Category: News

63 year-old Theodore Van Wermeskerken of Mokena, IL was driving a 2011 Chevrolet pickup westbound on Interstate 24 near the Coffee/Rutherford County line on Tuesday morning around 11 a.m. According to Tennessee Highway Patrolman Harrison Fisher’s report Van Wermeskerken side swiped an RV driven by James A Klein of Millstadt, IL. and then crossed into the median. Van Wermeskerken continued through the median into the eastbound lanes of the interstate and struck two commercial vehicles head-on and Van Wermeskerken was ejected. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one in the RV was injured, and neither was the driver of one of the commercial trucks.
Both people inside the second commercial truck, which was carrying ice cream, were injured. They were identified as 35-year-old Joel Manresa and 6-year-old Dana Manresa, both from Florida.
The crash closed both eastbound and westbound lanes for several hours, causing traffic back-ups for several miles.

Pernell Rollins of Manchester was transported to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga after being shot last Wednesday.
In Officer Jordan Watson’s report, Rollins, 29, of Murfreesboro Highway was shot as he went to his porch to enter his residence.
Officers asked Rollins for permission to search his residence but he objected to it. He was then transported to Unity Medical Center and later flown to the Chattanooga hospital. We have no report of his condition at this time.
After obtaining a search warrant, Manchester Police Investigator Jonathan Anthony entered the home and made sure the shooters were not inside.
The investigation continues.

A Tullahoma man and woman were arrested after deputies found a large amount of what they say was methamphetamines in their possession.
Roger Earl McCurry, 44 of East Lauderdale Street was charged with manufacture/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities. He is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $102,500. Holly Catherine Holt, 36, of East Lauderdale Street was charged with manufacturing/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities. Her bond was set at $52,500.
According to a report by Coffee County Sheriff’s Investigator James Sherrill, on Dec. 28 the investigator received information that McCurry allegedly picked up ICE from the Winchester area and was on his way back to Tullahoma with the drugs.
According to Sherrill’s report, when officers arrived they met McCurry standing outside holding a box. When the officers searched the box they found approximately 32 grams of ICE in a ziplock bag. He also had a plastic container in his pocket which contained approximately a gram of methamphetamines.
Deputy Brandon Reed asked Holt to open a camper that was on the property and she opened for the officers. Inside the camper, officers found another bag of ICE which weighed approximately 14 grams, as well as numerous baggies, four sets of digital scales, two glass pipes, four spoons and needles.
McCurry and Holt are set to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Jan. 25.
Investigator Kerry Farrar also assisted in the search of the camper.

On Monday investigators and deputies from the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and Moore County Sheriff’s Office arrested three individuals for a home burglary that occurred in August, 2015, in Normandy. During the home burglary numerous firearms were stolen. Investigators were able to recover several firearms. The suspects charged were Andrew Day, 20, Matthew Day, 21, and Michael Holmes, 23. All three suspects are residents of Moore County. Matthew Day and Michael Holmes were charged with Aggravated Burglary and Theft over $1,000 and are being held in the Bedford County Jail with a bond of $35,000. Andrew Day was charged with Aggravated Burglary and Theft over $1,000 and is being held in Moore County Jail on unrelated charges.

An Estill Springs man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened a Tullahoma man.
According to a Tullahoma Police report by Officer Willie Young, on Dec. 25 Bryan Douglas Morris, 28, of Schwartz Street in Estill Springs went to the residence on Roosevelt and threatened to shoot the door off the hinges if Kenny Keel did not open the door. He allegedly then pumped his shotgun and made a second threat to fire the shotgun. Keel would not and told Morris that he was calling the police.
Morris then left the residence with his shotgun. When the officer located the vehicle that Morris was driving he found a 12 gauge pump action shotgun in the passengers compartment of the vehicle. He also found two cans of beer in the vehicle. However, he passed three field sobriety tests.
Morris was transported to the Coffee County Jail and was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon while intoxicated and open container law violation. His bond was set at $9,000 and is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Jan. 7.

Investigator Kelly Smith with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department has been working to retrieve items stolen from locations in the Fredonia Rd and Gnat Hill areas in the county. Smith says he is looking for the owners of several power tools and hunting equipment that have been recovered.
If you had items stolen from you in those areas please contact Investigator Smith so you can schedule a time to come to the sheriff’s department to identify. His direct number is 931-570-4425. The investigation into the burglaries and thefts is continuing.

Coffee County received around 5 inches of rain over the Christmas holiday, according to Emergency Management Agency Director Allen Lendley. Rain started back up on Monday after about a 48 hour break.
Several of the low lying areas in Tullahoma and through the county became flooded on Friday and Saturday.
Lendley said that Coffee County did have some trees down in the area and roof damage to a home on J D McCollough road Christmas morning.
Tennessee has reported at least 6 deaths from the recent storms. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a Level III State of Emergency in response to the storms.

Three men were arrested Christmas Day on drug charges.
Manchester Police Officer Daryn Gadeken arrested Joshua Thomas Yoder, 20 of Polk Street Tullahoma, Samuel Eli Clayton, 19, of East Moore Street Tullahoma and Brett Andrew Martin, 21 of Lee Cox Lane Manchester.
The arrest came when the officer saw Yoder driving after he had been alerted that a man in the vehicle had warrants for his arrest.

After questioning by the officer, Yoder told the officer that he had a small amount of marijuana. Officer Gadeken also found an ink pen with white residue used to snort drugs.
Yoder was charged with driving on revoked/suspended license, simple possession, unlawful drug paraphernalia uses or activities and schedule II violation. He was arrested and his bond was set at $6,000. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Jan. 26.

Warrants that the officer obtained against the men alleges that none of them admitted to ownership of the ink pen nor a Hydrocodone pill found in the vehicle.
Martin arrested on a charge of four counts of burglary, four counts of theft, simple possession, unlawful drug paraphernalia uses or activities and Schedule II. He was arrested and booked into the Coffee County Jail. His bond was set at $44,500. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Jan. 26.
Clayton was charged with simple possession, unlawful drug paraphernalia uses or activities and schedule II violation. He was booked into the Coffee County Jail on the charges and his bond was set at $4,500. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Jan. 26.

The Tullahoma Fire Department is hoping to get grant money to replace aging equipment, including a one-ton diesel brush truck and turnout gear for all 28 firefighters.
Fire Chief Richard Shasteen says that the current brush truck has a 200 gallon tank and is used for brush fires in the summer and fall. He says the only off-road vehicle the fire department has is a 1986 GMC and lacks current safety equipment such as anti-lock brakes and air bags. The first of two grants would be used to buy a new truck. The grant is for $65,000 and city leaders will give another $3,250 for the purchase, if the department’s application is successful.
The second grant the department is applying for will be for the turnout gear. If awarded, the grant money total is $85,680, or $3,060 for each firefighter’s set of gear. The city will match 5 percent of this grant as well, valued at $4,284.
The turnout gear has a lifespan of 10 years.

The increase in fines for seat belt violations will take effect this Friday, January 1st.
Officials called the increase an effective additional tool to curb traffic fatalities in the state.
As of January 1st, the fine for a first offense will be raised to $25 and the second and every other offense will be $50.
Along with announcing the seatbelt fine increase, the state agencies announced a reminder that the THP will be out in force during the New Year’s holiday period to ensure travelers reach their destination safely.