Author: Staff Reports

State Court Judge Bob Preston has announced his retirement effective Friday, December 23, 2022. Judge Preston, 80, has served on the State Court bench since January 1, 2005. He was elected in 2004. He successfully won re-election in 2008, 2012, and 2016. In 2020, he ran unopposed — the only time in his career that he did not face opposition. “I would like to thank the citizens of Coffee County for entrusting this position to me. During my time on the bench, I have done my very best to handle each case individually and treat those…

State Court Judge Bob Preston has announced his retirement effective Friday, December 23, 2022. Judge Preston, 80, has served on the State Court bench since January 1, 2005. He was elected in 2004. He successfully won re-election in 2008, 2012, and 2016. In 2020, he ran unopposed — the only time in his career that he did not face opposition. “I would like to thank the citizens of Coffee County for entrusting this position to me. During my time on the bench, I have done my very best to handle each case individually and treat those…

Lee Clark Exonerated After More Than 25 Years By Blis Savidge The Georgia Innocence Project On the evening of Thursday, December 8, Darrell Lee Clark walked out of the Floyd County Jail and into the arms of family in time to celebrate his first Christmas as a free man in more than two decades. His release came just moments after a hearing on his extraordinary motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. The Rome Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office agreed that Clark’s conviction should be overturned and quickly dismissed all underlying charges against Clark, officially…

Lee Clark Exonerated After More Than 25 Years By Blis Savidge The Georgia Innocence Project On the evening of Thursday, December 8, Darrell Lee Clark walked out of the Floyd County Jail and into the arms of family in time to celebrate his first Christmas as a free man in more than two decades. His release came just moments after a hearing on his extraordinary motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. The Rome Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office agreed that Clark’s conviction should be overturned and quickly dismissed all underlying charges against Clark, officially…

By Ross Williams/The Georgia Recorder www.georgiarecorder.com Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will return to Washington to represent Georgia for the next six years after winning his Senate runoff Tuesday, handing Senate Democrats a coveted 51st seat. The Associated Press called the race at 10:26 p.m. Tuesday. By early Wednesday morning, Warnock had 51.3% of the vote, edging out Republican Herschel Walker by about 90,000 votes, according to unofficial results. More than 1.8 million people voted in the shortened early voting period, and another 1.6 million voters cast a ballot Tuesday when steady turnout was reported across…

Jason Nathaniel Smith, 51, of Douglas, has been arrested and charged with burglary after he allegedly climbed in the window of apartment #5 at 127 Green Oak Street on November 12. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, the property owner stated that Smith had been hired to do some work at the apartment on November 10. Smith had completed the work, been paid, and returned the keys to the apartment. The complex’s maintenance supervisor had secured the apartment on November 11 around 7 p.m. Smith allegedly returned to the apartment and climbed in a…

An argument and ensuing altercation that took place in West Green landed a Douglas man in the hospital and another in jail. According to an incident report obtained from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, the fight took place on November 12 at a home located at 944 Tony Davis Road in West Green. The report states that James Ira Francis, 51, of Douglas, was taken to Coffee Regional Medical Center after Randy Rish allegedly beat him with a pipe. The report states that Francis and Rish started arguing at the home because, as Francis said, Rish…

By Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom Originially published on Georgia Recorder/www.georgiarecorder.com Members of the U.S. Senate on an investigation panel on Tuesday grilled federal immigration officials about a bipartisan report that detailed how migrant women at an immigration detention center in Georgia underwent questionable gynecological procedures. The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Permanent Investigations released an 18-month bipartisan report that found migrant women who were detained at Irwin County Detention Center, known as ICDC, in Georgia were subjected to “excessive, invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures,” and many of the women did not consent or understand the procedures they underwent. Following…

Over the past week, the Douglas Police Department responded to a number of entering autos throughout the city limits. Incidents were reported at Pinecrest Drive, the Fairfield Inn, and the Douglas Golf and Country Club community. The offenders stole several credit/debit cards, firearms, and one vehicle. On November 11, an officer patrolling the area of the golf club observed the stolen vehicle riding the area. The officer notified dispatch and officers began responding to the location. Noticing officers behind him, the driver of the vehicle began to flee. After a brief pursuit, two occupants exited the vehicle…

State officials, including Governor Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, announced the indictments of 17 alleged gang members on Thursday. One of those alleged gang members, Tonisha “Princess” Wilson, 30, is a Douglas native. Officials say the suspects are all members of the 1-8 Trey Bloods, a Bronx-based offshoot of the 183 Gangster Bloods. The Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit presented evidence to a Barrow County grand jury last week. All of the suspects are charged with conspiracy to Violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Prosecutors say the charges stem from incidents…