Josh Peterson

A Manchester man sustained life-threatening injuries and a Gallatin man is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder and carjacking after an incident Saturday afternoon that began at Foothills Crafts on Woodbury Highway. 

According to a police report on file by the Manchester Police Department, Norman Vetter was leaving Foothills Crafts at approximately 4:40 p.m. Saturday when he encountered Ricky Guy Crews, age 48, of Gallatin sitting on the bench outside. Crews followed Vetter to his vehicle and asked for a ride. After making it about a half mile down Maple Springs Rd., Crews told Vetter to pull over, drew a knife and demanded a ride to Nashville. Vetter explained that his wife was expecting him and drove back to Foothills Crafts. Upon arriving at Foothills, Crews pulled his knife again and demanded a ride to Murfreesboro. Vetter explained that he could not drive him because his wife was expecting him. At that time, Crews allegedly stabbed Vetter in the neck. Mr. Vetter was able to gain control of the knife during a struggle, open the door of the vehicle and throw the knife under the vehicle. He then walked to Los 3 Amigos for help. 

When police arrived on the scene at Los 3 Amigos, they described Vetter as sitting against  the wall, holding his neck with blood-soaked clothes. 

While speaking with the victim, police located the suspect walking behind Foothills Crafts near a tree line. As police approached the suspect, later identified as Crews, he attempted to hide behind trees. MPD Officer Benjamin Sneed then unholstered his firearm and gave commands, at which point Crews complied. 

Crews was also charged with unlawful possession fo drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Coffee County Jail on $111,500 bond.

A Kimball man has been arrested on a homicide charge. A joint investigation by special agents wit the TBI, the Jasper Police and Marion County Sheriff’s office led to the arrest of Benjamin Desrosier, 35. 

Benjamin Desrosier, 35. 

According to a press release, Desrosier and Timothy Matthew Shirley were involved in an altercation Saturday outside of a business in the 6400 block of highway 41 in Jasper. Desrosier allegedly fatally shot Shirley during this altercation. He was arrested Saturday on charges of criminal homicide and booked into the Marion County Jail.

The Coffee County School District has been awarded grant renewal for the 21st Century Community Learning Center program titled Coffee County Schools Excellence. This grant for the after school program receives federal funding from the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Extended Learning. Grants are awarded by 3 to 5 year contracts by a panel of independent readers who score them using a detailed rubric. The previous grant concluded in June of 2019, which served only East Coffee Elementary.

The annual award is $403,815.00, which totals $2,019,075.00 over the next 5 years. Sites will be formed at East Coffee Elementary, Deerfield Elementary, Hickerson Elementary, and a possible fourth site to be determined.

East Coffee has been the recipient of this grant for the past 14 years. With the additional award, the other sites will be included beginning this 2019-20 academic year.

The after school program operates Monday through Thursday from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. when school is in session. Students receive a healthy snack, physical activity, academic and homework assistance, additional help for students with a deficiency in skills and standards, and a fun elective. The electives range from STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Aerospace,Agriculture, Math) to arts and crafts, and additional physical education activities.

Certified teachers and qualified non-certified personnel will staff the program at each site. These services will be offered to students who meet program criteria first, then to all others on a first come, first serve basis. There is no cost for students to attend the program. The program has been very successful over the past 14 years. Plans are to accept between 80 and 100 students at each of the 4 sites, serving at least 320 to 400 total.

For more information about this program, please contact the Coffee County Schools’ District office or Jimmy St. John, Coffee County Schools Excellence Program Director, 931-723-4579 or stjohnj@k12coffee.net.

A joint investigation including the Tullahoma Police Department (TPD), Special Agent with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation(TBI) and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department (CCSD) has resulted in the arrest of Isaiah Kalil Clark, age 25. Clark was charged with two counts of second degree murder related to trafficking fentanyl laced drugs.

Kalil Clark, 25

In June 2019, law enforcement officers began investigating  two of overdoses that occurred in Tullahoma involving fentanyl. During the course of the investigation, TPD, TBI and CCSD developed information that identified Isaiah Clark as the person responsible for distributing the fentanyl with connections to the overdose victims. In addition to the murder charges, he is also being charged with one count of manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance. He is being held in the Coffee County Jail.

On July 12 at 10 a.m., law enforcement went to Tullahoma Village to serve an arrest warrant. After trying to evade arrest, Clark was apprehended. During the investigation, three additional individuals with arrest warrants were also taken into custody.

Residents who want to report illegal activity or suspicious persons in the Tullahoma Village or other areas can do so anonymously by contacting TPD at 455-0530, Facebook/TullahomaPolice or text a tip to 274-637 and then text the code TPDTN, leave a space and then type message.

In Manchester, residents can call the Manchester Police Department at 931-728-2099 or the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department at 931-728-3591.

Tullahoma residents in the Jennings Point subdivision were given quite a scare Saturday when a 42-year old homeowner there called authorities claiming that an explosive device was in his residence.

Members of the Tullahoma Police Department and Tennessee Highway Patrol bomb squad worked the scene and residents within 300 yards of the home were evacuated to Grace Baptist Church. No explosive device was found in the home and the man who called in the threat was taken to the hospital for mental evaluation. 

City of Tullahoma’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen passed a resolution at its meeting last Monday (July 8) requesting that revenues from the county’s new occupancy tax – more commonly know as a hotel / motel tax, be used to promote and enhance tourism in Coffee County. 

According to The Tullahoma News, before the vote was held on the resolution, Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlees said: “we just ask that the funds go toward specific items instead of going to the general fund.”

The resolution is non-binding and it not a law or ordinance – but merely a request. You may remember the county put the controversial new tax into effect July 1 of this year and the tax is estimated to generate $280,000 each year for the county.

The new tax is 2.5% countywide. That rate would be in addition to the 6% rate already charged in hotels inside the Manchester City Limits and the 5% charged in the Tullahoma City limits. 

A child in Tennessee has died after suffering a heatstroke inside a hot car. 

Three-year old Daylin Palmer, was left unattended in a Dodge Charger for approximately two hours in Smyrna Thursday, July 11th. Smyrna Police and Rutherford County EMS rushed to the residence but were unable to save the child’s life. The father, Dylan Levesque, has been charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect, a class A felony. He is due in court today (Monday, July 15th).

Dylan Levesque

Two similar situations were reported in Murfreesboro last week where the children survived. In one case, a 21-year old woman left a child unattended in her car as she went into the Kroger. Police were informed by an employee and were waiting on the woman when she returned to her vehicle with it running, the doors unlocked and a small child in the back seat. She was issued a citation and DCS was notified. 

Also last week, officers responded to two children inside a Toyota Tundra with the windows up parked in front of the Publix on New Salem Highway. The mother of the children was inside the store purchasing wine, according to WGNS radio. 

At its most recent meeting, members of the Manchester Rotary Club brought in laundry detergent and scissors to donate to the Coffee County School System and the Manchester City School System for the schools to assist students and families in need of these necessities. The Manchester Rotary Club meets at 7 a.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at Mercantile Cafe. To inquire about joining the club, contact Taylor Rayfield rayfieldt@k12coffee.net.

Folks walking or running the Little Duck River Greenway will encounter this sign soon after leaving the Manchester Sports Park area and walking toward the Riverview School area. Officials say the greenway in this area will be closed for “about a month” for sewer rehabilitation. (Photo by Josh Peterson)

Folks who enjoy use of the Little Duck River Greenway will have to avoid the section behind the old Riverview Alternative School for about a month as crews work on sewer rehabilitation in the area. 

Work the began a few weeks ago has closed that section down for the time being as workers replace some of the sewer main in the area behind that old school and running parallel to the the greenway. 

“About eight months ago we entered into a $3 million contract to do sewer rehabilitation all through town,” said Manchester Director of Water and Sewer Bryan Pennington. 

Pennington said the decision was made to close the greenway in that area due to safety concerns. 

“We were worried about the radius of the equipment being used through there. People working those machines can have trouble seeing all around them and we didn’t want someone walking through and getting too close.”

Pennington explained the contractor said that section of the greenway would be closed for approximately one more month while work is complete. However, the timeline is contingent upon cooperative weather. 

The Greenway still has plenty of room and access points at Rotary Park, Fred Deadman Park and Dave King Park.