Author: Staff Reports

Students in the Coffee County School System will return to school on Monday, October 21. However, things will be a little different than they were before Hurricane Helene. According to a statement posted on the school system’s Facebook page, freshmen will temporarily attend Coffee Middle School. The George Washington Carver Freshman Campus sustained significant damage during the hurricane. Repairs are being performed but the school is not ready to open. While the school is under repair, ninth graders will report to Coffee Middle School. All bus routes will continue to run as usual, and the transportation department is working closely…

Around 1 a.m. on September 19, 2024, a deputy responded to a report of a prowler. He ended up chasing a suspect who allegedly had suspected methamphetamine in his possession. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, the deputy responded to the area of Bakers Lane after a prowler had been reported. As he neared the area, he saw an individual identified as James Steven Carter, 40, of Douglas, walking on Estlee Mercer Road. As the deputy neared Carter, the report says he started running. The officer chased and gave Carter commands to stop. Just as he was about…

On September 23, 2024, a Coffee County deputy arrested a 56-year-old Douglas man who had active warrants after the deputy saw him at Evans Mobile Home Park. The suspect, identified as Edward Tate Harper, 56, allegedly tried to dispose of illegal drugs during the investigation and ended up with more charges. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, a deputy saw Harper at Evans Mobile Home Park. He knew Harper had active warrants so he initiated a traffic stop. The deputy asked Harper to get out of his vehicle. He did but the vehicle began rolling forward. The deputy…

In-person help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is available for Georgia homeowners, renters, and small business owners in South Georgia recovering from Hurricane Helene. FEMA has opened Disaster Recovery Centers in Coffee County to provide one-on-one help to local citizens affected by Hurricane Helene, including help applying for FEMA’s Individual and Public Assistance programs, help applying for Small Business Administration loans, and more. The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Coffee County is located at The Atrium at 114 North Peterson Avenue in Douglas. Its hours are Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The center is also open on Sunday from…

A 57-year-old Broxton man has had an eventful last couple of weeks. Frederick Olan Harrison has been arrested three times on a variety of charges, including but not limited to public indecency after he was allegedly found lying naked in a ditch. According to reports from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, Harrison was arrested on September 19, September 24, and September 30. Harrison’s September 19 arrest stemmed from an incident that occurred on Clough Boulevard when an individual called 911 and stated that Harrison had allegedly driven through his fence and was after the caller’s brother. During the call, the…

A search warrant served by the Coffee County Drug Unit on September 20, 2024, yielded cash, a scale, and suspected crack cocaine. Officers served the search warrant at a residence on Joe Ellis Road near Broxton. During the investigation, officers found the aforementioned contraband. The cash totaled approximately $500 and was all in small bills. As a result, Shaquille Rashon Sharpe, 31, was arrested and transported to the Coffee County Jail. He was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Former Coffee Trojans head football coach Robby Pruitt won his 400th game on Monday, October 1, 2024, when his Williston (Florida) Red Devils defeated Ocala Trinity Catholic 38-7. The game had been moved to Monday night because of Hurricane Helene. Coach Pruitt won seven state titles in Florida before he came to Georgia in 2000 to coach the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes. He led the Fitzgerald program from 2000-2002 and again from 2004-2011. During his time with the Purple Hurricanes, he went 120-21-1, winning seven region championships and finishing as state runner-up once (a 6-0 loss to Swainsboro in 2000). In…

The outlook for those in the path of Hurricane Milton hasn’t improved very much. That includes Coffee County. The National Weather Service has updated its forecast for the storm and Coffee County could receive winds in the 30-50 mile per hour range. Wednesday morning, Milton was a Category 4 storm with winds as high as 145 mph. The storm has the west coast of Florida in its sights and will bring catastrophic damage and life-threatening conditions to the state. Milton is expected to make landfall just after midnight Thursday and move across Florida before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.…

A 35-year-old Douglas man was jailed last month on aggravated assault charges following an alleged domestic incident that occurred in Touchton Woods. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, on September 15, 2024, around 3:30 a.m., officers received a call of an incident in Touchton Woods. The report states that an individual, identified as Michael Davis, 35, allegedly picked up a woman and slammed her on a concrete surface at the house, resulting in injuries that required medical treatment. The report says that Davis and two female subjects had been drinking and, at some point, Davis became upset.…

The Coffee County School Nutrition Program will provide meals for children under the age of 18 this week and next week. According to a post on the school nutrition Facebook page, on Thursday, October 10, breakfast and lunch meals will be available for breakfast and lunch for Thursday, Friday, and Monday. On Tuesday, October 15, breakfast and lunch meals will be available for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Meals can be picked up at any school kitchen loading area (except for Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy) from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on those two days, or until the…