Author: Staff Reports

Coffee High School senior Dominic Mimbang has been selected through a highly competitive national process to attend the all-expenses-paid Riley’s Way Leadership Retreat in New York, New York. Riley’s Way works with emerging leaders, ages 13-23, who are leading social impact projects in areas like food insecurity, homelessness, education equity, and environmental justice – all through the lens of kindness, empathy, and connection. Riley’s Way supports these young leaders to envision and achieve change. To date, Riley’s Way has invested in more than 3,500 young people across the country with over $4 million in grants and programming, impacting hundreds of…

A traffic stop on an ATV in the Oak Park community on August 22, 2025, turned into an illegal drug investigation when officers discovered suspected methamphetamine on the driver. Around 11 a.m. on August 22, an officer was in Oak Park investigating another case when he saw a green ATV traveling on Maple Street. The officer conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Maple and Spring Oak Streets. The driver, Daniel Spivey, 48, of Douglas, stated he had just left Jewell’s Recycling. Other officers were on the scene as well. While the original officer checked Spivey’s license, Spivey gave…

Around 1:30 p.m. on August 14, 2025, a Douglas police officer responded an East Bryan Street address in response an altercation of some kind. When the officer arrived, he found a different incident than had been reported. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, the complainant, Suzie Leinaala Bertagnolli, 24, of Douglas, stated that two individuals had assaulted her. In the report, Bertagnolli stated that she was talking to one of the subjects, a male, when “he snapped on her.” Bertagnolli did have some marks on her neck and left arm. Witnesses, however, told a different story. The…

A 1 a.m. welfare check at a local RV park ended with a 38-year-old in jail on a variety of charges, including simple assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On August 14, 2025, a deputy responded to a Dreamland RV Park after a complainant reported that Paul Speakman Jr., 38, of Douglas, and a female had gotten into an argument. According to the complainant, Speakman allegedly threatened to shoot the victim. The officer spoke with the victim who appeared to be scared or panicked, the report says. The victim stated that she and Speakman had been…

An early morning investigation at the Econo Lodge in Douglas landed a Broxton man in jail on illegal drug charges, according to a report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office. Around 4:30 a.m. on August 17, 2025, two deputies were at the hotel speaking with Billy Wayne McCullar, 56, of Broxton. One of the deputies noticed that McCullar appeared to be under the influence of illegal drugs. McCullar was also on felony probation. When asked if he had anything illegal on his person, the report says that McCullar beame nervous and wouldn’t answer clearly. Finally, the report says, McCullar stated…

A 58-year-old Ambrose woman was arrested and jailed for allegedly passing three fake $100 bills at a local Dollar General store. On the afternoon of August 17, 2025, a deputy responded to the Dollar General store at Vickers Crossing in Ambrose. Store employees told the responding officer that Sherry Nipper, 58, of Ambrose, had been in the store three times that week and had passed or attempted to pass a fake $100 bill each time. On August 17, she had been in and attempted to purchase $16.38 worth of merchandise, according to the incident report. She allegedly tried to pay…

Mark Cothren, former Bacon County sheriff, passed away on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, following an extended illness. The Bacon County Sheriff’s Office released a statement through its Facebook page announcing the former sheriff’s death. The statement reads as follows: “It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of Former Sheriff Mark Cothren. Mark served the citizens of Bacon County for many years at the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office. He will be missed by many. Please keep his family in your prayers as they face the challenges of the coming days.” Cothren had been an employee of the Bacon…

A suspect who led Douglas police officers on an early-morning chase was jailed after he allegedly crashed his vehicle beside his house then jumped through a window in the house in an effort to get away. On August 16, 2025, at around 2 a.m., a Douglas police officer attempted a traffic stop on a 2011 Kia Optima at East Leon Street and North Peterson Avenue. The incident report says that the driver, identified as Michael Shaw, 27, of Douglas, wouldn’t stop. The officer notified the sheriff’s office that a pursuit was in progress then right afterwards, he stopped chasing the…

A 29-year-old was charged with battery and cruelty to children in the 3rd degree after she allegedly assaulted her supervisor in front of her supervisor’s children on August 17, 2025. A report from the Douglas Police Department states that an officer was dispatched to Azalea House on North Chester Avenue in reference to an assault at around 5 p.m. that day. The facility’s manager stated that one of the employees, identified as Savannah Manning, 29, of Douglas, sent a message earlier in the day stating that she needed to leave work early. The supervisor called her superior, who said that…

Fleeing from the law seldom works. A 28-year-old Tifton man found that out on August 16, 2025, when he allegedly fled a deputy attempting to stop him on the Willacoochee Highway near the Bethel community. According to an incident report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was on the Willacoochee Highway and clocked a Ford Ranger traveling 76 mph. The deputy turned around and attempted to stop the Ranger but the driver, identified as Colby Ray Ledlow, 28, of Tifton, allegedly fled. The deputy was able to find Ledlow at the end of Clinton Murray Road. During the…