Author: Staff Reports

School officials, first responders, and a local doctor provided quick help Wednesday morning after a fourth grade student at Westside Elementary temporarily lost consciousness and fainted in math class. 911 was called and EMS was dispatched to Westside to evaluate the situation, which occurred around 7:50 Wednesday morning. School officials stated the student’s blood pressure was very low. While driving to work, local physician Dr. David Arnett saw the ambulance in the parking lot and went inside to offer assistance. Dr. Arnett and the EMS team felt comfortable allowing the student’s mother to transport her to the doctor or hospital…

Helen Malphus, who was listed as the owner and administrator of Rosewood Manor Assisted Living Home in Nicholls, was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for false statements and writings, concealment of facts, and fraudulent documents in matters within jurisdiction of state or political subdivisions. Malphus appeared before a magistrate judge today, and was granted a $5,500 property bond. The case began when the body of Alexander McKay Hunter was found buried in a clandestine grave in a shelter behind the assisted living home in Nicholls. Malphus’s daughter, Diana Jacobs, along with Diana’s husband and son, James Jacobs and Coy Jacobs,…

Two people were hospitalized Tuesday following a two-car accident on the Willacoochee Hwy. The accident occurred at the intersection of the Willacoochee Hwy. and Old Pearson Hwy. when a Dodge pickup and a black, four-door sedan collided, leaving both vehicles totaled. A male and female were transported from the scene by EMS, and both were reported in good condition Wednesday morning. This is the second major accident to take place on the Willacoochee Hwy. during the past week. Last Tuesday, an accident in the Bethel Community claimed the life of Terri Evans of Tifton. Evans was driving an SUV in…

Fast action by local law enforcement led to the quick capture of a jail inmate who attempted a daring, yet brief, escape Saturday afternoon. Authorities say that at around 4:30 p.m., a Charlton County transport officer was delivering a Charlton County inmate to the Coffee County Jail, which regulary houses inmates from other counties. Upon entering the sallyport at the law enforcement center, the transport officer requested a wheelchair be brought to the transport vehicle to carry the inmate inside, as he was complaining of being in pain and having difficulty walking. When the Coffee County jail officer returned with…

An early morning fire on Friday claimed the life of an Ocilla woman just one day prior to what would have been her birthday. Officials responded to the blaze at around 7 a.m. Friday where they discovered the mobile home at East 6th St. and McKinley fully engulfed in flames. The victim was later identified as 25-year-old Jalessa Collins. Her body will be sent to the state crime lab for an autopsy. According to officials, the cause of the fire is currently being considered as an electrical problem.

Detectives with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office are reporting the arrest of a local man after receiving reports from several victims that they had bought a car shelter. However, when they went to get the shelter, they discovered it did not belong to the seller. The victims reported they heard an advertisement on a local radio venue where the car shelter was reported to be for sale. When they made contact with the seller, they were given a price for the shelter. The victims stated they met the seller at different local parking lots and paid him for the shelter.…

An accident in the Bethel Community just south of Douglas has claimed the life of one person. The wreck occurred just before 7 p.m. on Highway 135 a few miles south of town. According to reports, a Terri Evans of Tifton was driving an SUV in the southbound lane and was killed when, after swerving to miss a pick up stopped in the road in front of her, she hit another vehicle head-on in the northbound lane. The two individuals in the other vehicle were transported from the scene with serious injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was identified…

Make it two in a row, ladies. For the second straight year, the women’s swim team at South Georgia State College won the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Region XVII championship. The men’s team took second and brought home a plaque of their own in the process. The region meet took place on Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Darton State College aquatic center. Sophomore Megan Harding (Thomasville) and freshmen Carolyn Ives (Carrollton) were named tournament co-MVPs. Harding and Ives both won all three of their events to put the women in the lead. Also winning multiple region titles in their events…

Law enforcement in Coffee County experienced a busy Valentine’s Day, netting five drug arrests on charges ranging from trafficking to possession. Around 3 p.m., deputies with the Coffee County Sheriff’s office stopped a vehicle occupied by three individuals, later identified as Quillie Anthony, Michael Metts, and Karla Morris, in the Green Acres Community on Waldron Rd. Officers located over four ounces of methamphetamine and a 9mm handgun during the stop and contacted the Douglas-Coffee Drug Unit. Following their investigation, Anthony and Morris were arrested for trafficking methamphetamine. Metts was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of a…

Just a few hundred feet east of one of the bold, new gateway signs welcoming people to the City of Douglas sits this horrific eyesore. Located at the corner of E. Ward St. and N. McDonald Ave., a vacant lot sits piled with a mountain of various random household items. Adjacent to the lot, a home which suffered extensive fire damage some weeks ago remains untouched with higly visible trash, clothing, and other unsightly features decorating the exterior. City officials have received numerous complaints about the property and say they are working to resolve the matter.