Category: News

Accused killer Connie Sanders King will be in court Wednesday afternoon after being arrested last Thursday night.
Mrs King and her husband Troy King were charged with the Nov. 13, 2012 murder of Thomas Colucci of Manchester at a residence they shared in the Pocahontas Road area of Manchester.
After the murder and while investigators with the sheriff’s department were searching for the killer of Colucci, Connie King left the state and moved to Florida where she was later arrested. Troy King, who has entered a plea of guilty in the murder, was arrested near San Diego, California.
During a preliminary hearing last year, Connie King’s mother testified that if her daughter was granted bond, she would live in Grundy County with her.
Part of her release was that she would wear GPS ankle bracelet for tracking purpose and that she would stay at her mother’s house. Her mother told Coffee County Circuit Court Judge Vanessa Jackson that she would stay with her and that if she should leave the residence she would contact authorities and notify them of such action.
King was released from the Coffee County Jail Feb. 24, 2015 with the understanding that she was to wear a GPS ankle monitoring device and that unless she was going to meet with her attorney she was to stay at her mother’s residence in Grundy County.
Authorities were notified that Connie King was now being tracked at a residence in Manchester. She was arrested at the apartment Thursday night by Capt. Frank Watkins and booked into the Coffee County Jail where she has been held since being taken into custody.
King’s attorney has withdrawn from the case and she is now represented by Josh Crain of Murfreesboro.
Assistant District Attorneys Jason Ponder and Kristy West are prosecuting the case.

Thanks to the Tullahoma News

Unity Medical Center is extremely excited to announce its partnership with Concord Medical Group, PLLC to provide Hospitalist care for their facility in Manchester, TN.  This new contract highlights UMC’s commitment to providing the highest quality care for their patients by implementing creative new solutions in their Manchester, TN facility. The partnership with Concord will benefit patients in Coffee County and the surrounding areas by ensuring 24-hour Hospitalist coverage at UMC. Concord’s goal within the facility is to provide exceptional continuity of care, as the hospitalist will know a patient’s health status on a day-to-day basis, and therefore, be able to effectively manage the best treatment plan for each patient.
“We want to ensure that everyone in our community gets exceptional patient care,” said Martha McCormick. “Concord Medical Group is committed to patient satisfaction. I am confident they will make an excellent partner for Unity Medical Center and deliver high-quality care to our citizens.”
Concord Medical Group is a physician-owned and operated organization that provides quality hospital management and staffing solutions. Concord is dedicated to partnering with healthcare facilities to provide excellent patient care and to ensure more efficient operations.
“We’re extremely excited to work with Unity Medical Center,” Kyle Sheets, M.D. Founder and CEO. “UMC’s dedication to and commitment to increase patient satisfaction aligns perfectly with Concord’s goal of providing the highest quality of care possible to the community in and around Manchester.”

 

Daniel Ray was born and raised in Coffee County. He attended Coffee County schools. He served in the United States Army for eight years from 1998 to 2006. Upon completing his military service, he served the community as a deputy with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department from 2006 to 2014. In 2014, he transitioned to the City of Manchester Police Department where he continues to serve the community.

Manchester Police Chief Mark Yother had the following to say:
“Officer Ray has a very positive attitude and strives to make Manchester a safer community. He is dedicated to the Manchester Police Department and the citizens of this community. He constantly volunteers his own time to teach classes in the community ranging from self-defense to civilian response to active shooter. He is also very dedicated in training police officers. Officer Ray has served as an adjunct instructor at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy for many years.
Officer Ray has numerous achievements in his law enforcement career. In 2016 Officer Ray was recognized by his peers and by the community with the Patriot of the Year Award presented by Post 10904 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on September 11. He was also awarded Manchester’s Hometown Hero Award for December 2016. Officer Ray has served his country and now is excelling in serving our great community. He holds himself to a high standard to serve our community and we are fortunate to have him as a member of our family at Manchester Police Department. Officer Ray is very deserving of the VFW’s National Law Enforcement Public Servant Award. “

Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Tracy Trott on Monday announced that Major Stacy Williams has been placed on discretionary leave and relieved of his official duties due to an incident that took place on Sunday, February 12 in Grundy County.
Williams, 47, will remain on discretionary leave with pay pending an investigation into allegations of conduct unbecoming for a department employee.
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shots fired call at 9925 SR 108 in Altamont overnight on February 12. On arrival, deputies encountered a disturbance between Tennessee Highway Patrol Major Stacey Williams and neighbors.
Williams was taken into custody after deputies were forced to deploy Tasers. Williams is charged with aggravated assault, public intoxication, resisting arrest, and reckless endangerment. Williams’ wife. Tammy, was also taken into custody and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest.
Both were released on bond and their initial appearance in court is scheduled for March 9.
Major Williams has been a Tennessee state trooper since 1994. He was named Major over the THP Special Investigations Bureau in 2014.
It is the Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s policy to warn, suspend, demote or dismiss any employee whenever just or legal cause exists. Employees shall not commit any act that would reflect discredit upon themselves or the department while on or off duty.

Every year, Volunteer Tennessee recognizes volunteers from across the state for their service to their communities with the Governor’s Volunteer Star Awards. This year, Coffee County was represented by Bonnie Watts. Watt’s was honored for her countless hours of service to the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center.
Back in 2002, Bonnie brought the idea of a children’s advocacy center for Coffee County to Church Women United of Coffee County. That small, but mighty group of ladies soon became a force to be reckoned with as they were committed to making the dream of a safe, neutral place for children who had been abused in Coffee County a reality. The Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center officially opened its doors in 2005.
Bonnie’s dream, her dedication and her perseverance has made it possible for over 3,250 children in Coffee County who have been possible victims of abuse to receive specialized trauma focused services including forensic interviews, mental health treatment, family and victim advocacy and thanks to a partnership with Our Kids, specialized medical exams. Before the Center existed, children were often taken to the police department, the justice center, or school offices to talk about the alleged abuse. They were often interviewed multiple times by those involved in the investigation and their families were often left wondering what the next steps would be.
Today, the children and families have a safe, child friendly environment with wrap around services that can help them throughout the investigative process. The children now tell their stories one time to a professional trained to talk to children and the investigative team uses that information for their respective investigations reducing the trauma on the children and families.
Although Bonnie’s vision became a reality, her commitment to the Center didn’t stop once the doors were open. She served the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center as a member of the Board of Directors for many years as both President and Secretary and continues today to be both an advocate and a volunteer for the center.
Bonnie’s dream of a community where children are safe from abuse continues. The work of the Center may never end, but because of her, children in Coffee County who have been abused have a place that offers support, guidance and caring as they go down the path of healing. She may never know the full impact of this legacy that she helped create, but the community is stronger because of her devotion and her heart.

An investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment and arrest of a South Pittsburg woman charged with stealing from her employer.
At the request of 12th District Attorney General Michael Taylor, in April 2016, TBI Special Agents began investigating an allegation that a former employee of Sequatchie Concrete Services had embezzled money from the company. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that from 2012 through 2015, Debra Hughes had stolen more than $200,000 from her employer.
On February 6th, the Marion County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Hughes age 51, with one count of Theft over $60,000. Hughes was arrested Saturday and booked into the Marion County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

On Saturday night Coffee County Deputy Blake Simmons pulled a female subject over for a traffic violation on Fox Chase Rd. The arrest warrant says that upon making contact with the female, Simmons says that there was a very strong odor of possibly marijuana coming from the vehicle. According to the warrant, the deputy asked the woman identified as Deanna Sue Baker age 30 of Monroe Floyd Rd in Decherd if she had any marijuana in the vehicle and she allegedly handed him some marijuana. Deputy Simmons then asked Baker for consent to search the vehicle in which Baker apparently consented too. The warrant goes on to say that Simmons allegedly located methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and marijuana in the vehicle. Upon running a check of Baker driver’s license, it revealed to be revoked/habitual traffic offender.
Baker was charged with being a habitual traffic offender, driving on revoked/suspended license 4th offense, manufacturing/delivering/selling/ possession of controlled substance, simple possession/ casual exchange and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities. She also has an outstanding warrant out of Franklin County.
Her bond was set $54,000 and she’ll appear in Coffee County court April 10, 2017.

Approximately 90 workers here in Coffee County will soon be looking for work.
United Technologies Corp. Aerospace Systems, landing systems manufacturing plant in Tullahoma are letting the workers go after a new labor contract was approved.
United Steelworkers Local 6817, representing hourly employees at the Tullahoma plant, voted to accept a new four-year labor contract that came with a significant reduction in the workforce.