A jail inmate who walked off from a work detail last year was located in North Dakota and brought back to Coffee County this week, Sheriff Doyle Wooten said today. Gabriel Benjamin Carelock was assigned to a work a detail remodeling the Coffee County Child Advocacy Center last August when he disappeared. At the time, he was being held on a contempt order for child support and traffic violations. Sheriff Wooten stated Carelock has since paid his child support obligations, but now faces one charge of escape in relation to the 2014 incident. Wooten added that Carelock was granted bond…
Author: Staff Reports
A Douglas man faces two charges of child molestation after admitting to authorities he had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old female who was reported missing from Florida after recently running away from a group home for victims of human trafficking. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office stated today that on April 15, a detective conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the intersection of New Forest Hwy. and Mahogany Rd. During the investigation into the traffic stop, authorities determined that one of the three occupants of the vehicle was a 14-year-old juvenile wanted out…
A Fitzgerald physician was arrested and jailed earlier this week after authorities said he assisted another person with illegal narcotics distribution. Dr. Ed Jones, a Fitzgerald family medicine practitioner, faces charges of being a third party to a crime. Officials say he allegedly helped another person, identified as , obtain and sell prescription drugs. Benedict has been charged with three counts of selling scheduled narcotics and three counts of possession with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of school. The investigation into the case is being conducted by the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Georgia Bureau…
Make plans to be at ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ beginning at 5:50 p.m. this Friday night at the Martin Centre in downtown Douglas. Dancing stars and judges will be arrving on the red carpet moments before the doors open for a night of fun and excitement you will not want to miss. Limited tickets are still available at Douglas National Bank, First National Bank, and Ameris Bank. The event kicks off at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. Judges will determine which couple does it best, but you can help decide which one takes home the title of…
Douglas resident Francis Lott was honored at Coffee High School Tuesday for his $500,000 endowment to the Georgia Institute of Technology, an endowment which will be used by Coffee County students now and in the future. Four Coffee High students who will receive scholarships this year from the endowment and attend Georgia Tech were on hand to thank Lott personally for his gift. Dr. Wayne Clough, former President of Georgia Tech and former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, was the guest speaker for the occasion. Clough, a Coffee County native, applauded Lott and his wife Diane for their generous gift…
National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists confirmed Monday that severe damage on the western side of Coffee County caused during Sunday’s storm was due to a tornado touchdown. NWS officials surveyed the area and classified the tornado as an E-F-0, with maximum winds of about 85-miles per hour. More information on the findings of the NWS can be found here.
Coffee County was hit hard Sunday afternoon, as heavy rains and wind ripped through the area. Severe damage to homes and trees was reported primarily on the county’s western side, extending from the Ambrose area to Evans Mobile Home Park about three miles west of the Douglas city limits on Ga. Hwy. 32. Douglas Now has been unable to confirm witness repots of a tornado at this time.
Douglas police say they have identified the man responsible for a burglary earlier this week at the Central Square Complex as 21-year-od Shaquille Hakeem Vickers and are seeking the public’s help in bringing him to justice. Police officials say on Tuesday, April 14, Vickers entered the Central Square Complex, busting numerous windows at the location and damaging several bubble gum machines in order to steal a small amount of change. Police added today that Vickers is also a person of interest in several other cases. Anyone with any information that would assist in locating Shaquille Hakeem Vickers is asked to…
Gov. Nathan Deal today signed HB 1, legislation that permits the use of medical cannabis oil to treat certain conditions. The law took effect immediately upon Deal’s signature. Deal signed an executive order last month instructing state agencies, physicians and law enforcement officials to prepare for the law’s enactment. “For the families enduring separation and patients suffering pain, the wait is finally over,” Deal said. “I applaud the efforts of the Department of Public Health and the Georgia Composite Medical Board to see that this legislation is implemented safely and in a timely manner. Now, Georgia children and their families…
Garland Thompson of Douglas is one of five Georgians Gov. Nathan Deal named to the Soil and Water Conservation Committee on Wednesday. Thompson retired as senior vice president for the SunTrust Bank of Coffee County and presently serves as chairman of the board. He has served on the Georgia Agribusiness Council, the University of Georgia Agriculture Alumni Board, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, the Sunbelt Exposition Board and the Douglas-Coffee County Industrial Authority. He earned an associate’s degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia and attended banking school at Louisiana…