Category: News

The City of Manchester presented the Old Time Christmas Parade on Friday night (Nov. 30, 2012). The event was sponsored by the city’s Tourism and Community Development Commission, City of Manchester, Al White Motors and Central Funeral Home. The parade had near 80 entries with many floats and automobiles, the high school band and more. Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus wrapped up the parade on the city float. Many people along the route said it was the best Manchester Christmas parade yet and seem to put everyone in the holiday spirit.
The Coffee Co. Sheriff’s Dept. won 1st place in the float contest. 2nd place was the Manchester Rec Center Teen Council and the Manchester City float came in and 3rd place.

Thursday (Nov. 29, 2012) the Winchester Police Department is reporting the arrest of, Jimmy Walter Rollins, of Palmer, TN, on Federal Indictments for Eight Counts of Child Pornography Production. The indictments were presented by the United States Attorney’s Office in Chattanooga; Rollins is facing a minimum of 25 years in federal prison on each indictment. The investigation was a joint investigation with the TBI, FBI along with Grundy County authorities. The Investigation was started by Detective Chris Layne of the Winchester Police Department, Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and he was assisted by TBI agent Larry Davis and FBI Special Agent Scott Barker. During this investigation, over a dozen children from this region have been identified being sexually exploited by the defendant. Over 300,000 photos and videos were discovered during a search warrant of the defendant’s residence. Detective Layne processed the evidence and during the forensic process examination he identified multiple productions of child pornography and sexual assaults by the defendant on innocent children. Detective Layne has identified 15 children from this region in these productions. The evidence collected has shown the defendant committing these crimes for over twenty years.

Three pounds of marijuana was seized from a Tullahoma residence Thursday (Nov. 29, 2012) by deputies of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department. The deputies entered the residence of Octivavius Wooten on Berry Court where they found the pot.
Wooten was charged with possession of marijuana for resell and booked into the Coffee County Jail.
City and county officers continue to work hard to cut down on drug dealers in the area.

A Warren County man was indicted this week in connection with a double homicide that occurred in August.
David Dixon, 44, of McMinnville, TN, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after two Smithville men were shot to death.
On Aug. 7, the Smithville Police Department responded to a house on Tommy Harrell Street and discovered the homeowner, Ervin Beacham, 55, was shot to death on the couch in his home.
A second victim, Jose Sagahon Ticante, 43, was also found dead and his body was hidden under a tarp and some lumber in the backyard.
Dixon has been placed in custody in the DeKalb County Jail. Bond is set at $200,000.

A tax expert is warning state officials that Tennessee would be among the hardest-hit states if federal officials don’t resolve the so-called fiscal cliff. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Dr. Stan Chervin updated Gov. Bill Haslam and other state officials Wednesday, saying states that depend heavily on sales taxes for revenue would feel the most stress if tax breaks are not extended.
Chervin is a senior research consultant with the Tennessee Advisory commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
He noted that about 54 cents of each tax dollar in Tennessee comes from the state sales tax. Tennessee has no broad-based income tax, like most other states do. Chervin said if automatic tax hikes take effect in January, people will spend less and sales tax collections will fall.

A well established Manchester business has re-located, but is staying within Manchester City limits. H & R Block was located on N. Spring Street-on the square in Manchester for over 18 years. Rosalyn Partin (owner of the Manchester branch) explains the move as being more convenient for customers with more parking and extra private areas to meet with clients.
You can find Rosalyn and her H & R Block-team at their new location in the Goodwill shopping plaza on the Hillsboro Boulevard in Manchester.

Betty Ashton Andrews of Nashville Tennessee will be part of the Manchester Rotary Club’s 2012 Christmas Concert. Ms. Andrews has performed for two other Rotary Christmas concerts.  She will accompany the choir on one of the selections and also perform a medley of familiar Christmas Carols.
This year’s choir will be performing arrangements of Christmas carols that were arranged for the Robert Shaw Chorale, music by John Rutter and among other music by Mack Wilberg director of the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
This is the 18th year the choir of Adults and Youth have performed. The choir is sponsored by the Rotary Club as a Christmas gift to the City of Manchester and surrounding area.
The Choir under the direction of Evans Baird and accompanied by Michelle Anderson. Dana Brooks is the accompanist for the Youth Choir.
The concerts will be at the Manchester First Baptist Church on Friday November 30, and Saturday December 1. The concerts are free and open t the public.

During a press conference late Wednesday night, law enforcement officials confirmed they have made an arrest in the murder of 23-year-old Kayla Qualls.
Police said Michael L. Curtis, 48, of 603 General St. Tullahoma was arrested Wednesday around 7pm and charged with the murder. Curtis was said to be the grandfather of Qualls’ children. He is the father of Qualls’ former boyfriend.
Police said that Qualls’ former boyfriend was still considered a person of interest in the case. Both Curtis and his son were said to have criminal pasts.
Franklin County Sheriff Tim Fuller confirmed to WMSR that the murder did take place in Tullahoma at Curtis’ house.
Curtis is charged with 1st degree murder and is currently in the Coffee County Jail under a $1 (M) bond.
Qualls was found murdered inside her SUV on Monday morning, just a few miles across the Franklin county line. A preliminary investigation indicated that Qualls died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Qualls left behind two children, ages three and four.
Franklin and Coffee County Sheriff Departments along with Tullahoma and Estill Springs city police and the TBI worked almost non-stop for 3 days leading to the arrest of Curtis.
Michael Curtis was set to appear in court on Monday, December 3.
Speaking on the video below: First is Chris Guess with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Deaprtment followed by Sheriff Tim Fuller from Franklin County.

A former Tennessee teacher convicted of having sex with a 13-year-old student is now out of jail.
Pamela Rogers was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women on August 12 when her sentence expired, Dorinda Carter, spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Correction, said.
Rogers pleaded no contest to sexual battery in 2005 for her relationship with a student while she was a teacher in Warren County.
She was released on probation in 2006, but was sent back to jail for sending nude photos to the boy.
She was denied parole in 2008.

A task force of state health officials is trying to reverse an alarming rise in the number of babies born addicted to drugs in Tennessee. Babies born addicted suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome, often spending many days in the hospital as they go through the painful withdrawal process, experiencing seizures, tremors, fever and vomiting. The Health Department reported that the number of babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome increased by tenfold between 2000 and 2010. To combat the growing problem, the Health Department will begin requiring hospitals to report babies born with the syndrome beginning on January 1. State health officials also have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to place a black box warning on prescription painkillers that alerts physicians to the harm they can cause a fetus.