Category: News

Three people were arrested after a Tennessee Highway Patrolman stopped a vehicle on Interstate 24.
According to warrants obtained by Trooper Jason Boles, a vehicle was stopped for equipment violation on I-24 at exit 114 in Manchester on April 19. When the officer made contact with the occupants he allegedly smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. According to warrants, the trooper found one and half pounds of marijuana in the trunk. The marijuana was separated into bags. He also found rolling papers in the vehicle.
The driver, Martravous DeJuan Broadnax, 23, of Murfreesboro was charged with having a firearm in association with a dangerous felony, manufacturing/delivery/possession of a controlled substance and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities.
His bond was set at $51,500 and is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court May 23.
Brandon M. Dotson, 24, of Murfreesboro was charged with manufacturing/delivering/possession of a controlled substance and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities.
His bond was set at $41,500. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court May 23.
Another passenger in the vehicle, Ardie S. Bradley, 24, of Chattanooga, was charged with manufacturing/delivering/possession of a controlled substance, schedule II drug violation and two counts of unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities. He allegedly was in possession of ten Percocet pills. He was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident from May 2016 in Coffee County. Bradley is scheduled to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court May 8.

Tennessee lawmakers voted Wednesday to move forward with a plan to raise the state’s gas tax to pay for road and infrastructure costs. Gov. Bill Haslam is proposing a 6 cent per gallon gas tax to pay for $6 billion in road and bridge projects. House lawmakers approved the bill with a 60-37 vote. It passed the Senate with a 25-6 vote. The bill, called the Improve Act, would be the first gas tax increase in Tennessee since 1989. It would increase taxes on gasoline but cut the sales tax on groceries. It would also reduce corporate taxes paid by manufacturers and tax on earnings from stocks and bonds. The proposal now heads back to the House to resolve a difference over property tax relief for veterans, which could delay completion of the legislation for another week. The Senate wants property tax relief for disabled veterans to increase up to $175,000 in property value.

From Monday, April 10, to Thursday, April 13, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) partnered with local law enforcement agencies for Tennessee’s first statewide distracted driving enforcement bus tour to promote National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The THP provided a large, black and tan bus marked with THP logos to transport law enforcement as they observed motorists for traffic violations.
“Distracted driving is a major epidemic, not only in Tennessee but across the nation,” said Vic Donoho, Director of the THSO. “This is about changing driver behavior, not writing citations. Everyone is aware that distracted driving is wrong. They text and drive anyway, because it’s culturally acceptable. We’re here to change that cultural mindset by making a strong statement and increasing enforcement efforts.”
During the tour, officers within the THP bus communicated to patrol vehicles on the road for execution of enforcement action. Each participating district conducted approximately one to two hours of enforcement.

A bill that would ban some abortions at 20 weeks has passed in a Senate committee, despite Tennessee’s attorney general calling the measure “constitutionally suspect.”
Doctors who violated the law could be subject to criminal prosecution under the measure.
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley, a Republican from Hohenwald who is also a medical doctor. He told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the purpose of the bill was to make sure viable infants were not being aborted.
The bill would require doctors to perform a test to see if the infant is viable once a pregnancy reached 20 weeks. The legislation wouldn’t apply in a medical emergency or if the mother faced serious risks.

We have an update on the unidentified male subject that was allegedly involved in the theft of a red dump dual axle trailer from a location on the Woodbury Highway in Manchester on Thursday, April 6, 2017. On the same day tires and wheels were taken from a cattle trailer in Coffee County.
An older model dark gray Ford flatbed truck was seen leaving the area driving towards Cannon County.
The value of the trailer is estimated to be $4,500.
In other cases, a utility trailer was taken from a location in Manchester and another trailer was stolen recently from Warren County, these may or may not be involved with the Coffee County cases.
There is a possibility that the trailer(s) and or the person responsible for the theft might be in the Grundy County area.
If you can identify the person or know any information that can be of assistance, please call the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department at 931-570-4404.

Bills designed to keep school bus riders safe continue to advance in the Tennessee Legislature, with one measure requiring buses to have seat belts clearing another hurdle.
The bills came as a result of a deadly bus wreck in Chattanooga in November that killed six children and injured more than a dozen others.
On Tuesday, a House committee approved a measure that would require that all new school buses be equipped with seat belts. Some lawmakers have expressed concerns about restraints trapping children if the school bus caught on fire or was submerged in water.
Also, the House on Monday evening voted to pass a bill pushed by Gov. Bill Haslam that would require more oversight of school bus drivers. The measure still has to clear the Senate.
If the safety belt bill were to pass in the Government Operations committee it will go to the Finance, Ways, and Means committee, then to the Calendar and Rules committee, and then to the House floor for a vote before heading to Governor Haslam’s desk.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), in partnership with The Conservation Fund, The Land Trust for Tennessee and the Open Space Institute (OSI), has announced the addition of 1,058 acres to South Cumberland State Park in Marion County. The acquisition connects more than 7,000 acres of protected public land, conserves forestland and cove habitat from future development, and protects scenic views on the Fiery Gizzard trail.
The newly acquired land is adjacent to the Fiery Gizzard trail, which has been ranked as one of the top 25 backpacking trails in the United States by Backpacker Magazine. Approximately 600,000 visitors enjoy South Cumberland State Park annually, with many attracted to the 12-mile Fiery Gizzard Trail. However many large sections of the trail and surrounding bluffs remain in private ownership. TDEC plans to relocate a nearby portion of the trail that is on private land to the newly acquired land.

The Motlow State Community College vocal ensemble and community jazz ensemble will be performing their annual Spring Concert April 25 and 27 on the Moore County campus in Powers Auditorium located in Eoff Hall.
The Tuesday, April 25 concert will begin at 12:15 p.m., with the auditorium doors opening at 11:45 a.m. and refreshments begin served at 11:30 a.m. The Thursday, April 27 concert will begin at 7 p.m., with the auditorium doors opening at 6:15 p.m. and refreshments begin served at 6 p.m. Both concerts are free, but donations are welcome and will go to support the Motlow State music department.
Dr. David Bethea, assistant professor of music at Motlow and music director of the concerts, is proud of his students’ hard work and appreciates the support of the Motlow family. “We’re hoping, as usual, for a big turnout from the community, faculty, staff, and students,” said Bethea. “The spring concert is a great way to end the semester.”
The auditorium has limited seating and fills quickly, so reservations are highly recommended. Those with a reservation will have their name checked at the door, and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Those without a reservation will have to wait until all those with a reservation have been seated or until the concert begins.
To make a reservation, please contact Bobby Spratlin, secretary for the Moore County Dean, at bspratlin@mscc.edu or 931-393-1700, or stop by her office in Room 215 inside Simon Hall.

The medical license of a doctor with locations in Tullahoma, Manchester and Shelbyville has been reprimanded on grounds of “unprofessional, dishonorable or unethical conduct,” according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
Domenic Canonico is an ear, nose and throat doctor.
The reprimand, issued by the state Board of Medical Examiners, addresses 18 personal refill prescriptions for Ritalin. Canonico received the prescriptions from his own office by a physician assistant over a two-and-a-half year period, as opposed to requesting those refills from his treating physician.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies Ritalin as a Schedule II controlled substance due to its high potential for abuse “which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.”
In October, Canonico voluntarily entered into a monitoring agreement with the Tennessee Medical Foundation (TMF), an organization that offers professional assistance to physicians suffering from chemical dependencies. Under the agreement, Canonico will, for at least two years, engage in psychotherapy with a therapist who communicates regularly with the TMF.
Canonico has been in compliance with that agreement since October and has been deemed fit to continue practicing medicine following an evaluation by the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Assessment Program.
A licensure reprimand is a formal, written disciplinary action issued to a licensee for one-time or less severe violations.
In connection to the reprimand, Canonico has been ordered to pay 18 civil penalties in the amount of $100, representing each prescription he received in violation of Section II Grounds for Discipline, for a total of $1,800.
Canonico will also pay the costs assessed against the Board of Medical Examiners by the Division’s Bureau of Investigations in connection with the matter, not to exceed $2,000.