Author: Staff Reports

The Coffee Trojans have certainly asserted themselves as one of the top teams in Georgia regardless of classification. However, their notoriety has spread beyond the borders of the state. The Trojans are ranked in three national polls – in two, they’re in the top 50 and in the third Coffee is just inside the top 100. With over 16,000 high school football teams in the United States, the Trojans are certainly in elite company. Coffee’s highest ranking is in the Massey Ratings, where the Trojans make an appearance at #45 – up two spots from #47 last week.…

Tyreek Hill’s bid for the history books hit a bump in the proverbial road Monday night in the Miami Dolphins’ 28-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans. In spite of the hiccup, the All Pro wide receiver is still on pace to break 2,000 receiving yards for the season. Hill, who has the most receiving yards of any player through 13 games (1,542), caught four passes for 61 yards Monday night against the Titans. He suffered an injury late in the first quarter and though he returned, the bad ankle limited his effectiveness for the remainder of the game.…

Tuesday afternoon, as the community celebrated the Coffee Trojans’ departure to Atlanta for the December 13 5A state championship game, first responders were at the small pond adjacent to Faircloth Field recovering a vehicle that ended up in the water. According to witnesses, the vehicle’s owner was fishing on the east side of the pond (nearest to Faircloth). He had the vehicle, a small SUV, turned on listening to music as he fished. The SUV was either in gear or it jumped into gear while it was running. Either way, the result was the same – the vehicle…

Samantha Pantoja of Douglas has graduated from Valdosta State University. Samantha has received a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Spanish. After graduation, Samantha plans to continue working with the Latino/Hispanic community through nonprofits to help reduce disparities that exist in their communities. When asked how she has surprised herself while in college at VSU, Samantha says “I came out of my shell, shyness? Yeah we don’t know her!” She also believes that her education at VSU has helped her build skills that will be valuable in the future, among them communication, software use, presentation…

A Manchester High School sophomore football player, Brandon Smith, 17, has been found dead the day before the Manchester High Blue Devils play in the Class A Division II state championship game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Smith had been reported missing on Saturday, according to news reports and social media posts. Sunday, Smith was found deceased and an investigation into his death began. Authorities have not released a cause of death. Manchester High School administration released a statement regarding Smith’s passing on the school’s web site. The statement is as follows: “Meriwether County…

A Douglas man has been arrested and charged in connection with a fire that occurred on July 4, 2023, on North Peterson Avenue in Douglas. Wednesday afternoon, officers arrested Randy Neal DeLoach, 41, and charged him with four counts of first-degree arson. DeLoach operated The Liquidation Market store, which was located on North Peterson across the road from Lott Builders Supply. Just before midnight on July 4, the store caught fire, completely destroying the building and damaging other properties located nearby. As firefighters fought the blaze, True Life Ministries, which was in the same building, suffered damage as…

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If you’re going to drive around with your headlights off after dark, it’s best not to be carrying illegal drugs in your vehicle. Allegedly, of course. On November 27, a deputy stopped a vehicle driving with no headlights at around 8 p.m. The stop took place on Highway 441 South and Osbon Mill Road. The driver was identified as Emmanuel Tanner and the officer discovered that he had an active warrant for his arrest. During the stop, the officer also found a quantity of suspected methamphetamine. He was arrested and charged with possession of a Schedule…

A suspicious vehicle investigation led to an arrest on drug and gun charges last week. According to a report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, a detective checked out a vehicle that was on the side of the road on Thompson Drive near Cotton Gin Road. During the investigation, the detective found that Willie Matthews, 72, had what appeared to be a crack pipe. The detective continued the search and discovered two grams of suspected crack cocaine, four guns, and nearly $6,000 in cash. Matthews was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance,…

Something must have been in the air on Tuesday in Coffee County. Officers from the sheriff’s department investigated a pair of shootings that took place in the county — one on Hickory Lane in eastern Coffee County and the other on Second Avenue in Oak Park. The first shooting happened around 5 p.m. on Hickory Lane, just off Burl Mill Road near the race track. An incident report from the sheriff’s office states that the alleged shooter, Antonio Guerrero Rivas, told officers that he left work that afternoon and noticed someone was following him. Rivas said that in…