Category: News

In a follow-up to a story we reported on out of Winchester that occurred on Sunday December 9, 2018, police are asking for the public’s help. Officers of the Winchester Police Department responded to a call of an armed robbery that had taken place at 1018 South College Street also known as Loui’s Bar and Grill. Upon arrival, officers spoke with an employee of Loui’s. The employee stated that an unknown individual came into the establishment wearing all black, wearing a ski mask, and did have a firearm. The individual then demanded money. The individual did obtain an undetermined amount of money and left in an unknown direction. The employee of Loui’s was unharmed in the incident. The identity of the individual who committed the robbery is unknown at this time and the investigation into the matter is ongoing.
We now have pictures of the person allegedly involved in the crime. Anyone who has any information about the incident or the individual that committed the robbery is encouraged to contact Detective Brian Wilder with the Winchester Police Department at 931-967-3840 or Crimestoppers at 931-962-INFO (4636).

We have another follow-up to a story we reported in early December. A man robbed the Check Into Cash location in Shelbyville. That man has now been charged with the Dec. 8 robbery.
Early Saturday morning Michael Blondin of Unionville was arrested and was placed under a $150,000 bond. Blondin was arrested in Murfreesboro and charged with two counts of aggravated robbery.
Apparently, Blondin had done business with Check Into Cash in the past so that made him familiar with their business operation.
Blondin is being housed in the Bedford County Jail.

The number of confirmed cases of a polio-like illness affecting mostly children continues to surpass record totals with 186 confirmed cases in 39 states.
The latest totals were reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of December 28th. The totals mark an increase of 21 confirmed cases and three more states compared to the December 14th reporting period.
Among unconfirmed cases, there are now 341 under investigation.
All states bordering Tennessee have unconfirmed cases, but there have been zero cases unconfirmed or confirmed in the volunteer state. Only 12 other states report no polio-like illnesses. Texas has the highest total of cases with 25.
Since 2014, over 90% of patients reported a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before developing the polio-like illness. Over 90% of the cases have been children.

If you’ve been watching some of your favorite programs on Netflix, officials say you may be at risk.
The Federal Trade Commission has a new warning for users of the streaming platform.
The FTC says Netflix customers need to be on the lookout for a new e-mail scam.
Criminals are posing as Netflix in e-mails and telling users that the company needs to confirm payment details. It’s an attempt to get you to hand over personal information and a credit or debit card number.
Consumer experts say it’s a good idea to avoid clicking on links and e-mails like this altogether.
If you ever have any questions about your account just go the company website directly.

Organizers estimate a record crowd of 175,000 to 200,000 people attended the “Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville,” Monday night at Bicentennial Mall, breaking an attendance record of a few years ago.
Country superstar Keith Urban headlined the annual concert for the third year in a row before the Music Note, which featured more than 13,000 LED pixels, was dropped at midnight.
Monday night’s event was the 10th annual New Year’s Eve celebration and marked the third year being held at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
The previous record crowd was set in 2015 with 150,000.

James Richard McCoy Jr.. Photo provided

WMSR News covered over 1,200 news stories in 2018, with over 750 being local. As you can understand, it was a very busy year in Coffee County. After a lot of research that included listener response, Facebook interaction and you all reading news stories on wmsrradio.com, the number one news story for 2018 is the Sept. 9 murder of Lisa McCoy in Manchester.
When Manchester Police arrived at her home on Duck River Road early Sunday morning Sept. 9, they found McCoy had been shot several times.
As the investigation was being conducted, Manchester Police arrested the woman’s husband, 54-year-old James Richard McCoy, Jr.
According to Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott, “There had been a very concerted effort to destroy any evidence at the home and that it had appeared that he was preparing to dispose of the body.” McCoy, Jr. was charged with 1st Degree Murder, Tampering with Evidence, Domestic Violence and Abuse of a Corpse.
James Richard McCoy, Jr remains in jail awaiting trial.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a stolen go-cart. The item is a red in color Streaker model pace setter, model number D710. The item is valued at approximately $500.00 and was reportedly taken from Allred Road.
The victim and family did incur damage from a tornado that hit Franklin County on November 6th, 2018 but said they did see the go-cart after the storm. Anyone having information regarding this theft is asked to contact Investigator George Dyer at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 931-308-9420.

The Decherd Municipal/Regional Planning Commission has unanimously approved site plans for a training center to go in between the Nissan Powertrain Assembly Plant and the Infiniti Powertrain Plant at 520 Nissan Powertrain Drive.
Representatives from Nissan recently showed the commission plans for the 20,600-square-foot, state-of-the-art training facility that will be used for hands-on training, just as if one were on the plant floor.
There will be training rooms, some offices and a conference room in the facility that will feature the latest technology where employees can learn the most up-to-date approaches. (Information from the Herald Chronicle)

At WMSR we attempt to keep you updated on scams you could become a victim of. We’ve reported it before and here it comes again, Social Security scam. Scammers pretend to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and try to get your Social Security number or your money. That scam is now growing throughout the area and nation. To compare: in 2017, there were a reported 3,200 people nationally that reported about SSA imposter scams, and those people reported losing nearly $210,000. In 2018 more than 35,000 people reported the scam, and they say they’ve lost $10 million.
Here’s what one of those scam calls sound like:
Scammers are saying your Social Security number (SSN) has been suspended because of suspicious activity, or because it’s been involved in a crime. Sometimes, the scammer wants you to confirm your SSN to reactivate it. Sometimes, he’ll say your bank account is about to be seized – but he’ll tell you what to do to keep it safe. (Often, that involves putting your money on gift cards and giving him the codes – which, of course, means that your money is gone.)
Oh, and your caller ID often shows the real SSA phone number (1-800-772-1213) when these scammers call – but they’re faking that number. It’s not the real SSA calling.
Here’s what to know:
• Your Social Security number is not about to be suspended. You don’t have to verify your number to anyone who calls out of the blue. And your bank accounts are not about to be seized.
• SSA will never call to threaten your benefits or tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on gift cards. Anyone who tells you to do those things is a scammer. Every time.
• The real SSA number is 1-800-772-1213, but scammers are putting that number in the caller ID. If you’re worried about what the caller says, hang up and call 1-800-772-1213 to speak to the real SSA. Even if the wait time is long, confirm with the real SSA before responding to one of these calls.
• Never give any part of your Social Security number to anyone who contacts you. Or your bank account or credit card number.
If you get one of these calls, tell the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.