Category: News

A Cannon County man is charged with TennCare fraud in connection with the sale of prescription drugs which were paid for by the state’s healthcare insurance program.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the Cannon County Sheriff’s Office, has announced the arrest of Tony McPeake, 60, of Woodbury. He is accused of using TennCare benefits to obtain the painkiller Oxycodone and later selling a portion during an undercover police investigation. McPeake is charged with TennCare fraud and sale and delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance.
District Attorney General Jennings H. Jones is prosecuting.
TennCare fraud is now a Class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,794 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee.

There were three motor vehicle accidents on Interstate 24 Thursday morning in Coffee County. The original crash was at 2:57 am with minor injuries at the 101 mile-marker. A secondary crash with injuries occurred at 4:09 am, then a fatal crash at the 104 mm westbound at 5:01am with a car and tractor trailer.
23-year-old Justin Jones of Manchester was killed in the accident on I-24 near the 104 mile-marker.
The THP reported Jones’ was traveling westbound when he came upon traffic at a complete stop and struck a tractor-trailer from behind, becoming lodged underneath the semi.
The driver of the 18 wheeler was not injured.

Personnel with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and sheriff’s office personnel from Cherokee County, Alabama were attempting to apprehend a fugitive from justice when a short pursuit began on Wednesday afternoon. After a short standoff ended on U.S. Hwy 411 in Leesburg, AL, Jeremiah James Vandagriff of Manchester was found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound.
Vandagriff age 33 of West Toliver Lake Road, Manchester was wanted in connection for burglaries.
Hours before the shooting, police arrested another fugitive, Ricky C. Thomison, without incident after the detectives from Coffee County, Tennessee alerted them that two suspects wanted in burglaries and thefts might be in the Cherokee County area. He was brought back to Coffee County.
Investigators recovered a “large amount” of stolen property, including weapons and jewelry, according to a news release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office.
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigations, Cherokee County Major Crimes Unit, Cherokee County Coroner’s Office, and Sheriff’s Office investigators are in charge of investigating the incident.

The Tullahoma Fire Department’s first responders will likely soon begin partnering with the Coffee County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in cases of stroke.
On Jan. 19, the Coffee County Ambulance Authority voted to revise the agreement with the Tullahoma Fire Department to add an additional category of medical emergencies for which the fire department’s first responders would be dispatched along with the ambulance.
That decision has to be approved by the 911 Communications Center Board, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EMS and the Tullahoma Fire Department has to be amended before it takes effect. (Tullahoma News)

In response to Coffee County Schools’ initiative to eliminate barriers that may hinder student academic success, Traders Bank of Manchester has graciously donated a washer and dryer to Coffee County Middle School. This is the third bank in Manchester to step up to support this cause.
“We are humbled by the support from 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 about this effort or donate, please contact Taylor Rayfield at rayfieldt@k12coffee.net or (931) 222-1066.

The Tullahoma Tree Board is pleased to inform Tullahoma residents of a great opportunity to grow the tree canopy. The Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC) is challenging Tennesseans to plant 100,000 trees on February 25, 2017. This is the largest community tree-planting in Tennessee history.
“One of the best resources we can use to balance harmful environmental impacts is trees,” said Chairman of the Tullahoma Tree Board, Ralph Graham. “We encourage Tullahoma citizens to participate in the 100,000 Tree Day.”
The Tennessee Tree Project is a free event. Learn more, register or become a sponsor by visiting http://tectn.org/programs/tree/. Once you order your trees, Coffee County residents can pick them up at the UT Extension Office.

A single vehicle accident occurred on Tuesday morning around 11 am on Cat Creek Road in Coffee County. James Starks age 32 of Tullahoma was the victim in the crash.
Starks was apparently ejected from his vehicle and had to be flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center for treatment.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol was in in charge of the scene and according to a THP spokesperson charges are being filed for simple possession, driving on revoked license and not wearing seat belt.

On Tuesday, Tullahoma Police Officer Michael Wilder stopped Dakota Johnson Fuller age 22 of Elise Circle of Estill Springs for a traffic violation on East Lincoln St in Tullahoma.
The subject consented to a search of his vehicle. The search revealed a homemade silencer for a 22 long rifle. Fuller allegedly admitted to possessing and using the silencer. The arrest warrant says that the search also revealed a small amount of synthetic marijuana. Fuller allegedly admitted to possessing the drug and smoking during the day. Officer Wilder also said he found five Adderall tablets in the vehicle. The man also allegedly admitted to using and possessing these tablets.
Fuller’s bond was set at $11,000 and his court date will be March 3, 2017.

On Wednesday, officials announced a new luxury indoor/outdoor water park will be built at the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
The new water park, SoundWaves, will include a lazy river, a 45.5-foot slide tower, a wave pool with a giant LED movie screen, a child’s play area and an adults-only pool, among other features.
The $90 million project is expected to generate 1,287 full-time construction jobs and 699 permanent full-time positions.
Construction is anticipated to last about 20 months and the water park is tentatively expected to open in the fall of 2018. (WKRN)