Category: News

Isaiah Tyler Vaughn, an 18-year-old of 2474 Old Tullahoma Highway, Manchester escaped from Mountain View Youth Development Center in Dandridge, TN on Saturday night.
He was apprehended after he allegedly stole a vehicle about two miles away.
Two others who broke through a wall along with him were also apprehended.
Vaughn, at last report was being held at the Jefferson County Jail. He will be charged with escape, vehicle theft, and theft of a woman’s coat and gloves from another vehicle.
Officers at the youth center discovered that the three had apparently used the rod from a kitchen mop to pry open a three-by-three foot area beneath a window to the outside. Two of the youths, a 15-year-old from Chattanooga and a 17-year-old from Friendsville, were apprehended inside the fence by Mountain View staff.
Vaughn, however, managed to escape beyond the fence, apparently using bed sheets he had tied together to scale his way outside the perimeter.
Mountain View is a 144-bed school for youth offenders.

There was a motor vehicle crash on Monday morning at mile-marker 113 on Interstate 24 in Coffee County.
According to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report, it was a single vehicle crash. A Yukon pulling a trailer driven by David Hett age 56. The vehicle was traveling east bound and attempted to pass another vehicle. Hett apparently lost control of the Yukon causing it to start spinning and flipped.
Hett and a passenger had minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
THP, Coffee County Sheriff deputies, Coffee County EMS and Manchester Fire and Rescue responded to the scene.

The national average price for a gallon of gasoline is exactly $2 a gallon, and tomorrow should hit $1.99 for the first time since March 2009. Motorists can find gas prices below $2 at 68 percent of gas stations nationwide.
A global oversupply of oil has led to the lowest gas prices for the year-end holidays since 2008,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “This will make travel more affordable for the 91.3 million Americans forecast to drive during the next two weeks.”
AAA estimates that cheaper gas prices have saved Americans more than $100 billion on gasoline so far this year compared to 2014, which works out to nearly $550 per licensed driver in the country.
Gas prices in Tennessee are averaging $1.79. In Manchester the low price per gallon is $1.67 and in Tullahoma it’s a $1.70.

Bojangles’ is coming to Tullahoma after the Tullahoma Municipal Regional Planning Commission approved this week a site plan. Bojangles’ plans to build a 3,800 square foot chicken restaurant on North Jackson Street across from Northgate Mall. The land is currently the site of two vacant homes on land now owned by Bojangles’ Restaurant, Inc.
There is no indication when construction will begin on the new eatery.
Bojangles’ opened its first restaurant in 1977 and operates 17 other locations in Tennessee.

Chances are most of us feel like we’re burning the candle at both ends this month, but the demands of the holidays are exaggerated for the thousands of caregivers in Tennessee. A new survey from AARP Tennessee of 800 registered voters found 60 percent of respondents are currently providing or have provided unpaid care to an adult loved one. Many are also caring for their own children at the same time. Shelley Courington, associate state director for advocacy for AARP Tennessee, knows the demands first hand as she and her husband care for her aging father-in-law. “It’s a really big juggle for our family, to make sure that we are caring for our child, that we are taking care of our work needs, and that we are making sure that he is cared for as well,” says Courington. Caregivers in Tennessee and the rest of the country provide assistance with, among other things, grocery shopping, transportation, household work and preparing meals. The survey also found while many caregivers want to provide assistance to their loved ones, most of them report feeling emotionally stressed, and one-in-three report being financially stressed. Rebecca Kelly, state director with AARP Tennessee, says if you’re a caregiver, be specific about what help you might need from your friends and family. “Be specific about what you need and let people help you,” she says. “The holidays are a great time to just be really honest and say ‘I could use help once a week with grocery shopping, or helping with finances or even cleaning the house.'” Kelly says it’s also a good time of year for those who aren’t serving as caregivers to offer a listening ear. “The chances of you sitting around the holiday table with somebody who is a caregiver are very strong and so especially with the holidays coming up, we have found that one of the most important things caregivers need and want is just for somebody to listen to them.” According to the AARP survey, 68 percent of caregivers are women and slightly more than that are over 55 years old.

Construction won’t delay travelers during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The Tennessee Department of Transportation is once again halting all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways in anticipation of higher traffic volumes across the state.
No temporary lane closures will be allowed for construction on Tennessee roadways Wednesday, December 23 through 9:00 a.m. on Monday, January 4, 2016.
“We expect over two million drivers to travel Tennessee roadways during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. We will do everything possible to keep traffic moving and minimize congestion,” said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer. Our law enforcement partners will be out in full force, so wear your seatbelt, reduce your speed, avoid distractions, and don’t drink and drive.”
Except for a few long-term closures which must remain in place for safety, all construction related closures will be suspended during the holiday period. Workers may still be on-site in some construction zones. Drivers should obey all posted speed limits, particularly in construction areas. Slower speeds are necessary in work zones due to the temporary layout of the roadway and will be enforced. Drivers convicted of speeding through work zones where workers are present face a fine of $250 to $500, plus court fees and possible increased insurance premiums.
From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone for travel information, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TN511 for statewide travel.

Four Tampa, Florida men were arrested Dec. 17 after the car they were riding in was stopped for a traffic violation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Jose Juquin Perez-Fonseca, 50, Lazaro Leon Bentanocourt, 37, Norge Leon Rodriguez, 33, and Abilo Hernandez, 36, were booked into the Coffee County Jail on charges of 13 counts of criminal simulation, 13 counts of identity theft and one count of manufacturing/delivering/sell/possession of a controlled substance.

According to warrants obtained by Trooper Jason Boles, the car the men were in was stopped on Relco Drive in Manchester for a traffic violation that occurred on Interstate 24.

The driver, Hernandez, refused to allow the trooper to search the car, so the trooper requested a K9 to search the outside of the car. The dog allegedly hit on the car, giving a reason for the trooper to search.
Once inside the car the trooper allegedly found numerous credit cards and gift cards throughout the vehicle. A check of the cards revealed that the cards were being recoded with different numbers from those on the cards. All four occupants of the car denied knowing about the cards. All total there were 371 credit and gift cards in the vehicle.

Also while searching the vehicle, the trooper allegedly found 15 grams of white powdery substance that tested to be amphetaimines.
Perez-Fonseca and Betancourt bonds were set at $1,000,000. Rodriguez and Hernandez bonds were set at $1,025,000. All four are being held in the Coffee County Jail and are to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Jan. 26.

The Tullahoma Police Department (TPD) has adopted an anti-racial profiling policy, as mandated by the State of Tennessee.
Senate Bill No. 6, known as the Racial Profiling Prevention Act, will be effective Jan. 1.
The Racial Profiling Prevention Act states that each law enforcement agency shall adopt a written policy that prohibits racial profiling by its employees. Each agency shall adopt its written policy on or before Jan. 1.
The standard operating procedures document states that racial profiling means the detention or interdiction of an individual in traffic contacts, field contacts, or assert seizure and forfeiture effort solely on the basis of the individual’s actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity or national origin.
The document states that racial profiling is not, however, circumstances in which the officer has information that includes a racial or ethnic descriptor concerning a suspect for a specific crime where that information is reliable and is likely to lead to the discovery of that individual.
According to the SOP document, citizens will only be stopped or detained when there exists ‘reasonable suspicion to believe they have committed, are committing, or about to commit, an infraction of the law. (Tullahoma News)