Author: Staff Reports

Officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office have arrested Eloy Garcia, 31, of Douglas, in connection with the hit and run death of Willie Anthony Howard, of Douglas. The accident took place at 6:09 a.m. on Bowens Mill Road near the entrance to Walmart Supercenter on Thursday, February 13, 2025. WALB released Howard’s identity earlier on Saturday. According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, Howard was struck by red Dodge Dakota pickup traveling in the westbound lane. Howard was transported to Coffee Regional Medical Center for treatment but did not survive the injuries he sustained in the accident.…

Chris Johnson, the local funeral home owner who has been in jail since late October after 18 decomposing bodies were found inside his funeral home, has waived arraignment and entered a not guilty plea on all counts. Johnson entered the plea on February 12, 2025. Johnson has been indicted on 66 total counts related to the funeral home incident and a separate forgery case. Last month, he was denied bond and remains in custody. Here are the individual cases along with their accompanying indictments: Individual 1: Dead body abuse, abandonment of a dead body, theft by deception, and violation of…

A 36-year-old who went to the police department with information on an investigation ended up in jail on active warrants through two different agencies. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, Erion Jones, 36, of Douglas went to the police department to discuss an investigation with an officer. The report states that the same morning, the officer had been briefed that an Erion Jones had active warrants through both the Nicholls and Waycross police departments. Officers confirmed the warrants and the Waycross Police Department wanted a hold placed on Jones. He was arrested and transported to the Coffee…

After conducting a traffic stop for failure to use a blinker during a turn, a Coffee County deputy discovered a subject wanted out of Irwin County in the vehicle. The incident report states that around 2:35 a.m. on February 2, 2025, a deputy conducted the aforementioned traffic stop. The driver was identified as Zachary Norman McDonald, 34, of Douglas. A passenger in the vehicle, a 2008 Lexus, identified herself as Chessie Fields. The officer smelled marijuana inside the Lexus and searched the vehicle. Fields admitted that she and a few of her friends had smoked marijuana in the vehicle earlier.…

A 29-year-old Broxton woman evaded law enforcement officers from multiple agencies over a month until she was finally apprehended on January 29, 2025. The suspect, Layla Lea Bell, had allegedly wrecked a vehicle in December and fled the scene. Officers had warrants for hit and run/leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license. She managed to avoid arrest for several weeks until the end of January. According to the incident report from the sheriff’s office, on December 13, 2024, at 1:15 p.m., officers responded to an auto accident on Bethany Church Road. After the first officer…

Wednesday, five Coffee Trojan football players signed letters of intent to continue their playing careers at the collegiate level. All-State linebacker Chris Reed is headed to Reinhardt University, an NAIA program in Waleska, Ga. Reed, Coffee’s leading tackler in 2024, tallied 130 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. Fellow All-State selection Tyrese Woodgett, a running back, will play for the Georgia Military College Bulldogs, a junior college program just up Highway 441 in Milledgeville. This season, Woodgett ran for 2,340 yards on 316 carries and 27 touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns.…

It’s probably not a good idea to be out at 2 a.m. in the snow filming a music video (or doing anything else at that hour). But that’s what two individuals were doing on January 22, 2025. And both ended up in jail as a result. According to incident report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy responded to an Old Axson Road address in reference to threats. The officer arrived and spoke with Larry Thigpen, 25, of Douglas. Thigpen stated that he was outside making snowmen for his trailer park when James Ojeda, 34, of Douglas, approached him…

A traffic stop conducted at 1:30 a.m. on January 15, 2025, turned out to be more than just a traffic stop. The driver, identified as Christina Allison Breaux, 31, of Douglas, was cited for driving without a license and a traffic violation. However, a passenger in the vehicle, Jeremy Elie Gaskins, 41, of Douglas, was arrested on possession of methamphetamine charges. The incident report from the sheriff’s office states that a deputy observed Breaux’s vehicle, a 2010 Nissan Murano, fail to stop completely at a stop sign on Squirrel Bridge Road. The deputy stopped the vehicle at Danny Kirkland Road…

The CCA Patriots went 2-1 in three games this week while the Lady Patriots were a perfect 2-0. On Tuesday, both teams played Memorial Day School. For the girls, it was a match-up of #5 (CCA) vs. #4 (Memorial Day). The Lady Patriots won 55-50 in overtime. At the end of the third quarter, CCA was down 11 points but a big 20-point fourth quarter tied the game at the end of regulation. The Lady Patriots lost starter Brilyn Waldron to a concussion early in the overtime period. Three girls scored double digits (Arabelle Roberts, Ava Vickers, and Abrah Harris).…

At last weekend’s Valdosta State University Hall of Fame induction ceremony, three individuals who have either played or coached for the Coffee Trojans were inducted as a part of the 2018 VSU Blazers National Champion football team. Linebacker Jameon Gaskin and defensive lineman Javionte Martin, both former Trojans and freshmen on the championship team; and defensive back Alex Brown, a Lowndes Viking who is now a Coffee assistant coach, were on the team in 2018. All three played as freshmen and contributed to the Blazers’ national title run. Gaskin was named the Gulf South Conference’s Defensive Freshman of the Year…