Author: Staff Reports

Bacon County Red Raiders head football coach Mark Wilson has resigned after three seasons. He has accepted the head coaching position at Flint River Academy in Woodbury. Coach Wilson announced his resignation on April 14. He was announced as the head coach at Flint River the same day. In a statement released by the Bacon County School System, Coach Wilson stated, “My passion for the game and the young men I’ve had the privilege to coach remains as strong as ever. This decision comes from a desire to embrace a new chapter in life – one with a little less…

On April 17, 2025, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Knollwood Road following a report of suspected animal neglect. Officers investigated and Animal Control discovered two dogs on the property allegedly appeared malnourished, with one showing visible signs of injury. The animals were removed from the scene for care and further evaluation. Officers are pursuing charges under Georgia Law 16-12-4, Georgia’s animal cruelty statute, which prohibits knowingly causing physical pain, suffering, or death to an animal. Violations may result in misdemeanor or felony charges depending on the severity of the offense. Deputies identified Misty Michelle Thompson and Billy Joe…

The Coffee Trojans won their 17th game of the season Tuesday in Blackshear over the Pierce County Bears. Coffee scored three in the first and one in the seventh to hold off the Bears. Most of the Trojans’ offense came in the first inning. Ben Fussell walked then Jimmy Timothy bunted and reached on an error. Michael Strickland followed with a three-run home run to center on a 1-1 pitch, his fourth of the year. After allowing two Pierce runs in the sixth, Coffee got on the board for the final run of the game in the top of the…

Wednesday afternoon, county firefighters and other first responders answered a water rescue call at the upper pond at King’s Ridge subdivision between Douglas and Broxton. Two individuals were in a boat in the pond fishing when the boat overturned, spilling both into the water. Thankfully, they were rescued unharmed. The call came in just after 5:30 p.m. The two men were in the boat when one of them attempted to pull up their anchor. One of his feet slipped, causing the front of the boat to dip. That caused the boat to tip over, sending both occupants into the water.…

Coffee County Sheriff Fred Cole has now been in office for 100 days. The first new sheriff in 12 years, Cole’s short time at the helm of the office has seen several notable operations and events, including the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene, a major federal operation, and multiple local takedowns. Thursday, the sheriff’s office released the following statement regarding Sheriff Cole’s first 100 days: “Fred Cole has marked 100 days leading the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, expressing it as an honor to serve this remarkable team. Since taking charge on January 1 at 12:01 a.m., there has been continuous…

A Georgia State Patrol trooper, along with a couple of Douglas police officers, did a little spring cleaning inside the warehouse at Hometown Furniture on April 5, 2025. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, around 12:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to the furniture store on North Peterson Avenue. They met with the store manager who said that cameras had picked up someone moving around inside the building. He could see the camera footage on his phone. Officers saw that a window in the warehouse area had been compromised. The trooper then heard someone moving around inside the…

NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC and MSNBC, has finalized its settlement agreement with Douglas OB/GYN Dr. Mahendra Amin, who had filed a $30 million defamation suit against the company after several of the network’s personalities falsely referred to Dr. Amin as a “uterus collector” in 2020. A whistleblower, who was also from Douglas, had alleged that Dr. Amin performed mass hysterectomies on migrant women at the Irwin County Detention Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Ocilla, without the patients’ consent. The allegations were later found to be false. Dr. Amin only performed two hysterectomies at the…

The Hazlehurst Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating the death of a 20-year-old Hazlehurst man. The incident occurred a week ago, on April 2, 2025. According to a story posted by WTOC, Tee’andrick Lawson, 20, was killed last Wednesday at the home in which he and his mother lived. A GoFundMe listing states that Lawson was “brutally murdered” in his room. The WTOC story states that the family believes that two men went inside the home and beat Lawson to death. A separate story, this one posted on Southeast Georgia Today, states that the family believes…

The CCA Patriots went 3-0 last week, outscoring their opponents 43-15 in the process. CCA is now 8-3-1 on the season and playing very well with less than a month remaining in the season. Last Wednesday, the Patriots defeated the First Preparatory Christian Academy Highlanders 17-3 in Hinesville. Skyler Woods hit his second home run of the year on the way to a 2-4, three RBI, four runs scored day. Blake Bryant and Gavin McLean also had three hits each. McLean started for the Patriots and gave up two runs (none of which were earned) on one hit. He also…

A Douglas woman is being held in jail after she allegedly fired a weapon during an altercation. During the investigation, officers were unable to contact the victim. Despite the victim’s refusal to cooperate, officers still arrested and charged the suspect. On April 3, 2025, deputies responded to the area of Ramblewood Road and Jasmine Drive in response to a shots fired call. The investigation concluded that 38-year-old Shanda Rollins from Douglas was in some type of altercation with an individual known to her. At some point, Rollins allegedly discharged a firearm in a reckless manner which prompted calls into the…