Author: Staff Reports

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…

Deputies from the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office spent the latter portion of December tracking down wanted fugitives and alleged drug dealers, at least one of which had a Douglas address. On December 16, 2024, the Georgia State Patrol conducted a traffic stop and requested assistance. Jeff Davis Sheriff’s deputies responded and arrived on the scene. During the traffic stop, officers found a quantity of marijuana, several illicit prescription medications, and a gun. Cody Hughes was arrested and charged with possession of Schedule IV drugs (clonazepam) with intent to distribute, possession of Schedule IV drugs (alprazolam) with intent to distribute,…

Two years ago, on December 22, 2022, Gavin and Mandy Brown’s family grew by one when they welcomed their son, Cooper, into the world. The Browns live in Australia; Mandy, however, is a Douglas native whose parents, Mike and Katherine Gaskins, still live here. Mandy has been living and working in Australia for over seven years and recently became a dual citizen. At Mandy’s 12-week ultrasound, Mandy and Gavin learned that Cooper was different. He appeared to have an issue with his lower right leg. Initially, doctors thought it was clubfoot. However, when Cooper was born, he had no right…

Earlier this month, a Douglas police officer arrested an individual who was allegedly living in a vacant apartment at Deerfield Apartments. Apartment personnel had asked the suspect to leave several times before calling police. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, on December 12, 2024, at around 9 a.m., an officer responded to Deerfield Apartments in reference to a possible criminal trespass incident. An employee told the officer that a man, identified as Brandon Adrian Tarrant, 26, of Douglas, had been staying in a vacant apartment for several days. He had been asked to leave multiple times but…