Category: News

On Nov. 3, Tracy City Police Chief Charlie Wilder arrested Stephanie Morrison, 39, of Palmer, for arson.
Wilder said his department was dispatched to 160 12th St. in Tracy City, to remove an unwanted guest. Upon arrival, they removed Morrison who was arguing with her parents, homeowners Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Meeks, and arranged with the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department to transfer her home to Palmer.
The next day, a passing motorist noticed a fire at the same address and called 911. Wilder and a Tracy City Police officer arrived on the scene within two minutes and were able to put out the fire which involved a four-wheeler and a part of the structure.
Later the same day, Wilder saw Morrison walking down the street.
“She reeked of gasoline,” said Wilder. He took Morrison into custody, interviewed her, and arrested her for arson.
The structure was saved. The chief said the arson investigation is ongoing and further details will be available at a later date.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department K-9’s and their handlers attended training last week in Morristown, TN for K-9 recertification and training.
Deputies Larry McKelvey (Yoshi), Jennifer Curbow (Max) and Sgt. David Grosch (Jarka) received recertification in Narcotics, Patrol Dog level 2 that includes tracking, trailing, obedience and more.
The training took place for one week and included the Iron dog competition that Max and Yoshi competed in.
Sheriff Steve Graves said he was very pleased with the work the three fine handlers and outstanding dogs have put in to be re-certified. He added that is proud that these K-9’s and deputies that are part of an impressive staff at the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.

Tennessee’s state park system has become the first in the nation to offer gift cards.
The Tennessean reported Monday the gift cards will range from $20-$500 and hit online vendors and all Kroger stores in Tennessee in mid-November. The deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Parks and Conservation, Brock Hill, says the system intends on keeping admission to its 56 parks free.
The gift cards can be used toward offerings such as lodging, camping, golf courses and dining.
Hill says the park system will end the year with a surplus to reinvest in the parks. With cabin rental revenue up by 41 percent over the past five years and camping revenue up by 88 percent, the state park system is currently generating nearly half of its $85 million budget in revenue.

The Coffee County Election Commission will meet on Thursday Nov. 16, 2017 at 4pm in the Election Commission office in the Administrative Plaza, 1329 McArthur St., Suite 6 in Manchester.
The purpose of the meeting will be to call for Republican and Democrat County primaries, May 1, 2018. Registration forms will also be audited.
For more information contact Coffee County Administrator of Elections, Vernita Davis at her office or call 931-723-5103.

Tennessee State Sen. Jim Tracy has resigned after accepting an appointment from President Donald Trump.
Over the weekend, Trump appointed the Republican state senator as Tennessee rural development director for the U.S. Agriculture Department. Tracy submitted his resignation letter Monday morning.
Tracy, who is from Shelbyville, has served in the state Senate since 2004.
Tracy this year was a major proponent of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s transportation funding program that included a 6-cent gas tax hike to tackle a backlog of road projects.
A Special Election will be held to fill the seat.
Audio from WGNS Radio:

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office would like to announce the initiation of its church safety and security training. The Sheriff’s Office would like to offer this training to any and all churches in Franklin County. The program provides three phases of training. Phase 1 is a security assessment of the building and grounds as well as planning and tactical considerations regarding security. Phase 2 of the training consist of actual response to active shooter for unarmed civilians to include planning pre and post incident. Phase 3 of the training consist of actual tactical response to active shooters by armed personnel. The training is offered in all three phases or any of the phases requested by each individual church. The Sheriff’s Office does request any church that is interested in the training do the security assessment first (phase 1). Anyone interested may contact Sgt. Chris Guess at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 931-308-9415 or cguess@fcsheriff.org.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) cautions motorists to watch out for deer on or near the roadways. An increase in deer related crashes is more likely during November-December due to deer mating and hunting season.
Stats show November is typically the worst month for deer-related crashes. It is important for motorists to exercise caution, slow down and remain alert in areas where deer are present.
In Tennessee from 2012 and 2016, 6.4 percent of deer related crashes occurred on state highways. In 2016, there were 7,219 deer related crashes including 330 that involved injuries and one that was fatal. As of October 31, 2017, there have been 4,223 deer involved traffic crashes across the state.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and the Tennessee Highway Patrol suggest that when you see deer cross the road, expect more to follow. Many times, the second or third deer crossing becomes the one that motorists hit; Be attentive and drive defensively constantly scanning the roadside, especially at dawn and dusk; When you spot a deer, slow down immediately. Proceed slowly when passing;
Tennessee law allows deer killed in a collision to be taken and used as food, as long as you contact the nearest Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) regional office and report the accident within 48 hours.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department issued a missing child alert last week.
16 year-old Dakota Dunn was last seen approximately October 22, 2017 in Hillsboro, but was located safely on Thursday night November 2.
On Friday morning Dunn went missing again after being dropped off at Coffee County High School and was then considered a runaway.
Late Saturday night, Deputy Blake Simmons from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department located Dunn, who was safe.

Westwood Middle School was placed on a hard lockdown on Friday November 3, 2017 due to the discovery of a bathroom wall message with a gun reference.
According to Director of Schools Lee Wilkerson, school cameras were used by the school administration and the Manchester Police Department to quickly identify the student.
Westwood Middle School Principal Julie Green met with the faculty and staff following dismissal on Friday afternoon to review the situation and receive input on safety procedures.
No other information was given.

Christopher Kyle Anderson age 31 of Gruetli-Laager in Grundy County was arrested on Wednesday by Manchester Police Officer Dustan Foster after he responded to a call of possible drug activity in the parking lot of Whispering Pines Shopping Center on the Hillsboro Blvd. Upon arrival the person who witnessed the activity said that the man crossed Hwy 41 towards a restaurant. Anderson was spotted walking through a convenience store parking lot and upon approaching the man he allegedly ran off and officers pursued Anderson and they were finally able to get him stopped.
A search of the man allegedly located approximately 2 grams of methamphetamine, 1 gram of marijuana and 1 Xanax tablet. All items were in a clear plastic bag in his pants pocket.