Category: News

In an effort to welcome Alderman-elect Ray Knowis and re-elected Alderman Jimmy Blanks, and to give the public an opportunity to meet all of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlee and the Tullahoma board of Aldermen are hosting a Reception on Monday, August 17 from 5:00pm to 5:30pm at City Hall in the Board Chambers.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

A Tullahoma woman and a Belvidere woman were arrested Sunday after they were allegedly found to be in possession of items taken from a vehicle at a local motel.
According to warrants obtained by Officer Cody Brandon of Tullahoma, an individual reported that her vehicle had been broken into and items were taken. The victim told the officer that she followed a path of their belongings to a room at the Executive Inn on North Jackson Street
When Officer Brandon went to the room, he saw items sitting out in plain view that had been from the vehicle. There were several other items in the room that had been taken, according to the warrants.
Officers also allegedly found drug paraphernalia in the room as well as a can containing marijuana residue and a spoon with burnt residue on it.
Arrested were Jamie Lynn Baker, 34, Tullahoma who was charged with possession of schedule VI, possession of drug paraphernalia, burglary and theft. She is being held under a bond of $9,000. She is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Sept. 3.
Connie Elvera Riddle, 34, of Belvidere was charged with burglary, theft of property, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of prescription drugs without a prescription. She is being held under an $8,000 bond. She is also set to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Sept. 3.

Jarrett Austin Kitts of Princeton Street in Tullahoma is free on a $10,000 bond after being arrested on sexual battery by an authority figure.
According to a report taken by Officer Sam Campbell, on July 23 a woman met the officer at the Tullahoma Police Department to report a case of sexual battery of a juvenile.
Kitts, 36, was arrested on Sunday Aug. 9. He was booked into the Coffee County Jail on a charge of sexual contact with a minor by an authority figure.
According to the police report, the mother told the officer that Kitts had kissed her daughter on several different occasions. According to a warrant obtained by Detective Harry Conway, the alleged incidents occurred between July 8 and July 22. The warrant states that he kissed the girl approximately 20 times.
The warrant also states that Kitts made several statements to the 16-year-old girl that he planned to divorce his wife and be in a relationship with the girl.
According to the warrant, the girl had been a babysitter at Kitts’ house.

A Winnie Boytnon Road man was arrested on several charges following a domestic violence incident at Fire Lake Boat Ramp.
Shannon Dean Reek, 43, of Winnie Boytnon Road, Manchester was charged with three counts of domestic violence, assault, simple assault, possession of schedule III and fabricating/tampering with evidence.
In a report by Coffee County Deputy Cody Lendley the officer states that he was in route to Fire Lake Boat Ramp for the domestic violence call. When he passed Dockside Market he saw Reek grab something from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Reek told the deputy that he had swallowed four Somas. He told the officer that he did not have a prescription for the pills and that he had four more in his pocket. Lendley then called for an ambulance to transport Reek for the pills and due to him having drank alcohol.
When the deputy arrived at the boat dock he heard from several witnesses that Reek had held his wife down and beat her.
He also hit a friend of the wife, his mother in law and step daughter.
Reek was booked into the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $25,000.

Eleven colleges will roll out new programs for student veterans in the fall thanks to $1 million in state funding that is part of a wide-ranging effort to draw more veterans to Tennessee.
Multiple media outlets report that Gov. Bill Haslam’s office announced Monday that 11 schools will each be getting between $80,000 and $95,000 as part of the Veteran Reconnect Grants.
The money will go toward new staff positions, as well as added training and computer systems geared toward meeting veterans’ specific needs.
The funding is one of the state’s various efforts to court a veteran population that continues to grow as the military dramatically reduces its ranks.
The recipients of the grants include:

• Belmont University, $95,000
• Chattanooga State Community College, $92,000
• Columbia State Community College, $92,797
• East Tennessee State University, $95,000
• Jackson State Community College, $94,151
• Lipscomb University, $80,415
• Maryville College, $82,257
• Middle Tennessee State University, $90,999
• Northeast State Community College, $94,600
• University of Memphis, $93,374

Volunteer State Community College, $89,104

On Saturday morning around 2:16am Coffee County Deputy Charles Taylor, received a call of a building fire on Deford Lane in Manchester. Upon his arrival he found a building at 248 Deford Lane fully engulfed. Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call and extinguished the fire. Upon investigating Taylor spoke to a female who stated that the building was a shop that belongs to her step-father, Terry Adcox. She had Mr. Adcox on her cell phone and was actually face-timing him the fire. Deputy Taylor spoke to Mr. Adcox who was in Gatlinburg on vacation. He and his wife left on Friday. Adcox advised that the building served as his shop for his business, Terry’s Custom Seats. Adcox advised that the building contained numerous tools, at least one Kawasaki 1200 and trailer, numerous custom seats and other items. He stated that the building was comprised of a 12X50 and two (2) 8X30 single-wide trailers that had been connected to make one large building. He stated that he could not advise exactly what was in the building at this time. Mr. Adcox stated that when he returns he will inventory the damage.
The investigation continues by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.

A Beechgrove man was arrested for breaking into a house on Riley Creek Road.
According to a report by Deputy Nick Graham, Ty Lynn Baxter, 47, was charged with theft of property and burglary.
According to the deputy’s report, deputies went to the Riley Creek Road after receiving a call that an individual was at a residence loading tools, hunting equipment, toaster oven, fishing poles, clothing and food. A neighbor had taken pictures of the vehicle used as well as the individual taking the items. When the resident arrived at the house and saw the pictures he was able to identify Baxter.
The resident checked the house and found that items were thrown in the floor, cabinets were open and furniture was turned over.
Baxter was released from the Coffee County Jail after posting a $20,000 bond. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Aug. 28.

The Tennessee prison system is at a capacity level that could allow the governor to declare an overcrowding emergency, giving him and other state officials the power to reduce the number of inmates to a lower level, according to data obtained by The Tennessean.
The Tennessean reports that as of June 30, the prison system was operating at 98.5 percent capacity, with 95.1 percent of total beds filled. State law says if the in-house prison capacity exceeds 95 percent for more than 30 days, the commissioner can ask the governor to declare an overcrowding emergency.
Tennessee Department of Corrections spokeswoman Neysa Taylor says the department isn’t required to declare an emergency based on current data.
Gov. Bill Haslam has said recently that prisons should operate near full capacity.

All 95 Tennessee counties are now part of the statewide victim notification service, with Van Buren County’s recent addition.
The Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association says crime victims can track the status of inmates in every Tennessee county.
The system, known as Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification, or SAVIN, provides access to information concerning the custody status of offenders in county jails. Victims and other interested parties can register anonymously by phone at (888) 868-4631 or at http://www.vinelink.com to be notified in the event an offender is released, transfers or escapes.
The Sheriffs’ Association says that victims shouldn’t rely solely on the system for all notification purposes. But the organization says SAVIN does provide an optional process and timelier access to offender information from county correctional facilities.