The State Administrative Office of the Courts is taking steps to improve security at courthouses all across Tennessee. Officials have approved new minimum security standards for courtrooms, which include more training, armed guards in court and extra protection on the bench. Preference will be given to counties with courtrooms that do not currently meet the present minimum courtroom security standards as well as counties that have experienced a courtroom security breach during the 12-month period of July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017. In June of this year, at the Coffee County Justice Center an inmate fought a court...

A Search Advisory Committee has been appointed to lead the search for a new president of Motlow State Community College. The committee will convene for the first time Oct. 24 at the college, immediately after a public forum to gather campus and community input. The 18-member committee includes five members of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the college’s governing board, and representatives of the Motlow faculty, staff, students and alumni and of the region the college serves. It will be chaired by Board of Regents Member Tom Griscom. The public forum will be held from 9 to 10 a.m....

The Animal Rescue Corps responded to an urgent call for assistance from the Monteagle Tennessee Police Department on Thursday. Animal Rescue Corps rescued 14 animals found abandoned in makeshift pens inside a horse trailer. The animals appear to have been housed in the trailer for some time and abandoned at this location days ago. They were found without food or water. All of the animals exhibited signs of chronic neglect, tumors, dehydration, intestinal worms, external parasites, runny eyes, overgrown nails, and more. The 14 animals were found in the horse trailer that was left attached to a U-Haul box...

On Tuesday, October 10th at approximately 8:44 PM, Decherd Police Department was dispatched to CVS Pharmacy located at 1717 Decherd Blvd to a robbery in progress. A person dressed in all black including a black ski mask made his way into the store and to the pharmacy where he demanded the workers to give him OxyContin. The clerk was able to identify the person as a male due to his voice. He was carrying a black trash bag and advised the employees that he had a gun. The employees complied with his request. The suspect then fled the scene...

The Grundy County football team added a loss to their season record Friday night. The team was forced to cancel their game against Upperman High School in Putnam County. This comes after five of the team’s players were charged with attempted aggravated rape. The school board is meeting Monday October 16, 2017 to decide the fate of the team. TSSAA Handbook states that it is a longstanding TSSAA Board of Control Policy that if a school states they are going to compete in the football playoffs and/or regular season contests that leads to the playoffs and they fail to...

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services works closely with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to track law enforcement data involving opioid crime. According to the department, since 2011, every year in Tennessee more than 6,000 people are arrested for crimes related to prescription opioids. Prescription opioids are pain killers, such as hydrocodone. This number of arrests equates to more than 16 people getting arrested every day in Tennessee. In 2016, 1,516 people were arrested for heroin offenses, which is an average about four Tennesseans arrested per day. That number is significantly up since 2009, when...

Fake $20 bills are popping up around Coffee County, according to Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jason Dendy. The counterfeit bills were passed at four area businesses (convenience stores and a restaurant) and discovered by American City Bank on Wednesday. The employees did not realize the bills were fake until the bank informed the businesses. Investigator Jason Dendy is urging area businesses to be very cautious when accepting cash. Any person that is in the business of money exchange, such as stores or street vendors should practice some basic precautions. Workers are encouraged to use a marking pen to...

An incident involving hazing is under investigation in Grundy County. Director of Schools Jessie Kinsey says that a hazing incident did happen at Grundy County High School football field house. Kinsey added that the students will be punished according to the school handbook. Sheriff Clint Shrum says investigators spent the afternoon interviewing students, teachers and parents to determine what happened. Sheriff Shrum says that 5 Grundy County H.S. football players have now been charged with attempted aggravated rape. The sheriff said the victim was placed on the floor with his arms behind his back, and one participant put his...