Last week, a jury acquitted Justin Anderson of murder and aggravated assault in the 2020 death of 36-year-old Vann Brown. However, the jury reached a guilty verdict on charges of tampering with evidence and making a false statement to law enforcement. According to a juror, DNA played a massive role in the case, and their verdict demonstrated that the presence of Justin’s DNA on the weapon prosecutors say was used to kill Vann couldn’t be confirmed. The trial began with Assistant District Attorney John Rumker, representing the state, and Justin’s attorney, Robert Walker of Ocilla, giving…
Author: Staff Reports
The Coffee County Drug Unit busted Jonathan Vernon Pridgen and Erin Morgan Day on trafficking charges after discovering over an ounce and a half of suspected methamphetamine, multiple pills, and suspected heroin during a search of their vehicle over the weekend. Around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night, officers pulled over Day and Pridgen for failure to maintain lane as they were entering the golf club area. Officers searched the vehicle and, with CCDU investigators and assistance from Mason Cater, one of the Douglas Police Department’s K-9 Unit officers, discovered 45 grams of suspected methamphetamine, multiple pills, and a…
The man accused of murdering his stepfather and then setting his house on fire in August has now been indicted on charges by a Coffee County Grand Jury. Officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation previously reported that on August 26, around 6:00 a.m., the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office received a call requesting a welfare check at a residence on Highway 32 West. Deputies arrived at the property and found the home on fire, with the deceased body of 80-year-old John Conley inside. Conley’s stepson, 52-year-old James Casey Schmitt, was taken into custody for his stepfather’s…
Jason Nathaniel Smith, 51, of Douglas, has been arrested and charged with burglary after he allegedly climbed in the window of apartment #5 at 127 Green Oak Street on November 12. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, the property owner stated that Smith had been hired to do some work at the apartment on November 10. Smith had completed the work, been paid, and returned the keys to the apartment. The complex’s maintenance supervisor had secured the apartment on November 11 around 7 p.m. Smith allegedly returned to the apartment and climbed in a…
The state rested its case this morning in the trial of Justin Anderson, which began earlier this week in the Superior Court of Coffee County. Anderson is the first of three men charged with murder in the death of Vann Brown to stand trial. The trial began Tuesday morning and has consisted of 16 witnesses being called upon to testify by the state. The individuals included individuals who were at the property the night Brown was killed and several officials with the CCSO and the GBI. The defense was expected to call their first witness to…
The second day of the trial for Justin Anderson wrapped up late this afternoon, with seven witnesses testifying on behalf of the state. The defense is expected to call their first witness to the stand Thursday. Of the seven witnesses who testified, four were called for the first time, and all were employed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The other three individuals called by the state were witnesses who also testified Tuesday, including GBI Case Agent Jason Nipper, CCSO Lt. Detective Jamie Hersey, and CCSO Investigator Jeremy Anderson. The first witness of the day was…
An argument and ensuing altercation that took place in West Green landed a Douglas man in the hospital and another in jail. According to an incident report obtained from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, the fight took place on November 12 at a home located at 944 Tony Davis Road in West Green. The report states that James Ira Francis, 51, of Douglas, was taken to Coffee Regional Medical Center after Randy Rish allegedly beat him with a pipe. The report states that Francis and Rish started arguing at the home because, as Francis said, Rish…
A 49-year-old man, William Dewayne Tanner, was taken back to the Coffee County Jail just two days after being granted bond after he reportedly asked an officer to take him back for “what he had done” at the time of his most recent arrest. According to a copy of a Coffee County Sheriff’s Office report, on November 9, a corporal with the department was dispatched to a business on Highway 441 South in reference to a disorderly person. Upon the his arrival, he was met by the suspect, Tanner, who told him to take him to…
By Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom Originially published on Georgia Recorder/www.georgiarecorder.com Members of the U.S. Senate on an investigation panel on Tuesday grilled federal immigration officials about a bipartisan report that detailed how migrant women at an immigration detention center in Georgia underwent questionable gynecological procedures. The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Permanent Investigations released an 18-month bipartisan report that found migrant women who were detained at Irwin County Detention Center, known as ICDC, in Georgia were subjected to “excessive, invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures,” and many of the women did not consent or understand the procedures they underwent. Following…
The state’s case against one of the three men charged with murder in the death of Vann Brown wrapped up its first day of testimony this afternoon, with a total of 12 witnesses taking the stand on their behalf. Court began shortly after 10:00 a.m., with both the prosecution and Anderson’s attorney, Robert Walker, presenting opening statements to the jury. DouglasNow reported earlier this afternoon that Cam Coffee and Annsley Coffee were the first two witnesses to take the stand, with both being questioned by Assistant District Attorney John Rumker and Walker. Court resumed around 1:00…