Over 60 individuals were on this month’s arraignment calendar in the Superior Court of Coffee County last week, with many recently making headlines following their arrests. Among the cases, three men are facing murder charges, with the majority of the others indicted on drug offenses. The defendants on the calendar with murder charges include Andre Benjamin, Jo-Dorn Wright, and James Schmitt. Benjamin and Wright are both charged with murder in the death of 21-year-old Joshua Lawshawn Brown. Brown was discovered deceased on July 15, 2021, at Georgian Wood Apartments on McNeil Drive in Douglas. …
Author: Staff Reports
Over 60 individuals were on this month’s arraignment calendar in the Superior Court of Coffee County last week, with many recently making headlines following their arrests. Among the cases, three men are facing murder charges, with the majority of the others indicted on drug offenses. The defendants on the calendar with murder charges include Andre Benjamin, Jo-Dorn Wright, and James Schmitt. Benjamin and Wright are both charged with murder in the death of 21-year-old Joshua Lawshawn Brown. Brown was discovered deceased on July 15, 2021, at Georgian Wood Apartments on McNeil Drive in Douglas. …
Several individuals pleaded guilty to their criminal charges last week in the Superior Court of Coffee County. One of the defendants, Latisha Brockington, was previously denied bond three times but has now been released after receiving a lengthy probation sentence. The Douglas Police Department charged Brockington in May after she shot at a female, Courtney Sanders, in front of the victim’s home on South College Avenue. Shortly after Brockington’s arrest, DouglasNow obtained documents showing that in 2021, Brockington and Sanders were in an altercation that led to Sanders allegedly pulling a gun on Brockington. Sanders was taken into…
Several individuals pleaded guilty to their criminal charges last week in the Superior Court of Coffee County. One of the defendants, Latisha Brockington, was previously denied bond three times but has now been released after receiving a lengthy probation sentence. The Douglas Police Department charged Brockington in May after she shot at a female, Courtney Sanders, in front of the victim’s home on South College Avenue. Shortly after Brockington’s arrest, DouglasNow obtained documents showing that in 2021, Brockington and Sanders were in an altercation that led to Sanders allegedly pulling a gun on Brockington. Sanders was taken into…
Lee Clark Exonerated After More Than 25 Years By Blis Savidge The Georgia Innocence Project On the evening of Thursday, December 8, Darrell Lee Clark walked out of the Floyd County Jail and into the arms of family in time to celebrate his first Christmas as a free man in more than two decades. His release came just moments after a hearing on his extraordinary motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. The Rome Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office agreed that Clark’s conviction should be overturned and quickly dismissed all underlying charges against Clark, officially…
Lee Clark Exonerated After More Than 25 Years By Blis Savidge The Georgia Innocence Project On the evening of Thursday, December 8, Darrell Lee Clark walked out of the Floyd County Jail and into the arms of family in time to celebrate his first Christmas as a free man in more than two decades. His release came just moments after a hearing on his extraordinary motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. The Rome Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office agreed that Clark’s conviction should be overturned and quickly dismissed all underlying charges against Clark, officially…
A registered sex offender is now in custody in the Coffee County Jail, just five months after completing a 20-year prison sentence on three serious sex crimes involving a 15-year-old. In 2002, Marcus McFails of Douglas pleaded guilty to rape, statutory rape, and aggravated child molestation. McFails was facing life plus 20 years but received a 70-year sentence for all charges, with 20 served in confinement. He began his sentence in February 2002 and was released in July of this year. He returned to Douglas and began residing at New Hope Recovery. According to a copy…
A registered sex offender is now in custody in the Coffee County Jail, just five months after completing a 20-year prison sentence on three serious sex crimes involving a 15-year-old. In 2002, Marcus McFails of Douglas pleaded guilty to rape, statutory rape, and aggravated child molestation. McFails was facing life plus 20 years but received a 70-year sentence for all charges, with 20 served in confinement. He began his sentence in February 2002 and was released in July of this year. He returned to Douglas and began residing at New Hope Recovery. According to a copy…
Several individuals will bring in the new year while in the Coffee County Jail after the court denied their release during the last bond hearings this year. While the majority of the individuals on the calendar were denied bond, Judge Andy Spivey granted several of the motions, with some of the defendants also entering pleas to their charges. One of the defendants who was denied bond made headlines in July after he was arrested on a rape charge is Kenneth Fritzges. However, after hearing the evidence in the case, a grand jury handed down four additional…
Several individuals will bring in the new year while in the Coffee County Jail after the court denied their release during the last bond hearings this year. While the majority of the individuals on the calendar were denied bond, Judge Andy Spivey granted several of the motions, with some of the defendants also entering pleas to their charges. One of the defendants who was denied bond made headlines in July after he was arrested on a rape charge is Kenneth Fritzges. However, after hearing the evidence in the case, a grand jury handed down four additional…