Author: Staff Reports

Former Coffee Trojan and current Louisville Cardinals running back Maurice Turner is entering the transfer portal, according to media reports. Turner, a junior, had two solid seasons at Louisville but saw things take a different turn this season due to injury. Turner showed that he had the talent to lead Louisville’s running back corps when, as a freshman in 2022, he led the Cardinals in rushing against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Fenway Park. Louisville won the game 24-7 and Turner ran for 160 yards on 31 carries. Last season, Turner had 62 carries for 284…

Wednesday afternoon, Milton Jackson, 25, led officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office on a chase after he allegedly fled deputies when he attempted to recover his vehicle from an impound yard. The vehicle had been impounded after Jackson allegedly fled Douglas police officers during a traffic stop on Monday. On Monday, November 25, 2024, a Douglas police officer conducted a traffic stop on Jackson’s vehicle, a 2007 GMC Yukon. During the stop, the officer learned that Jackson had several warrants for his arrest. Jackson allegedly fled the scene on foot. Officers were unable to apprehend him but they did…

The driver of a car involved in a horrific traffic accident on Highway 441 North near the entrance of GreeneTree Lakes subdivision late last year has been booked into the Coffee County Jail on several charges, including homicide by vehicle 1st degree and DUI. On December 24, 2023, Lawanda Leggett, 45, was driving a Ford car at a high rate of speed in an effort to get her daughter, Jazmine Simpson, 26, who was suffering a severe asthma attack, to Coffee Regional Medical Center. Near the entrance of GreeneTree Lakes, Leggett allegedly attempted to pass a car and struck a…

Friday night’s 45-14 win over the Brunswick Pirates in Brunswick not only propelled the Coffee Trojans to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs but it also saw two important school records fall. Senior running back Tyrese Woodgett rushed for 217 yards on 24 carries and six touchdowns. His 36 points set a new single-game school record. The previous record stood at 30 points and was held by a few of the biggest names in Trojan football lore: Mack Jones, Andre “Pulpwood” Smith, and Demetrius Davis. The single-game rushing record also fell. The Trojans rushed for 471 yards, easily eclipsing the…

Saturday afternoon, Tararion Nyqavious Strozier, 18, who was wanted in connection to the November 14, 2024, shooting death of Leroy Mason III on South Madison Avenue, turned himself in to the Coffee County Jail. He was booked into the jail around 3:30 p.m. Strozier was charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime. Thursday, November 21, 2024, a week after the shooting, Jamal Paulk, 23, another suspect wanted in connection to the shooting, turned himself in and is being held on murder charges as well. While patrolling the area around…

Johnathan Vann, who was serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to killing three people in 2019 in Atkinson and Berrien counties, died on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, following an altercation with another inmate. Joan Heath, Director of Communications with the Georgia Department of Corrections, confirmed Vann’s death. She also stated that Vann’s body was turned over to the county coroner and will be transported to the GBI Crime Lab to determine the official cause of death. She added that Vann’s death is being investigated by the GDC’s Office of Professional Standards as is standard procedure. However, stated Heath, additional…

Tazarion Nyquavious Strozier and Jamal Paulk have been named as suspects in the fatal shooting of Leroy Mason III. Mason was shot and killed on the 1100 block of South Madison Avenue just after 10 p.m. on November 14, 2024. [Note: Thursday, November 21, 2024, around 4 p.m., Paulk turned himself in and was booked into the Coffee County Jail on murder charges. Strozier remains at large.] While patrolling the area around 10:13 p.m. that night, an officer heard multiple gunshots. He went to the scene and found a vehicle stopped in the middle of Madison Avenue. Inside the vehicle…

Chris Johnson, owner of Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services, will remain in jail until at least December 5, 2024, after his November 19 bond hearing was continued. Johnson is being held in an out of county facility following his October arrest after 18 decomposing bodies were found inside the funeral home. On October 27, 2024, Johnson was arrested at his home on 17 counts of abusing a dead body and transported to the Coffee County Jail. He was later transferred to an out of county facility for his safety. Last week, Marilyn Bennett, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney, filed a…

The Jeep Compass that Devin Jeter rented near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport on November 7, 2024, has been found in the Ocmulgee River. Jeter’s body was found deceased in the river last week near Lumber City. According to a press release from the GBI, on November 19, 2024, at about 9:45 a.m., the Georgia State Patrol dive team located the Compass. The Jeep was recovered from the Ocmulgee River, near where Jeter’s body was discovered. Investigators found no visible damage on the Jeep. The GBI is still seeking the public’s help to gather any information that could assist in this case.…

Friday, the GBI announced that its agency has identified 12 of the 18 remains found at Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services on October 26, 2024. The GBI and the Coffee County Coroner’s Office have notified the families of the identified remains, as well as provided them with the necessary information for them to finalize arrangements for their loved ones. Out of respect for their privacy, the GBI will not be releasing their identities at this time. The GBI continues its work to identify the other 6 remains that were found and expects this to occur soon. The GBI Crime Lab…