Category: News

Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center is organizing the 10th Annual Safe on the Square, a safe and family friendly trick-or-treating event for children on the historic Manchester Square. This year’s event is Tuesday, October 31st, 2017 from 2:30 PM-5:00 PM.
The yearly event is a safe and family friendly trick-or-treating event for area children around the historic Manchester Square. Around 2,000 trick or treaters are expected.
The Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center would like to thank everyone including the many businesses who come together each year to make this event possible for our community!

MTSU has canceled the annual high school band competition “Contest of Champions,” held each year at Floyd Stadium because of the Nationalist Front rally in Murfreesboro. In addition, the university will postpone the Expanding Your Horizons science event. President Sidney McPhee says the decision was made after consulting officials and they felt it was wise to cancel or postpone to “reduce traffic to the surrounding area Saturday and these decisions will allow police and other security personnel to be available elsewhere on campus if needed.”
Among the groups rallying in either Murfreesboro or in Shelbyville or in some cases both are part of the Nationalist Front; National Socialist Movement; Traditionalist Worker Party; League of the South; and Vanguard America. The Southern Poverty Law Center considers each organization to be a hate group, falling under neo-Nazi, neo-Confederate and white nationalist categories.
A member of League of the South is quoted in a USA Today article saying the Nationalist Front chose Middle Tennessee, in part, because it believes law enforcement will keep counter-protesters away from his group. He said that did not happen when they rallied in Charlottesville, VA in August.
He added, they don’t expect nearly as many counter-protesters to show up in Shelbyville.
Other protesters, who are against the Nationalist Front are also expected. The state and area law enforcement are on “High Alert.”
The Coffee County Band was scheduled to play during the “Contest of Champions.” The band will now play at Spring Hill High School. They are hosting a band contest for bands displaced by the cancellation of MTSU’s Contest of Champions. The competition begins at 5pm on Saturday.

Tullahoma Police Department personnel located a male body in a wooded area in Estill Springs at about 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. After locating the body, Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Todd Hindman was contacted by Tullahoma authorities due to the body being found in Franklin County.
Investigators say that the body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. While investigators would not immediately identify the body, it is expected to be David Edward Steele who was reported missing.
The TBI Crime Lab was called to the scene.

TriStar Centennial Medical Center honored Unity Medical Center of Manchester and Air Evac Lifeteam of Coffee County during a presentation on Tuesday for excellent regional collaboration of care and stabilization, saving a patient’s life who was experiencing a severe heart attack.
The “HEART CARE” Award was established by TriStar Centennial for Heart Emergency and Rapid Treatment Care and Recognition of Excellence to honor medical centers and emergency medical services personnel involved in providing outstanding transport of cardiac emergencies for TriStar Centennial to initiate a “Code STEMI,” or ST segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction that is activated when a patient presents with cardiac arrest due to a completely blocked blood supply.
According to the American Heart Association, in 2016, over 350,000 people experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with a 12% survival rate to hospital discharge.
James Martin Jr. is fortunate to be alive today thanks to the lifesaving care provided by Dr. Luis Portilla and team at Unity Medical Center’s emergency services department, air medical services with Air Evac Lifeteam, Dr. Paul Myers, interventional cardiologist with Centennial Heart, and the cath lab team at TriStar Centennial.
“When experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, time is crucial for survival and can be the determining factor between life or death,” said Ken Ware, Chief Nursing Officer at Unity Medical Center. “The clinical expertise, efficiency, high-quality care and communication Unity Medical Center and Air Evac Lifeteam demonstrated was instrumental in beginning coronary intervention and allowing for minimal damage to be done to the heart. Streamlined care protocols and teamwork saved Mr. Martin’s life,” said Jim Drumwright, Chief Operating Officer at TriStar Centennial Heart and Vascular Center.
Mr. Martin’s wife took him to the ER at Unity Medical Center after he was experiencing chest pain and sweating at work, and within 90 minutes, he was flown to TriStar Centennial’s cath lab with his completely obstructed artery opened. After successful revascularization, Dr. Myers performed a stent placement and Mr. Martin was back in Manchester after two days of hospitalization.
“At Unity Medical Center, we are constantly evolving to improve how we deliver care to our community. This recognition is a reflection of how the collaborative efforts of our local air ambulance service, Air Evac, emergency department team, and interventional cardiology teams at Centennial Medical Center are improving processes and protocols to increase the chances of survival for heart attack patients,” said Martha McCormick, CEO at Unity Medical Center.
“Thank you to everyone for all they have done for me. Unity Medical Center, Air Evac, and Centennial Medical Center gave me another chance at life,” said Mr. James Martin Jr.

Due to the forecasted cold temperatures and rain for this Saturday, the Tullahoma Animal Shelter decided to reschedule the 14th annual Bark in the Park. It will now be held Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Waggoner Park.
The event is the major fundraiser for medical care for the dogs in the shelter. For more information, please call Teresa Holt at 454-9580.
The event will be fun for all and will include plenty of dog games like a cookie walk, dog parade, wacky photo booth, photo portraits, pup paw art, bubble machine, bounce house and more. Visitors are encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes to coincide with the fall/Halloween theme. Activities include doggie trick-or-treating, silent auction items and adopt a dog.
Pets must be on a leash, wear their rabies tag, be current on vaccinations and under the owners control at all times. The Tullahoma Animal Shelter cannot be liable for accidents or injury. All proceeds from various contests will be used to benefit the Tullahoma Animal Shelter to provide medical care for dogs in the shelter.

On Tuesday October 24, 2017 Deputy Joey Ricco with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call at 2474 Old Tullahoma Highway due to a burglary that had allegedly just taken place. While in route dispatch advised that the vehicle had just left and was traveling toward Tullahoma on the old highway.
According to a report by Ricco, the home owner advised that he wasn’t home at the time of the burglary, but when he did arrive he noticed a 32-inch flat screen TV with a built in DVD player, as well as a Ryobi cordless drill with battery with a charger were missing.
The alleged thief had supposedly used a BB gun to shoot at the house, knocking out four front windows along with the front screen door and the glass on the front door.
The report goes on to state that Ricco, Sergeant David Grosch, and Investigator James Sherrill made contact with Tullahoma officers at the corner of Carter Blake Road and East Lincoln Street where they had stopped Isaiah Tyler Vaughn age 19 of Old Tullahoma Hwy, Manchester. Tullahoma officers advised they searched the vehicle and found a 32-inch TV, Ryobi drill and a BB gun in the vehicle. They also allegedly found a bag with a glass pipe with residue, metal grinder with residue, digital scales with residue and a baggie of a white crystal substance appearing to be methamphetamine.
Vaughn was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, theft of property, vandalism, unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities and schedule I drug violation. He was booked in at the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $35,500 and he will appear in Coffee County Court on November 27, 2017.

Manchester Police Department and the Coffee County Rescue Squad conducted a search for a missing man on Wednesday. Anthony Lee Mathis, age 54 of Manchester, has been missing since Sunday, October 22.
Anthony, who was not found on Wednesday is a white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5’9” and weighs 130 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue flannel shirt near Century Street and Oakdale Street in Manchester.
If you have information, please call the Manchester Police Department at (931) 728-2099. Police are continuing to investigate.

On Tuesday night, October 24, 2017 at approximately 10:30pm, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a shots fired call in the Francisco Rd. area of Huntland, TN.
An investigation conducted by Sheriff’s Office investigators determined that earlier in the evening Justin D. Partin (Georgia Crossing Rd. Winchester, TN.) was shot in the lower stomach area while attempting to retrieve a deer that had been killed in the area of Tally Top Trail. Partin was transported to Erlanger Hospital, Chattanooga, TN. and treated for his injuries.
After the investigation, Ernest Davis (Francisco Rd. Huntland, TN) was arrested and charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault and is being held under a $150,000 bond at the Franklin County Jail.
Davis has an initial court appearance scheduled for November 20th, 2017 at 8:00am in Franklin County General Sessions Court.

The Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition wants to invite the public to “Drug Take Back Day” Saturday October 28, 2017. Two locations will be available; First Vision Bank in Manchester and Walgreens in Tullahoma from 10am-2pm.
The Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition will be accepting prescription, over-the-counter and or veterinary medications for proper disposal. It is recommended that your cross out your name and address on the bottles before you bring them to the drop-off. Do not cross out the name of the medication.
MaxShred will be at each location to shred personal items from 10am-Noon.
The Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition conducts the event in conjunction with Manchester and Tullahoma Police along with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.
For more information call 931-570-4484.