed in the last seven days. The most compelling testimony came from Ryan himself, claiming to have given a false confession to GBI investigators in 2017 and accusing Bo Dukes of admitting to being the killer. The first week included opening arguments, followed by the state calling several witnesses over five days. Most of the state’s witnesses were investigators involved in the case, with testimonies from experts and Grinstead’s neighbors, friends, and family. Both the…

By Kristen Kitchens Alexandria Bowen, whose fiancé was arrested earlier this year in the “largest heroin bust in Coffee County,” was indicted and recently arrested on charges of trafficking and tampering with evidence. Bowen is accused of assisting her fiancé, Skylar Merson, in the operation and concealing Merson’s handgun during the investigation. The indictment alleges that “on or about the 2nd day of February 2022, [Bowen] possessed more than 4 grams of heroin, a schedule 1 controlled substance.” The grand jury also accused Bowen of “knowingly concealing physical evidence, to wit: a handgun said evidence involving the…

By Kristen Kitchens Ryan Duke, the man accused and currently on trial for the killing of Irwin County teacher Tara Grinstead, took the stand this morning and accused Bo Dukes, his former best friend, of killing Grinstead. Duke testified that he was not only the person not responsible for Grinstead’s murder, but that he had never been inside her home or car and had no romantic or personal relationship with Grinstead. While Duke admitted to helping dispose of Grinstead’s body, the crime Bo was charged with in 2017, he denied any other involvement in her…

By Kristen Kitchens Early voting for Georgia’s 2022 primary election kicked off on Monday, May 2, and will wrap up this Friday at 5:00 p.m. at the Coffee County Elections Office. According to Coffee County Elections Office Supervisor Rachel Roberts, 1,002 locals had already cast their ballot in this year’s primary as of Monday afternoon.Georgia voters are showing up to the polls in record numbers across the state, with Georgia State Secretary Brad Raffensperger announcing a 155% increase in turnout from the 2020 primary election. The results in the primary election will also determine several local races, including the mayor…

Former Coffee Trojan and current ABAC Golden Fillies freshman pitcher Madison Strickland has been named First Team All-Conference and Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year for the 2022 season. Strickland posted a 2.16 ERA and a 15-3 record in 22 appearances. She struck out 79 and walked 24. Strickland also spent a little time in the outfield when she wasn’t pitching. She hit .308 with two RBI and two walks. ABAC finished first in the GCAA with a 36-18 record overall and an 18-6 conference mark.

DouglasNow is thrilled to announce that Kristen Kitchens, a lifelong resident of Coffee County, is joining the DouglasNow news staff, following more than five years of experience at in local media. Kitchens began her career in journalism in 2015 and has covered breaking news stories, local trials, and community events. This fall, Kitchens will be enrolled in Valdosta State University working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, along with a minor in Journalism, and has a five-year-old son, Beckham Kitchens. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the DouglasNow team as a news reporter, excited…

Nine SGSC Hawks lead the GCAA All-Region selections for the 2022 baseball season. In addition to the nine players on the All-Region teams, SGSC head coach Jeff Timothy was named Coach of the Year. Here are the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Gold Glove teams for 2022 season: 2022 Baseball All Conference Player of the Year: Conner Todaro -GHC Pitcher of the Year: Alex Muns -SGSC Defensive Player of the Year: Blake Falor -AC Coach of the Year: Jeff Timothy -SGSC First Team All Conference Infielders – Matthew Mebane- SGSC, Landry Mead-…

Pilgrim’s Pride is building a new facility in Douglas. The facility will manufacture pet food by using chicken byproducts and further connects this vital industry to the Douglas-Coffee County community. With this new facility, every component of Pilgrim’s operations will be located in Coffee County – from hatching eggs to producing feed, growing and processing chickens, and, ultimately, utilizing the byproducts of the processed birds. The City of Douglas and the Douglas Coffee County Chamber and Economic Development Authority announced the expansion of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation’s complex in the City of Douglas. Pilgrim’s, an American-based food company that processes, prepares,…

The soon-to-be enclosed and renovated Coffee High School hitting facility will be named after Riccardo Ingram, arguably the greatest all-around athlete to graduate from CHS. Ingram was a three-sport star in high school and later excelled at Georgia Tech. He played Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. After his playing career ended, he coached in the Twins organization until his death in 2015. On Thursday, April 28, during the regular monthly meeting of the Coffee County Board of Education, Dr. Morris Leis, Superintendent, proposed that the school board officially name the facility after Ingram, who…