Category: News

On April 20, Cathleen Grady Conley, an attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee, received a Public Censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Conley’s office is located at 200 N. Washington St. in Tullahoma.
To obtain business, Conley’s office staff reviewed bankruptcy court records and phoned creditors who had not yet filed a proof of claim, according to a release from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. If the creditor expressed interest over the telephone, Conley’s staff sent an email with a claim form and an agreement providing that Conley would receive one third of any money recovered from the debtor. The phone call and email did not explain that Conley would not be acting as an attorney or provide notice that the protections of the client-lawyer relationship did not exist. Conley was thereby subject to the rules of professional conduct and violated the rules relating to the solicitation of potential clients.
By these acts, Conley violated Rules of Professional Conduct 5.7 (responsibilities regarding law-related services) and 7.3 (solicitation of potential clients) and is hereby Publicly Censured for these violations.
A Public Censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.
Conley and been an attorney since 1976.

County unemployment rates for March 2016, show the rates decreased in 92 counties, increased in one, and remained the same in two counties.
Coffee County dropped from a February rate of 4.2 percent to a March rate of 4%. In neighboring counties; Bedford fell from 4.4 to 4.1, Cannon County went down from 4.3 percent in February to 4% in March, Franklin County dropped from 4.2 to 3.9%, Grundy County’s unemployment in February was 6 percent falling to 5.6% in March, Moore County stayed the same at 3.4% and Warren County fell from 4.3% to 4%. Williamson County had lowest unemployment rate 2.8%.

A federal judge has ordered a recount of votes on a 2014 amendment to the Tennessee Constitution that made it easier to put restrictions on abortion.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp said the method that was used to count the votes was fundamentally unfair to the eight Tennessee voters who filed a lawsuit against state officials. They have maintained that the state incorrectly interpreted the way the votes should be counted and tallied them in favor of abortion opponents.
A spokesman for state election officials said in an email that he could not comment on pending litigation.
Sharp ordered officials to recount the votes to determine whether the constitutional amendment passed by a majority of voters who cast ballots in the governor’s race.

The Motlow State Community College Moore County campus will host a Volunteer Fair in the Eoff Hall Lobby on Apr. 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The purpose of the fair is to link students with local non-profit organizations who are in need of volunteers.
“Students will have the opportunity to learn more about local community service opportunities in their area,” said Jonathan Graham, Motlow Tennessee Promise Specialist. “All Tennessee Promise students must complete eight hours of community service each semester in order to remain eligible for the Tennessee Promise Scholarship. This is a wonderful way to bring community service opportunities to the student.”
The fair is hosted by Motlow State in coordination with the United Way of Coffee and Moore Counties Volunteer Management Program, and will feature eight non-profit organizations: The Humane Society, Partners for Healing, Millennium Repertory Company, Life Choices, Keep Coffee County Beautiful, Good Samaritan, Haven of Hope, and United Way.
For additional information contact Rhonda Cotham, director of student success, at rcotham@mscc.edu or 931-393-1719.

On Tuesday a Manchester man was in a vehicle that was stopped on the Murfreesboro Highway in Coffee County. Officers had knowledge that there were active warrants on Jacob Brandon Lee age 20 of Brookhollow Circle Manchester. The warrants were for violation of probation and an indictment for robbery out of Coffee County. According to the arrest warrant, after placing the subject under arrest and placing him in cuffs, Lee allegedly escaped from officers and fled from their custody by running from them. The warrant goes onto say that Lee ran down the roadway on the Murfreesboro Highway endangering the safety of officers chasing him as oncoming traffic had to slow down and veer around officers in the roadway to keep from hitting the subject and Deputy Lee Marcom and Manchester Police Officer Matt Aussiker.
Also Lee allegedly assaulted Aussiker after being placed in the patrol car by kicking Aussiker in the knee.
Lee was charged on the indictment of robbery and violation of probation. He was also charged with escape, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, assault and two bond surrenders. He is also facing other previous charges.
Lee’s bond was set at $246,000.

A Tullahoma man was arrested April 21 on multiple charges.
Nicholas Perrin Norris, 22, of Kings Ridge Boulevard, Tullahoma was charged with manufacture/delivery/sell of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to maintain control of his vehicle, evading arrest and simple possession.
Tullahoma Police Officer Brook Earhart stated in a report that around midnight she observed that the driver of a Green Toyota was failing to maintain control of his vehicle by crossing the right side of his lane.
Upon making a traffic stop, the officer allegedly smelled a strong odor, possibly of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle yielded eight small baggies of green leafy substance which Norris allegedly admitted was marijuana. Also found in the vehicle was a metal grinder with drug residue inside it.
When the officer ran a warrant check she learned that he has two outstanding warrants in Coffee County for evading arrest and simple possession of drugs. The police report states that the marijuana and the grinder were found in a bag under the carpet of the vehicle.
Norris was booked into the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $7,500 and is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court June 2.

The Historic Preservation Society of Tullahoma will meet on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 7 pm at the former Red Cross building at 502 S. Jackson St. Members and interested persons are invited to attend.
The panel will give an update on Short Springs State Natural Area. The preservation of the then city-owned 608.6 acre site was initiated by the Historic Society in 1982 when member Paul Pyle moved that the area be preserved. The help of naturalist Dennis Horn and others were enlisted to look at various alternatives and their efforts resulted in the establishment of Short Springs State Natural Area in 1994. The panel, all of whom are members of the support group Friends of Short Springs, will discuss the beginnings, the significance, political issues and current activities.
Marjorie Collier is a retired engineer and a charter member of the Historic Society and Friends of Short Springs and has served as president of the Friends group.
Collier, reported that copies of the Historic Society’s 1914-15 publication,” Tullahoma Time-Table” are still available and may be purchased for $10 each at Couch’s Electrical Appliance Store at 117 N. Atlantic St. The issue features the story of the Dixie Highway, the first paved north-south highway in the country, built mostly between 1915 and 1917 and passed through Tullahoma.

Three people were arrested on April 15 for taking an air compressor from Hawk Hardware on East Warren Street in Tullahoma.
According to a report by Tullahoma Police Investigator Johnny Gore, Kelly R. Edwards, 32, of Manchester and Dorothy Troxler, 40, of Manchester and a juvenile were charged with the theft of the air compressor from the business.
According to a report by the investigator, Edwards and the juvenile entered the business and one of them kept a clerk busy while the other took an Iron Horse air compressor from the porch area of the business. They then got into a tan van that was sitting in the parking lot where Troxler was waiting on the pair. She then drove away from the business with Edwards and the juvenile in the vehicle.

Coffee County deputies were put on alert Tuesday by Franklin County authorities to be on the lookout for a white male wearing a camo shirt and hat. The man apparently robbed the CVS Pharmacy on the Dinah Shore Boulevard in Decherd on Tuesday afternoon.
The man entered the store around 3 p.m. and demanded money and fled after the robbery with an undisclosed amount of money.
The man never showed a gun to any employee, but he is considered dangerous.
He was last seen driving either a Chevrolet Impala or Lumina.
Any person having the ability to identify the subject is asked to contact Decherd Police at 931-967-2331.