Category: News

A judge has ruled there’s enough probable cause to proceed with charges against three Tennessee high school officials facing allegations they failed to report the sexual abuse of school basketball players by teammates.
Ooltewah High School basketball coach Andre Montgomery, assistant coach Karl Williams and athletic director Allard Nayadley each pleaded not guilty Monday.
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Robert Philyaw issued his ruling at the end of a preliminary hearing that revealed more details about the Dec. 22 incident. The case now goes before a grand jury.
The Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office filed an affidavit last month saying four players were “subjected to apparent sexual assault” at a Gatlinburg cabin.
Gatlinburg Police charged three Ooltewah players with the aggravated rape of one player.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro has announced HUD is allocating $47,711,062 to public housing authorities in Tennessee to make needed capital improvements in their properties.
Manchester Housing Authority will receive $82,543 and the Tullahoma Housing Authority will get $313,112.
For more than 75 years, the federal government has been investing billions of dollars in developing and maintaining public housing – including providing critical support through the Capital Fund grants.  Nonetheless, there has been a net loss of over 135,000 public housing units since fiscal year 2000, representing an average loss of approximately 9,000 units annually.

Coffee County came together as a family to help a family on Saturday night in Hillsboro. A benefit/auction was held at Hillsboro Elementary School for Aaron and Lynetta Hill. The couple lost their twin boys, James and John, in a car accident in Winchester on New Year’s Eve. Lynetta was able to attend Saturday’s fundraiser while her husband continues to recover from his injuries.
Around 700 people bought BBQ meals before food ran out with around 1,000 residents attending the auction.
$76,000 was raised for the Hill family, a record amount for any fundraiser sponsored or co-sponsored by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.
Donations can still be mailed to:
Coffee County Sheriff’s Department
76 County Jail Lane
Manchester, TN 37355
Please make checks payable to Lynetta Hill
You can also make donations to a Go Fund Me account set up online for the Hill family. https://www.gofundme.com/kuh3cm3c

A woman from Coffee County has been charged with TennCare fraud involving prescription drugs.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced the arrest of Vicki L. Hargrove, 33, of Tullahoma, she is charged with TennCare fraud for fraudulently obtaining Hydrocodone and Oxycodone by doctor shopping, using TennCare as payment.
“Prescription drug abuse hurts individuals, families and communities, and we’re intent on finding and prosecuting these cases when TennCare is involved,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Craig Northcott will be prosecuting the case.
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, more than 2,525 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or go to www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and follow the prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”

The Coffee County Public Building Authority (PBA) could have avoided a state investigation into fraudulent spending, as well as several negative audit findings, if members had reviewed any number of “alarming” bank statements, according to Delanna Rhoton, CPA, with the accounting firm Bean, Rhoton and Kelley.
Rhoton met with PBA members Friday to discuss audit results of the Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center, which has operated at a deficit since its construction in 2003.
The conference center saw an operating loss of $301,329.01 in the 2014-15 fiscal year, one of the worst losses to date.
A special investigation is being conducted by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.
The losses came under then general manager of the conference center, Alyce Heifner. She has since resigned. (Tullahoma News)

Tennessee’s Department of Human Services says it has enrolled more than 300 Tennessee children in a program that aims to improve child literacy. The department says The Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, together with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, is available to children from birth to 5 years old in Tennessee. Once a child is enrolled, a new book is mailed every month at no cost until the child turns 5. More than 240,000 Tennessee children are receiving books. The program allows parents to read to their children and engage in learning opportunities. Books are age appropriate and include reading comprehension activities and suggestions. The enrollment initiative, which started in January, supports the Governor’s Drive to 55, which aims to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary degree or certificate.

On Wednesday Manchester Police officers went to room 228 at the Scottish Inn to talk with a male subject. After gaining permission to enter the room officers say they saw in plain sight a set of scales and a used crack pipe. In the arrest warrant officers say they ask if they could search and the subject said sure. Officers allegedly found a black case with about 100 small baggies, two had a purple x on them with residue. The warrant says the man admitted to using meth in the last 24 hours. Officers say they found 1 Xanax and 4 Diazepam pills in his jacket, both Schedule IV drugs. According to the warrant Manchester officers also found in the room; cut straws, a burnt spoon and there was a second set of scales found in the case with the baggies. An officer also gained the man’s permission to search his pickup, where they found 1 Hydrocodone pill, a Schedule II under the driver’s seat.
David Lee Honea age 40 of Bailey St Manchester was arrested by Manchester Patrolman Ernie Colvin and charged with2 counts of Schedule IV drug violations, Schedule II drug violations and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $5,500 and Honea has a court date March 22, 2016.

The House sponsor of a proposal to create a school voucher program in Tennessee says he doesn’t have the votes to pass the measure aimed at covering private school tuition for children attending some of the state’s worst public schools.
Republican state Rep. Bill Dunn of Knoxville called off a scheduled floor vote on Thursday morning before taking up a series of proposed amendments.
Dunn had offered to limit the measure to apply to just the state’s four largest counties, and had even been willing to have it apply only to just Shelby County.
Opponents had raised concerns of siphoning funding from public school systems to pay for the vouchers worth about $7,000 per student.
The Senate overwhelmingly approved its version of the bill last year.

Guests at the 24th annual Motlow State Community College Foundation Gala on March 12 will be treated to dinner, dancing, and the chance to bid on some outstanding items in a silent auction, according to Jan Rogers, director of advancement at the College.
This year’s event will be held in the Tennessee Ballroom of the Manchester/Coffee County Conference Center and is sponsored for the tenth year by American City Bank and the Clayton Family Foundation. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a social hour, followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. and dancing to the music of Entice until 11:45 p.m. Dress is black tie optional. The cost is $100 per person and tables for eight or 10 guests may be reserved.
“We appreciate and thank the many businesses and individuals who donate items for the auction, as well as everyone who attends the gala,” Rogers added. “The community’s support is vital to the college and its students. We also appreciate and thank American City Bank and the Clayton Family Foundation for their ongoing support of the gala. Their generosity benefits many students who otherwise might not have the opportunity to change their lives and those of their family by obtaining an education.”
Reservations are required and can be made by calling Phyllis Daniel at 931-393-1543 or emailing pdaniel@mscc.edu.