A Franklin County teenager drowned in Tims Ford Lake Sunday afternoon while on an outing with some friends. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department identified him as Jesse Barnes, 14, Powell Street of Decherd. According to Franklin County Sheriff’s department spokesperson Sgt. Chris Guess, the teenager died after swinging on a rope over the lake and dropped into the water. “Once he was in the water his friends said that he began to struggle,” Guess stated. The friends then swam out to him and attempted to rescue him but they were unable to save him. The teenagers were swimming in...

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is calling on people across Tennessee to celebrate National Voter Registration Month by registering to vote themselves if they haven’t already, and encourage friends and neighbors to register. As part of the month-long celebration, Secretary Hargett is asking registered voters to join a nationwide social media campaign.  The initial campaign last year in Tennessee generated more than 15 million impressions on social media. Hargett and other secretaries of state around the country have declared September 23rd as National Voter Registration Day-a day intended to highlight the importance of registering to vote. Eligible Tennesseans...

Preliminary figures show 10 people died in crashes on Tennessee roadways over the Labor Day holiday weekend. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the number was down from 16 fatalities in 2013. Of those killed in accidents during the holiday weekend, officials said eight were vehicle occupants, one was a motorcyclist and one was a pedestrian. Four vehicle occupants were not wearing seatbelts and three were killed in alcohol-related crashes. There were two fatalities in Coffee County and one in Grundy County. Troopers also arrested 56 people in the nine-county “no refusal” enforcement effort this Labor Day...

A Coffee County woman has been charged with TennCare fraud for using the state’s Medicaid program to obtain a prescription drug, which she later sold. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has announced the arrest of Deborah Kay Copestick, 61, of Manchester, after a joint investigation with the Tullahoma Police Department. An indictment accuses Copestick of TennCare fraud in connection with selling the painkiller Hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance, which was obtained through TennCare healthcare insurance benefits. “New rules are scheduled to go into effect in October that will make most Hydrocodone products less accessible, and that’s because...

Last week Franklin County Sheriff’s Office personnel arrested three Franklin County men on charges of theft from $1,000 to $5,000. The arrests are the results of a yearlong investigation conducted by Investigator George Dyer and working out to three indictments returned by a Franklin County grand jury. Charged were Warren Brown (54 year old male, 801 Gem St., Winchester, TN.) William Estill Cornett (42 years old, 209 West Cowan St., Cowan, TN.) and Paul Ronald Click (52 years old, 95 Lakeland Court, Winchester, TN). Two of the defendants, Mr. Click and Mr. Cornett were employees of the Franklin County...

At the Law Enforcement Lifesaver’s conference in Murfreesboro on Wednesday, the Tullahoma Police Department was presented with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) award for the Child Passenger Safety (CPS) fitting station for Middle Tennessee. The GHSO recognized the agency in East, West, and Middle Tennessee that best demonstrates program participation. Statewide there are 89 fitting stations. In calendar year 2013, approximately 2200 car seats were issued statewide, for an average of about 24 per fitting station. In 2013, TPD conducted 89 examinations that resulted in them issuing of 79 car seats. The CPS program is a grant funded...

Manchester Police Chief Mark Yother and Investigator Jackie Matheny were recently presented a certificate of recognition for the department’s efforts in helping the Coffee County Raider Academy (9th grade). For the past 2 years the department has increased its presence in all of the schools in the city (both city and county schools). The department implemented a school “walk through” program that puts officers in the schools many times during a week. This increased visibility has improved communication with the school staff and students. Manchester policemen say they are proud to protect our communities’ most valuable resource,...