Category: News

A 30-year old-Shelbyville woman told Murfreesboro Police she was raped on Chaffin Place.
The victim, who was in custody at the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department at the time of the report, told Officer Robert Jamison last Thursday, she was with two black subjects in the overflow parking lot of Cracker Barrel.
She reports they prepared her a shot of “ice” and that’s the last thing she remembers until waking up six hours later in the parking lot of a South Church Street gas station.
Detectives were notified of the reported rape and a description of the suspects, including nicknames. They’re currently following up on leads. (WGNS Radio)

Governor Bill Haslam has proclaimed this week as Safety and Health in the Workplace Week in Tennessee. The Governor’s proclamation coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Tennessee Safety and Health Conference, which started Sunday in Nashville.
Each year Tennessee workers are injured or die as a result of workplace accidents or illness. As of today, 21 persons have died in Tennessee this year after they were involved in an accident while working.
The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) regulates workplace safety and health, investigates accidents, and encourages safe working conditions through training.

An education advocacy group’s poll found that Democratic voters widely support Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam and many want his education initiatives to continue through his successor.
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE, ordered the survey of 500 Democratic and 500 Republican past primary voters.
It says more than six in 10 Democratic voters approve of the popular governor’s performance.
It shows Democratic voters would be more likely to support than oppose a gubernatorial candidate who pledged to continue Haslam’s education policies. Republicans were even more supportive.
More than one in three voters from each party said continuing Haslam’s education priorities wouldn’t impact which candidate they’ll support.
The landline and cell phone poll was conducted July 12-16 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percent.

While the U.S. Senate battles over its version of a bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act – uncertainty about the future of health care is impacting local leaders.
The topic is among those being discussed this week at the National Association of Counties’ annual conference in Columbus, Ohio. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell says with the nation’s counties investing $80 billion annually in community health – concern about what happens in Washington transcends party lines.
“We certainly have different political representations in our group, but yet we all face the same issue of how are we going to address health care going forward,” he says.
Approximately two-thirds of the nation’s 2,800 local public-health departments are county-based. Medicaid also is key to counties in Tennessee because of the state’s growing opioid epidemic since it’s the largest single funder for mental-health services and substance-abuse treatment.
Luttrell adds that with so many unknowns about the Trump administration’s policies, it makes it a challenge for local leaders to know how to proceed.
“There’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty about what support and what priorities will be coming out of Washington,” he notes. “The Trump administration is still getting its feet under the table, so to speak. We’re still looking for the guidance that you expect to see from Washington.”
TennCare is the state of Tennessee’s Medicaid program and is funded by both the state and federal governments. The program is administered by the state with federal oversight.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and other nearby law enforcement officers are a looking for a wanted man.
Jon Canada Lovvorn age 41 is wanted for two active warrants for auto theft out of Rutherford County. He was wanted by authorities for similar charges in June of this year. Lovvorn stand 6’2” weighing around 220lbs with brown hair and blue eyes. He has tattoos on each arm and his back.
The latest stolen vehicle was a 2004 green F-150 truck.
Call the Communication Center if you see this man at 931-728-9555.

If plans are approved by the Coffee County Planning Commission a new Loves Truck Stop will be coming to Coffee County at Exit 117 near AEDC. The location would bring in over 40 jobs. There will be a store and restaurant at the location.
The next meeting of the commission is Aug. 22. They are looking at potentially changing C-1 to C-2 (commercial zone, level two, for commercial or office use).
If members decide to change the zoning to C-2, The Coffee County Commission will have to approve that decision. If the planning commission proceeds with the project without rezoning, no approval of the full commission is needed.
If all works out, construction will begin in the spring of 2018.

A Coffee County man has filed a $300,000 lawsuit against the Coffee County Government after being injured by a toilet.
Bruce Alan Oliver alleges in a Coffee County Circuit Court suit that he took a toilet to a convenience center to dispose of it. He alleges that when he placed the toilet on the floor of the waste bin, an employee told him to throw it onto the pile of other debris. The suit alleges that when Oliver threw the toilet onto the pile the “shattered toilet recoiled back towards him.”
The suit alleges that Oliver put his “arm up to protect himself.” The suit claims that the impact between Oliver’s arm and the “toilet resulted in serious personal injury” to him.
The suit claims that the convenience center employee was “negligent by ordering” Oliver to throw the toilet onto “the pile of debris rather than allowing the toilet to remain on the floor of the dumpster.”
Oliver alleges in the suit that he has incurred substantial medical bills, lost wages and permanent impairment to his arm and that he “has suffered a loss of enjoyment of his life.”
In addition to asking for $300,000 in damages, Oliver is also asking for the county to pay the expense of filing the lawsuit.
Oliver is represented by attorneys William Lockhart and Eric Burch.
This is only one side of the legal issue.

Recently the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Decherd Police Department and the Fayetteville Police Department conducted an undercover operation targeting human trafficking and prostitution. The operation resulted in eleven arrests/citations and the seizure of money, two firearms plus at least one vehicle.
Suspects have a court date of Thursday August 31st at 8:00am in Franklin County General Sessions Court.