Category: News

A joint investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, and Tennessee Fire Investigation Services has resulted in the indictment of a McMinnville man on an arson charge.
On March 22nd, TBI Special Agents joined investigators from Warren County and Fire Investigation Services in responding to a structure fire at 736 Depot Road in Rock Island. The structure was an outbuilding that was being utilized as a dwelling at that time. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that identified Billy Nelson as the individual responsible for setting the fire.
On November 2nd, the Warren County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging 60 year-old Billy Ray Nelson with one count of Arson. Nelson was arrested on November 7th and booked into the Warren County Jail on a $7,500 bond.

Written by: DarKenya Waller, Executive Director, Legal Aid Society

Veterans make up just 7 percent of the U.S. population. So, it’s safe to say that for large swaths of our country, the realities of military service are somewhat removed from our daily lives and scope of understanding.
Though the sacrifices made by veterans are brought to our attention each Veterans Day, the emotional or physical wounds that some vets carry are a constant, daily struggle. Some experience a spiraling effect on their personal relationships and ability to manage basic life responsibilities.
According to a 2017 HUD report on homelessness, 9 percent of the U.S. homeless population is made up of veterans (40,056 veterans). It’s a tragedy when any person experiences homelessness, but especially so when their service to our country has played a role in them being in that situation.
These men and women often face a variety of legal needs. In fact, a survey released in May by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found that four of the top 10 unmet needs for homeless veterans result from a lack of legal assistance. They are:
• Legal assistance for child support issues (No. 5 for males, No. 5 for females)
• Legal assistance to help restore a driver’s license (No. 8 for males, No. 8 for females)
• Legal assistance for outstanding warrants and fines (No. 9 for males, No. 10 for females)
• Legal assistance to prevent eviction and foreclosure (No. 10 for males)
These unresolved legal issues often contribute to the cycle of poverty that keeps these veterans in a homeless situation. Wrongful eviction or foreclosure can force residents from their homes, robbing them of a stability that we all depend on. Outstanding warrants and fines can pile up beyond a person’s ability to pay, possibly leading to jail time. The ability to bring in money through a job can be hampered by the lack of a fixed address, and without a driver’s license, commuting to a job by other means can be a struggle.
All of these issues feed into one another, and the effect can be overwhelming. But there is help available. At Legal Aid Society, we provide free legal services for veterans and other low-income Tennesseans throughout our 48-county Middle Tennessee and Cumberland Plateau service area.
We recently partnered with several other local groups to launch The Veterans Project, a program that offers legal assistance to veterans. We take direct referrals from the Metro Homelessness Commission and the Veterans Court, and coordinate the staffing of Attorney for a Day events held each Wednesday at Operation Stand Down Tennessee, where veterans can meet with one of our volunteer attorneys from several local law firms.
Although the program’s main focus is veterans who are homeless or facing homelessness, assistance is also available for a range of civil legal issues, including child support, debt, bankruptcy, car purchase/repair, family law, expungement and reinstatement of driver’s licenses.
Our veterans have fought and sacrificed for our country, and we must do our part by fighting for them in return. Helping them confront their legal troubles is one way of bringing much-needed stability into their lives.
To schedule an appointment at Operation Stand Down’s Tennessee office, call 615-248-1981. You can also learn more about our free legal services by visiting https://las.org/find-help/self-help-resource-center/legal-help-booklets.
DarKenya Waller is the executive director of Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands advocates for fairness and justice under the law. The non-profit law firm offers free civil legal representation and educational programs to help people in its region receive justice, protect their well-being and support opportunities to overcome poverty. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. Legal Aid Society is funded in part by United Way. Learn more at www.las.org or by following the firm on Facebook.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it was honored to take part in last week’s Crime Scene Invitational, involving high school students from across Middle Tennessee!
TBI Agents judged several competitions, including concealed fingerprint processing, crime scene investigations, DUI stops, appellate court arguments, and more!
Great job to all of the high schools that participated, including Riverdale, Santa Fe, Coffee County, Spring Hill, Tullahoma, Kenwood, McGavock, Lebanon, Marshall County, Blackman, Smyrna, Siegel, Stewart’s Creek, and Eagleville!
Congratulations to Coffee County High School Teacher Toby Alonzo and his students for finishing 1st in the competition.

AAA projects 54.3 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, a 4.8 percent increase over last year. The 2018 holiday season will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume increase in more than a dozen years with 2.5 million more. The vast majority of travelers, 48.5 million, are planning a road trip for the holiday.
1.2 million Tennesseans are expected to travel for the holiday. That’s an increase of 5.1 percent over last year. 1.18 million Tennesseans will drive to their destinations.
AAA spokesman Stephanie Milani said consumers are traveling more due to higher wages, more disposable income, rising levels of household wealth and recently declining gas prices.
The Thanksgiving holiday period is defined as Wednesday, November 21st through Sunday, November 25th.

Motlow State Community College will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday from Thursday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 25, according to college officials.
The closing applies to computer labs, libraries, and other facilities at all Motlow State campuses, including the Moore County, Fayetteville, McMinnville and Smyrna campuses and the Shelbyville and Sparta teaching sites.
There will be no classes on Wednesday, Nov. 21, although Motlow facilities will remain open. Classes scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 25, will also not be meeting.
All classes will resume their normal schedules at all campuses at their normal hours, on Monday, Nov. 26.

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, in conjunction with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, has completed an investigation of Heather Franklin, the former South Middle School Trojan Athletic Booster Club treasurer. The investigation began after booster club and school officials reported questionable transactions in the booster club bank records.
Investigators determined that Heather Franklin, who after her tenure as treasurer changed her name to Heather Harris after marriage, stole at least $4,927 from the booster club between November 2016 and March 2017.
Franklin stole the money by keeping at least $4,087 in cash that was collected from concession sales at basketball games. She also wrote a booster club check for $840 that was used to pay loans for her personal vehicles.
Franklin covered up her misappropriation by making false entries in the booster club’s records. She later admitted to investigators that she took the booster club’s money to pay personal expenses.
In November 2018, Heather (Franklin) Harris was indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury on one count of theft over $2,500.
“Tennessee booster clubs are required by law to establish procedures to ensure that money is safeguarded,” said Comptroller Justin P. Wilson. “In this case, booster club officials failed to separate financial responsibilities, review bank statements, and ensure that two signatures were required and included on all checks.
If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse of public money in Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at (800) 232-5454, or file a report online at: www.comptroller.tn.gov/hotline.

Your Coffee County Veterans Association will be hosting their annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Saturday November 10th at 11 AM. The program has been moved from the downtown square to the Veterans building on Shelton Road in Manchester.
This is an occasion set aside to honor the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women who have devoted themselves to the defense of our nation and the liberty we hold so dearly. Please join the Veterans Association for this special event.
Veterans Day is Sunday November 11 but is being observed in 2018 on Monday November 12.

For the fourth consecutive year, Motlow State Community College has the largest enrollment in school history and remains among the fastest-growing colleges in Tennessee, according to Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) official enrollment numbers released for the fall 2018 semester.
Motlow enrolled 6,886 students this fall, a 4.1 percent increase over the 6,612 enrolled during the same period last fall. This compares with a 1.3 percent increase for all Tennessee community colleges combined for the fall 2018 semester. Final enrollment numbers are based on the preliminary census report from TBR.
Underscoring the impressive enrollment numbers is the fact that Motlow continues to lead all Tennessee community colleges in three-year graduation rate at 33.5 percent. This rate tracks first-time, full-time freshmen through the summer of their third year and counts students who earn associate degrees, short-term certificates, and long-term certificates from any community college in the TBR System.
Contributing to the strong enrollment numbers at Motlow are two important last-dollar scholarship programs, Tennessee Reconnect, and Tennessee Promise. According to school officials, there are 1,060 adult Reconnect students, and 1,913 Tennessee Promise-eligible students.
Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) for Motlow, which is a formula that determines how many students are attending full time, is 4,617 this year, a two percent increase over the 4,525 last year.
As a comparison, in fall 2014 Motlow had an enrollment of 4,793 and an FTE of 2,984. In just four years, enrollment has increased over 43 percent and FTE has risen over 54 percent.

Additional security was present at Shelbyville Central High School on Wednesday after one student was shot Tuesday afternoon during what police described as an off-campus “drug deal gone bad.”
The incident took place at mid-afternoon at Fast Lane Market, Madison Street, Detective Sgt. Charles Merlo of the Shelbyville Police Department said.
A 17-year-old student was shot in the leg by one of two 15-year-olds who were together, Merlo said. The shooter was charged with aggravated assault and his partner with allegedly assisting with the crime.
Two adults were with the victim, Merlo said. None of the three have been charged.
The victim was airlifted to a Nashville hospital. (Shelbyville Times-Gazette)