On Wednesday evening Coffee County Sheriff’s Department (CCSD) Investigator James Sherrill was at the sheriff’s department when he says he observed a black male pulling on the fence that surrounds the jail complex and began transferring a package with unknown contents to a string line. The string and package were seen being pulled back to the facility by an unknown subject(s). After this occurred Sherrill reported the black male ran to the waiting vehicle. After receiving a call from Sherrill, Coffee County Deputy Stephen Sharketti observed the Silver Chrysler 4 door and stopped the vehicle at the intersection of...

We have another bank scam to report. Some customers of Coffee County Bank in Manchester received a text message on Thursday that their bank account number needed to be verified. Coffee County Bank President Rush Bricken says that this is a scam and the bank did not send it. Please be aware that a “phishing” scam is being texted to many people in our area. Phishing is a means to trick a user into visiting a fraudulent website, usually through a bogus link in an email or text message. The current scam targets users by sending texts that appear...

In September a deadly hunting accident was reported in Grundy County and an investigation began. 44-year-old Chad Killian was found with a gunshot wound to his upper body. Killian was taken to the hospital and later died from his injuries. 45-year-old Robin Smartt, Jr told Grundy County deputies Killian was shot during a hunting accident. A grand jury has now indicted Smartt in connection with the fatal shooting of Killian. The case was presented by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigators. Smartt was indicted on a count of reckless homicide and possession of a firearm during a dangerous crime. A...

Tennessee prison administrators plan to pay current officers a $1,000 bonus before the end of the year as part of an effort to bolster retention efforts. The Tennessean reports that it obtained a staff memo sent Tuesday by Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield to announce the decision. The move affects 3,300 officers, representing a possible $3.3 million price tag. Schofield writes in the memo that the bonus is a one-time payment and is meant to show the department’s appreciation for its correctional officers and other employees. Tennessee State Employees Association President Bryan Merritt lauded the bonuses, but...

The state Treasury Department says it returned $40 million of unclaimed property to its rightful owners this past fiscal year. Unclaimed property in this case does not refer to physical items but to money that has been turned over to the state by businesses and organizations that cannot locate the rightful owners. It includes stocks, bonds, gift certificates, checks, unclaimed wages, refunds and life insurance annuities. The amount of returned property last fiscal year was a 53 percent increase over the year prior. The Treasury Department attributes the increase to a website that allows visitors to search their names...