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Intake photo of Donnie Jones after he was arrested

39-year-old Donnie Frank Jones Jr. the man accused in the 2012 rape and slaying of 24-year-old Tullahoma, Tenn., nursing student Megan Sharpton will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a special motion hearing in Sequatchie County.
Circuit Court Judge Curtis Smith heard and granted a new motion filed by Jones related to the guilty plea he made on Feb. 4, 2013. Jones had been trying to withdraw his plea but now the original judgment goes back into effect.
Jones and Sharpton lived in Coffee County, the 13th Judicial District, but the crime was prosecuted in Franklin County because that’s where Sharpton’s body was found.
Sharpton’s 1995 Ford Mustang was found the same day on Three Forks Bridge Road in Bedford County, 15 to 20 miles away. An autopsy showed she died of blunt-force trauma.
Authorities said Jones met Sharpton through his wife, who also attended nursing school.
Jones now is an inmate at the Turney Center Industrial Complex, the state prison southwest of Nashville in Hickman County, Tennessee Department of Correction records show.

Thursday Crash Injures Three

A head-on collision hurt three people on Thursday afternoon in Hillsboro… Photos by Barry West

Emergency crews were called to the scene of a multi-vehicle accident in Hillsboro at 2:45pm on Thursday afternoon. Coffee County deputies, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Coffee County EMS and Manchester Fire and Rescue responded to the two car head-on collision on A street in Hillsboro. The reason for Manchester being called was a person was trapped in one of the vehicles. A total of three people were injured in the wreck.

LifeFlight helped to transport accident victims from the scene of Thursday’s crash.

All of the injured were transported via medical helicopters for treatment. No information was given of the severity of the injuries received in the accident.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating what caused the crash.

Texting While Driving Remains a Big Problem

An AT&T-sponsored survey of drivers who text daily shows that regardless of where they are, 98 percent said they were aware of the dangers of texting behind the wheel. Nonetheless, three quarters of them admitted to texting while driving, despite broad public service campaigns and laws against it.
Two-thirds said they have read text messages while stopped at a red light, while more than a quarter said they have sent text messages while driving. More than a quarter of those who texted while driving believed they can easily do several things at once, even while driving.
The telephone survey of 1,004 U.S. adults was released Wednesday as part of an anti-texting and driving campaign.
The study in May was of cellphone owners ages 16 to 65 who drive almost every day and text at least once a day.

Tip for a Healthier Tennessee: Skip the Salt

It’s estimated about 17 percent of kids in the U.S. eat too much sodium, which can be a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Photo credit: Joe King/Flickr

The election season had Tennessee voters taking it all in “with a grain of salt,” but with the coming holidays they’re being urged to go the other way and “hold the salt.” Those who have far too much sodium in their diets can be at an increased risk of health issues. Registered dietitian Lori Jones says while many have done a good job cutting back on salt in foods they prepare at home, most just don’t do as much of their own cooking these days. “We don’t have a lot of control over what is in our food when we eat out, so we’re picking up a lot of sodium there,” says Jones. “We’re also into convenience – so, we’re using a lot of prepackaged, processed foods.” Jones says too much sodium can increase a person’s risk for high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and other major health problems. Jones adds, unfortunately, the consequences of a high-sodium diet are no longer limited to adults. “We’re starting to see high blood pressure in younger ages, like teenage years,” she says. “If you have a child that’s overweight, having a high-salt diet may push them toward high blood pressure at an earlier age.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 90 percent of U.S. children eat more sodium than recommended, and about one in six children has raised blood pressure.

Motlow College In Moore County Names Mr & Miss Motlow

Dylan Gilmer of Hillsboro and Katlynn Maddox of Lynchburg were recently selected to represent Motlow’s Moore County campus as Mr. and Miss Motlow for the 2014-2015 academic year.

The Motlow College Moore County campus recently selected Dylan Gilmer and Katlynn Maddox as Mr. and Miss Motlow for the 2014-15 academic year.
Mr. and Miss Motlow are chosen for each of Motlow’s four campuses, with those selected representing the college at social and educational functions throughout the year.
Gilmer is from Hillsboro and studies computer science at Motlow, while Maddox is a pre-nursing major from Lynchburg.
Dylan graduated from Coffee County High School and chose to attend Motlow because of the many educational and social opportunities that Motlow provides.
Katlynn attended Moore County High School and enrolled at Motlow because she felt it would help her achieve her educational and professional career goals.

D.A.R.E. Graduation At Westwood Elementary

Elliot Sain (right) with Manchester Police Chief (left) Mark Yother.

The Manchester Police Department and Officer Landon Pence have been running the new D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) at Westwood School.
Thursday was graduation day and the Manchester Police Department and Officer Pence congratulated Elliot Sain, who won the Dare essay contest at the first Dare graduation.
Starting in 5th grade, elementary students are given lessons to act in their own best interest when facing high-risk, low-gain choices and to resist peer pressure and other influences in making their personal choices regarding: Tobacco Smoking, Tobacco advertising, Drug Abuse, Inhalants, alcohol consumption and health and Peer Pressure in a Social Network.

Former Substitute Teacher Charged With Aggravated Assault Of An 11 Year-Old Boy

A former substitute teacher in Moore County was arrested last Friday on charges of aggravated assault involving an 11 year old boy.
There are allegations that Terry Fults, 34, of Twin Cedars Lane, Tullahoma had the boy in her residence when her husband was out of town on business and that the boy slept in her bedroom with the door closed.
There are also other allegations, one of which where she allegedly allowed the boy to drive her vehicle with her children inside.
Fults was released Monday on a $100,000 bond and is to appear in Moore County General Sessions Court on Nov. 18.

Winchester Man Arrested, Charged With Murder & Kidnapping

Robert Troy Whipple

Special Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained indictments for a Winchester man accused of kidnapping and murdering a Morrison woman.
At the request of 12th District Attorney General J. Michael Taylor, TBI Special Agents began investigating Robert Troy Whipple on April 27th. Early that morning in Decherd, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop of Whipple’s vehicle. A pursuit soon followed through Franklin County, after which Whipple crashed the vehicle at a dead end in the area of Chase Bend Road and Rahn Drive in Estill Springs. When Whipple exited the vehicle, he brandished a bladed instrument and stabbed a Franklin County deputy twice in the right hand and cut the deputy below his right eye. Once authorities detained Whipple, they discovered the remains of a female in the vehicle’s front passenger seat. Forensic analysis later identified the woman as Bridgette Haley, a 46-year-old woman from Morrison, TN. During the course of the investigation, TBI Agents developed information which led to Whipple as the individual responsible for Haley’s death.
On Monday, the Franklin County Grand Jury returned indictments for Whipple, charging the 47-year-old with one count of First Degree Murder, one count of Felony Murder, and one count of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping. Tuesday, Whipple was booked on the charges at the Franklin County Jail, where at the time of this release, he was being held on an undetermined bond.
Authorities previously arrested and charged Whipple in connection to the April 27th pursuit and the assault of the Sheriff’s deputy. The investigation by the TBI, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Estill Springs Police Department remains active and ongoing.

Tennessee Receives $5 (M), To Try and Reduce The Rate Of Suicides In The State

Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services has been awarded two federal grants totaling nearly $5 million dollars, to reduce the rate of suicides in the state. The funds, from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will be focused on preventing suicides statewide.
“The rate of suicides in Tennessee has been steadily increasing since the late 1980s,” said E. Douglas Varney, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS). He went on to say, “Suicide is a serious public health problem and a subject people are still very hesitant to talk about. These grant awards will allow us to address this threat and save lives.”
TENNESSEE SUICIDES BY THE NUMBERS
• Adults 25 to 34 year olds
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death
• Youth 10 to 24 years old
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death
• Adults 35 to 64 years old
Represent 70% of all suicides in 2010
Educating mental health providers statewide is key to preventing suicides in Tennessee. By training more professionals to identify people who may be in crisis and potentially suicidal, there is more opportunity to intervene and save lives.
Tennessee, New York, New Mexico and Oklahoma are the only four states to receive a federal grant for adult suicide prevention.
NEED HELP NOW:
For help in Tennessee, call the 24/7 REDLINE at 1-800-889-9789.

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Man In Jail For Rape and Murder Will Spend The Rest Of His Life In Prison