Author: Staff Reports

Master Staff Sergeant Alfalene “Al” Walker (retired, USAF), 69, of Douglas, passed away on Saturday, January 4, 2025, surrounded by her family. Commander Walker was a past commander of American Legion Post 515 and was current Senior Vice Commander of District 12 of the American Legion Department of Georgia. She also served on the Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Board of Directors and was very active in a number of community organizations. She leaves to cherish her memories one brother, Horace Wilcox, of Homestead, Florida; one sister, Sandra Wilcox, of Goulds, Florida; two aunts, Phyllis Givins, of Douglas, Georgia, and Mary…

A 19-year-old was arrested and jailed on Christmas Day when he was discovered in a North College Avenue home that didn’t belong to him. A report from the Douglas Police Department states that just after 7 p.m. on December 25, 2024, officers responded to a North College Avenue address where a burglary in progress had been reported. Officers found the suspect, Walter Curts McMinis Jr., 19, inside the house. The initial report stated that McMinis was wearing a black mask. Officers found the mask as well as lorecet, naproxen, marijuana, and a glass pipe, the report states. McMinis was arrested…

Citizens Christian Academy Lady Patriots pitcher and third baseman Gracie Giddens has committed to play softball for the Valdosta State University Lady Blazers. Giddens, a junior, was an integral part of the Lady Patriots’ 2024 run to the Class A state championship. Giddens was 6-4 with a 3.10 ERA. She threw a team-high 58.2 innings and struck out 62 while walking 37. She also tallied three saves. Offensively, Giddens hit .519 with seven home runs, six triples, eight doubles, and 51 RBI. In the state championship game against Crisp Academy, Giddens hit a home run to center (her third of…

Former Coffee Trojan Maurice Turner is leaving the Derby City for the Big Easy. Friday, Turner announced his intention to enroll at Tulane University for his final two years of eligibility. Turner has spent the last three seasons with the Louisville Cardinals, where he never really had the breakout season Louisville fans were expecting. He was set to be the focus of the Cardinals’ running back room for 2024 but an early season ankle injury kept him off the field for eight straight games. He did see some game action late in the season but in a limited role. In…

Around noon on December 18, 2024, a Nicholls man was arrested and transported to the Coffee County Jail after he allegedly threatened to harm himself and burn down a house. A report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office states that an officer arrived at an address on Highway 32 East in reference to a threat. The suspect, Dickie Delano McLendon, 38, had been making threats to harm himself and burn down the house, the report says. A witness at the scene and the victim reported that McLendon had just returned from a store; he came back with a roll of…

A disorderly patient call in the Oak Park community ended with a 44-year-old Douglas woman allegedly kicking an EMT and then going to jail. Early on the afternoon of December 20, 2024, deputies responded to a Second Avenue address in reference to a woman lying in her driveway near the road. Initially, a deputy in the area learned what was going on and stopped to see if the woman, identified as Lakeisha Williams, 44, of Douglas, was OK. An incident report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office states that Williams became irate with the deputy and instructed her to leave.…

An inmate who was released from Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls on December 20, 2024, took a free trip to Las Vegas after serving his state sentence. But it wasn’t the kind of trip he wanted to take. According to a report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, Taejon Manning, 22, of Sandy Springs, was released from Coffee Correctional Facility on December 20. However, instead of going home, a Coffee County deputy picked him up and transported him to the Coffee County Jail on charges out of Las Vegas, Nevada. The report says that the Las Vegas Police Department had…

An early morning traffic accident at Pope Drive and Bowens Mill Road SW on December 17, 2024, sent the alleged at-fault driver to jail after he allegedly left the scene of the accident. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, the accident occurred around 6:30 a.m. on December 17 when a beige 2005 Lincoln LS struck another vehicle while making a turn. The report says that the driver of the second vehicle was in the far right lane on Bowens Mill Road SW heading east. Vehicle one, driven by Kenneth John Crandell, 43, of Douglas, was in the…

Two individuals on a four-wheeler, a 50-year-old and a 17-year-old, were arrested and jailed after they allegedly chased a car, struck the vehicle with the four-wheeler, fled the scene, and threatened the driver along the way. According to a report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, the incident took place on December 14, 2024. The two suspects, identified as Michael Truesdell, 50, and Trevor Bell, 17, were on a four-wheeler stopped in the middle of Palmetto Road when a female driving a car with her child in the vehicle went around the four-wheeler. In the report, the victim stated that…

A 30-year-old Denton man was arrested on stalking charges after allegedly taking pictures of female customers and employees at Walmart on December 16, 2024. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, an officer responded to the Walmart store at around 1:30 p.m. on December 16. When the officer pulled into the parking lot, a Walmart associate pointed toward a man in a red hoodie who was walking toward his vehicle. The officer approached the suspect, identified as Dominick Duane Maldovan, 30, of Denton, and told him Walmart wanted him to leave the property. The officer also questioned Maldovan…