Category: News

A Rutherford County Sheriff’s detective says that Jared Partin, accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend last week has been charged with murder.
Lead Detective Steve Craig said that 29-year old Carly Hassett of Millersburg Road in Bell Buckle was pronounced dead at St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital.
Detectives are still investigating the circumstances of Hassett’s murder. Anyone with pertinent information about the murder is asked to contact Craig at 615-904-3071.
Partin is being held without bond at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. A hearing is set March 23rd in General Sessions Court

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for the month of January was 5.4 percent, increasing from the revised December rate of 5.1 percent. That’s according to Tennessee Labor Commissioner Burns Phillips. The U.S. unemployment rate for January was 4.8 percent, up one tenth of a percentage point from the previous month. While experiencing a rate increase from 4.8 to 5.4 percent over the past year in Tennessee, the national rate has declined from 4.9 percent to 4.8 percent within the same time span.

On Wednesday afternoon Tennessee Highway Patrolmen stopped a subject on I-24 westbound near mile-marker 122 in Coffee County for a traffic violation. Troopers state that the man did not have a driver’s license at the time of the stop.
According to the arrest warrant, troopers say the man identified as Ruben Rodriguez Herrera age 32 Tusculum Ct. in Nashville appeared to be nervous and that due to a language barrier the Manchester K-9 unit with Officer Dale Robertson was called to the scene and the K-9 alerted to the vehicle.
Troopers Donnie Clark and Jason Boles then searched the vehicle and allegedly located approximately 2 pounds of a white crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine in two separate plastic bags. The bags were allegedly tied to the springs inside of the rear back panel of the passenger seat concealed from view.
Herrera was charged with 2 counts of manufacturing/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance and no driver’s license. Bond was set at $151,500. He court date will be April 25, 2017.

On Wednesday afternoon Coffee County Deputy Cody Lendley responded to 551 Newt Vanattia Rd, Hillsboro in reference to a residence on fire. Upon arrival there was heavy thick brown smoke coming from the residence.
The owner Ormond Dunkin, advised that a tree had fallen on some power lines earlier and Duck River Electric Cooperative was there working on the trees and power lines. He said he started to smell something burning coming from his bathroom and from under his washing machine.
Dunkin stated that is when he went out to talk to the Duck River employees, they called 911.
The back of house apparently suffered heavy fire and smoke damage.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest non-profit law firm, has received a two-year grant from the Tennessee Bar Foundation to increase foreclosure prevention and community redevelopment legal assistance.
The Tennessee Bar Foundation, the administrator of funds generated through Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (“IOLTA”) in Tennessee, received part of a nationwide donation to IOLTA programs from Bank of America, as part of a settlement of claims with the Justice Department arising from the home mortgage crisis. They have awarded Legal Aid Society $259,640 to give legal assistance to low-income people and seniors in their Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma offices.
“Hundreds of individuals in their 48 county service area were adversely affected by actions of Bank of America (and other banks) related to the bank’s conduct during the recent housing/financial crisis,” said Gary Housepian, Legal Aid Society’s executive director. “Many have been at risk of losing their homes through foreclosure because of the actions of the lender. This grant will allow us to expand legal assistance in matters that could affect the financial stability of the household. Foreclosures of homes have an adverse impact on property values, hurt a community and uproot families. We are grateful to this funding to enable our staff to save people’s homes, stabilize households and strengthen a community.”
With these funds, Legal Aid Society is hiring a new attorney and a new paralegal to provide legal assistance in its Murfreesboro and Tullahoma service areas and expand its foreclosure and consumer work in its Oak Ridge, Gallatin and Nashville service areas.

McMinnville-based Ben Lomand Connect is in the final stages of submitting an application for grant funds that would allow the company to extend broadband internet service into an unserved area of Coffee County.
With funds from the Community-Oriented Connectivity Broadband Grant Program (Community Connect), the company hopes to serve an area within the Pocahontas community.
Because the application is not yet finalized, the amount of grant money the company plans to request is not yet available.
Ben Lomand Connect, now offers advanced voice, broadband and digital video (cable) services to residential and business customers in Middle Tennessee and the Upper Cumberland, including Warren County and parts of Coffee, Rutherford and Franklin counties.
The Community Broadband Connect program targets areas where it is not yet economically viable for private sector broadband providers to deliver service.

In response to Coffee County Schools initiative to eliminate barriers that may hinder student academic success, T-Shirt Spot donated a washer to East Coffee Elementary School.
“We appreciate our community partners who continue to help us address the needs of our students and families,” said Taylor Rayfield, Coffee County Schools Family Resource Coordinator.
If you or your organization would like to know more or donate to programs supporting students in need, please contact Taylor Rayfield at rayfieldt@k12coffee.net or (931) 222-1066.

You may remember that in July of last year 66 year-old Joe Moon was killed in tragic accident in Tullahoma.
Before the deadly crash, a Coffee County deputy stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation.
Authorities said the passenger was attempting to hide from the view of the deputy before the two suspects fled in the vehicle.
The two people inside the vehicle were the driver 21-year-old Kayla Brooke Hickey of McMinnville and 22-year-old Charleston Dakota Ortega of Rock Island.
During the pursuit, the suspects’ vehicle, driven by Hickey, attempted to hit a Coffee County deputy head-on at the Highway 41-55 intersection in Manchester.
Hickey’s vehicle then struck a truck being driven by Moon on South Jackson St in Tullahoma. The impact of the crash caused the truck to roll over and burst into flames.
As a result of the crash State Rep. Judd Mathney has proposed the “Joe Moon Act,” the bill looks to impose stricter penalties on drivers who run from police and either injure or kill someone as a result.
The bill got approval in a house subcommittee on Tuesday and will move forward to a full committee for discussion.

An Estill Springs man faces multiple drug charges after being arrested by Coffee County deputies and Tullahoma Police.
James Goff, 23, of Pleasant Road, Estill Springs was charged manufacture/delivery/sell of drugs, drugs in a drug free zone, possession of paraphernalia, two counts of resisting arrest and evading arrest after being arrested on Feb. 24 by Sheriff’s Investigator James Sherrill and Deputy Brandon Reed.
According to a warrant, deputies spotted Goff in a vehicle on South Maple Street in Tullahoma and was known to have active warrants and had evaded arrest on Feb. 20 during a traffic stop.
Tullahoma Police Investigators Johnny Gore and Tyler Hatfield joined the deputies in attempting to stop the car that Goff was a passenger.
The warrants state that Goff continued to resist arrest but he was placed into custody.
The warrant obtained by Sherrill states that they found 14.5 grams of marijuana in three separate bags along with rolling papers. Investigators state that Goff was arrested near East Lincoln School on Lincoln Street so he was charged with having drugs in the drug free zone.
Goff was booked into the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $76,500. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on March 20.
Another person in the vehicle on Feb. 20 was Shilo Cyree age 24 of East Grundy St Tullahoma, she was later charged for active warrants on theft of property and bonded out. She now faces a violation of probation charge.
This is the same traffic stop we reported on where Tommy Lee Harmon III, age 24 of Bryan Blvd Manchester was arrested for driving on revoked/suspended license, manufacturing/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities.