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Possible Homicide in Winchester
A Shelbyville man was found shot multiple times at a park in Winchester Monday afternoon.
Harvey Dwayne Harper, 41, of Shoma Drive Shelbyille was found dead in his vehicle in the Oak Park in Winchester located on Oak Street around 4 p.m.
“Officer Lamar Howard spotted a vehicle sitting in the park and a man sitting in it,” Winchester Police Chief Ritchie Lewis stated Tuesday. “Lamar walked up to the car and saw that the man had been shot several times.” According to the chief it appears that the man had been shot with a pistol several times.
The chief stated that officers have reason to believe that Harper had been in the park “for most of the day.”
The body was sent to the State Medical Examiner where an autopsy will be performed. The car that Harper was in, will be sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for an analysis of the content to determine if there are any traces of evidence in it.
Chief Lewis asked that anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Winchester Police Department at 931-967-3840.
Area Doctor to be Sentenced to Prison This Month
A Murfreesboro Podiatrist, who also operated an office in Manchester, will be sentenced to prison later this month on January 26, 2018. 51 year-old John J. Cauthon of Murfreesboro, Tenn., was convicted in 2017 by a federal jury on four counts of health care fraud involving a 16-month scheme to defraud Medicare and other health care benefit programs, announced Donald Q. Cochran, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. The convictions came after a two-week trial before United States Chief District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. Cauthon was also acquitted of three counts of health care fraud.
According to the Indictment and the evidence presented at trial, from May 2014 to August 2015, Cauthon executed a scheme to defraud Medicare, TennCare, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee by submitting false and fraudulent claims for surgical procedures he did not perform. Cauthon traveled around to nursing homes across Tennessee and up-coded routine foot care to nail avulsions, which is paid out at a higher rate by Medicare. Cauthon’s former employees testified at trial that they witnessed him prescribe medically unnecessary ankle braces to bed-bound patients and witnessed him pocket Medicare funds after durable medical equipment was returned or never picked up by patients.
Cauthon, the former Murfreesboro and Manchester doctor is scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2018. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of health care fraud. (WGNS Radio)
Suicides Up in Tennessee
An average of three people died by suicide each day in Tennessee in 2016, the highest recorded in the state in more than 35 years.
News outlets cite Tennessee health officials as saying white middle-aged men in rural areas account for a majority of the deaths. White males make up 40 percent of Tennessee’s population, but made up 77 percent of suicide deaths in 2016.
But officials from the Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Health Statistics say suicides also are increasing among those 10 to 19 years old.
East Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network official Amy Dolinky says the vast majority of people kill themselves with guns.
Dolinky says the difficulty of talking about feeling suicidal and the stigma surrounding mental illness have contributed to the rise in suicides.
Four Flu Deaths So Far in Tennessee
Four Tennesseans have lost their lives to the flu so far this year, and it’s not even the peak of the flu season.
The most recent death was a pregnant woman. The other three victims have been children.
The Tennessee Department of Health says children and pregnant women are among the most at risk.
Nearly every county health department in Tennessee is offering flu shots for the rest of the season. This includes the two locations in Coffee County.
Nationwide, 106 people have died this flu season.
Slim Shady to Headline Bonnaroo
Slim Shady is coming to Manchester in June. One of the country’s premier multi-day musical events, Bonnaroo, has announced their lineup for the 2018 edition.
Eminem, The Killers and Muse headline the event, with a long list of other performers that includes Sheryl Crow, Moon Taxi, and dozens of other bands and performers.
Tickets go on sale Friday, Jan. 12 at 10:00am at Bonnaroo.com
Bonnaroo is scheduled for June 7-10 in Manchester, TN.
Tickets start at $299.50 plus a fee $37.90 per GA ticket, which includes a $6.00 facility fee, $4.00 contribution to Coffee County, $2.00 charity donation, and other related fees.
1/11/18 — Andrew Jackson “Jack” Luneack, Jr.
Funeral services for Mr. Andrew Jackson “Jack” Luneack, Jr., age 73, of Manchester, TN will be conducted at 12:00 PM on Thursday, January 11, 2018, at Manchester Funeral Home with Bro. Roger Hamlet officiating. Burial will follow in Gardens of Memory. The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until the service time. Jack passed away at his residence on Sunday, January 7, 2018.
Jack was born in Coffee Co., TN, the son of the late Andrew Sr. and Flossie Luneack. He worked as a maintenance man at Carrier for many years, and he attended Antioch Church of Christ as a child. Jack is a veteran for the United States Air Force, and loved collecting antiques and farming in his own time.
In addition to his parents, Jack is also preceded in death by one sister, Betty Anne Luneack; and one brother-in-law, Lyndell Duke. He is survived by his two brothers, Robert and John Luneack; one sister, Jeanie Luneack Duke; and several nieces, nephews, and extended friends and family.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in Jack’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959; or a charity of your choice.
Manchester Funeral Home is honored to serve the Luneack Family.
Coffee Middle Basketball Sweeps Cannon County on Monday Night
Aiden Abellana of CCMS basketball
The Coffee County Middle School Raider and Lady Raider basketball teams welcomed Cannon County to their home floor on Monday night. In a pair of games you heard here on Thunder Radio, the Raider teams were back in action for the first time since December 14th. Neither team seemed to show any ill effects of the layoff as they each got wins. The Lady Raiders roared to a 32 to 19 win while the Red Raiders battled to a 38 to 33 win.
After a tight first half, the Lady Raiders went to the dressing room leading 18 to 11. Both Cannon County went 11 minutes and 13 seconds without scoring as Coffee Middle built a 32 to 11 lead with 2 minutes left in the game. Marley Perry was the leading scorer for Coffee County as she had 12 points. Kiya Ferrell added 9 points and Alyssa McClanahan added 6.
The Red Raiders trailed by 2 entering the 4th quarter but outscored the Lions 8 to 1 in the first 5 minutes of the final frame to battle to the win. Aiden Abellana hit a pair of clutch free throws 6 seconds left to ice the win. Dayne Crosslin and Conner Shemwell each finished with 9 points while 6th grader Ethan Hargrove came off the bench for a pair of 4th quarter 3 pointers to finish with 6. Abellana added 5 points including 3 free throws in the final 35 seconds.
Coffee Middle is on the road on Tuesday night when they travel to McMinnville to take on Warren County in a conference doubleheader. This game is a makeup of last Thursday’s game that was postponed due to schools being out. The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM at Warren County Middle School.
Download the game broadcasts at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/
Coffee County Freshmen Basketball Clobbers Lincoln County Ninth Grade Academy
Jaxon Vaughn of CHS basketball
The CHS freshman Red Raiders welcomed the Lincoln County Ninth Grade Academy to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Monday night. Looking to keep their perfect record intact, the Raiders jumped on the Falcons early as they captured a 72 to 28 win.
The Red Raiders jumped out to a lead of 24 to 6 after one quarter due in large part to a tremendous defensive effort which resulted in easy transition points. Coffee County extended the lead to 44 to 8 at the half on their way to their 4th win of the year against no losses.
Coffee County was led in scoring by Jaxon Vaughn who finished with 16 points. Hayden Hullett added 10 points. Ryan Farless finished with 9 points and C.J. Anthony scored 8 points as 10 different Raiders tallied points in the game.
The freshmen Red Raiders will host Tullahoma on Thursday night in another boys’ only contest. That game will tip off at 6 PM at CHS.
CHS Basketball Returns to Action Tonight
The Coffee County CHS basketball teams will play host to Tullahoma on Tuesday night before embarking on a 7 game road trip. Coffee County will play on the road for the remainder of January following Tuesday’s game and will not return to “The Patch” until February 6th. The Raiders and Lady Raiders will close out the regular season with a pair of home games on February 6th and February 9th. The District 8 AAA tournament begins on February 13th and will be held at Columbia Central High School.
Tuesday’s game, and all the Coffee County basketball games for the remainder of the season, will be broadcast on Thunder Radio. The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM. Thunder Radio begins live coverage at 5:50 PM with the Char-El Apartment and Home Rental Pregame Show.
1/10/18 — Ella S. Parker
Funeral services for Mrs. Ella S. Parker, age 91, of Bell Buckle, TN will be conducted at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at Manchester Funeral Home with Bro. Chip Sekulich officiating. Burial will follow in Fox Hollow Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, from 4:00 PM until 9:00 PM. Mrs. Parker passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2018, at St. Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro, TN.
Ella was born in Harnett Co., NC, the daughter of the late McKinley and Irene Stewart. She was the owner of Parkers Grocery Store in Beechgrove, and a member of Gossburg Community Church. She loved serving people, and will be dearly missed.
In addition to her parents, Ella was also preceded in death by her loving husband, Garcier Parker; one infant daughter; and two sisters. She is survived by one son, Wickey (Pat) Parker; three daughters, Judy (Glen) Reed, Cindy Guffey (Steve) Holland, and Diane (Medford) Green; one sister, Marilyn Matthews; 17 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren; and a host of friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in Ella’s name to Gossburg Community Church, 2794 Gossburg Road, Beechgrove, TN 37018.
Manchester Funeral Home is honored to serve the Parker Family.