Josh Peterson

There will be no charges filed by Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott in the death of Central High School student Channing Smith. 

Northcott released a statement with the decision Tuesday afternoon. It reads, in full:

“Upon the completion of the full investigation into the circumstances of Channing Smith’s death by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and this office and after a review of the criminal statutes of this State, I have determined that there is not probable cause to believe that any crimes have been committed in this tragic situation. Thus, no criminal charges or juvenile petitions will be sought by this office. The family remains in my prayers and I hope that all of Channing’s friends and family can find peace in this difficult time. “

You may remember the suicide death of Smith garnered national attention. Smith, a 16-year old student at CHS, took his life on Sunday, Sept. 22, allegedly after other students turned personal screen shot messages over to social media that outed Channing’s gay sexual orientation. 

A 36 year old man who calls Murfreesboro home has been arrested by the Special Victims Unit.

Jose M. Secaida was captured late last month and charged with two counts of “Rape of a Child.” In both charges, the victim was reported to be under the age of 13.

The subject, who has a citizenship listed as “Guatemala,” is expected to be in a Rutherford County courtroom for a hearing on December 2, 2019. 

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office has Secaida listed as “In Custody” as of Monday, November 18, 2019. His bond was set at $100,000.

Grundy County Sheriff’s deputies and THP captured two suspects after they fled from a traffic stop on Interstate-24 westbound around 6:30 a.m. Sunday. 

The driver, Clyde Doyle Hamby (28) crashed on Hwy 50 near Bethel Church. He and Michael McMurphy (37) fled on foot. Tracking dogs from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and a THP helicopter searched the area for several hours. A watchful citizen spotted Hamby around 10:30am near The Caverns in Payne’s Cove and called 911. He was taken into custody without incident. McMurphy was taken in custody around 2:15pm near the crash scene. Both men have an extensive criminal history and are wanted out of Georgia on various charges. McMurphy is wanted out of Georgia and Oklahoma on a number of charges. Both men were transported to the Grundy County Jail.

A group of Tennessee DACA recipients has just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where they rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court as justices heard arguments in the case that will determine the fate of DACA – the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. 

A dozen people left their jobs and families to defend the program, including Jazmin Ramirez – a community organizer for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

“What they’re feeling is excitement to be a part of a movement where they know that they’re not the only one going through the same difficulties, the same struggles,” says Ramirez. “But also, I know that it wasn’t an easy ask, to ask for them to take three days off. And they did it because this matters, and this is their life that is at stake.”

Created in 2012, DACA allows temporary protection from deportation to undocumented young people who were brought to the U.S. as children and meet certain requirements. In the past seven years, nearly 8,000 Tennessee immigrants have benefited from the program. 

In 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating DACA. Ramirez says recipients’ ability to work and support their families now lies in the hands of the Supreme Court. 

“What the Supreme Court is essentially deciding is whether the program was legal or not, and whether Trump had the administrative authority to terminate the program the way that he did,” says Ramirez.

Ramirez points to a 2018 poll by Middle Tennessee State University, which found that 75% of Tennessee voters believe DACA recipients should be allowed to stay in the U.S. and apply for citizenship. She adds the state’s bankroll would shrink if it lost its DACA residents. 

“And we also know that DACA in the state of Tennessee, brings about $23 million a year in state and local taxes,” says Ramirez.

The Supreme Court will likely reach a decision in the first half of next year.

The Tullahoma Police Department needs your assistance in locating a vehicle that was involved in an incident over the weekend. The vehicle is a white Mitsubishi Lancer or Mirage. If you have any information to the identity of the person who owns this vehicle, or where the vehicle is located, please contact Detective Johnny Gore at 931-455-0530 ext.133, on TPD facebook page, or at jgore@tullahomatn.gov.