Category: News

A two vehicle accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon around 2:30pm. A dump truck rear ended a Toyota Corolla that had stopped to make a left turn on Hwy 41 (Hillsboro Hwy) near the Coffee County Industrial Park. After the impact the dump truck clipped a utility pole knocking it completely out of the ground. The truck then traveled across a yard and crashed into a brick home at 4145 Hillsboro Hwy.

55 year-old Cathy Burr of Guntersville, Al, the driver of the 2005 Toyota Corolla and 36 year-old Eric Linder of McMinnville, TN, driver of the 2006 Mack dump truck suffered injuries. Burr was airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center and Linder was transported to Medical Center of Manchester by Coffee County EMS.
The car involved in the accident was totaled and the dump truck received heavy damage. The home was damaged on the outside and inside the residence.

Duck River Electric responded to the scene to replace the pole and return power to the area. Manchester Police helped out the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department with traffic control. The Tennessee Highway Patrol was in charge of the scene.
Linder was charged with following to close and not wearing a seatbelt.

The Manchester Police Department CID Division and SWAT Team conducted 3 late night search warrants on 2 homes and 1 commercial business in Manchester on Friday night.
Drug Investigator Jonathan Anthony, Investigator Stuart Colwell, Chief Investigator Billy Butler along with the SWAT team searched a Mobile Home at 315 West Short Street. Police allegedly found Marijuana, Meth and other items that were seized from this location. 30 year-old Shawn Gassett and 30 year-old Taranie Medley were both arrested.
The business search warrant was conducted at All Things E-Cig at 315 Hillsboro Blvd. The Manchester Police Department had received complaints that the business was selling liquor as vapor for E-Cigs. Officers seized liquor from the business. This is a growing trend called “Vaping Alcohol”. This action could result in death. Digital scales were found with residue on them, believed to be Marijuana. One of the homes that was searched was in conjunction with the business. It is located at 375 Morton’s Lake Rd. where Marijuana pipes were allegedly found. A citation was issued and charges are pending in this case.
The office of Alcoholic Beverage Control was consulted and is working closely with the Manchester Police Department on this case.

Crime inside school is a sad reality that students, staff and law enforcement deal with on a daily basis, but the problem is getting better, according to a new report from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The state’s data shows crimes at school were down more than 11 percent from 2012 to 2013.
More than a third of the crimes reported on school property are simple assaults.
When it comes to drugs seized inside schools, marijuana accounts for nearly 80 percent of all cases.
And the TBI says the numbers show the highest amount of crimes in schools happens in April.

With the warmer weather that comes along with summer, so do the door-to-door solicitors. While many operate fairly and honestly, there are ways to spot those who are simply looking for a quick buck. One red flag is the company that claims to have “extra” materials left over from another job nearby and can do the work right away at minimal cost. Don’t fall for it, said Dan Hendrickson, a Better Business Bureau communications coordinator, adding that professional contractors estimate the materials they’ll need for a project with great accuracy. “If a company comes to your door and says, ‘Hey, we’ve got a bunch of leftover asphalt,’ chances are it’s a company that’s kind of flying by the seat of their pants, or maybe really doesn’t know what they’re doing,” Hendrickson said. “In many cases like this, we hear from customers who agree to work with them and then come back and say, ‘Well, the work is horrible. They charged me way more than they said they would – and now, I don’t know how to find them.’ “When dealing with a door-to-door solicitor, Hendrickson said, people always should ask for identification, verify the company and that the individual works for it, and inquire about his or her licensing. He also cautioned people to be wary of high-pressure sales tactics, particularly in the wake of a storm that brings out bogus roofers and tree-removal companies, explaining that any paperwork that’s signed could be construed as a contract. “Even if they just say, ‘Well, this will just kind of get us started to check out your roof,’ ” he said. “In some cases, we’ve had complaints where people say, ‘Well, now suddenly they’re (the contractor) saying it’s a contract’ – and in some cases, it actually is a contract. So, at that point, then people have a headache on their hands to try and straighten out.” He also reminded people that it is, after all, their house – so if they don’t like where the sales pitch is going, they always can take a step back and close the door. More information is online at bbb.org.

The Manchester board of Mayor and Aldermen met in regular session on Tuesday night at city hall.
The board and those in attendance heard a reading of a letter from State of Tennessee Commission on Firefighting commending Chief George DeShields. A letter from the Manchester Lions Club also thanked the DeShields and Police Chief Mark Yother for their help with the recent 56th annual Lions Club horse show at the Coffee County Fairgrounds.
Over 200 people attended the meeting, many to show support for DeShields and Yother. Rumors ran rampant for several days that the DeShields and Yother’s jobs could be on the line.

Carisa Smith the fiancé of Chief DeShields gave a passionate speech in favor of her future husband.
Others talked highly of the fire chief including Charles Chambers with the state fire marshal’s office as he spoke about the progressive style DeShields has with his staff and how impressed his is with the department.
Two local teachers spoke very favorably on Chief DeShields behalf. They said the chief and other firemen train teachers and students about emergency situations and were very happy it’s being done.
14 year-old Shelby Allen spoke about Deshields tutoring her and all the time he spends helping others.
One local single Mom told the board about DeShields being a mentor to her young son.
Loud applauses were heard after each citizen made their speeches to the board.
As the meeting moved along the board approved the 2nd reading of an ordinance adopting a continuing annual operating budget of Manchester, TN for fiscal year 2015. Also they approved the 2nd reading of an ordinance authorizing the City of Manchester to enter into a mutual aid agreement with the Secretary of the Air Force for fire protection. All other items on the agenda were approved 6-0 including the “Safe Sidewalks to School” project on Oakdale St.
Surprisingly the board did not take up any issues with the two chiefs. Alderman Ryan French commended the work of DeShields, Yother and their staffs for the outstanding work they do.
When ask by the public to give their thoughts on the controversy Alderman Tim Pauley said that nothing was on the agenda. Alderman Donny Parsley told those in attendance that his attorney told him not to speak on the issue when ask by an audience member to give his thoughts.
Chief DeShields told WMSR News after the meeting that if there are issues with the job he is doing he wants to correct whatever problems there might be. He said all he needs is feedback.
WMSR will continue to report on any new developments.

It has been a while since we’ve told you about a church burglary but over the weekend there was one in Tullahoma. Tullahoma Police are investigating the burglary of the Church of Jesus Christ on East Moore Street. Police are now looking for a man that went on the run after being found asleep in the church.
Delilah Watkins who is associated with the church reported to police that a container of change was missing and that a filing cabinet had been forced open. She also saw that an old set of checks in the filing cabinet were missing.
She then walked into the congregation area and saw two blankets on the back pew that was not supposed to be there and a person under a pew asleep. She then yelled startled the man and he then ran from the building.
The man was described as being between 20 and 30 years of age with medium length hair, wearing a dark colored bandana, grey shirt and blue jeans.
The man left the building on foot with the container of change.

The new Coffee County Jail will be completed by the end of July or early August. Recently Sheriff Steve Graves was a guest on WMSR’s Straight Talk program and discussed the new jail. He said it is unlikely that the new jail on Hillsboro Highway will be fully operational before January of next year. Graves said that hiring new staff members and training will take place after the final budget has passed. He said that could be as late as September.
The current jail is very overcrowded with 300 inmates in a jail built for 193. The sheriff works with the District Attorney’s office to come up with ways inmates can qualify for early release.
Those would be inmates with non-violent criminal charges and inmates who are not serving a mandatory sentence.
Also, inmates who are able to work on the work detail can receive two days credit for every one day they work on the detail. Graves said that the fate of the workhouse is still up in the air. He said that commissioners has not decided whether or not to keep the work detail program open. The program allows low-risk inmates to provide free labor outside of the jail for the cities of Manchester and Tullahoma plus several non-profits groups in the area.
The next commission meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on June 10th.

77-year-old Franklin Myers of Manchester died from injuries he received in a single vehicle crash on Ragsdale Road at Harpo Rd in Manchester Sunday morning.
Myers of Manchester was driving a 1998 Dodge Ram pickup that left the roadway and struck a tree.
According to the on scene Tennessee Highway patrolman’s report, around 10:30 a.m. Myers’ vehicle left the roadway “for an unknown reason ran off the left side of the road and struck a tree.”
Myers had to be cut from the vehicle by members of the Manchester Fire & Rescue. He was then flown to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga where he later died from injuries sustained in the accident.

Early Sunday afternoon a small storage building caught fire on Shelton Rd. in Manchester. The cause was most likely an electrical malfunction. There was some smoke damage but loss what kept to a minimum thanks to the work of the Manchester Fire & Rescue.