Category: News

On Wednesday (August 17, 2016) Coffee County sheriff’s department personnel were looking for two suspects wanted for a string of burglaries, thefts, and forgeries. The duo were reported to be in a red van.
Wednesday morning Investigator James Sherrill received a call from Investigator Jason Dendy saying that one of subjects was at a Manchester business. By the time authorities arrived they were advised that the subject had left. A search of the area was conducted with no luck finding the vehicle they were in.
Around 1:00 pm Sherrill and Deputy Brandon Reed were traveling on Hillsboro Hwy and observed the subjects in the red/maroon van turn onto N. Woodland Street in Manchester, traveling toward the Woodbury Hwy. The vehicle then turned onto Monogaurd Dr where Sherrill initiated his emergency lights. The vehicle pulled over to the side of the roadway, where a felony stop was conducted. Upon approaching the driver’s side door Sherrill noticed an AR rifle by the passenger and Deputy Reed advising that he also had seen the rifle. Both subjects were extracted from the vehicle and placed into custody. Upon just looking in the vehicle in plain view, sheriff department personnel observed items from a burglary at 7161 Hillsboro Hwy that occurred the previous night. Sherrill said he recognized the items after speaking with one of the complainants on the phone and Deputy Jeremy David coming to the traffic stop with a list of the items.
Jamie Leann Brazelton age 37 of South C St. Hillsboro and David Binkley Cash age 30 of Chestnut Court Winchester were transported to the Coffee County Jail.
A hold was also placed for Bedford County due to burglaries that have occurred there.

Investigator Dendy, Investigator Kerry Farrar, and Deputy Reed unloaded the van and contacted victims that they could identify to come pick up their items. Most of the items stolen from the Hillsboro Hwy burglary were still in the vehicle.
Both were charged with; conspiracy to commit, burglary of a motor vehicle and theft of property. Bonds were set at $55,000 each. Cash is set to appear in court August 25 and Brazelton is to appear September 15. Other charges will be forthcoming pending grand jury indictments.
Coffee County investigators collected more items from an undisclosed location in Hillsboro on Thursday. These items could possibly link the two individuals to other thefts.

If you have not yet seen a bear in the Midstate, it might not be long before you do.
That’s the message the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is sending concerning the growing population of black bears in Tennessee.
Bears, which were nearly wiped out in Tennessee by the early 1970s, have been thriving in the eastern part of the state over the last three decades and are now moving toward Middle Tennessee.
The TWRA estimates there currently are about 6,000 black bears in the state.
A total of 557 bears were harvested in Tennessee in 2015. A total of 41 bears have been killed in Midstate counties Pickett, Cumberland and Fentress over the last two years.
Bears were spotted in Coffee, Grundy and DeKalb counties earlier this summer.
Black bears are not nearly as aggressive as some other bears such as browns or grizzlies and predatory attacks are rare.
They can, however, be a nuisance for residents if they find a food source close to a home.

 

First National Bank of Manchester is sponsoring something new at the Manchester Public Library, a recharging station. Bank Community President Brent Parsley says they thought this would be a great convenience for people in a hurry that need to recharge their phone and not have access to charger otherwise. This will also help children that are out and about get a quick recharge and visit the library.
Library personnel thanked the bank for their support. They added that charging stations are fast becoming a needed service in this digital world and they are thankful the service is now being provided.

A Tullahoma East Grundy Street resident was arrested for theft of items at Express Workout located on North Jackson Street.
According to a report by Tullahoma Police Officer Cody Brandon, Heather Michelle Jones, 44, was charged with theft of property over $500 and vandalism of stolen property.
Jones is accused of taking a Samsung Tablet and a Bose speaker system from Melony Hoots. According to the police report, the speakers were recovered as was the tablet but it had sustained damage to the glass display.
Jones was booked into the Coffee County Jail under a $7,500 bond. While she was being booked into the jail she was found to be in possession of nine Suboxone strips. The drugs were found in her shoe and hidden on her body.
An additional bond was set at $20,500 for introduction of contraband to a penal institution.
Jones is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Sept. 1.

Tullahoma Police are investigating the theft of a large quantity of cigarettes from a business on South Jackson Street.
According to a report by Officer Carl Pyrdom, around 4 a.m. Aug. 9 police answered a burglar alarm at South Jackson Discount Tobacco. The police report states that the officer noticed that the drive through window had been pushed from the window frame. After talking with the store owner Jay Kalidas Patel, it was determined that $2,229.81 of cigarettes and cigars were taken from the store, as well as $549 worth of Tennessee Lottery tickets.
Video surveillance showed three white males wearing masks, gloves and dark clothing forcing their way into the store and taking items from the shelves inside the store.
Detective Johnny Gore is investigating the theft. If you have information that could help in this investigation, call (931) 455-0530.

In order to discourage acts of vandalism associated with the 91st annual Coffee Pot football game rivalry, the Tullahoma Police department will increase the patrol around their high school over the next couple of nights.
On Friday night officers of the Tullahoma Police, Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and the Manchester Police Department will come together to provide a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for the football game. Together law enforcement wants to encourage a fun, but safe football game.

Our news partner WGNS Radio is reporting that a 24 year old Manchester woman overdosed on drugs while her husband was inside the South Rutherford Blvd. Walmart store in Murfreesboro.
When police arrived on the scene they noted that the victim was unresponsive, had a rapid pulse and clammy skin. The husband of the woman told police that she stayed in the car while he shopped, which is where police made contact with the female.
The victim’s husband told officers that his wife had taken opiates, marijuana and antidepressants together prior to finding her unconscious on Monday morning. The female was transported to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro. She has since recovered, but the case has been labeled as an overdose.

Dr. Anthony Kinkel, president of Motlow State Community College, recently announced that Lane Yoder of Tullahoma has been selected as the director of the Motlow College Foundation.
Yoder brings extensive experience to the foundation from both the private and public sector. She is a native of Mississippi and a 1990 graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.
Her work experience includes over 16 years in the international and national insurance marketplace, working for Lloyd’s of London in London, England, and the brokerage firm of Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs (HRH), in the cities of Richmond, Va., Pittsburgh, Pa., and New York City. She served as the commercial lines manager for HRH in New York City for six years before returning to Mississippi in 2007 to serve as city president for Region’s Bank for four years.
Yoder currently serves as the president of Partners for Healing, a faith-based, free medical clinic serving the working uninsured in Coffee, Franklin and Moore Counties.
The Motlow College Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit organization that serves to offer scholarships, support programs and maintain first-rate facilities that allows students of Motlow State the opportunity to pursue careers in their program of choice.

At approximately 11:00 pm on Monday, August 15, 2016, officers of the Tullahoma Police Department (TPD) were dispatched to the area of 927 E Grundy Street, Dossett Apartments, in regards to a man on the ground and unresponsive.
According to Tullahoma Police, Carlos Joseph Harris Jr., 21, was found with a stab wound to the chest.
When TPD arrived they found Harris lying on his back with the stab wound to his upper chest.
Officers began CPR on Harris until the Coffee County EMS arrived; however, Harris was declared dead by the EMS.
Detective Johnny Gore was notified and arrived on the scene.
Gore and Detective Tyler Hatfield were busy Tuesday morning interviewing people about the stabbing incident.
Police ask that anyone with information about the stabbing to contact Gore at 455-0530.