Tyrone Watts from an earlier arrest in Coffee County

A man is facing charges after police say he made threats at a school in Shelbyville. Police tell the Times Gazette that they responded to Thomas Magnet School when a man allegedly made threats in front of office staff last week. Tyrone Watts, 43, of Tullahoma is accused of saying that he would to return to the school with a gun. The alleged threat was made after school officials would not allow Watts and his wife to check his stepson out of school early. The request was denied because the child’s biological father had not supplied a letter of permission. Watts was charged with filing a false report and posted $10,000 bond. On Monday Watts was arrested again, this time on a charge of violation of probation. He is being held without bond at Bedford County Jail. Records show he was previously convicted of multiple felonies and is not allowed to possess a firearm. The felony convictions are for burglary and possession of marijuana in Coffee and Davidson counties. Watts is expected in court in January. He has also been banned from all Bedford County schools.

Allen Lendley Coffee County EMA Director

With the tragic shooting last week in Connecticut, the Coffee County Emergency Management Agency will be conducting safety checks at the various schools in Coffee County. EMA Director Allen Lendley stated that his office will be working with all of the schools in the county to make sure they have the necessary tools in place to make the schools a safe place for learning. Suggestions will be made if problems are found.

Photo by Barry West

Gas prices have steadily declined since November 1, when the national average was $3.51. The current national average is $3.26, 25 cents less. Prices in the Southeast region followed the same trend. On November 1, regular unleaded gasoline averaged $3.34 in the Southeast, since then the average has dropped 20 cents to $3.14. Some areas in the Southeast have already seen gas prices dip below $3 a gallon. A barrel of oil settled Friday at $86.73 on the New York Mercantile Exchange—80 cents more than the week prior. The national average price of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.26, 9 cents less than last week. Tennessee’s average price of regular unleaded gas is $3.05 falling 8 cents last week. Here in Coffee County some discounters are offering regular gas for $2.89 in Manchester per gallon. In Tullahoma the low price is $2.93.

49 year old Jerry Butcher a Warren County man accused of raping a teenage girl last year pled guilty to the crime in Warren County Circuit Court and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Butcher must serve the entire ten years with no chance for parole. Butcher will then be listed on the state’s sexual offender registry for the rest of his life. Butcher and the victim were co-workers at a local nursery, when he followed the girl inside a building and sexually assaulted her. He then reportedly warned her not to tell anyone.

(Left to right): Mike Cowles, CEO of the American Red Cross, ATA employees Margie Thornberry, Jim Hicks and Patsy Reynolds along with Brian Toll, American Red Cross Emergency Services. (Photo by Jacqueline Cowan)

Hurricane Sandy was a hurricane that devastated portions of the Caribbean and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States during late October. Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) recently offered employees a chance to help victims of Super Storm Sandy. Employees donated vacation hours and ATA turned it into cash for the victims along the upper east coast. The employees gave a check for $14,695.36 to American Red Cross CEO Mike Cowles. Damage in the US is estimated at over $63 billion and 131 people lost their lives.