Category: News

A new judge handling the official corruption case of former Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold is postponing his sentencing until early September. Arnold is awaiting sentencing in a West Tennessee prison.
Senior U.S. District Judge Marvin E. Aspen, who took the case this week from Judge Kevin Sharp, denied a request by Arnold to move his sentencing to mid-April from early May and opted to set it back even later in the year. Sharp is to step down April 15 and go into private practice.
Aspen set sentencing hearings for Arnold and co-defendant John Vanderveer for Sept. 6 and said in his order, “If practicable, the Court will move the sentencing hearing to an earlier date.” Aspen set sentencing for former Sheriff’s Chief Administrative Deputy Joe Russell for Sept. 8.
In January, Arnold, 40, pleaded guilty to three counts of a 14-count federal indictment lodged against him in connection with an unauthorized scheme to sell e-cigarettes to county jail inmates and pocket the money instead of sending the proceeds to the county general fund and trying to conceal his involvement.
Arnold entered a guilty plea to single counts of wire fraud, honest services fraud and extortion as an official. He resigned as sheriff a day before the plea.
Vanderveer and Russell are free on bond. Russell and Vanderveer also pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme. (WGNS Radio)

Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposal to boost transportation funding is now on equal footing in the Tennessee House and Senate.
The measure that would include the state’s first gas tax hike since 1989 was advanced by the House Local Government Committee on Tuesday. That means the measure is now before the finance panels of both chambers – the final standing committees before full floor votes.
Under the latest version of the bill, the state would increase the tax on each gallon of gas by 6 cents over three years, and diesel by 10 cents. The measure would also cut the sales tax on groceries, corporate taxes paid by large manufacturers and the tax on earnings from stocks and bonds.
Haslam argues that the proposal represents a net tax cut for Tennesseans.

Wednesday at noon WMSR will be doing some maintenance on its 5,000 watt AM transmitter. We will be running our backup transmitter at this time but it is much smaller with limited range.
Our FM signal will not be affected.
We will be replacing some large and very expensive capacitors. This is to provide a better sound and maximize our coverage area. We hope to be back up on the main transmitter by late afternoon or evening. Thank you for your understanding.

On Sunday (March 26th 2017) Coffee County Corrections Officer Mitchell Bennett states that Lisa Michelle Roberts age 40 of Cedar Lane Beechgrove had turned herself into the Coffee County Jail to serve a sentence from the court.
After receiving a tip that the subject may be bringing in drugs to the jail, she was taken to Unity Medical Center in Manchester for an x-ray. Transporting Officer Ashley Barnett and Bennett state that when they arrived at the hospital with Roberts, they noticed a piece of black material sticking out of the woman’s shoe. It was then discovered that Roberts allegedly had a package wrapped in black electrical tape that contained 12 morphine pills, 1 Hydrocodone/acetaminophen pill, 103 Xanax pills, 7 Suboxone packs and 62 Seroquel pills inside of the package. Officers also allegedly located rolling papers, a lighter, pair of metal tweezers and tobacco inside of the pack as well.
Roberts was charged with four counts of contraband in a penal institution, two counts of Schedule II drug violations, one count each of Schedule III and Schedule IV drug violations, possession of legend drug without a prescription and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities. Bond was set at $106,000 and her court date will be April 3, 2017.

Local law enforcement and the United States Marshall’s Service are looking for David Mizwicki. He is described as a white male, 6’2 220 lbs, brown hair and has multiple tattoos.
Mizwicki has been seen in the Manchester area as well as the Estill Springs area of Franklin County.
If anyone has any information concerning his whereabouts, you are asked to contact Investigator George Dyer of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 931-308-9420 or the Coffee Communication Center 931-728-9555. As a reminder please contact law enforcement and do not attempt to make contact with this person on your own.

The mass incarceration of African Americans has contributed significantly to the racial achievement gap in the nation’s schools, according to a recent report.
The so-called war on drugs vastly expanded the U.S. prison population. But while African Americans are no more likely to sell or use drugs, they are three times more likely to be arrested, more likely to be convicted and will serve more time in prison than whites.
According to Leila Morsy, senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales and co-author of the report, when a parent is sent to prison, their children become more susceptible to depression, behavioral problems and ADHD.
“Their grade point average drops, they’re also more likely to drop out of school,” Morsy said. “Boys are more likely to drop out because they themselves have been incarcerated.”
The report, published by the Economic Policy Institute, urged educators to join with criminal justice reformers to advocate for policies that would end mass incarceration. Earlier this month, Tennessee Chief Justice Jeff Bivins said he wants to take a comprehensive look at the state’s criminal sentencing laws for the first time in 30 years.
In Tennessee, African Americans make up about 17 percent of the population but 44 percent of the inmates in prisons and jails. Ames Grawert, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, said the effects of mass incarceration are serious and pervasive.
“it can’t possibly be just a criminal justice issue, just a racial justice issue – although it is both of those things,” Grawert said. “It’s an economic justice issue. It’s an education issue. It’s an issue that affects all of us in a myriad amount of ways.”
Morsy stressed that sentencing reform and increased educational and employment opportunities for released offenders also would benefit those left behind when a parent goes to jail.
“Improvements in our criminal justice policies will lead to improved outcomes for children and are very likely to contribute to narrowing the achievement gap,” she said.
In 2014, more than 600,000 inmates nationally were serving sentences of a year or more in state prisons for nonviolent crimes.

Motlow State Community College will host its annual HIRING Fair Tuesday, April 4, on the Moore County campus. The fair will be held from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Forrester Student Center, Lincoln County Bank Dining Hall.
Area companies and staffing agencies are invited to participate free of charge. For more information or to reserve space, contact Brenda Cannon, director of special events, at bcannon@mscc.edu or 931-393-1548.
According to Cannon, the HIRING Fair is a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Labor (TDOL), Workforce Development, MAXIMUS, and Motlow State. The fair is open to all job seekers, including students and the public. Employment opportunities range from full-time to part-time to temporary as well as summer employment.
An added feature to this year’s event is the Career Coach. Sponsored by TDOL, the career coach staff provides the same services available at the Tennessee Career Centers. Career Coaches are equipped with computer workstations, internet access, and Microsoft Office software which provides job seekers the ability to search statewide databases for employment opportunities that are placed directly from employers. Additionally, the staff provides support with on-site resume writing and critiquing and interviewing tips and skills.
The HIRING Fair is another service provided to the community by Motlow State.

A trial date has been set in Coffee County Circuit Court for a man and woman accused of trafficking for commercial sex acts (or prostitution.)
Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrested Christopher Blake Hill, 32, of Nashville and his wife, Kasity Fults-Hill, 25, of Tullahoma July 2016 on the charges for transporting a juvenile to Florida for the purpose of commercial sex. They are scheduled to go on trial Sept. 14.
The TBI opened a case against the couple on July 8, 2015 after receiving information from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.
The couple had allegedly transported a 17-year-old Coffee County juvenile for the purpose of sex to Florida.
Hill is charged with three counts and Fults-Hill is charged with two counts of transporting the girl. They were indicted by the Coffee County Grand Jury.
The couple also was indicted in Montgomery County on eight counts each of trafficking for commercial sex act and two counts each of money laundering. Those cases are pending.

On Friday, (March 24) a pipe bomb was found by a fisherman near the Franklin County boat dock located on Woods Reservoir.
The scene was secured and evacuated by the Franklin County Sherriff’s office. The Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Operations Division Explosive Ordinance Disposal team arrived on scene at approximate 3:15 p.m. and confirmed the device was a pipe bomb, and planned to detonate the device in place.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations in coordination with Tennessee law enforcement officials have begun an investigation.

The Tullahoma Police Department needs your assistance identifying several subjects involved in numerous credit card fraud cases. The individuals shown in the pictures below are suspects in these cases.
The Tullahoma Police Department is asking that anyone with information regarding the identity of these individuals please contact the Tullahoma Police Department at 931.455.0530 or by emailing Investigator Tyler Hatfield at thatfield@tullahomatn.gov.