Category: News

Charges against a Tullahoma man, the driver of an 18 wheeler are pending in crash that killed a female in White County.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol says 32 year-old Curtis Carter the driver of the truck apparently rear ended a car that was stopped at a red light in Sparta.
The crash killed the driver of the car, 76 year old B.J. Mannes of Rock Island. The wreck occurred on Saturday morning at the intersection of Highway 111 and Taft Church Drive.
Carter was not injured.

A Bedford County woman was killed Sunday afternoon in a crash on Knob Creek Road in Shelbyville.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Lori Lovvorn, 35, of Shelbyville, was traveling on Knob Creek Road toward Shelbyville when she lost control of her vehicle, ran off an embankment, overcorrected, crossed over the roadway and crash into a tree line.
Lovvorn was not wearing a seatbelt and died.
The THP says speed was a factor.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is now accepting applications for the spring session of its Citizens’ Trooper Academy.
For the first time, academies will be held in both Nashville and Memphis.
The first session for the Nashville class is scheduled to begin Monday, March 11, 2013. Sessions will run from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. weekly. The Memphis class is scheduled to begin on Thursday, March 14, 2013. Sessions for this group will run from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. weekly.
The Citizens’ Trooper Academy consists of approximately 24-30 hours of training, and is designed to give participants a better understanding and awareness of the Tennessee Highway Patrol as well as its parent agency, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Topics covered include investigations, special operations, homeland security and many other areas of the patrol.
Participants must be at least 21 years old, available to attend weekly three-hour sessions with no more than one absence, sign required waivers and agreements and have no criminal history.
Applications are available on the THP website, the THP Facebook page (www.facebook.com/tennesseehighwaypatrol), or citizens may request applications by sending an email message.
Applicants are asked to indicate whether they wish to attend the Nashville or Memphis sessions.
Deadline for registration is February 11, 2013. Applications must be returned by that date for processing.

A Georgia-based restaurant firm says suspicious computer files have been found at some of its locations, prompting it to warn customers about the potential for fraud.
Zaxby’s Franchising Inc. said in a statement that the suspicious files may have resulted in unauthorized access to credit and debit card information at more than 100 stores.
The Athens-based firm says the affected stores are in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee (Including Tullahoma), Mississippi and Virginia.
Company officials say the issue involves malware files, which could have been used to export guest names and credit and debit card numbers. The company says it notified law enforcement of the potential criminal activity. Zaxby’s says a forensic investigation hasn’t determined whether credit or debit card data left the processing systems of any stores.

A prominent conservative blog and a well-financed family values group are calling for U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais’ ouster, adding to the national voices wanting new representation in Tennessee’s 4th District.
In a post on the group’s blog titled “Scott DesJarlais Must Go,” RedState.com contributor Daniel Horowitz spoke of “a golden opportunity in midland Tennessee to show the country that residence of the state live by the standard to which we have set for ourselves.” An anti-abortion Jasper physician who promotes a family friendly agenda, DesJarlais supported his ex-wife’s two abortions in the 1990s and later had sexual relationships with several female patients and co-workers, court documents show. Some of that information didn’t emerge until after DesJarlais won re-election in November.

More than 750 Motlow College students earned academic honors on the dean’s list and honor roll for the fall 2012 semester including nearly 60 from all across Coffee County, according to Dr. MaryLou Apple, president of the college.
To be listed on the dean’s list, full-time students must attain a semester grade-point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher based on collegiate-level classes. To qualify for the honor roll, full-time students must have a semester GPA of 3.0 to 3.49 on collegiate-level work.

A Rutherford County man was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center Sunday night after an altercation in Lakewood Park area. According to a report by Coffee County Deputy David Reed, William Thomas Pendergrast, 36, was stabbed 13 times with a pocket knife after allegedly having an argument with another man over a woman. Pendergrast told the deputy that he went to the woman’s residence in Lakewood Park to ask her if she wanted to be with him or another man. He alleged that the other man then came out with a baseball bat and the two men started to wrestle. As they two wrestled Pendergrast’s cousin Michael Anthony Manor allegedly took the ball bat away from the man. The man, according to the report, then pulled out a pocketknife and stabbed Pendergrast in the leg. Pendergrast and Manor then got into their truck and drove to the Southern Star Restaurant and called 911. After placing Pendergrast in an ambulance and transported to a Manchester hospital. He was later transferred to a hospital in Murfreesboro for treatment but was then transported to Vanderbilt. Deputies returned to where the alleged stabbing occurred and found blood in the driveway. Investigator Billy Marcom is investigating the incident.

A Lavergne man had to be treated for injuries from an assault in the parking lot of a Tullahoma business. Alfredo Rodriguez reported to Tullahoma Police Officer Chase Sons that he was attacked late Saturday night early Sunday morning as he was getting into his car that was parked at the Starlite Lounge on South Anderson Street. Rodriguez told the officer that he did not know who grabbed him from behind and assaulted him, however, there were at least seven of the attackers. After the alleged attack, Rodriguez stated that another unknown individual drove him to Winchester and dropped him off at Walmart. He was then transported by ambulance to Southern Tennessee Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries. Tullahoma Detective Tyler Hatfield is investigating the incident.