By Kristen Kitchens John Ralph “JR” Lott, Jr., a 52-year-old local felon who previously pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm at two deputies, was recently taken back to jail on an aggravated assault charge just a few weeks after being released on bond from the Coffee County Jail. According to a copy of a Coffee County Sheriff’s Office incident report, on March 22, a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Travelers Rest Circle in Douglas after a reported shooting. When the deputy arrived, he made contact with Lott, Jr., the alleged shooter, and asked him…
Author: Staff Reports
By Kristen Kitchens An Ambrose man will stand trial later this month on an aggravated assault charge, a crime with a maximum sentence of 20 years, following an altercation in 2020. The defendant, 36-year-old Deedrick Donte Pickett, is accused of cutting another man with a knife during a dispute. According to a Coffee County Sheriff’s Office incident report, a CCSO deputy was dispatched to a residence on Ashley Street in reference to a stabbing on April 12, 2020. When the deputy arrived, the victim, 34-year-old Bruce Michael Bryant, had already been transported to Coffee Regional Medical…
By Kristen Kitchens Just two weeks after being acquitted of Tara Grinstead’s death by an Irwin County jury, Ryan Duke has now been indicted in Ben Hill County on six charges related to her death. In the indictment, Ryan is charged with the following: Concealing Death of Another; Hindering Apprehension or Punishment of a Criminal; two counts of Concealment of Facts, and two counts of Tampering with Evidence. The six charges come with a maximum of a 45-year sentence if Ryan is found guilty. Ryan was found guilty of concealing Grinstead’s death, which he…
By Kristen Kitchens Jonathan Vaughn of Coffee County will be sentenced Friday, June 3, 2022, on an aggravated assault charge that he pleaded guilty to earlier this year. An accusation filed in the Superior Court of Coffee County stated Vaughn, 59, was arrested last year after he “willingly and knowingly assaulted” Harry Andrews by shooting him with a .22 caliber firearm on July 14, 2021, between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The shooting occurred in Vaughn’s yard at his residence in Coffee County. Superior Court Judge Kelly Brooks denied a bond…
By Kristen Kitchens For the second time in less than six months, the city of Nicholls is left without a local police chief and officers after they all turned in immediate resignation letters this week. DouglasNow obtained a copy of the letters, with the chief and one officer blaming a “lack of workforce, equipment, and pay” as their reasons for leaving. Former Nicholls Chief of Police Billy Ray Fields, Jr. turned in his letter on June 1, noting it was effective immediately. The letter states, “As Chief, it has been challenging to obtain and be provided…
By Kristen Kitchens In 2017, a Coffee County jury found Brandon Levi Williams guilty of murder in the death of 22-year-old Kavozia Walker. This Friday, Judge Andy Spivey will hear arguments from Williams’ defense attorney for that conviction to be vacated following a filed motion requesting a new trial in the case. Williams was first indicted on the murder charge, along with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, on May 25, 2016. He stood trial in March 2017, with the primary evidence presented by the state being security footage taken from…
According to City Manager Charlie Davis, developers are currently in their “final stages” of contracts in bringing three national chain businesses to Douglas. Since the City of Douglas and its developers announced the plans for Douglas Square in 2019, national and international chain businesses immediately started showing interest in Douglas being the home of their newest location. The list continues to expand, with City Manager Davis telling Douglas Now that contract completion is underway between developers and a chain supermarket (the second national grocer in the works for the community), a fast-food restaurant, and a retail store. …
By Kristen Kitchens William Clarence Chaney of Atkinson County was denied bond after threatening to kill multiple individuals, including law enforcement officers, which resulted in a 5-hour standoff with the Georgia State Patrol SWAT team. The threats were made after law enforcement was called to the property in reference to a domestic issue, which began after Chaney, who is 46-years-old, accused his father of “taking his meth.” Atkinson County Sheriff David Moore confirmed to DouglasNow that on Saturday, May 28, deputies with the Atkinson County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a camper on a property off…
By Kristen Kitchens A Coffee County grand jury has officially indicted former George Washington Carver Freshman Campus teacher and coach Nathan Brant Garrett on two counts of child molestation and two counts of sexual battery. Garrett was accused of the crimes following an investigation by the GBI in February, and resigned from his position with the school system shortly before his arrest. According to a copy of the indictment, Garrett is accused of “transmitting images of a person engaging in any immoral or indecent act” by sending an inappropriate video of himself to a child who…
By Kristen Kitchens Douglas “D.J. Doug” Wooten, a 39-year-old Jeff Davis man who appeared in an episode of “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days,” could now spend his life behind bars after pleading guilty to committing murder and armed robbery in January 2021. While the motive of the theft, according to officials, was to “score a large sum of money,” Douglas and the three others involved fled the home with only $2 in cash. According to Jeff Davis Sheriff’s Office officials, on January 4, 2021, Wooten and his 18-year-old son Denver L. Wooten, 39-year-old Kegan B. Bennett, and 32-year-old…