Category: News

Jimmy Taylor and his wife Kay. Taylor received a standing ovation from the many in attendance

The annual Memorial Day Ceremony was held yesterday (May 28th, 2012) on the square in downtown Manchester.
The event paid tribute to the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Speakers included State Representative Judd Matheny, representatives from Coffee County, the City of Manchester, Arnold Engineering Development Center, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Mayor Betty Superstein presented a “Key to the City” to Veteran Jimmy Taylor. Taylor for many years has helped organize veterans events on the square.

Rep Judd Matheny speaking at ceremony... By Barry West

A Manchester woman is in critical condition in Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga after being severely beaten Friday night by three males.
According to Investigator Butch Stewart, around 9:30 p.m. Friday night Amanda Townsend, 32, of Summer St. Manchester was in her residence when three black males kicked the door open and entered the house. “They began to beat her and asking her where’s the money,” the investigator stated.
“They beat her for some time until she eventually passed out,” Stewart stated.
Townsend later gained consciousness and found herself stuffed in a closet in the kitchen of the residence. A cord had been tied around her neck, her feet and hands behind her back. She was able to free herself and got out of the closet.
“She then ran out and ran to a neighbor’s residence and asked them to call 911.
When Manchester Police Cpl. Stuart Colwell arrived, he found Townsend with the cord still around her neck and she was very bloody.
The officer requested an ambulance to the residence, and she was transported to United Regional Medical Center where she was stabilized and then flown to the Chattanooga hospital.
According to Stewart, the house had been ransacked.
The investigator stated that from the blood found in the kitchen area of the house, she was apparently beaten there.
Stewart was able to determine that the men had taken at least three flat screen televisions from the residence.
Police are continuing to search in an effort to determine if any other items were taken.
Stewart joined Investigators Bill Sipe and Mark Yother, along with sheriff’s investigators Chad Partin and Jason Dendy in the investigation of the incident.
Members of the police department searched the area for any possible clues in the incident.
Stewart asked that if anyone saw anything suspicious in the Summer Street area, or may have heard of who might have committed the crime, to please contact the Manchester Police Department at 728-2099.

A 32-year-old Shelbyville man is being held in the Franklin County Jail after he was arrested Thursday night on kidnapping and sex charges.
Christopher Blunkall, of Cedar Grove Road, Shelbyville, was charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and solicitation of a minor with electronic devices. He is being held under a $100,000 bond. Blunkall’s arrest comes after a 12-year-old Winchester girl told police last month that she was kidnapped from a local convenience store and raped. She later recanted the kidnapping story and told police she had been with a man in a motel having sex. But she refused to tell police who the man that she only identified as Chris was. Since that incident, Winchester Police have continued to investigate the incident attempting to identify the man.
Winchester Police Chief Dennis Young stated that his department had been working with Shelbyville Police investigators and they were able to identify the man and locate him. Additional charges are possible in Shelbyville and there is “a strong possibility” in Lewisburg.

Two people were killed, and a child was hurt in a head-on collision in Warren County Friday morning.
Officials said the crash happened just before 7 a.m. on Highway 55 near Warren County High School. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said a Dodge Caravan driving north crossed into the southbound lanes and struck a Pontiac Grand Am head-on.
The driver of the Grand Am, 43-year-old Terry McCormick, was fatally injured in the crash. The driver of the Caravan, 56-year-old Rita Greene, was taken by ambulance, but later died from injuries sustained in the crash. Both victims were from McMinnville.
A two-year-old child in the Grand Am also suffered with non-life threatening injuries but was airlifted. The child was in a child seat.

Seniors walk into ceremonies... By Barry West

Graduation was held Friday night for Coffee County High School seniors. In front of a huge crowd of thousands, the seniors took their next step toward a future full of expectations. 375 seniors heard from fellow classmates and Principal John Bush as they accepted their diplomas. Many of the grads will take a break from school for a short period before heading off the college and others will jump right into the workforce. The 2012-2013 school year begins in just over 2 months.

Proud seniors receive diplomas... By Barry West

Coffee County Sheriff’s deputies found 41 marijuana plants growing in a residence on Ham Street in Tullahoma Wednesday afternoon(May 23, 2012). According to a report by Cpl. James Sherrill, officers had received information of the possible “grow operation” at the residence. When officers arrived they immediately smelled the odor of marijuana and obtained permission to search the house. They found plants ranging in size from two inches to six feet tall. They also found an ounce of marijuana drying, a loaded shotgun, assorted paraphernalia and $351 in cash. The plants found were valued at $30,000. Taking part in the search were Sheriff Steve Graves, Deputy Brandon Reed, Agent Wendell Norton. The case will be presented to the grand jury.

In spite of efforts to crack down on the state’s prescription drug abuse epidemic, a new report shows that nearly 18 million prescriptions for controlled substances like OxyContin and hydrocodone were dispensed in Tennessee last year – a 23% increase from the previous year. The surging figures in the report to the General Assembly are a setback for those on the front lines fighting to get a grip on the prescription drug abuse epidemic that is rampant across the state. Tennessee has some of the highest prescription drug abuse rates in the country. State Mental Health Commissioner Doug Varney says the epidemic is so bad here that officials are now projecting that requests for treatment for pill addiction will overtake that for alcohol by 2013.

An eighteen-year-old woman lost control of her vehicle on Dogwood Drive in Manchester on Thursday morning (May 24, 2012). The female’s car left the road and struck a tree. She was taken to an area hospital complaining of head, upper back, and other pains. Manchester PD worked the scene.

Law enforcement officers will staff more than 70 checkpoints in Tennessee over the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

State troopers will work around the clock with a special emphasis on enforcing seat belt use as part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign. They also will be looking out for impaired and aggressive drivers.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Tracy Trott said using seat belts is an effective way to save lives. According to a news release from the THP, seat belts have been proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45%, and by 60% in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

So far this year, 369 people have been killed in state traffic accidents, 36 ahead of the 2011 pace.