Author: Staff Reports

Former Atkinson County Probate Judge Margie O’Brien has been indicted on 83 charges of racketeering and theft by taking for allegedly stealing money from the Atkinson County Probate Court between 2010 and 2017. The total amount of the alleged thefts is a staggering $432,711. The Atkinson County Grand Jury handed down the indictment, which is over 50 pages long, earlier this week. The Atkinson County Citizen reported the story on April 5. DouglasNow.com also obtained a copy of the indictment earlier this week. O’Brien is accused of handling the deposits for the Probate Court herself. She allegedly wrote all of…

The Douglas Police Department is looking for help in finding a 13-year-old who went missing from the local Department of Family and Children Services office over a month ago. On March 2, 2018, Coeby Chauncey, 13, went missing or ran away from the DFACS office, according to a post on the Douglas Police Department’s Facebook page. Officers contacted a family member who reported that Coeby is with family. However, the individual police spoke to denied knowing which family member he was staying with or where he was living. Thus far, no one has come forward with any further information. Police…

Thursday, March 29 was a bad day for Jesse David Floyd, 29, a suspected drug dealer and thief in Broxton. But it was a great day for the victims from which he allegedly stole, who just might get a portion of their stolen property back. On Thursday March 29, officers from the Broxton Police Department were attempting to serve a felony probation warrant on Jesse Floyd at 450 Ocmulgee Street Lot A-15 when Floyd jumped out of a window in the rear of the residence and began to run from the scene. A brief foot pursuit ensued in which Floyd…

The Georgia State Patrol Historical Society presented Bridgett Taylor of Douglas with a $3,500 scholarship earlier this month at the Department of Public Safety Awards Banquet. Bridgett currently attends South University in Savannah, where she is working towards a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She will graduate in 2020. Bridgett also attended South Georgia State College in Douglas, where she obtained an associate’s degree in biology. Bridgett’s father is SFC Lawton Taylor (retired) of Douglas, who worked with the Troop J Implied Consent Unit. Two months after Bridgett was born, doctors diagnosed her father with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. He was a…

Kevin Purvis, an equipment manager for the University of Georgia football team from Ocilla, has been arrested on suspicion of using a hidden camera placed in the team’s locker room, according a number of media reports. Purvis was arrested on Friday and transported to the Athens-Clarke County Jail. According to Dawgnation.com, Purvis was charged with three felonies related to illegal surveillance. He was also charged with possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. Dawgnation.com reported that someone found a hidden camera in the shower of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall in late February. Police launched an investigation, which included searching Purvis’s car and home.…

Georgia senior Keegan McGovern blasted two home runs and drove in five to lead the Bulldogs to a 12-2 win over Georgia State Tuesday at the GSU Baseball Complex. The Bulldogs (15-6) continued their recent trend of striking early, building a 5-1 advantage through the first three innings. Georgia scored three runs on three hits in the first including RBI-doubles from McGovern (3-for-3, 4R, 2HR, 5 RBI) and junior Adam Sasser. The Panthers (11-10) got one run back in their first at bat as Nick Gatewood notched his fifth home run of the year. In the third, McGovern added a two-run home run, his eighth…

Day Lumber Company, located just off U.S. 441 South on Rebecca Waldron Road in Coffee County, suffered significant damage in a large fire late Friday afternoon. There has been no official release from authorities. However, based on eyewitness accounts posted on social media Friday and Saturday, it appears as though an electrical problem caused the fire. One building was destroyed as well as several pieces of equipment. While the damage was serious, no one was injured and Day Lumber is not expected to be down in the aftermath of the blaze. Firefighters responded quickly and fought into the evening to…

If you’re going to be in a hurry around town this weekend, you might want to plan your route carefully. It’s going to be a bit of a mess around portions of the perimeter from Friday night to Monday morning. The Georgia Department of Transportation has notified the City of Douglas that motorists should be prepared for lane closures on Perimeter Road beginning on Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. through Monday, March 12 at 7 a.m. The contractor, East Coast Asphalt, will be milling and paving state Route 135/Perimeter Road from U.S. 441 to north of Gaskin Avenue. Motorists should expect traffic…

The University of Georgia’s official Web site, www.georgiadogs.com, posted the following release earlier today: Georgia senior outfielder Keegan McGovern has been named a National Player of the Week along with Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, it was announced Monday. McGovern, a Dean’s List student and Biology major, batted .571 (8-for-14) with five home runs, nine RBI and nine scored in helping the Bulldogs go 4-0 last week. The 6-2, 220-pound native of Willacoochee, Ga., tied a school record by hitting three home runs in one game. McGovern did it on his last three at bats of the series Saturday against…

Coffee Middle School principal Sherri Berry has been named Principal of the Year by the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals. Last month, the GASSP announced that she was one of six finalists for the award. Tuesday, Feb. 20, Berry learned that the association had named her the top principal of the year. Berry will now represent Georgia in the competition for National Principal of the Year sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Mrs. Berry has been the principal of Coffee Middle School for the past seven years. Under her leadership, Coffee Middle School has exceeded the…