Late Friday morning, EMS and deputies responded to the county road department building on Highway 221 North in reference to an unresponsive individual. When they arrived, they found that an inmate assigned to a work detail at a county was unresponsive and possibly deceased. Emergency medical personnel from Coffee Regional Medical Center immediately rendered aid on scene; however, the individual later succumbed to his injuries. At this time, no further information is being released. The individual’s family has been notified. Sheriff Fred Cole has requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent and thorough investigation into the incident.…
Author: Staff Reports
West Green Elementary School Pre-K teacher Marisol Rivas has been named one of three finalists for Georgia Pre-K Teacher of the Year. Rivas has already been named West Green Elementary’s Teacher of the Year for the 2025-2026 school year. Rivas was recognized Wednesday morning by Susan Adams, Deputy Commissioner for Pre-K, along with members of her staff — Devon Porter, Laura Wagner, Cantina Gandy, Laurianne McDonald, and Jerry Brown — during a special celebration at West Green Elementary. Rivas’s family, district and school-level administrators and staff, and even her Pre-K students were all part of the surprise celebration, making the…
Earlier this week, a Coffee County convicted Andre Larron Benjamin, 24, of murder for the killing of Joshua Lashawn Brown, 21, on July 17, 2021. Jury selection began Monday morning. The jury ended Wednesday afternoon and the jury delivered its verdict after a short deliberation. Brown was killed at Georgian Woods Apartments on McNeil Drive. With the assistance of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI, Georgia State Patrol, and other agencies, Douglas police officers were able to charge Benjamin with the crime. Benjamin was back in court Friday morning for sentencing. He received life in prison without the possibility…
Less than a week ago, the Andrew College Tigers defeated the South Georgia State College Hawks in Cuthbert to end the regular season. Tuesday’s rematch in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in Tifton was a different story. The Hawks defeated the Tigers 8-3 to advance to the second round of the tournament. SGSC jumped out to a 2-0 lead the fell behind 3-2 when Andrew scored three in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the frame, however, the Hawks re-took the lead with a five-run inning. They added a run in the eighth to increase their…
Former Trojan Brady Skipper and the University of North Georgia Nighthawks are headed to the Peach Belt Conference championship series later this week after defeating Middle Georgia State 9-1 on May 1, Flagler 12-2 on May 2, and Flagler again 11-1 on May 3. Skipper was 0-1 with three walks, an RBI, and a run scored against Middle Georgia State. Saturday against Flagler, Skipper went 2-3 with a double, two walks, and run. Sunday, he walked and scored once. With the wins, North Georgia advances to the PBC Championship Series, set for May 7-8, where it will host Lander (Greenwood,…
A deputy arrested a female subject after she allegedly threatened to kill a family member while the deputy was on the scene. According to an incident report from the sheriff’s office, a deputy responded to a call on Red Clay Road in reference to a possible domestic incident on April 21, 2026, at around 2 p.m. The officer arrived and found Melissa Marie Trentini, 53, of Douglas, at the residence. The report says that she admitted to being drunk when the officer arrived. The report says that she and a male family member had been arguing. The male said that…
The South Georgia State College Hawks hit four home runs on their April 20 regular season finale against the Andrew College Tigers but still came up short, losing 11-7 in Cuthbert. With the seeding for the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament set, the Hawks used the game as an opportunity to get a few players some rest while getting others in the lineup. SGSC used seven pitchers in the game, with nobody throwing over an inning. Starter Luke Smith (1IP, 2H, 2R, 1K) took the loss. He threw just 14 pitches. In fact, the most pitches anyone threw was 25…
A 33-year-old who was riding a bicycle near a traffic stop was stopped for not having lights on his bike. He was subsequently found to have suspected methamphetamine on his person and, as a result, was arrested and jailed. A report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office states that officers were conducting a traffic stop around 8 p.m. on March 23, 2026 at the intersection of Ramblewood and Cottonwood roads. While officers were talking with the motorcyclist, they saw a man, identified Rickey Liman Lott, 33, of Douglas, riding a bicycle without lights. The report says that one of the…
On March 25, 2026, at around 1:50 p.m., Douglas police officers responded to an auto accident at the intersection of East Baker Highway and South Gaskin Avenue. When officers arrived, they discovered that one of the drivers had fled the scene of the crash. According to incident reports from the Douglas Police Department, both vehicles were traveling south on South Gaskin Avenue. As they neared the intersection of East Baker Highway, vehicle two, a 2011 Toyota Scion driven by Sheila Denise Townsend, 63, of Douglas, struck a 2014 Dodge Charger driven by Adjianna Rita Monique Drennen. According to the reports,…
Cambree Isaacson went 2-4 with four RBI and a run while Erin Robinson was 2-5 with an RBI and two runs in the South Georgia State College Hawks’ 12-4 win over the Andrew College Tigers Wednesday on the SGSC campus. Robinson also made an appearance in the circle, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings. The Hawks jumped on the Tigers early, building a 10-2 lead in three innings. They added two more in the fourth. Jessica Joiner and Jayde Rhudy also had two hits and scored two runs. Bayli Carver, Joiner (2), Isaacson, and Robinson all doubled as well. Hanna…