Author: Staff Reports

You’re not supposed to leave the scene of an accident and abandon your car in the middle of the road. Even if you believe you only hit a deer. According to a sheriff’s office report, at 3:42 a.m. on March 13, 2025, an individual called E911 and reported that there was an abandoned vehicle on Warren Carter Road. The caller said that he had looked around the area but didn’t see anyone nearby. An officer arrived and discovered owner was Cortney Merritt. He called Merritt and asked her to return to the scene. She came back and said she…

The South Georgia State College Hawks’ season came to an end in the first round of the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Hawks fell to Angelina College (Texas) 87-70 Sunday night. The Hawks never could find a rhythm early in the game. By the time they got a little footing, it was too late. SGSC was behind 51-20 at the half. The Hawks righted the ship in the second half and outscored Angelina 41-36. However, the damage had been done. Angelina advanced while SGSC had to return home. Justin McCarter led the way for the Hawks with 20 points…

An early morning driver’s license check near Nicholls on March 16, 2025, landed one man in jail in Coffee County and a female passenger in jail in Bacon County. According to a report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were conducting the check on Nicholls Road and Ford Lane when a red 2007 Toyota Camry drove up to the scene. The driver was identified as Rafael Artez Woodbury, 39, of Nicholls. Adrian Renee Knight, 36, of Baxley, was a passenger in the Camry as well. Deputies smelled marijuana in the vehicle and both appeared to be under the influence…

The CCA Patriots took a trip to Macon on Saturday to face the 4A Stratford Academy Eagles. Stratford won both games, dropping the Patriots to 2-3-1 on the season. The Eagles took game one 10-5. CCA mustered just four hits and the offense was mostly dormant for six innings. Down 10-1 going into the seventh inning, the Patriot bats finally showed some signs of life. CCA scored four in the seventh – all with two outs — to cut Stratford’s lead in half. With two out and two on, Gray McLean was hit by a pitch to load the bases.…

A 42-year-old Douglas man was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly set two fires in the city last week, one of which burned a significant portion of woods between the railroad tracks and West Ward Street. Wednesday night, Douglas firefighters responded to a fire on Willow Street. Work crews had piled up debris on a vacant piece of property and someone had set fire to one of the piles. Firemen noticed Curtis Bailey, 42, of Douglas, standing nearby. They asked him if he saw anything and he replied that two Hispanic men had set the fire. It didn’t take long…

A registered sex offender has been arrested after he allegedly photographed minors without the consent of their parents or guardians. On March 20, 2025, the Sex Offender Unit of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office interviewed James Edward Claxton, 69, a registered sex offender who lives in Douglas, while investigating another case. During this interview, detectives examined Claxton’s cell phone and found multiple photos of minors. When asked about the children in the images, Claxton initially claimed he didn’t know how the photos ended up on his phone. He later identified the children, prompting detectives to contact the parents of the…

After nearly two months evading capture, the final fugitive from the federal investigation dubbed Operation Crippled Business has been apprehended. Friday night, officers arrested Christopher “Chris Brock” Brockington, 44, of Douglas, without incident at the In and Out Store in Douglas. Brockington’s arrest was the result of a collaborative effort between the city and county narcotics units. Operation Crippled Business was conducted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, a successful initiative that collaborates various levels of law enforcement to decrease violent crime and enhance community safety. Additionally, the case was pursued under the Organized Crime…

The GBI has arrested and charged two Coffee County residents with serious sex crimes as a result of investigations that began last year. Daniel Blake Ogden, age 35, of Douglas, and Jose Angel Hinojosa Huerta, age 47, of Ambrose, are facing charges related to the sexual exploitation of children and are in the Coffee County Jail. Ogden was charged with five counts of bring/cause to be brought into state any material depicting minor in sexually explicit conduct and five counts of depicting a minor in sexually explicit conduct. Huerta was charged with sexual exploitation of children. In September 2024, the…

The Atlanta Falcons have re-signed Douglas native Kentavius Street, a defensive lineman who has played one full season and one partial season with the Falcons. Street, 28, has played six seasons in the NFL. The Falcons acquired Street in a 2023 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett had gone down with a season-ending injury and the Falcons needed some help on the defensive line. Last year, Atlanta signed Street to a one-year deal. Atlanta’s front office has liked what they’ve seen over the last year and a half, and they snatched up Street for the 2025 season…

The last time the CCA Patriots and the First Preparatory Christian Highlanders met on the field of play, a state basketball championship was on the line. The Highlanders weathered the Patriot storm and won the game – and the championship – on the Columbus State University campus a few weeks ago. But now it’s baseball season and things are different. CCA showed that Wednesday afternoon in Douglas when the Patriots defeated the Highlanders 15-0 in four innings. Junior Blake Bryant threw a 37-pitch, four-inning no-hitter to put an exclamation point on CCA’s first win of the season. The Patriots scored…