Author: Staff Reports

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office is hoping the public can help them catch the person or persons responsible for a series of vandalisms that occurred some time Friday night or early Saturday morning on the county’s western side. Deputies were notified that numerous road signs and mailboxes were run over or torn down along Hwy. 149 and Hwy. 268 in in the Ambrose area. Authorities stated it appears the signs and mailboxes were run over by a vehicle. The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have information regarding these incidents to contact the non-emergency 911 number at (912) 384-7675.…

Robert Preston Jr., 42, a life-long resident of Douglas and Coffee County, has announced that he will run for sheriff of Coffee County in 2016. On July 27, in a one-sentence post on his Facebook page, Preston made the following statement: “I am going to run for sheriff in 2016 on the Republican ballot.” On Thursday, Aug. 6, Preston confirmed that he is in fact running for sheriff when he addressed the Coffee County Republican Party during its regular monthly meeting. With the exception of a couple of years when he attended college at the University of Georgia and Valdosta…

An incident that began as a domestic disturbance early Thursday morning led law enforcement officers to the discovery of a large amount of narcotics and the subsequent arrests of two individuals. Authorities reported at around 4 a.m., Douglas police officers encountered two people at the Flash Foods store on the north end of Douglas while investigating a domestic call at a residence on Wall St. During the encounter, officers discovered five packages of methamphetamine, a small quantity of the sythetic street drug ‘Molly,’ and other drug-related paraphernalia. As a result of the incident, James Lamar Smith, age 30 of Douglas,…

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday provided the following information regarding recently-updated profiles of registered sex offenders residing in the area: Name: Carlton DaltonDescription: WM/ 505 186 lbs/ Gray hair Blue eyes/ DOB 7-5-1951Charge: Child MolestationConviction Date/Location: 10-2-2000/ Berrien County, Ga.Current Address: 1010 South Madison Ave, Douglas, Ga. Name: James PeaseDescription: WM/ 506 210 lbs/ Brown hair Brown eyes/ DOB 5-21-1967Charge: Lewd or Lascivious Acts with Victim under 16 Years of AgeConviction Date/Location: 5-11-2008/ Jefferson County, FloridaCurrent Address: 998 Hillcrest Road, Douglas, Ga. Name: Kyle CoursonDescription: WM/ 507 158 lbs/ Blonde hair Green eyes/ DOB 7-19-1981Charge: Child MolestationConviction Date/Location:…

A 39-year-old Douglas man was killed Wednesday morning after being crushed to death while performing welding work at the East Coast Asphalt plant in Waycross. Police said Javier Avalos was working on an asphalt silo around 8:30 a.m. when his safety equipment failed. Avalos was pronounced dead at the scene, and Waycross police state the investigation into his death is ongoing.

A traffic stop conducted by Douglas – Coffee Drug Unit (DCDU) officers resulted in the arrest of two men Tuesday afternoon, along with the discovery of an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine. Officials stated DCDU K-9 officers stopped a vehicle on Bowens Mill Rd. at Thompson Dr. The driver, Steven Neal Norton of Whigham, was arrested for driving with a suspended license, seatbelt violation, defective equipment, and possession of methamphetamine. A passenger in the vehicle, Brandon Lee Osborne of Decatur County, was arrested on a probation warrant after officers discovered he was wanted in Decatur County. Brandon Lee Osborne

The Douglas Police Department is attempting to identify and locate the three people shown in these photos. Anyone with information that could assist in identifying the individuals is asked to contact the Douglas Police Dept. at (912 ) 384-2222 or the Tips Line at (912) 260-3600. Information can also be shared on the Department’s Facebook page. Officials did not state why the individuals were being sought.

Douglas police are currently investigating the death of a 21-year-old man who was found hanged at a playground area of a local apartment complex Sunday. Officials stated that officers responded to 112 Pinecrest Dr. (Deerfield Apartments) just after 11 a.m. in reference to a deceased person. On arrival, they located the body of Sandrekean Shaheem Mathis in the playground area of the apartment complex. Emergency medical services responded to the scene and Mathis, whose body was found suspended from playground equipment, was determined to be beyond medical treatment. Police stated that video surveillance was obtained from the apartment complex, along…

The U.S. Justice Department is accusing the state of Georgia of segregating thousands of students with behavior-based disabilities from their peers in inferior buildings that formerly served as schools for black students back in the years of legal segregation. Furthermore, the students are receiving unequal educational opportunities but instead many are getting only computer-based lessons rather than direct instruction from a certified teacher. Read the entire story from a recent ‘Washington Post’ article by clicking here.

A 48-year-old Douglas woman was jailed Friday after attempting to swallow her crack cocaine in an attempt to conceal the drugs from authorities. Officials with the Douglas – Coffee Drug Unit (DCDU) stated detectives encountered Linda Blank on Cleveland St. near Dewey Ave. in Douglas. During a brief investigation, they discovered she was wanted on a probation violation warrant and a bench warrant for theft by shoplifting. Upon Blank’s arrest, detectives and DCDU K-9 officers discovered Blank was attempting to chew up a small quantity of crack cocaine, and officers were able to recover the contraband before she swallowed…