Several local candidates qualified Monday to get their names placed on the ballot for the May 24 general primary and nonpartisan general elections. Three incumbent Republican Coffee County Commisisoners – Jimmy Kitchens, Johnny W. Jowers, and Charles Deen – will be seeking reelection, along with current Clerk of Court Angela Spell-Hutto and Tax Commissioner Shanda R. Henderson. Coffee County Sheriff hopeful Rex Harper also qualified Monday as a Republican. In nonpartisan local races, State Court Judge Bob Preston will be seeking reelection, along with incumbent school board member Adam Lott. District 3 school board contender Reagan Miller also qualified Monday.…
Author: Staff Reports
Alma police are trying to locate two men believed to be involved in two shootings that occurred one night in late February. On Monday, Feb. 29, at 5:30 p.m., the Alma Police Department and the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office responded to a ‘shots fired’ call in the area of E. 14th St. and Miller St. APD was advised at least one person had been shot; both the victim and shooter(s) were gone upon law enforcement’s arrival. About 11 p.m., also on the evening of the Feb. 29, APD received another report of ‘shots fired’ on the east side of town. …
Officials with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office provided the following information Thursday regarding two recent arrests for suspected methamphetamine distribution. The Douglas-Coffee H.E.A.T. Unit conducted a traffic stop on Feb. 23 on a vehicle on Hwy 221 N. that was driven by a subject the officer knew to have a suspended license. The driver was identified as Fred Randall Meeler. A Douglas-Coffee Drug Unit K-9 deputy and detective assisted with the traffic stop. Upon further investigation, Meeler was found to be in possession of three packages of methamphetamine, totaling approximately 3.5 grams, and a small amount of marijuana. Meeler was charged with…
Don’t forget to vote today in the 2016 Presidential Primary. Georgia is one of several Super Tuesday states that will help shape the nomination process for Democrats and Republicans. Five Republican candidates remain in the race for the GOP nomination: Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Ben Carson. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are fighting for the Democratic nomination. Polls are open until 7 p.m.
A shootout that took place earlier this month in the Oak Park community has been determined to be a result of a year-long spat between two individuals, authorities reported Monday. The incident took place around 5:30 p.m. Feb. 15 and resulted in one person, now identified as Edgardo Garcia, being shot in the leg. Garcia was treated at Coffee Regional Medical Center for his injuries and released the same day. Officials state Garcia and another man, Terrell Townsend, had gotten into the shootout over a money dispute that had been going on for over a year. The two men exchanged…
Beverly Johns was sworn in by Superior Court Judge Dwayne Gillis Friday to replace Coffee County Probate Judge Sylvia Stone, who recently announced her retirement. Johns took her oath of office in the presence of several family members and friends. She will officially assume her new role Tuesday, March 1.
The Citizens Christian Academy Lady Patriots basketball team is headed to the Final Four state playoffs after easily handing a defeat to the defending Class AA state champions tonight in Douglas, 54-35. The 2015-2016 Region 2-AA champion Lady Patriots knocked the wind out of sails of Valdosta’s Georgia Christian School in front of a packed hometown crowd. The Lady Pats will travel to Mercer University in Macon Friday, March 4 for the Final Four, with tipoff scheduled at 4 p.m. against Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School out of Athens. CCA was dealt was tough loss against Monsignor Donovan last year…
The cause of death of a man found near an overturned boat earlier this week has been ruled accidental, Coffee County Sheriff’s officials stated today. Deputies and detectives responded Monday, Feb. 22 to a call of a boat capsized in a pond in the area of Hillsway Drive, where the body of a male subject, identified as 65-year-old Ralph Grady was found. Due to the incident occurring in a body of water and a boat being involved, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources was notified, and an officer responded. After an investigation by Coffee County detectives and Georgia DNR, authorities…
The appointment of a Downtown Development Authority board member caused some tension at the Monday night city commission meeting. Dale Batten, Community Development Director, recommended at the meeting that the mayor and commission appoint JoAnne Lewis to serve the remainder of Windi Raper’s position, which expires on Dec. 31, 2017, as Ms. Raper recently resigned. The position had been advertised, and three individuals had applied to the position, including Ms. Lewis. The recommendation was approved by all but one commissioner, Mayor Pro Tem Olivia Pearson, who opposed the appointment and offered her reasoning in discussion: “It’s oftentimes that we have…
Wanted sex offender Kyle Edward Moore was apprehended by authorities around midnight Wednesday at a residence on Nead Cauley Road in Coffee County. Officials stated Moore was taken into custody and transported to the Coffee County Jail on numerous outstanding warrants. He had avoided arrest in Irwin County on Monday, February 22 after fleeing from Irwin County investigators in a vehicle and running into a wooded area, authorities said. Coffee County deputies received a tip that led them to the location on Nead Cauley Road, and they were able to take Moore into custody without further incident. Sheriff Doyle Wooten…