Author: Submitted

Chief Judge Dwayne H. Gillis of the Waycross Judicial Circuit has been designated to serve in place of Justice Nels S. D. Peterson in the appeal of Pierce v. The State (S17A0828). The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on April 17, 2017 during its 10 A.M. session. In this Houston County case, a man is appealing his convictions and 30-year prison sentence for sexually molesting three boys, ages 13 and 14. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Gillis will participate in the Court’s decision. Judge Gillis, 56, was appointed by then-Gov. Roy Barnes in 2001.…

During the late hours of Sunday, April 9, 2017 and early morning hours of Monday, April 10, 2017, emergency personnel responded to a small fire inside Central Square Complex Gym A — or the old Bryan Street Gymnasium. Firefighters and other emergency responders quickly contained the small blaze. Central Square Complex Gym A has a monitored sprinkler system that alerted personnel and helped to control the fire. No one was inside the gymnasium when the fire began in one of the small classrooms located on the left front of Gymnasium A. Investigators have not officially determined the cause of the…

Through the America’s Farmers Grow Communities, Clarkie Leverette presented Ambrose Elementary School a $2,500. This donation is being used for Reading Counts and student incentives. A special thanks is given to Mr. Leverette for this generous gift that is being used to benefit the students of Ambrose Elementary!

Douglas-Coffee County drug agents arrested two individuals last Friday for trafficking cocaine after discovering over 30 grams of the drug packaged for sale during a routine traffic stop. The Douglas-Coffee Drug unit initiated the stop on a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu (a rental vehicle) for failure to maintain lane. Following a brief investigation, two occupants, 64-year-old Birnice Davis of Tifton and 27-year-old Adrianna Ewings of Albany, were arrested and transported to the Coffee County Jail. Both have been charged with trafficking cocaine. The approximate weight of the cocaine was 31 grams.

“Who wouldn’t want to be a part of an event that brings together spandex, leather, chaps, headbands, poker, and running shorts all for a good cause?” questioned Abe Morris, the principal at George Washington Carver Freshman campus (GWCFC). Kick stands up, laces tied, and clips in for the annual charity event entitled “Bikers for Books.” Bikers for Books is a charity poker run that will be run throughout Douglas and in some surrounding areas. The goal is to raise money for GWCFC in order to provide students with a book, free of charge. Their motto supports this goal by stating…

Taylor Whitley, GWCFC Journalism Student “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of an event that brings together spandex, leather, chaps, headbands, poker, and running shorts all for a good cause?” questioned Abe Morris, the principal at George Washington Carver Freshman campus (GWCFC). Kick stands up, laces tied, and clips in for the annual charity event entitled “Bikers for Books.” Bikers for Books is a charity poker run that will be run throughout Douglas and in some surrounding areas. The goal is to raise money for GWCFC in order to provide students with a book, free of charge. Their…

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office has received several reports in recent days of counterfeit currency in varying denominations circulating in the area. If you suspect you have received or are in possession of counterfeit money, report it to the sheriff’s office by calling (912) 384-4227 or the non-emergency 911 line at (912) 384-7675. The best way to determine whether a note is genuine is to rely on the security features, such as the watermark and security thread. Counterfeit detection pens are not always accurate and may give false results. To learn about these and other security features in genuine Federal…

Congratulations to Colby Denning in Mrs. Shelly Lott’s homeroom at Indian Creek Elementary! In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, her drawing was selected among the elementary art entries and will be featured on the t-shirt for the Child Advocacy Center of Coffee County. Colby also received a $25 Dairy Queen gift card. We are so proud of you, Colby!

Coffee County deputies arrested a 41-year-old Douglas man Sunday on child abuse, battery, and other charges after he caused substantial harm to his father and injured another nine-year-old victim. Deputies were dispatched to a residence off Hillcrest Road around 1 p.m. Sunday in reference to a fight in progress between a father and son. When deputies arrived, they observed the 64-year-old victim sitting in a chair on the front porch bleeding extensively from between his eyes around the top of his nose. The victim stated his son, identified as John Christopher Harrell, had punched him with a closed fist after…

A Coffee County man already out on bond for assaulting his wife and Coffee County deputies in a June 2016 incident was re-arrested early Monday morning after authorities responded to a domestic dispute at his residence. Deputies responded to a home off Southern Way around 5 a.m. Monday. The complainant stated her brother, identified as 59-year-old Wendell Corbitt, Sr., had been up throughout the night “talking out of his head’ and “wandering around the neighborhood aggravating the neighbors.” Mr. Corbitt informed deputies that the complainant was not his sister, but was in fact an alien who had abducted and killed…