A Manchester couple is being held under a bond of $100,000 in the Coffee County Jail after their arrest on child abuse charges. According to warrants, Carlena Scalf, 22, of Maple Springs Road in Manchester is charged with hitting her 3-year-old son multiple times across the face causing swelling and bruising to his face. She allegedly told Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Graham that she did it because he “cursed” her. Preston James Myers, 22, of Fern Gully Lane, Manchester is accused of striking the 3-year-old in the face with his fist. They are both to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Aug. 18. The child was taken into DCS custody and placed with his biological father.
Thanks to Wayne Thomas of the Tullahoma News for this story.

The Manchester Fire Department had a busy day on Monday responding to a pair of fires at local businesses.
The fire department responded alongside the Hickerson Station Volunteer Fire Department to a fire on the loading dock at Johnson’s Mulch on the Old Tullahoma Highway in Manchester on Monday morning. Crews worked together to extinguish the fire with the use of firefighting foam and heavy equipment. Damage was contained to the loading dock area. The cause of the blaze is unknown and is under investigation.
On Monday afternoon, 911 received multiple calls for smoke from a second floor room at Sleep Inn & Suites on Relco Drive in Manchester. The Manchester Fire Department responded and found a charred bush in the hotel’s landscaping. The fire was noticed by a hotel guest and a hotel employee used an extinguisher to knock the fire down. Firefighters cooled remaining hot spots and used a thermal imaging camera inside the room to check for any fire extension. The cause of the fire is believed to be improper disposal of smoking material.

A Manchester man has been arrested on fugitive from justice charges. Steven Eric Pless Jr., 19, of Park Motel was arrested July 23 on warrants from Florida. The warrants allege that he is wanted for two counts of sexual battery and lewd or lascivious molestation.
Florida authorities notified the Coffee County Sheriff’s department that he was possibly working at a Manchester industry. Officers went to his place of employment and arrested him on the warrants from Hillsborough County, Florida.
Pless is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $1,000,000 bond awaiting extradition to Florida.

Tuesday marks a big day for Coffee County Schools as students return to the classroom for the 2014-2015 school year. A few of those students will get the honor of attending the recently completed Coffee County Middle School on the Woodbury Highway in Manchester which opens its doors on Tuesday. To celebrate, the Coffee County School System would like to invite the community to an Open House for the new middle school on Tuesday afternoon. The student/parent Open House will be from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. This will be followed by a Dedication Ceremony at 6:00 p.m. in the gym for all visitors. The Community Open House will begin immediately following the dedication until 7:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.

A one-time youth pastor from Shelbyville has been sentenced to three years and four months in federal prison for possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Harry S. “Sandy” Mattice could have leveled a 20-year sentence on 38-year-old Joseph Todd Neill for downloading child pornography on his home computer.
Shelbyville police were investigating Neill on charges of statutory rape and searched his home computer, finding 72 images of minors, 32 of whom were children. Neill worked as a youth pastor at North Fork Baptist Church in Bedford County.