Author: Staff Reports

A 58-year-old Ambrose woman was arrested and jailed for allegedly passing three fake $100 bills at a local Dollar General store. On the afternoon of August 17, 2025, a deputy responded to the Dollar General store at Vickers Crossing in Ambrose. Store employees told the responding officer that Sherry Nipper, 58, of Ambrose, had been in the store three times that week and had passed or attempted to pass a fake $100 bill each time. On August 17, she had been in and attempted to purchase $16.38 worth of merchandise, according to the incident report. She allegedly tried to pay…

Mark Cothren, former Bacon County sheriff, passed away on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, following an extended illness. The Bacon County Sheriff’s Office released a statement through its Facebook page announcing the former sheriff’s death. The statement reads as follows: “It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of Former Sheriff Mark Cothren. Mark served the citizens of Bacon County for many years at the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office. He will be missed by many. Please keep his family in your prayers as they face the challenges of the coming days.” Cothren had been an employee of the Bacon…

A suspect who led Douglas police officers on an early-morning chase was jailed after he allegedly crashed his vehicle beside his house then jumped through a window in the house in an effort to get away. On August 16, 2025, at around 2 a.m., a Douglas police officer attempted a traffic stop on a 2011 Kia Optima at East Leon Street and North Peterson Avenue. The incident report says that the driver, identified as Michael Shaw, 27, of Douglas, wouldn’t stop. The officer notified the sheriff’s office that a pursuit was in progress then right afterwards, he stopped chasing the…

A 29-year-old was charged with battery and cruelty to children in the 3rd degree after she allegedly assaulted her supervisor in front of her supervisor’s children on August 17, 2025. A report from the Douglas Police Department states that an officer was dispatched to Azalea House on North Chester Avenue in reference to an assault at around 5 p.m. that day. The facility’s manager stated that one of the employees, identified as Savannah Manning, 29, of Douglas, sent a message earlier in the day stating that she needed to leave work early. The supervisor called her superior, who said that…

Fleeing from the law seldom works. A 28-year-old Tifton man found that out on August 16, 2025, when he allegedly fled a deputy attempting to stop him on the Willacoochee Highway near the Bethel community. According to an incident report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was on the Willacoochee Highway and clocked a Ford Ranger traveling 76 mph. The deputy turned around and attempted to stop the Ranger but the driver, identified as Colby Ray Ledlow, 28, of Tifton, allegedly fled. The deputy was able to find Ledlow at the end of Clinton Murray Road. During the…

48-year-old Robert Britton was arrested and jailed on arson charges on August 10, 2025, after he allegedly set a room on fire at Coffee Regional Medical Center. According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, an officer responded to the hospital around 11:30 p.m. to assist emergency room staff with placing Britton into a room. Once he was in the room and secure, the police officer left. The report says that the officer was standing outside behind the hospital when he heard a fire alarm go off. He went back into the emergency room and saw smoke coming from…

 A driver crashed a Nissan Versa twice Sunday afternoon – once on Raccoon Bridge Road and again a short time later on Old Axson Road. The second crash pinned the driver under the vehicle, resulting in serious injuries that required an Air Evac chopper to transport him to a trauma center for treatment. The driver has not been identified. According to witnesses, the Versa ran off of Raccoon Bridge Road and into a ditch. It suffered little damage and continued on its way. A little while later, the Versa crashed again, this time much more seriously. The vehicle overturned in…

Saturday night, firefighters from the Coffee County Fire Department responded to a structure fire on Banks Drive, which is off of Alvin Geiger Road in the Satilla community. The fire started in the kitchen area and was contained primarily to that section of the home. Firefighters arrived and quickly had the blaze under control. However, the home sustained smoke damage and damage from water as result of the efforts to contain the fire. There was one person in the home when the fire began. He was able to get out of the home safely and there were no injuries reported.

Former District 1 county commissioner Frank Jackson has passed away after an extended illness. He was 79 years old. Jackson had been battling serious health issues recently. This week, his condition deteriorated and the prognosis was grim. Friday evening, Jackson passed away at his home with his family at his side. Jackson had served the Coffee County community in a number of different capacities. He was a county commissioner for 34 years. During his time on the commission, he was a champion for those who did not have a voice. One issue that was important to Jackson was the senior…

The Ware County Gators handed the Coffee Trojans their first loss of the season at Memorial Stadium in Waycross Friday night. The Gators defeated the Trojans 24-14 after scoring 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. The win was also significant because it ended Coffee’s 14-game non-region regular season winning streak. The Trojans hadn’t lost a non-region regular season game since August 26, 2022, when the Bainbridge Bearcats handed Coffee a last minute 24-21 loss in Bainbridge. Since that game, the Trojans have been on a roll, winning the next 14 non-region games over parts of four seasons. Friday night,…