Category: News

A former Tullahoma Firefighter has had more charges added to his previous arrest that took place on March 27 on sex charges in Moore County. On Friday, August 25th 2017, a Moore County Grand Jury returned a true bill on a new case against James David Huskey.
Detective Mike Rainey of the Sheriff’s Department presented the case after gaining new evidence of Sexual Exploitation of Minors.
Huskey was arrested several months back and when he was taken into custody, so were electronic devices he possessed. Detective Rainey submitted the devices to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for retrieval of evidence pertaining to Huskey’s case. Once analyzed by TBI, Detective Rainey was provided with data from those devices along with a report of the findings on the devices.
After receiving the information, and consulting with the District Attorney, Huskey was indicted for Sexual Exploitation of Minors (Over 100 images). Huskey had charges added to his current booking and is being held on bond at the Moore County Sheriff’s Department pending the next Circuit Court date.
According to information from the City of Tullahoma, Huskey’s employment was terminated.

Gas prices spiked during the past week in response to Hurricane Harvey’s impact on the fuel refining region in the Gulf Coast. This left motorists with the most expensive Labor Day gas prices in three years. Just as operations in the Gulf Coast begin to recover, motorists are faced with the potential of another major storm. Irma.
Tennessee’s average price rose 40 cents in the past 8 days. Monday’s average price of $2.552 per gallon is the highest since July 5, 2015.
The national average jumped 28 cents in the last 10 days. Monday’s average price of $2.64 per gallon is the highest since August 20, 2015.
The low price per gallon in Manchester as of Tuesday afternoon was $2.39 and in Tullahoma it’s $2.49.

The Better Business Bureau is asking people donating to help victims of Hurricane Harvey to use caution and make sure their donations are helping the people who need it most.
The BBB said it is already seeing dubious crowd-funding campaigns and so-called “storm chasers” looking to make money off of clean-up efforts.
The BBB shared the following tips to avoid questionable charities:
* Verify the trustworthiness of relief organizations at Give.org.
* See if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas.
* Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.
* Be cautious about gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations.
* Remember that every disaster has several phases.
* Understand recovery time line and that recovery will be a long-term activity that can take months or years to accomplish.

On Thursday, (August 31st 2017) Tullahoma Police responded to a call of a disturbance at 106 Freeman Street. The arrest warrant says that when officers arrived at the scene a fight was in progress as police entered the home. The male subject ran into the bathroom area and when officers made entry they allegedly found a small bag with 38 blue Xanax pills inside.
Jesse Wayne Lewis age 26 of Wartrace, TN was placed under arrest. The arrest warrant also states that police found a small container of a white substance believed to be cocaine on Lewis’ person.
Police also allegedly found a Bong in a female’s purse that was on the scene. Lewis apparently stated the paraphernalia belonged to him.
Tullahoma Officer Jason Maloney charged the man with unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities along with schedule IV and II drug violations. Lewis was also charged with theft of property from a stolen car case in July. Bond was set at $8,000 and Lewis will appear in court on September 5, 2017.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department continues to search for a missing teen.
A $200 reward is now being offered for any information leading to the whereabouts of Keana Watters age 17 of Coffee County. She has been missing since June 30, 2017. Watters was last seen at her residence in Coffee County on June 30th, but was spotted in July in Marshall County.
She is a white female standing 5’4″ and weighing 118lbs with brown hair and eyes.
If you have any information please contact Investigator Jason Dendy at the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department at 931-570-4427. Your call can remain anonymous.

The Tennessee Capitol Commission has voted not to remove the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state capitol building.
The vote was 7 – 5 against removal.
The bust sits between the Tennessee House and Senate on the second floor of the state capitol.
It has been the target of protests for years. The latest push to remove it comes after violent protests started by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Gov. Bill Haslam urged the Capitol Commission to take action, saying, “I do not believe Nathan Bedford Forrest should be one of the individuals we honor at the Capitol. The General Assembly has established a process for addressing these matters and I strongly encourage the Capitol Commission and the Historical Commission to act.”
Opponents of the bust point to Forrest’s involvement with the Ku Klux Klan — he allegedly served as their first grand wizard — and the fact that he made money as a slave trader.
Defenders of the bust say it commemorates the native Tennessean’s role as a general for the Confederacy and removing it would be ignoring history. They also note after leaving the Klan Forrest advocated for civil rights.

The Tennessee secretary of state’s office says it has begun offering online voter registration.
WPLN-FM reports the office has initiated a “soft launch” of the online system. In the past, residents who moved, had their registrations purged for inactivity or were never registered and had to contact county election commissions directly or sign up in person through a state agency.
The legislature passed the online system last year. Democratic state Sen. Lee Harris of Memphis, who was among the co-sponsors, says he understands it takes only three minutes or less to register online. He says he hopes it will increase voter participation.
Voters must register at least 30 days before an election to be able to vote. To register online, a Tennessee driver’s license or photo ID is necessary.

Tennessee environment officials say the whole state now complies with federal air quality health standards for particle pollution.
The last remaining areas in Tennessee to achieve “attainment” designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were finalized last week. Those areas are Anderson, Knox, Blount and Loudon counties and part of Roane County.
The state Department of Environment and Conservation said in a news release that local, state and federal governments have been monitoring and working to reduce air pollution for nearly five decades.
The EPA says particle pollution contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems.

An Indiana truck driver is being held on a $205,000 bond in the Coffee County Jail following an incident of road rage on Interstate 24.
Timothy Lynn Kepner, 44, of Indiana was charged with two counts of ATTEMPTED criminal homicide and two counts of reckless endangerment on Aug. 30 by deputies from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.
According to a report by Deputy Nick Graham, the Coffee County Communication Center advised officers that a semi-truck driver and a car were involved in an incident. The officer’s report states that the driver of the car told the deputy that they were exiting the interstate at exit 97 to go home when the truck driver fired one shot at their car. The bullet struck the windshield and lodging in the dash of the car. The occupants of the car were not injured.
The deputy met the truck and the car at exit 105. When the deputy spoke with the truck driver, he was told that the driver did not have a gun. But when they searched the truck, they found a Taurus 9mm pistol and two loaded magazines.
Kepner told the deputy that he fired the pistol for fear of his safety. He said that he thought that he was being followed by the occupants of the car.
Kepner is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Sept. 11.
Other deputies assisted on the scene.
We regret the mistake on the charges.

Moore County Criminal Investigators Shane Taylor and Mike Rainey have been working several burglaries, auto thefts, and theft of property complaints involving several cases in Moore and Franklin Counties.
On May 09, 2017 in the early morning hours, Deputy Jerod Bradford observed a truck spinning out in a crop field on Chapel Rd. in Moore County. Once Deputy Bradford approached, he noticed a small primer colored car sitting idle in the roadway, as they were watching the truck in the field. Once the deputy initiated his emergency lights, the car sped away in the opposite direction, as well as the truck. Deputy Bradford turned around and gave pursuit. The car was never found, but the driver of the truck lost control, and wrecked the truck into a tree at the intersection of Davenport and Essie Cleek. The driver fled and was not caught at the time. Deputy Bradford determined the truck was stolen from the scene of a burglary in Franklin County.
On May 11, 2017 Deputy Shaun Sherrill took a report of a stolen vehicle on Price Hollow Road. The suspects involved in the case also allegedly burglarized a business and made away with items totaling over $2,500.
On June 3rd, 2017, the vehicle was recovered abandoned and vandalized in a field in the edge of Franklin County off Rock Creek Road.
On June 21, 2017 Deputy Sherrill and Detective Taylor responded to a burglary and theft on Fergus Lane in Moore County. Officers spoke to multiple victims stating several thousand dollars of items were stolen. A neighboring property owner came to the scene and reported that his vehicle had also been burglarized and several things were taken.
More information was received of another burglary in Franklin County near the Fergus Lane, Moore County incident. A vehicle was stolen and was recovered in the same location as the Moore County stolen vehicle a few weeks earlier.
After tips, and other evidence, Detective Taylor was able to find some stolen property from one of the Moore County burglaries, as well as property from Franklin County burglaries.
On Friday August 25th, 2017, a Moore County Grand Jury heard evidence and returned a True Bill on the suspects.
On Wednesday (August 30, 2017) Detective Taylor and Deputy Sherrill arrested Daniel Myers Jr. and Dakota Ridner, both of Moore County, and Jason Paton of Tullahoma.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Department thanked the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the Tullahoma Police Department for their assistance in these investigations.