Six individuals who were recently arrested received indictments on their charges from the Coffee County Grand Jury last week. The cases include charges of rape, aggravated assault, furnishing prohibited items to inmates, trafficking meth, failure to register as a sex offender, and burglary. DouglasNow obtained copies of the indictments, which show felony charges filed against Joshua Freeman, Kenneth Fritzges, Jarmall Jackson, Kenneth Kirkland, Patricia Owens, and Michael Rowe. Freeman was indicted on one count of trafficking methamphetamine after the Coffee County Drug Unit arrested him on the charge in July. The incident report stated that during…
Author: Staff Reports
The victim of a crime found himself in jail after he called 911 to report someone attempting to break into his home. According to a report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, on September 23, a sergeant was dispatched to a residence on Highway 221 North about a person breaking a window and a storm door at a home. When he arrived, he spoke with Robert Frank Smith, 59, who said James Lamar Smith, 37, had come to his home looking for his girlfriend and began beating on the door. Robert told the officer he walked into another…
According to Coffee County Emergency Management Director Steve Carver, Coffee County is no longer anticipated to receive a significant amount of rain from what is now one of the strongest storms in U.S. history. At 11:00 a.m., forecasters reported that Ian was around 230 miles from Savannah, traveling north-northeast with a wind intensity of approximately 70 mph. Carver said that locals should expect to see an average of roughly 20-25 mph winds throughout the day. The chance of heavy rain is also no longer predicted, with Carver stating that no more than a quarter of an inch should now…
Michael Clark, who was facing a life sentence on aggravated assault charges if convicted in a jury trial, entered a guilty plea in the Superior Court of Coffee County on one of three felony charges in his case. Clark was also sentenced and will now serve 12 months (with credit for time served) in confinement as a result of his plea. Clark has been in the Coffee County Jail since his April arrest, which stemmed from an altercation that occurred at his ex-wife’s home in Douglas. Clark was accused of entering the home without permission, walking into a…
James Gregory Burch is now facing prison time after a Coffee County jury found him guilty of an aggravated assault for pointing a gun at a local police officer’s family. Burch originally denied ever seeing or pointing a firearm, but as he was being transported to the Coffee County Jail, he claimed the officer “knew the gun was fake.” According to testimony given at the trial, on April 8, 2020, local police officer Mason Cater and his family, a then 22-year-old woman and an 11-year-old child, were biking down Bryan Street when they heard a man shouting and cursing…
Sgt. Miguel Contreras, a dedicated employee of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office for almost ten years, succumbed to his fight against cancer this morning at his home. The CCSO released the following statement: “It is with the deepest sadness that the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office announces the passing of our friend and colleague, Sgt. Miguel Contreras. Anybody fortunate enough to know Miguel will tell you that he was a hero. Miguel was a hero not just because of any singular act of bravery or self-sacrifice, although there were many, but rather because of his consistent, sustained,…
Only one case out of the fourteen ready for trial will be heard by a Coffee County jury this week, with the other defendants either pleading guilty or having their cases continued to the next calendar. The state’s case against James Gregory Burch on two counts of aggravated assault will be heard Tuesday in Superior Court of Coffee County. Burch was arrested in 2020 after officers with the Douglas Police Department were dispatched to a residence on West Bryan Street about a possible assault. According to a copy of Burch’s arrest warrant, he is accused of pointing a firearm at…
The current path of Hurricane Ian, which strengthened into a hurricane on Monday afternoon, is set to move through parts of Georgia on Thursday, with Coffee County possibly being impacted by high-speed winds and several inches of rain. Forecasters are expecting Ian to develop into a Category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches the Florida coast, with winds potentially reaching 160 mph. At around 5:00 p.m., meteorologists with the National Hurricane Center reported Ian to be moving north-northwest at around 155 miles southeast of Cuba with winds up to 100 mph. A life-threatening storm surge of up…
A Citizens Christian Academy (CCA) senior, Kalli Douglas, made the cover of Bold & Beautiful Magazine’s September senior issue, with the photographer, Coffee County native Rachel Bender, featured as the edition’s front cover artist. The edition features senior pictures of 12th grade students from across the nation, with Bender’s image of Kalli the cover page. Four other local seniors Bender photographed were also featured in the special, including Evan Coffee, Ada Wooten, Madeline Morris and Gracelyn Day. Bold & Beautiful, according to its website, was created by a photographer to help other inspiring photographers. The creator said the magazine can be used…
Two healthcare professionals, Wandle Keith Butler and Bridgett Stephanie Taylor, were recently sentenced after pleading guilty to their participation in a “drug trafficking conspiracy” that occurred at practices owned and managed by Dr. Wallace Steve Anderson. Dr. Anderson, who pleaded guilty in July, faces up to 5 years in prison and will be sentenced next month. All three defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense Schedule IV controlled substances. Taylor and Butler were both sentenced by a federal judge, with Butler receiving prison time. Butler was sentenced to an 18-month…