Category: News

Coffee County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday night. A controversial vote on re-zoning land in Hillsboro was on the agenda. Wright Paving and Custom Stone wants to use the property they own to be used as a rock quarry. County commissioners voted to send the issue back to the Coffee County Planning Commission for further review with a report due by the November meeting. Commissioners also were to vote to restore the original reclamation plan that was presented to the planning commission several years ago. Reclamation is done to put land back to as close to the way it was before use by a quarry. Companies are responsible to be bonded for an amount determined by the county commission. Right now the way the plan is written a bond would have to be at $95,000 per acre for unlimited acres. The land in question in Hillsboro is 127 acres. A planning commission representative and some county commissioners agree the amount is too high, saying it should be in the neighborhood of $2,000-$5,000 per acre, with some saying as high as $10,000. Commissioners voted to ask the planning commission to re-study the plan and have a recommendation by the November meeting.
At the end of the meeting Coffee County Director of Schools Kenny Casteel spoke to board and thank them for their hard work and working with the school system. After receiving a standing ovation from all in attendance, Casteel then introduced new director Dr LaDonna McFall to the commission.

Preliminary figures from the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Chattanooga District indicate that State Troopers investigated 29 traffic crashes with zero fatalities during the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Coffee County from last Wednesday through Monday. State Troopers issued 347 moving violation citations and responded to 534 motorist assist calls.
The THP sends officers from each district to work in Manchester during Bonnaroo.

A follow-up to a story we brought you yesterday about a Coffee County Animal Control worker accused of allegedly shooting and killing a dog without following proper procedure:
Animal Control officer Charlie Brown filed a police report with the Manchester Police Department concerning the dog’s owner, Bryan Pennington. The report of intimidation states that Pennington and Brown had a verbal altercation Tuesday morning. Brown says in the report that Pennington made “threats to do bodily injury” to Brown. The animal control officer says Pennington said he would “beat him up” and told him “this is small town and you can’t hide”.
One local media oulet falsely reported that Pennington was charged in the case, but according to Manchester Police Commissioner Ross Simmons, NO charges have been filed.
Pennington told WMSR News that he does not want to see Brown lose his job. His hope is that the Coffee County Animal Control will reconsider the way they euthanize animals by not shooting them.
The Coffee County Animal Control falls under the county government’s Health and Welfare Department and is funded by the county. A committee will meet Monday (June 18) on the issue of the dog being killed beginning at 5pm.

The U.S. Department of Justice has conveyed to the State of Tennessee approximately 1000 acres of undeveloped land on Short Mountain in Cannon County.
The land, located in Woodbury, will be managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and known as the Headwaters Wildlife Management Area. As a critical habitat for plant and animal species and containing the headwaters for three Tennessee watersheds, the land will be open to the public for small game hunting, hiking, and wildlife viewing. The Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division coordinated the transfer.
This land was forfeited to the United States as part of the 2007 federal criminal convictions of Morris Roller and Jeffory Carl Young for distribution of marijuana. The transfer was made under a law that allows the Justice Department to convey forfeited property to states for public use for recreation or conservation purposes. The federal criminal investigation leading to the forfeiture of this property was assisted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission; Warren County Sheriff’s Department; Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department; and Chattanooga Police Department.
A dedication ceremony for the land took place yesterday. (June 13, 2012)

An investigation is underway in Grundy County into an officer-involved shooting. Richard Fults was at a friend’s house when deputies arrived there to serve a warrant. Authorities say that Fults attacked the deputies with a knife, so an officer fired and hit Fults. He was airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center.
The names of the officers involved have not yet been released, which is standard procedure.

A Coffee County Animal Control worker is in hot water for allegedly shooting and killing a dog without following proper procedure.
According to Bryan Pennington, who was the dog’s owner, his black 16-year-old Labrador retriever, “Toby,” was picked up by Coffee County Animal Control Monday afternoon and was apparently shot in the head by worker Charlie Brown.
Pennington told us that his dog had arthritis in his legs and was blind in one eye.
According to County Resolution 95-41, Section 7, paragraph G, if a dog impounded for any reason is not wearing a tag or a name collar and is not claimed by the owner within three days of its impoundment, the dog may be claimed and redeemed by any responsible person without any liability to the owners, or the dog may be destroyed by the county. Pennington said his dog did not wear a collar because of a skin irritation.
According to Pennington, Toby was at his new neighbors home when they called animal control.
According to a distraught Pennington, the animal was lying on the sidewalk, and they thought something was wrong with him so they called animal control. That’s when the dog was picked up by animal control and later killed.
Bryan Pennington picked the deceased dog up from Coffee County Animal Control Tuesday morning and took it to his vet – Tom Harbin. He said everything checked out fine. He was just an older dog.
The Coffee County Animal Control falls under the county government’s Health and Welfare Department and is funded by the county. A committee will meet on this issue Monday (June 18) at 5pm.

The Election Commission met Monday afternoon to determine if two non-city residents who own property in Manchester were eligible to be placed on the ballot in the upcoming city election. After hearing discussion on both sides, the commission voted four to zero in favor of the motion to put them on the ballot. The motion was made by Max Lamont and seconded by Larry McIntosh. The two in question were Brent Bates and Danny Davis.
Prior to this motion another motion was passed to approve Michelle Simmons and Gary Trail who both live inside the city limits.
Manchester voters will be allowed to vote for up to 5 candidates. The top three candidates will receive 4-year terms. The next two will serve 2 years and 5th highest gets to serve out the final 2 years of Lonnie Norman’s term.  Norman must give up his remaining term in order to be on the mayoral ballot.  Other candidates for alderman include Donnie Thomas, Harlan Gene Holmes, Ryan French and Roxanne Patton. Other candidates qualifying are J. Sam Miller, Mark Messick, Tim Pauley, Cheryl Swan, Russell Bryan and Joshua Jackson Moore.
Mayoral candidates are Betty Superstein, Lonnie Norman, Claude Morse and Stella McWhorter.
Election Day is August 2.

The Jail Review Committee met Monday afternoon to discuss the bat situation. Steve Maloney, of Griggs & Maloney Engineering & Environmental Consultants, proposed going into mediation with TWRA to resolve the problem about endangered bats on county land. The endangered Indiana Bat could be on the same property that the county wants to use for the new jail on the Hillsboro Highway.
The Committee made and passed a motion to allow Maloney to proceed forward if the cost was not to exceed $5,000. The TWRA determined that there were 70 trees on the property that could be homes to the Indiana Bat.
Since June is the birthing season and the young bats need at least 30 days to fly, the TWRA probably would not allow removal of trees before July 15 under any circumstances.

Tennessee revenue collections continued an upward growth trend in May with a net positive growth of 3.40% over collections made in the same month last year. The Finance and Administration Commissioner reports that overall May revenues were $871.1 million, which is $15.6 million more than the state budgeted. The commission explained that May marks the tenth consecutive month this year in which total collections have exceeded the budgeted estimates. The commissioner said that the state has seen growth in sales tax collections for the past 26 consecutive months, the growth has slowed – and corporate tax collections for May were below the budgeted estimate.

A 95-year-old World War II veteran woke up to find his home had been broken into in Tracy City. Among the many belongings taken were his wallet, shotgun and nearly brand new car.
Hershel Curtis says it all happened while he was sleeping Saturday night in his Tracy City home. Now he says worse than being out thousands of dollars worth of items, is the fear it’s put in him.
Tire tracks in the grass show where someone drove away in his 2011 Ford Focus full of electronics, tools, weapons, and Hershel’s wallet full of checks, credit cards and personal documents, like his social security card.
Grundy County investigators did find Hershel’s hunting license on the side of the road in Coalmont.
You’re asked to call the sheriff’s office if you spot Hershel’s 2011 red Ford Focus with Tennessee tags: 3DD2080.