Category: News

Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s administration would include a faith-based and community initiatives division under a proposal making its way through the Tennessee General Assembly.
According to the bill, the office would partner with a nonprofit to carry out the bulk of the work on addressing public safety, reoffending and opioid addiction. The governor would select members of the board and the executive director of the nonprofit partner.
However, no state tax dollars are budgeted for the new office. Instead, the nonprofit would also be tasked with soliciting private donations from the public.
Lee has backed the idea of the faith-based and community initiative office since running as a candidate for the top statewide seat.
The measure has already cleared the House and advanced out of a Senate panel on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is joining states across the nation to ask motorists to “Drive like you work here”-move over and slow down for highway workers. TDOT is spreading that message statewide during National Work Zone Awareness Week in an effort to improve safety in Tennessee’s interstate and highway construction and maintenance work zones.
In 2016, three TDOT employees were struck and killed by passing motorists. With hundreds of TDOT employees working on the highways every day, TDOT is urging drivers to pay attention to signs, reduce your speed and move over when possible.
Last year in Tennessee, 20 people died in work zone crashes, including workers, drivers, and passengers.

On Tuesday morning WMSR News was invited to Hickerson Elementary School for a special swearing-in ceremony of 8 Student School Safety Officers. Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin with the help of AAA (The Auto Club Group), and SRO Hassan Peterson began a school safety officer patrol. The program began a few months ago to include all Coffee County elementary schools.
Sheriff Partin swore in the officers that will work with Hickerson’s SRO Jason Dendy.
Sgt. Laura Nettles said that there is a total of 53 school safety officers in Coffee County elementary schools. She added the officers will have the opportunity to participate in a summer camp at the sheriff’s department.

Dinah Gail Loughridge has safely been located (4-9-19).

Story from 4-8-19. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department has issued a statement to be on the lookout for a runaway juvenile. Her name is Dinah Gail Loughridge. She stands 5’3”, weighing 170lbs with Blonde and Brown hair.
She was last seen on 3/24/19 in Coffee County in the Old Seminary Road area. She was wearing black jogging pants with a white stripe going down the leg, black sweatshirt, green Nike hoodie, and a cream-colored backpack.
If you see Dinah Gail Loughridge or have any contact with her, please call Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Laura Nettles at 931-570-4425.

Now through April 12th, the Manchester Police Department, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and other agencies are having a special enforcement known as “Operation Incognito.”
It is a specialized enforcement operation aimed at reducing crashes by concentrating efforts on the main contributing factors involving injury-related crashes which are distracted driving, aggressive driving, speeding, seat belt violations and other high-risk driving behaviors.
More than 3,400 people are killed in distracted driving crashes each year. Drivers are being urged to put down their phone and avoid distractions when behind the wheel, especially now during April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The Shelbyville Police Department was asking your assistance locating Jamichael Richardson. He was wanted for a shooting offense that occurred in the early morning hours of April 5, 2019. Richardson has been brought into custody. No details about his arrest were released by police.
A 17-year-male victim was rushed to a Nashville hospital after being shot.

Monteagle Police Department in conjunction with Dunlap Police Department recovered stolen property from a theft that happened at the Super 8 Motel in Monteagle.
On March 24th, 2019, an individual reported $6,300 stolen from a jacket pocket left at the motel. After officers with the Monteagle Police Department reviewed security footage from the motel, warrants were issued for the individuals responsible.
Just 3 days later on March 27th Dunlap Police Department stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction with one of the individuals responsible for the theft driving the vehicle.
The following day officers from the Monteagle Police Department interviewed the driver and obtained from Dunlap Police Department the remaining money that was stolen just days prior.
Crystal Gail Coffelt, 38, of Grundy County, was arrested on suspicion of stealing $6,300. She was transported to the Sequatchie County Justice Center where she is being held on multiple charges: Possession of Schedule II (methamphetamine), Sched. III, Sched. IV, and Sched. VI drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Coffelt is scheduled to appear in Sequatchie County General Sessions Court April 25. Another person is still at large.

A regional overdose-prevention program that equips citizens with naloxone is expanding across the state.
Tennessee has seen increasing numbers of overdose deaths in recent years because of opioid use. But the program, which already has put 35,000 naloxone kits into residents’ hands, aims to change that.
In October 2017, the state placed regional overdose-prevention specialists in communities where overdose deaths were highest. These individuals are training others on when and how to use naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote. They’re handing out naloxone kits and educating people about addiction.
Matthew Parriott, director of communication for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, confirmed the program is saving lives.
“We have documented that at least 2,000 lives have been saved through this program,” Parriott said, “and we believe the actual number to be much higher. But because of the stigma of addiction and other reasons, somebody might not necessarily report to us, ‘Oh yeah, I saved my brother’s life with the naloxone you gave me. He’s still at risk for overdose. Can I have another dose?'”
Regional overdose-prevention specialists have trained more than 30,000 people statewide, and Parriott said the program is now expanding.
“What we did was, we partnered with the Tennessee Department of Health to look at, where is the overdose prevalence highest, where is the need the greatest?” he explained. “And so, we added additional coverage in Memphis, Knoxville and Nashville. And then, the suburban area around metro Nashville-Davidson County we divided up, so we added coverage there.”
He added many of the people employed as regional overdose-prevention specialists are in recovery from addiction, and are using their life experiences to help others.