Your Local News
Manchester Man Arrested on Florida Warrants
A Manchester man has been arrested on fugitive from justice charges. Steven Eric Pless Jr., 19, of Park Motel was arrested July 23 on warrants from Florida. The warrants allege that he is wanted for two counts of sexual battery and lewd or lascivious molestation. Florida authorities notified the Coffee County Sheriff’s department that he was possibly working at a Manchester industry. Officers went to his place of employment and arrested him on the warrants from Hillsborough County, Florida. Pless is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $1,000,000 bond awaiting extradition to...
Coffee County Middle School Open House Tonight
Tuesday marks a big day for Coffee County Schools as students return to the classroom for the 2014-2015 school year. A few of those students will get the honor of attending the recently completed Coffee County Middle School on the Woodbury Highway in Manchester which opens its doors on Tuesday. To celebrate, the Coffee County School System would like to invite the community to an Open House for the new middle school on Tuesday afternoon. The student/parent Open House will be from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. This will be followed by a Dedication Ceremony at 6:00 p.m. in the...
Shelbyville Man Sentenced in Child Pornography Case
A one-time youth pastor from Shelbyville has been sentenced to three years and four months in federal prison for possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Harry S. “Sandy” Mattice could have leveled a 20-year sentence on 38-year-old Joseph Todd Neill for downloading child pornography on his home computer. Shelbyville police were investigating Neill on charges of statutory rape and searched his home computer, finding 72 images of minors, 32 of whom were children. Neill worked as a youth pastor at North Fork Baptist Church in Bedford...
Two Saturday Afternoon Wrecks
Two single vehicle accidents in southern Coffee County on Saturday afternoon kept emergency crews busy. A wreck on I-24 near mile marker 125 occurred around 4:41 PM and backed up interstate traffic for as much as 8 miles. Zhameca Hall of Nashville was driving a Ford Econoline van eastbound on I-24 with 10 passengers aboard when the vehicle had a blow out on the left rear tire of the van. The van left the roadway turning over on its side, before coming to res4t on all 4 wheels. Amazingly, the vehicle never flipped over. The van contained 7 minors,...
Missing Manchester Woman Found Safe
The week long search for a Manchester woman came to a happy ending on Sunday. Elizabeth Brook Roberts was located and is safe in Colorado according to Roberts’ mother. Roberts, who was last seen Monday at the Harper’s Point Apartments in Murfreesboro where she worked as a leasing agent was said to have been “dropped off” in Colorado. Roberts, who was left without identification, is expected to be returned to her Manchester home no later than Monday night. Coffee County Sheriff Stave Graves confirmed that the case is now listed as...
Two Tullahoma Motorcyclists Hurt in Murfreesboro Wreck
A serious motorcycle accident occurred on Highway 231 South In Rutherford County, south of Murfreesboro on Saturday afternoon around 1:30. Two motorcycle riders, riding next to each other; crashed near the Midland Fosterville Road intersection. Tullahoma residents Kenny D. Taylor and Kerry L. Whittaker were on separate Harley Davidson motorcycles heading towards Shelbyville via 231 South when 82-year old Roy Beasley from Brentwood pulled into their lane. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Lincoln that was being driven by Beasley, was traveling at a slow rate of speed in the right lane of travel when he merged into...
Local Teen Accused in Old Stone Fort Burglary Case
Coffee County deputies and rangers from Old Stone Fort State Park conducted a search warrant Wednesday night and recovered items taken from the park. According to a report by sheriff’s Investigator Kerry Farrar, the search warrant was served at a residence located on Big Falls Circle in Manchester. There, officers located and recovered two cameras (one is an antique), a laptop and a set of keys taken from the park. Also recovered was a car stereo and amplifier that were taken from a car parked at Old Stone Fort. Juvenile petitions were obtained for a teenager at the address;...
Schools Open This Week
Coffee County schools would like to inform the Manchester students in the school system about their bus service changes for this new year. All high School students in Manchester will be picked up at their usual bus stops located throughout Manchester City Limits. These buses will not have markings on the outside of them making them designated for the high school. The Raider Academy (9th grade) buses will also stop at these same stops within Manchester. These buses will have a large 9 on the right front corner of the bus. The Coffee County school system will be asking...
