Category: News

In December 2013, Manchester Police arrested two local major ice dealers. An investigation revealed that the illegal drug was coming from Mexico to Atlanta, GA and then to Manchester. The investigation also revealed that a suspect in Coffee County had connections in the Atlanta area. The person was making regular trips bringing ice back to Coffee County to distribute plus the suspects and drug sales were gang related.
In November 2014, the intelligence came to life and operation “Breaking Ice” went into full motion. Manchester Police worked with agents from the FBI as well as local officers and investigators with Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and the Tullahoma Police Department.
Breaking Ice continued until Friday when police began rounding up the alleged drug dealers. Sixteen of the 96 alleged drug dealers are already in federal custody and several more are being held in the Coffee County Jail. Two of the suspects are juveniles and will be cited in juvenile court. Over 150 drug cases were made during the Breaking Ice operation and many hours of hard work went into making this the largest operation to date by the Manchester Police Department. Drugs taken off the street include Meth (Ice), Heroin, Marijuana, synthetic drugs and diverted pills such as Morphine, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Adderall and Xanax.
Investigators Jackie Matheny and Jonathon Anthony took the lead and worked with other officers and departments to make the operation a success.

Raul Monroy of Shelbyville was arrested Thursday night for raping a Tullahoma woman at her residence.
Monroy, 23, of Sims Road, Shelbyville has been charged with rape and domestic violence following an incident at a residence on Chestnut Alley.
The victim, who was someone that he had known in the past, told Tullahoma Police Officer Randy Baltimore that Monroy arrived at her apartment around 11 p.m.
She told the officer that Monroy entered her apartment and pulled her hair, chocked her and dragged her outside onto the porch. He then pulled her back into the house. A neighbor witnessed the attack and called 911 to report the incident.
The woman told the officer that Monroy then threw the woman down and began to rape her.
Police arrived and arrested Monroy on the charges. The woman was transported to Harton Regional Medical Center where she was treated for her injuries. Doctors determined that she had been sexually assaulted.

A Bedford County man is charged in Coffee County with doctor shopping for prescription drugs, using TennCare as payment.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has announced the arrest of Samuel L. Harris, Jr., 40, of Shelbyville. A Coffee County Grand Jury indicted Harris on two counts of fraudulently obtaining controlled substances by doctor shopping and two counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
Harris was served with the charges at the Bedford County Jail, where he is serving time for his first arrest, in February of this year, when he was charged in Bedford County with three counts of doctor shopping for drugs, using TennCare as payment. He pleaded guilty to the charges in May and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
“We cracking down on people using TennCare to finance their drug habit or business,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. “Healthcare providers and local law enforcement officers across the state are working with us to investigate and prosecute these types of crimes.”
District Attorney General Robert Carter prosecuted this 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, 2,434 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 follow the link on our website http://www.tn.gov/finance/topic/fa-oig.

Attention Citizens Tri-County Bank customers and non-customers! If you receive a text message on your phone regarding your debit card, please DO NOT follow the link in the text. This is a scam, and if you follow the link, you could be tricked into providing your debit card number and other sensitive information that could allow your card to be used fraudulently. Simply ignore or delete the text.
REMEMBER, Citizens Tri-County Bank will NEVER text you asking you to provide this sort of information.
The bank is represented in 8 counties including its three locations in Tullahoma.
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department received information about this scam on Thursday morning from area residents. Sheriff Steve Graves said some of the questions about the text messages are coming non-customers of the bank.
Remember the bank had nothing to do with the text. This is a SCAM!

(A portion of this information came from a bank press release)

The Inspector General for the Social Security Administration (SSA) continues to warn the public and Social Security beneficiaries in particular, to be aware of fraud scams that target personal information. The SSA website reminds people that criminals use phone calls, emails, and other methods to obtain personal information, then use it to commit identity theft.
The latest scam is taking place in Coffee County. Citizens are receiving calls from scammers telling the intended victim that their card has been used in fraud cases. They go on to say they need the victims Social Security number and money so they can put a freeze on the number.
Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves warns area citizens to not fall prey to scammers, saying that you should never give out personal information unless you can verify the request.
The Inspector General for the Social Security Administration website warns that identity thieves obtain personal information in any number of ways. They may pose as Government officials in an attempt to convince you to provide personal and financial information.
To help prevent this type of fraud, the Inspector General website recommends that you:

Never provide your personal information when receiving unsolicited calls or contacts

Never agree to accept pre-paid debit cards or credit cards in another person’s name

Never agree to send or wire money to an unknown person

Always contact your local SSA office if you receive a call from a person claiming to be from SSA, and that person asks you to provide your Social Security number or other information.

To verify the legitimacy of a caller who claims to be an SSA employee, call your local Social Security office or Social Security’s toll-free customer service number at 1-800-772-1213.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives is providing more than $305,000 in grants to help libraries upgrade their computer equipment and software.
State officials say the grants will go to 128 public libraries across Tennessee.
The grants will help finance technology upgrades for equipment used directly by patrons, as well as computers needed by library staff to perform tasks such as taking inventory and cataloging books.
Secretary of State Tre Hargett says libraries need to have up-to-date computer equipment and software in order to provide the best possible service to their patrons.
Each library had to commit to provide matching funds from local sources to qualify for a grant.

A Tennessee judge on Wednesday upheld the state’s lethal injection process for executing inmates.
Davidson County Chancery Judge Claudia Bonnyman said from the bench that the plaintiffs, 33 death row inmates, didn’t prove that the one-drug method led to a painful and lingering death. She also said the plaintiffs didn’t show during a lengthy trial that there have been problems in states where the method has been used.
“Plaintiffs were not able to carry their burdens … on any of their clams,” Bonnyman said.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Kelley Henry said they plan to appeal.
Tennessee’s protocol calls for the use of pentobarbital mixed to order by a pharmacist, because the only commercial producer of the drug has placed restrictions on its distribution to prevent it from being used in executions.
Tennessee has not executed an inmate for more than five years because of legal challenges and problems in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
Lawmakers moved from a three-drug lethal injection method to a one-drug method and to reinstate the electric chair as a backup. Both changes brought challenges, and all previously scheduled executions have been put on hold.
Although Tennessee has yet to carry out an execution using compounded pentobarbital, state attorney Scott Sutherland has said that Texas, Ohio and Georgia have had more than 30 successful and painless executions with that drug. (WKRN-TV)

Connie King and her husband Troy King were to be sentenced on Wednesday for the murder of Thomas Colucci in November 2012 just outside Manchester.
The sentencing was delayed Wednesday in Coffee County Circuit Court.
In late July of this year Troy King plead guilty to second-degree murder as well as theft over $1,000.
Colucci was found dead in the garage of his house from multiple gunshot wounds. Connie King was seen running from the house screaming and covered in blood.
Connie King had agreed to testify against Troy King in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Jason Ponder told a judge on Wednesday that they are setting aside the plea agreement as she has not lived up to her agreement. The announcement came after Connie King’s attorney Chris Stanford announced that the sentencing needed to be continued until Sept. 16.
Troy King continues to be housed at the Coffee County Jail under a $1 million bond. Connie King is free on a bond of $75,000.