By Stanley Dunlap Reprinted from The Georgia Recorder www.georgiarecorder.com A plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the state’s electronic voting system is being subpoenaed by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the State Election Board for information that would include her communication with reporters. A subpoena filed Monday in U.S. District Court of Northern Georgia requests Marilyn Marks, executive director of Coalition for Good Governance, to provide every email, text message, details of conversation and any other documents about the unauthorized access of Coffee County’s voting system, including communication she’s had with the media. Marks and…
Author: Staff Reports
The Coffee County chapter of the NAACP has issued a statement declaring a state of emergency in Coffee County following the death of Pernell Harris on August 23, 2022. Harris went into distress after getting into an altercation with law enforcement officers on August 25, 2021. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has investigated the incident but has not released its findings. Here is the NAACP’s press release: “On August 25, 2021, officers were called to Sleepy Hollow Road in Douglas, Georgia. The girlfriend called because she wanted the keys that she thought Mr. Harris had in his possession.…
Last week, a motion asking for a reduction in the sentence of John Daniel, a man who pleaded guilty to aggravated battery last year, was denied by a Superior Court judge. Daniel recently just entered into his second year of a 15-year prison term for the offense. Daniel was arrested on February 25, 2021, on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and criminal use of an article with an altered ID mark (firearm with altered serial numbers). Coffee County Sheriff’s Office officials released a statement regarding Daniel’s arrest…
Maleah Martin, 18, was recently crowned Miss Georgia North Teen USA, earning her a spot to compete for the title of Miss Georgia Teen USA later this year. Maleah, the daughter of Jay and Ashley Spivey and Steve and Rachel Martin, began participating in pageants at the age of 16. Since then, she has been crowned at numerous pageants, including the title of USA National Miss Peach State Teen. She also competed for the national title of USA National Teen in Hollywood, Florida in July, where she landed in the top 15 in the nation. Just…
Carlton Speight, who was set to stand trial last week on charges carrying a ten-year prison sentence, has been released from the Coffee County Jail on bond following events in the Superior Court of Coffee County last week. Although the jury had been selected and was present at the courthouse, a last-minute motion filed by Speight’s defense resulted in Judge Andy Spivey continuing the case on to next month’s calendar. Speight is currently facing one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after one was allegedly found in his possession following a burglary conviction in…
Several individuals who were recently arrested in Coffee County will now face their charges in the Superior Court of Coffee County after they were indicted by a Coffee County Grand Jury this month. Many of the defendants whose cases were presented before the jury have made local headlines within the last few months, several being charged with aggravated assault including Latisha Brockington, Spencer Carter, James Bowen, and Ronnie Alexander. Brockington, who is represented by Valdosta-based attorney J.J. Strickland, was indicted on one count of aggravated assault for allegedly assaulting a female, Courtney Sanders, “with a firearm…
On Friday, a Broxton man, Charlie Smith Jr., pleaded guilty to a vehicular homicide that took the life of a 20-year-old father in June 2018, along with drug charges he later received in 2020. The guilty plea resulted in 15 years being knocked off the maximum prison time Smith Jr. was facing on the charges. Smith Jr., 46, was arrested on the vehicular homicide charge, along with DUI and reckless driving, in February 2019 and granted a bond the following morning. Five months later, a Coffee County Grand Jury indicted Smith Jr. on the charge, along with DUI…
Three local sex offenders were charged within the last week for probation violations after failing to comply with their offender status requirements and have all been booked into the Coffee County Jail. According to a copy of the jail roster, 35-year-old Joshua Lowe of Douglas was arrested on August 23 with one count of probation violation (sex offender failure to register). Documents show that Lowe was convicted of sexual battery in Atkinson County on May 8, 2009. This is not the first time Lowe has been charged with failing to comply with his sex offender requirements,…
Sherry Lynn Nipper of Ambrose was recently arrested by the Coffee County Drug Unit for possession charges after she allegedly stole medication and unlawfully distributed the pills. According to an incident report, on August 25, detectives served a search warrant at a residence on Raney Drive in Ambrose where a quantity of suspected Tramadol (IV), suspected methamphetamine (II) suspected Oxycodone (II) were discovered. Officials also reported that suspected marijuana and marijuana grinders were also located inside the residence. After further investigation, detectives arrested and charged 55-year-old Nipper with one count of possession of a schedule II…
Norris Moffett, who was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after shooting a 5-week-old kitten in the face in 2019, recently pleaded guilty to the charge in the Superior Court of Coffee County. Douglas Police Department officials reported that on August 17, 2019, an officer was flagged down while on patrol in reference to a kitten being shot in the face with a flare gun. The officer spoke to the owner of the kitten and was informed that their pet had suffered “significant trauma” to the right side of its face. According to the owner, an acquaintance shot the…