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Tuesday, May 16, the Alma Police Department’s Criminal Investigative Division arrested Lashirley White, 25 of Alma, for two counts of theft by taking. On April 28, 2017, and May 1, White, a contract worker for the Bacon County School System, allegedly entered a classroom and took $1,570, all of which were raised for extracurricular activities. To date, Alma police has recovered $537.42, $410 of which was discovered hidden in a trash receptacle in a girls’ restroom. The investigation into this incident is ongoing. Anyone with any information regarding this matter should contact the Alma Police Department.

Trey Griffin of Poulan and Heather Hall of Waycross won the 40-mile bike race at the 13th Annual Big Heart Charity Bike Ride, held on May 13, 2017 at Coffee Regional Medical Center. Forty-five cyclists took part in the event between the race and the various non-competitive ride options. The cyclists participated in one of the traditional 20, 40, 60, or 100 mile rides or the newest addition, the 40-mile race. At 8 am the racers led the event out of Douglas to Ambrose, Broxton and back to Douglas with the help of the Douglas Police Department and the Coffee…

Amber Bounds Photography Studio, along with several friends, family and business associates, celebrated the grand opening of their new studio now located at 3897 Bowens Mill Road in Quail Hollow Shopping Center. Pastor Kevin Bounds, Amber’s husband provided the invocation, Mayor Pro Tem Bob Moore, Lisa Hodge, Chamber of Commerce and Stanley Lott, Chamber Board Chairman and Georgia Department of Labor, were on hand to congratulate Amber for her continued growth and success in the field of photography and welcome the new studio to the City of Douglas.

The South Georgia State College Foundation is pleased to announce Luke Christian, Sherry Thomas, and Oscar Street will be honored as the Alumni of the Year at the An Evening of Opportunity Gala on Tuesday, May 23. Proceeds from the event will provide need-based scholarships for students at SGSC. Luke Christian, the Alumni of the Year recipient in the field of business, is a 1998 alumnus and Founder/CEO of Surcheros Franchising Corporation. Sherry Thomas, EVP of Patient Care Services at Coffee Regional Medical Center, is the honoree in the healthcare field and is a 1973 alumna. For the field of…

Two Berrien County men were jailed Monday on drug charges following a two-week investigation into the illegal purchase of prescription medications in Coffee County. Agents with the Douglas – Coffee Drug Unit conducted a traffic stop Monday and detained 59-year-old Marshall Fender and 69-year-old Jerry Thomas Brogdon, the subjects of the investigation. Fender and Brogdon were found to be in possession of 90 hydrocodone tablets, along with other crushed prescription pills and straws commonly used to inhale the crushed substance. Agents also recovered just over $1,880 in cash. Both men were arrested and transported to the Coffee County Jail. Each…

Deputies arrested a 44-year-old woman for terroristic threats Monday afternoon after posting an expletive-laden video to social media threatening kill multiple family members. Just after noon, May 15, deputies responded to a residence off Highway 158 West in reference to the incident. The complainants stated a member of their family, identified as Crystal Tyson, had posted a video to Facebook threatening to kill them. The victims showed deputies the video in question, which appeared to have been uploaded earlier the same day, and observed the suspect engage in a verbal tirade, mentioning several family members and stating, “I’m gonna kill…

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office donated six two-way radios to the Boys & Girls Club of Coffee County Monday afternoon. According to Michael Brown of the Boys & Girls Club, the radios will be placed in each classroom of at the local center and will be utilized by club associates. Brown stated the donation will provide a much-needed resource and thanked Sheriff Wooten and staff for their continued support of the Boys & Girls Club.

South Georgia State College added approximately 325 new alumni to its numbers during the summer and fall 2016 and spring 2017 terms. These newly-minted alumni were celebrated at the 88th annual Commencement ceremonies held on both the Douglas Campus and the Waycross Campus, where they were charged to uphold the principles and academics standards they learned at SGSC. At the Douglas Campus ceremony, SGSC interim president Dr. Ingrid Thompson-Sellers highlighted the accomplishments of SGSC’s academics by recognizing just a few of the numerous individual academic achievements of the recent Honors Night including Tiffany Morgan, honoree at the University System of…

A 58-year-old Coffee County man has been jailed for murder in connection to an incident that occurred early Saturday morning, May 13. Around 1 a.m. Saturday, deputies with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to 6280 Highway 32 West, Lot 4, in reference to a female found unresponsive inside the residence. Upon arrival, deputies found 57-year-old Oletha Brady dead from an apparent gunshot wound. A male, identified as Walter Russell Wright, was in the residence when deputies arrived. Coffee County authorities requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Douglas Regional Office. Wright was transported to the Coffee County Jail…

Ms. Jacklyn Sue “Jackie” Edwards Shawver, age 65 of Douglas, GA, passed away Saturday evening, May 6, 2017 at her residence following a brief illness. Ms. Shawver was born September 1, 1951 to the late Harry S. Edwards and the late Geraldine McClaskey Edwards. Survivors include: daughter Tabitha Bennett of North Port, Florida; sister Janet McKenna of Florida; and a brother, Ron Edwards and wife Pam of Douglas, Georgia. Memorial services will be held at a later date. Ricketson Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.