Sasha Payton, 33Tyler Carter, 20 Two suspects in the homicide of Johnny Tesar are expected to be transported back to Coffee County and will be in the Coffee County Jail by Wednesday, Jan 8.  Tesar’s body was discovered late on Monday, Dec. 30, after authorities performed a welfare check in Lakewood Park. He was. 68.  Two suspects, Tyler Carter, age 20, and Sasha Payton, 33, were tracked to Oklahoma where they were detained and charged with theft of a motor vehicle as they were driving Tesar’s vehicle.  They are being extradited to Coffee County on theft charges and more...

Traffic was snarled on Interstate 24 all over Rutherford County Monday due to multiple crashes.  According to Thunder Radio news partners WGNS, a stopped pickup truck on I-24 eastbound caused a multi-vehicle crash at the 88 mile marker around 7:06AM Monday morning. THP Lieutenant Bill Miller told WGNS, “The passenger of the vehicle sitting in the road fled the scene on foot and has not been taken into custody at this time. There is still an active search on going. There will not be any driver or patient information to be released as there are pending criminal charges.” Rutherford...

Environmental groups and public health experts are questioning the Environmental Protection Agency’s frequent use of “emergency approvals” that allow farmers to use toxic pesticides.  The EPA reports last year, it issued emergency approvals for use of a pesticide that is known to kill bees on more than 16 million acres. Senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity Nathan Donley says in Tennessee, the agency recently green-lighted use of two synthetic pesticides on sorghum and cotton fields, and it’s likely more approvals will be issued this growing season. “In the major pesticide law in this country, there’s an exemption-approval...

A Manchester man is facing charges of aggravated child abuse and first degree murder following the death of his infant son early Sunday morning, January 5th.  Manchester authorities were called to Tennova-Harton hospital in Tullahoma when doctors alerted them to severe injuries to a six-week old infant. The child was flown to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital to be treated at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Saturday afternoon, but passed away at approximately 6:30 a.m. Sunday.  Gavin Clark, 21, was originally charged with aggravated child abuse. First degree murder charges were added after the infant passed away.  “This father has been...

Someone walking the Little Duck River Greenway near the Manchester Sports Park discovered an upside down vehicle in the Little Duck River  early Saturday morning  and called authorities.  Apparently, the vehicle crashed into the river below State Highway 55 while traveling West on State Route 55 (McMinnville Highway). Specific details as to how the vehicle crashed are not available. Members of the Coffee County Rescue Squad were able to recovere the vehicle, a Chevrolet Impala sedan, and flip it over to find no one inside. Authorities later identified the driver as Tauris Donte Maymi, who allegedly walked home after the...

Thunder Radio News has obtained a copy of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury’s audit for the Public Building Authority for fiscal year 2018-2019, which shows that the Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center operated at a loss of $340,000 for the year.  While the audit points out that the PBA has corrected five of seven issues from the prior year’s audit, the audit points out that the center continues to operate with budget and net operating loss issues.  Corrected issues were that of segregation of duties, authorized signatures, surplus of fixed assets, receipts and controls over disbursements.  “We noted that...

The heavy rain event that covered our listening area to start the new year late last week and led to flash flood watches and some road closures officially dropped 2.11 inches of rain, according to TVA rain gauges. The heaviest day of rain was Thursday when we picked up 1.53 inches. The amounts were on top of 2.11 inches that fell on the area last Sunday, Dec. 29, leaving Manchester with 4.22 inches of rainfall last week. Sunny skies are expected Monday, but rain returns to the forecast Monday night in...

According to the Coffee County Highway Department, as of 1:30 p.m. Friday, (Jan. 3) Rutledge Ford Rd. at the Franklin – Coffee County line has been closed due to rising water in the...