Josh Peterson

According to the Coffee County Highway Department, as of 1:30 p.m. Friday, (Jan. 3) Rutledge Ford Rd. at the Franklin – Coffee County line has been closed due to rising water in the area.

Coffee County authorities have traveled to Oklahoma and transported back the vehicle that belonged to Johnny Tesar, 68, who was allegedly killed Monday night, Dec. 30 in Lakewood Park. 

Authorities say his car was discovered in Oklahoma the morning after Tesar was found dead and arrested were Tyler Carter, 20, and Sasha Payton, 33. They have been charged with theft of a motor vehicle and are being held in Oklahoma and await extradition back to Coffee County on those theft charges. Authorities say more charges are likely coming against Carter and Payton. 

The Coffee County Commission will now have to appoint someone new to the Public Building Authority. Greg Sandlin submitted his resignation from the board in a letter to Coffee County mayor Gary Cordell on January 1. His resignation will be effective at the end of the month on Jan. 31

The Public Building Authority is the board appointed to oversee the Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center. Whoever is appointed to fill Sandlin’s spot would step in for the remainder of his term, which is set to expire in 2022. He represents Tullahoma. 

Sandlin is encouraging county commissioners to appoint a Tullahoma resident to take his spot. 

“I encourage you to appoint a Tullahoma resident to complete the remainder of this appointment with experience in contracts to assist in the transition from a county/city funded operation to whatever the future model might be. Thanks again for the confidence you placed in me to serve on this Authority.”

The PBA consists of seven members. The six remaining members other than Sandlin are: Stan Teal, Claude Morse, David Pennington, Zach Lowry, David Pate and Patricia Pinegar.

Sandlin began on the board in November of 2017. 

Franklin County Sheriff’s Department authorities are attempting to locate two individuals wanted in connection with a burglary that occurred on Friday, Dec. 27. These subjects, a white male and a white female, were traveling in a 2014 charcoal gray Nissan Altima.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of these two individuals is encouraged to contact 931-307-6068.

A man was found dead in Lakewood Park in Coffee County late Monday night, Dec. 30 in what authorities suspect to be a homicide. 

Deputies responded to the location on Birch Ln. on Monday in reference to a welfare check on a male, who was found dead. Authorities identified the deceased as Johnny Tesar, age 68.

Thunder Radio News first reported to you Tuesday that two suspects have been detained by authorities in Oklahoma after they were found to be driving Tesar’s vehicle. Arrested are Tyler Carter (20) and Sasha Payton (33). They have been charged with theft of a motor vehicle in Oklahoma. Further charges are expected, pending questioning from local authorities.

According to Coffee County authorities, both Carter and Payton are persons of interest in the homicide. According to their Facebook profiles, Carter and Payton are engaged.

“This is a multi-state effort at this time,” said James Sherrill with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department. 

Investigators spent time in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday morning, Dec. 31, as part of the investigation. 

As we say goodbye to 2019 and welcome to 2020, we at Thunder Radio want to share with you some of the top stories of the year as decided by you on our website – thunder1320.com. Listed below are the top five most viewed stories on our website in 2019:

1. We reported to you in September that eight children were found living in deplorable conditions and both parents were jailed. That story garnered over 31,000 views on the Thunder Radio website. 

2. To close the year, Thunder Radio reported to you that a man was found dead in Lakewood Park and two suspects were in custody in Oklahoma. That story has been viewed over 13,500 times. 

3. In July, human remains were discovered in the Beech Grove area of Coffee County. Arrested was Connie Ray, age 61. That story received over 12,400 views

4. In June, just before Bonnaroo, Manchester Police were called to Walker Street after a jail trustee discovered what turned out to be an explosive device in a ditch. A second explosive device was also located and arrests were made. That story was viewed 11,000 times by our readers. 

5. And lastly, in September, we reported that two former corrections officers with the Warren County Jail had been arrested after an investigation by the TBI charged the two with tampering with government records. That story was viewed more than 10,700 times. 

We thank you, our loyal listeners, making thunder1320.com Manchester’s most visited website and for trusting Thunder Radio to be your go-to source for for local news and sports coverage. Keep up to date in 2020 by visiting us online every day – the news is always free – at thunder1320.com. And we resolve to continue to improve our coverage for you every day.

A man was found dead in Lakewood Park in Coffee County late Monday, Dec. 30 in what authorities suspect to be a homicide.

Deputies responded to the location on Birch Ln. on Monday in reference to a welfare check on a male, who was found dead. Authorities have identified the deceased as Johnny Tesar, age 68.

As of early Tuesday morning, Dec. 31, Thunder Radio News has learned that two suspects have been detained by authorities in Oklahoma after they were found to be driving Tesar’s vehicle. Arrested are Tyler Carter (20) and Sasha Payton (33). They have been charged with theft of a motor vehicle in Oklahoma and are being held for questioning in relation to Tesar’s death.

According to Coffee County authorities, both Carter and Payton are persons of interest in the homicide and will be questioned as soon as investigators can arrive in Oklahoma.

“This is a multi-state effort at this time,” said James Sherrill with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators have spent time in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday morning as part of the investigation.

Thunder Radio News will report more information as it is available.

Tennessee’s gun laws will change beginning on Jan. 1. 

Offered will be a new concealed carry-only handgun permit course that does not require demonstration of the ability to fire a weapon. 

Under the new law, a permit to carry a concealed handgun can be obtained after online training of at least 90 minutes. 

The current handgun carry permits will remain available and will be called “enhanced handgun carry permits.” These permits require eight hours of training and live firing is required. Critics of this say the process is time consuming. 

The NRA backed the new measure in Tennessee. 

However, the Tennessee Firearm Association actually opposed it, saying that other states may refused to acknowledge Tennessee’s existing handgun carry permits. 

Two vendors can currently offer the online courses – Clarksville Guns and Archery Tennessee Carry Permit Online School and Tier One Tactics. Both courses cost just under $40. 

Other laws taking affect in Tennessee January 1 include: state employee insurance  will be required to cover proton therapy. Also, any prescription for an opioid is required to be issued electronically.