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Money Stolen from Tullahoma Lanes leads to Arrest
A resident of South Polk Street was arrested by Tullahoma Police for the theft of money from Tullahoma Lanes.
Morgan Parkes, 48, was charged with theft from a building by Detective Johnny Gore.
According to a report by Officer Phillip Smith, Eric Eakins the manager of the bowling lanes reported on Dec. 22 that he noticed a bank deposit bag missing from the safe in his office. He stated he watched the security video from his office and allegedly observed Parkes enter the office and go to the area of the safe. He then squatted down and then stood up and went through some other things in the office.
He allegedly took $850 from the deposit bag, $200 from a vending machine and $1,191 from a bill changing machine.
Parkes is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on Jan. 12 on the charges. His bond was set at $2,500.
Drug Charges filed against Belvidere Man
A Belvidere man was arrested and booked into the Coffee County Jail Dec. 24 on drug charges.
Joshua Barnes, 30, of Old Salem-Lexie Road, Belvidere was arrested and charged with possession of schedule II and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a report by Tullahoma Police Officer Bill Pyrdom, police were called Christmas Eve to the parking lot of Silver Street apartments in regards to a man passed out in the vehicle. When the officer arrived he found that the ambulance personnel had arrived and had Barnes conscience. The officer observed Barnes allegedly trying to conceal an object between the driver’s seat and the center console.
Barnes got out of the vehicle and when the officer searched him he found a small glass vial with a white powdery residue in his front pocket. Barnes allegedly told the officer that the vial had contained Xanax bars.
After searching the vehicle the officer alleges that he found two needles and a spoon wrapped with a paper towel located between the driver seat and the console. The spoon contained three white crystal rocks believed to be meth. But Barnes told the officer that he believed the rocks to be some type of morphine.
Banes was booked into the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $3,000 and he is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on Jan. 19.
Making the Most of a Holiday Break with Children
Experts recommend scheduling activities with kids each day they’re out of school, like baking cookies, to make the most of the holiday break. (Deborah Lee Soltesz/Flickr)
Samantha Gray, executive director of the group Attachment Parenting International, said it’s important to remind ourselves about how much the holiday break means to children.
“Try to see it from their point of view; they have a lot of anticipation about it,” she said. “Then, planning a few things, don’t over plan, but have a couple of kind of ‘milestones.’ So, that kind of thing helps us make the most of the days, because actually by the end of it, it’s over faster than you knew.”
She said ‘milestones’ may be a plan to see a movie one day, and baking cookies the next. Gray added that it’s also important as an adult to know when to take a moment for yourself if patience runs thin. She said holiday traditions, no matter how small, are valued by children, so don’t underestimate their importance.
While the build-up to the holidays often makes parents feel like every event should look like a scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Gray said you can look for ways to make it easier on you, and offers an example:
“You create these high expectations, and saying, ‘This year we’re just going to do ready-made hors d’oeuvres for Christmas Eve. We’re not going to go all-out and make every single thing from scratch.'”
Other ways to spend quality time with kids include a family game night, going for a walk, having a movie night or cooking together.
CHS Basketball Teams Split in Tournament Games on Wednesday
Grant Sadler of CHS Basketball [Photo by Demarco Moore – Manchester Times]
The cold shooting which plagued the Red Raiders in Tuesday’s loss was quickly forgotten as Coffee County raced out to a 25 to 12 lead after 1 quarter and never looked back in the resounding win. Ten different Red Raiders scored on the game and 4 Coffee County players finished in double figures. Grant Sadler led Coffee County in scoring as he had 18 points. Darius Rozier added 13 points while Garrett Eldridge added 11 and Tyrese McGee chipped in 10 points. The win improves the Raiders record to 11 and 3 on the season.
Jacey Vaughn of CHS Basketball[Photo by Demarco Moore – Manchester Times]
Both teams are back in action in losers’ bracket games on Thursday. The Lady Raiders will take on Sale Creek at 9 AM at Whitwell High School. The Whitwell tournament concludes on Friday. The Red Raiders will be in action against Cullman, AL at 12:30 ET in Pigeon Forge as they play for 5th place.
Westwood Middle Schooler Named Titans Junior Broadcaster of the Year
Darryn Strickland at Thunder Radio studios
Rarely do you find a 12 year old young man that understands patience, honesty and the Beatles. Rarely at 12 years old does a young man have an idea what they want to do with their life. Rarely at 12 years old does a young man have the maturity to plot a course to achieve that goal. Rarely will you get the opportunity to meet a young man like Darryn Strickland.
Darryn, the son of Danny and Janine Strickland, is a quiet, self-assured and modest young man with a bright future in front of him. Darryn gave up Manchester Youth Football this fall to join the Westwood football team as a 6th grader to better prepare himself for a future in middle school football. That “free time” allowed Darryn the opportunity to fill a need for the youth football league as their public address announcer. People took notice as Darryn combined his strong work ethic and unique personality to develop a following.
When the Tennessee Titans announced a contest to recognize young broadcasters, Danny made a short video and sent it in to Titans Radio. Earlier this month, Darryn was selected as the Titans Junior Broadcaster of the Year. Darryn even got the opportunity to meet the Titans broadcast team of Mike Keith and Frank Wychek on December 11th. Darryn called his time with the two as the highlight of his day at Nisan Stadium. “(Keith) was super nice and spent about 20 minutes just talking with me and sharing ideas about doing the PA.” When asked about Wychek, Darryn remarked “he looks like my uncle and Ben Roethlisberger.”
Darryn was also interviewed by Titans radio executive producer Rhett Bryan. You can see that interview at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THwhcJb7MzI&list=PLPrX5S2GZj8BSpWjV5M2wbujIh2_igLJc
Darryn plans to continue as the public address announcer for Manchester Youth Football next season and beyond. He also hopes to explore some more opportunities to learn about broadcasting including some opportunities with us at Thunder Radio. The first of those opportunities will come up on Saturday as Darryn will be a guest on the Coffee Coaches Show here on Thunder Radio. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each and every Saturday morning at 10 AM from the showroom at Al White Ford/Lincoln. The Coffee Coaches Show can also be heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio.
2016 Year in Review – Middle School and High School Baseball
As 2016 draws to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the 12 prep sports. Today we look back at the highlights from the prep baseball teams. The Westwood Rockets opened the season with a new coach and the hope of breaking a winless streak that was nearing 2 years. The Rockets did exactly that with a 6 to 2 win at Huntland on March 7th
Thunder Radio reported on their success with the following story we published on March 8th
Zach Milan of Westwood baseball
The Westwood baseball team got their first win of the year, and their first win since April 12, 2014, with a 6 to 2 come from behind victory over Huntland on Monday night in Huntland. Falling behind 2 to 0 in the bottom of the first inning, the Rockets used a 3 run 4th inning to take a lead they would not relinquish. Zach Milan came on in relief to get the victory and Skylar Bratcher relieved him for the save. Westwood was led in hitting by Jacob Garms who had 2 hits and 3 RBI on the night. Brady Nugent reached base 4 times for the Rockets. Westwood improves their record to 1 and 1 on the year and 1 and 0 in conference play. The Rockets are back in action on Tuesday when they play host to Huntland at Fred Deadman Park. First pitch is set for 5 PM.
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The Coffee County Middle School baseball team put together a lineup this spring that featured quite a bit of power. The biggest explosion came in the CTC Tournament when the Raider crushed 3 home runs in an 8 to 3 win over South Franklin on April 18th.
Thunder Radio reported on their success with the following story we published on April 19th.
Brandon Jernigan of CCMS Baseball
The bats of Coffee County Middle School woke up in a big way on Monday as the Red Raiders hit 3 home runs in route to an 8 to 3 win over South Franklin in the opening round of the CTC Tournament at Warren County. Hayden Skipper was 3 for 3 on the night with a homer and 3 RBI while Brandon Jernigan was 2 for 3 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. Garrett Davis and Trey Rogers each added singles for the Raiders. Jernigan, Skipper and Davis combined to pitch a 1 hitter as each stayed under 50 pitches on the night with Jernigan getting the win. Coffee County will now take on the top seeded Pioneers of Warren County on Tuesday at 4:45 PM at Warren County Middle School.
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The Coffee County Central High School baseball team also featured a new head coach and a new scrappy attitude. A perfect example of that was a come from behind 5 to 4 win over Central Magnet on Senior Night on April 28th.
Thunder Radio reported on their success with the following story we published on April 29th.
CHS Class of 2016 baseball players(left to right) – Bradley King, Gavin Husted, Kohl Young, Wyatt Day, Alan Rob, Zach Duncan and Zach Wise. Not pictured – Deandre Wakefield
A dramatic 2 out walk off single from Davis Green lifted the Red Raider baseball team to a 5 to 4 defeat of Central Magnet on Thursday night at Powers Field. Green’s single capped the second comeback of the game for Coffee County as they scratched out the non-district win on Senior Night.
Trailing by 1 run entering the 6th inning, Noah Anderson smacked his first home run of the year to tie the game entering the 7th. In the 7th, Nathaniel Tate reached base on a fielder’s choice and moved to 3rd on Jacob Langham’s single before being driven in by Green with the winning run.
Tate, who came on as a relief pitcher in the 7th inning picked up the win. Anderson finished the night going 2 for 3 while senior Alan Rob was also 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and 2 RBI. Zach Wise added a double for the Red Raiders.
Coffee County will be off until next week’s District 8AAA baseball tournament. The Raiders match-up and game time will be announced later and Thunder Radio will keep you up to date on the Red Raider’s schedule. Coach David Martin will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show as he will talk about the upcoming post season. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live every Saturday morning from 10 to 11 at Al White Ford/Lincoln in Manchester.
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We continue our year in review on Friday when we look at prep softball
1/2/17 — Ismael Rodriguez
Ismael Rodriguez, age 46 of Gainesville, FL passed away on Friday, December
23, 2016 at Shands Hospital at UF. Funeral Services are scheduled for
Monday, January 2, 2016 at 11 AM at Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home with
burial to follow at Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 AM until
the service time.
A native of Los Angeles, CA, Ismael was the son of Luis Rodriguez and Jenny
Betances Matos. He loved being with his family and enjoyed sports. He was
an avid Oakland Raiders fan.
In addition to his parents, Luis Rodriguez and his wife, Maria of Los
Angeles, CA and Jenny Matos and her husband, Angel of Winchester, he is
survived by one son, Ismael Rodriguez Jr; one daughter, Shianne Rodriguez;
one brother, Luis Rodriguez Jr. of Winchester and two sisters, Elena Myers
of Tullahoma and Nancy Hebert of Oakland, CA.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
12/28/16 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
Jonathan Seaborn, 18 — Pizza Winner!
Carrolyn Brown
Watertown Man Jailed after short Police Pursuit
Early Wednesday morning, Coffee County Deputy Eric Clem observed a white Honda Accord traveling at a high rate of speed near the Highway 41 and Highway 55 intersection in Manchester. He observed the white Honda Accord pass another car on the outside shoulder, causing the operator of the other car to almost strike a semi-truck in the side. Clem tried to stop the Accord, but the driver sped off at a very high rate of speed going West on McArthur Street.
The male driver ran the red light at Oak Drive and Highway 55 at a high rate of speed. Deputy Clem had initiated his emergency lights and sirens, but the vehicle continued to travel at a high rate of speed. As the pursuit continued near the high school the driver would not stop and due to the safety of other motorists and the deputy, Clem decided to “pit” the car. The “pit maneuver” worked and Clem was able to get the man stopped on New Tullahoma Highway in Manchester.
As the deputy approached the vehicle the driver would not comply with commands and that lead to him being pulled from his vehicle and placed into cuffs.
The man identified as Bradford Michael Gentry age 36 of Tracy Rd in Watertown was transported to a local hospital via ambulance to be evaluated medically.
Due to Clem’s patrol unit and Gentry’s car sustaining damage, the Tennessee Highway Patrol was called to work the accident scene. Trooper Tommy Lyles was advised of the situation and that Gentry was possibly under the influence.
Trooper Lyles charged to subject with DUI and blood was taken at a local hospital, with results pending. Deputy Clem charged Gentry with reckless endangerment, evading arrest and resisting arrest. His bond was set at $17,500 and a court date Jan 9, 2017.
Manchester Police Increasing Traffic Enforcement
The Manchester Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to enhance drunk-driving enforcement now through January 1. The statewide Booze It and Lose It campaign is part of a national mobilization to prevent drunk driving.
The Manchester Police Department will be increasing traffic enforcement during this period and will be conducting several saturation patrol events concentrating on impaired driving enforcement.
Increased state and local messaging about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, aim to drastically reduce alcohol-impaired driving.
This time last year, there were 223 lives lost to impaired-driving crashes across the state, so it is vital to combat drunk driving.
A single DUI conviction can cost an individual $5,000 or more, in addition to jail time. An offender could also be required to attend drug and alcohol treatment or to install an ignition interlock device inside his/her vehicle. Any penalty imposed by law pales in comparison to the injury or death of a loved one.
The THSO provides grant funding to support Manchester Police Department efforts during the Booze It and Lose It holiday enforcement campaign.