Author: Staff Reports

Law enforcement officials located and apprehended a second person wanted in connection with last weekend’s murder of 64-year-old Marlene Murray in Atkinson County. Officials reported that Roderick Bernard Brock was arrested last night in Douglas by authorities from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, and Douglas Police Department. Officials stated tips from the public led to Brock’s location and subsequent apprehension. He is facing one count of malice murder in regards to Murray’s death. Another suspect, Ansely Minkema, made her first court appearance yesterday afternoon in Atkinson County Magistrate Court and was denied…

One person has been arrested and a second individual is currently being sought in regards to a homicide that occurred in Atkinson County over the weekend. Officials report that Ansley Minkema has been jailed and charged with one count of malice murder, following the death of 64-year-old Marlene Murray. The other suspect, identified as Roderick Bernard Brock, is also wanted in connection to the murder. He is considered armed and dangerous. Murray’s body was discovered Saturday at her home. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is expected to issue a press release with more details on the case later today.

A recent study published by The New York Times says that children in Coffee County, especially those raised under already poor financial conditions, would be better off in the future if they were raised elsewhere. The report states, “If you’re poor and live in the Waycross area, it’s better to be in Pierce County than in Ware County or Coffee County. Not only that, the younger you are when you move to Pierce, the better you will do on average. Children who move at earlier ages are less likely to become single parents, more likely to go to college and…

CRMC Walk-In Clinic, located at 205 Shirley Avenue, will observe new hours. The clinic will be open daily (including holidays) from 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., closing for lunch from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. The Walk-In Clinic is an urgent care clinic that provides quick service for minor medical problems without an appointment. Staffed with physician assistants, nurse practitioners and licensed nurses that are physician directed, the Clinic treats patients on a first-come first-serve basis with minimal wait times. If you have an injury or illness that is not life-threatening, but needs immediate attention, visit the Walk-In Clinic. If you…

According to a report published by WALB.com, the body of Marlene Murray, 64, was found in her home Saturday night off Highway 64 in Atkinson County. The Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office is treating the incident as a homicide. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the case. At the moment, no further details have been released regarding the investigation. Murray’s body was discovered around 7 p.m. on Saturday.

An Atlanta attorney representing Irwin County Hospital says an article published recently on DouglasNow.com regarding a $520,000 settlement the hospital will pay out to the government to resolve allegations of false claims submitted to Medicare and Medicaid contained misleading information. Douglas Now received the following e-mail from Attorney Scott R. Grubman Wednesday afternoon: To Whom It May Concern, I represent Irwin County Hospital. The article you published on May 1, 2015, was based upon a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that was misleading and, therefore, contains misleading information. For a clarification, please see the attached press release from…

An afternoon fishing trip got a little hairy for an elderly Coffee County man Wednesday after his boat began filling with water and tipped over. County officials responded to a pond off Conway Vickers Rd. around 4:30 p.m. yesterday and were able to rescue the man, who is in his 80s, safely. EMS officials checked him at the scene, and he is expected to be okay.

Wiregreass Georgia Technical College broke ground Tuesday at what will be the new location for the school’s allied health and public safety programs on the Coffee County campus. Scheduled to open for the Fall 2016 term, the building will also house the campus student center, library, and bookstore, serving over 700 students.

Douglas police have positively identified a man wanted in connection with a theft that occurred last week at the Douglas Wal-Mart store as Ben Stephens. Look closely at the picture accompanying this article. Stephens can be seen exiting the store lugging a trolley with a stolen donation box belonging to the Children’s Miracle Network. Police officials stated the public helped to identify Stephens after the department posted an image of him captured by Wal-Mart cameras to their Facebook page earlier this week. Warrants have been issued on Stephens for theft by taking from WalMart, theft by taking from the Children’s…

The South Georgia State College Hawks baseball team is headed to the conference tournament this week as a second seed after defeating Gordon State College three out of four games to finish off the regular season. Not only did the Hawks clinch a second seed but they knocked Gordon out of the tournament in the process. SGSC finishes the season with a record of 33-20 overall, 19-13 in conference play. Head coach Jeff Timothy is proud of what the Hawks have accomplished this season. “They’ve done a fantastic job. They’ve worked hard all season long and it has paid off.…