Category: News

Two Coffee County Sheriff’s Department correction officers have been arrested in two separate cases.
During a Coffee County Law Enforcement meeting in October, Sheriff Chad Partin stated two corrections officers were suspended because of an assault on an inmate inside the jail. There has been an ongoing investigation and evidence was presented to District Attorney Craig Northcott.
One of the officers has been indicted and was arrested on Friday. 26-year-old Justin Taylor was charged with one-count of aggravated assault and was booked in at the Coffee County Jail under a $25,000 bond. Taylor made his bond and was released.
Coffee County Chief Deputy Frank Watkins says that Taylor was terminated from his job at the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.
No one else has been charged in this case.
** Photo of Taylor was not available as of Sunday night.

Michael J. Merrill, 24, a corrections officer for the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department was arrested last week on a reckless endangerment charge. Winchester Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s personnel responded to a report that shots had been fired near Gary’s Lake Market on Highway 130.
Merrill, who lives in the area of the shooting, posted a $2,500 bond after being arrested. He is due in Franklin County General Sessions Court on Dec. 6.
Coffee County Chief Deputy Watkins says that Merrill has been suspended without pay.
The police report indicates that Merrill was wearing a black bulletproof vest, and officers said they could smell what they believed to be alcohol on the suspect’s breath.
Merrill was checked for weapons, and he allegedly said he had been shooting from the back porch into the air.
He also allegedly told officers he had been drinking beer and liquor.
Reports state that during a search of the residence, a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle was found with a 30-round magazine loaded in it.

On Friday morning around 10:45 am, the Hickerson Station Fire Department was called to a structure fire on Flora Lane. Upon arriving on scene, the house and two vehicles in front of the garage were fully engulfed. Multiple agencies were called for assistance.  With a lot of great team work, the fire was brought under control by noon, but unfortunately the home and the vehicles were a total loss.
Units remained on scene until approximately 5:30pm ensuring that every hot spot was extinguished.
Hickerson Fire Department, Tullahoma Fire Department, Manchester Fire and Rescue, along with volunteer units from Hillsboro, Summitville, and New Union assisted on the scene. Others helping on the scene included the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, Rescue Squad, Emergency Medical Service, and Emergency Management.

Some 2,500 volunteers are still needed to mentor TNPromise students across the state. The deadline to register is November 30.
Mentors spend one hour a month helping students as they transition from high school to college by reminding students of important deadlines, serving as a trusted college resource and encouraging students to reach their full potential.
TN Promise, in partnership with tnAchieves, allows graduating high school seniors the opportunity to attend a community or technical college, as well as several universities, tuition free with mentor support.
Potential mentors must be 21 years of age, are subject to a background check and complete a one hour training. For more information, or to apply, you can visit www.tnachieves.org.

The cost of mailing a letter is going up in January.
In an effort to improve its financial situation, the U.S. Postal Service has made a 5-cent increase on its first-class stamp, which increases the cost of mailing a one-ounce envelope from 50 cents to 55 cents.
The change, which was proposed by the Postal Service’s board of governors, was approved by regulators. The 10 percent increase for a one-ounce letter is the biggest increase in postal rates since 1991.
The good news: The price of each additional ounce is going down from 21 cents to 15 cents.
The Postal Service has had years of financial troubles due to a variety of factors and really needs more money. A steady decrease in mail volume (which is the Postal Service’s main source of revenue), combined with the cost of providing employee benefits such as healthcare and pension obligations, has overshadowed the steady gain in package deliveries.

In December last year (2017) Jacky Wayne Bean (32) from Soddy Daisy, TN. was driving a Ford Mustang when he was pulled over by a Grundy County deputy. The deputy exited his vehicle and ordered the suspect out of the vehicle. The suspect allegedly brandished a firearm. The deputy engaged Bean and fired shots as the vehicle began speeding toward the deputy and struck his patrol car. Bean was later arrested after crashing his car.
At the crash scene, a 20-year-old female was transported to the hospital and later pronounced dead. She has been identified as Shelby Comer from Beersheba Springs.
This week the Grundy County Grand Jury indicted Deputy Mike Holmes on Voluntary Manslaughter from the shooting on December 24, 2017 that took the life of Comer. Holmes has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and decommissioned by the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office.
Holmes was released on a $10,000 bond and has a November 28, appearance in court. A lawsuit has also been filed in the case. Holmes has retained legal counsel.

The nation’s leading e-cigarette maker is halting store sales of some flavors to deter use by kids.
The move by Juul Labs Inc. comes ahead of an expected U.S. government crackdown on underage sales of flavored e-cigarettes.
Juul said it stopped filling store orders Tuesday for mango, fruit, creme and cucumber pods and will resume sales only to retailers that scan IDs and take other steps to verify a buyer is at least 21. It said it will continue to sell menthol and mint at stores and sell all flavors through its website.
The company also said it would close its Facebook and Instagram social media accounts and pledged other steps to make it clear that it doesn’t want kids using its e-cigarettes.
Its products are meant to help adult smokers quit regular cigarettes, CEO Kevin Burns said in a statement.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that turn liquid often containing nicotine into an inhalable vapor. They’re generally considered a less dangerous alternative to regular cigarettes, but health officials have warned nicotine is harmful to developing brains.
In October it was reported that a battery exploded in an unknown manufacturer E-Cig. Severely burning a man from McMinnville.

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen on Wednesday released a new report to provide insight on the landscape of school safety in Tennessee. For the first time, the department is releasing information on trends found in the strengths and challenges in school security seen across districts. This new report allows the state to increase awareness, prompt further conversations, and spur future action.
While Tennessee has made several efforts in recent years to promote student safety and prepare schools for potential threats, Governor Haslam took further action in March 2018 by convening a School Safety Working Group that recommended a statewide review of school facilities and safety procedures and precautions. These recommendations were swiftly accepted by the governor, which led to the first statewide individual school safety assessments that rated each school on 89 safety standards and was overseen by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Education and local school officials.
To support this work, the 2018 Tennessee General Assembly approved $25 million in one-time funding for schools to address vulnerabilities and risks and $10 million in recurring grant funding for ongoing safety and prevention programs.
Moving forward, the department has identified five key actions to address the challenges identified during the review of safety data. They are:
• Identify priorities for supporting districts and schools.
• Revise EOP and drill log templates to enhance planning and improve documentation.
• Create options for delivering training and guidance that provide flexibility and build local capacity.
• Monitor grant spending and results to identify promising practices.
• Integrate safety planning requirements into the school approval process.