Shelbyville Times-Gazette: News : Crime, justice and emergency services

Crime, justice and emergency services

Crime, punishment, the court system and emergency response.

Missing teenager gone since Monday (02/09/12)
Authorities are searching for a 16-year-old boy last seen Monday. Jordan Beavers got out of his father's truck at the North Main Street-Madison Street intersection about 11 a.m. and ran away, police said. The youth went to his home and packed a few items before leaving, a Shelbyville police report said. The report added Beavers has family in the Lewisburg area...

Local man accused in Tullahoma theft (02/09/12)
A Shelbyville man is being held under a $50,000 bond in Coffee County after being charged with theft in Tullahoma. David Paul Zwarton, 31, of Industrial Parkway was arrested by Tullahoma investigator Jason Kennedy in connection with the theft of jewelry from a residence on Old Shelbyville Highway on Jan. 25...

Teens' play practice shot down (02/08/12)
There was a plot, sort of. But, for teens rehearsing William Shakespeare's "Macbeth," real life intermingled with the classic play -- and one actor was arrested. A deed of dreadful note. -- Shakespeare, from "Macbeth" The thespians descended on H.V. Griffin Park Monday, armed with memorized lines and a stage prop -- a BB gun...

Pyrdom drug case remains on hold (02/08/12)
It's not clear when a Moore County commissioner accused of selling drugs near a Bedford County school will have his case heard. William Karl Pyrdom Sr., 44, had been scheduled to make a fifth appearance in General Sessions Court on Jan. 31 for charges of sale of a schedule II drug...

Large-screen TV stolen from house (02/08/12)
Two incidents involving stolen property were reported Monday to Shelbyville police. A 55-inch television, DVD player, muzzleloader, camera and jewelry were taken from a Deery Street residence, police were told Tuesday. Several parts of a central air unit were cut off at a building on South Cannon Boulevard, Shelbyville police were told...

Angry suspect challenges police officers (02/07/12)
"Just kill me," an advancing suspect allegedly yelled at two Shelbyville police officers early Monday as he refused orders to stop. Johnny Burr Pace, 58, who had thrown down a weapon seconds earlier in the parking lot of Beechwood Apartments, Peacock Lane, was stopped with a Taser within moments by officer Gregg Loyd...

Drugs among items taken in home burglaries (02/07/12)
Home burglaries kept Shelbyville police busy over the weekend. l Prescription drugs, jewelry and a pair of sunglasses were stolen from a South Brittain Street home between 9-10:30 p.m. Friday, police were told. A door was kicked and glass in a second door broken to gain entry...

Blazing destruction (02/05/12)
Quickly-advancing flames destroy a house on Cherokee Trail around 2 a.m. Saturday. "I had a grease fire started on the stove and it got out of hand," Joyce Allen, who shared the home with sons Marcus and Tony Allen, said. The house was fully involved when firefighters arrived. (T-G Photo by David Melson)

City to consider raising court costs (02/03/12)
Costs for those who appear in city court may be going up by $15. Shelbyville's city council will consider an ordinance next Thursday to increase the amount of court costs, when paid as cash, to $105 instead of the $90 currently paid. The proposed hike is to cover the required amount to be sent directly to the state as litigation tax...

Angry intruder strikes out at diner (02/03/12)
Fears of a melee at a Deason restaurant Thursday ended without anyone being injured as Bedford County deputies quickly arrived to calm the situation. Kimberly Ann Goslee, 44, of Parker Sain Road was charged with domestic violence after causing a disturbance at Midway Diner, U.S. 231 North, during the lunch hour...

Marijuana found in car after wreck (02/02/12)
Marijuana was discovered in a car following an accident last week on State Highway 82 west of Bell Buckle. Pratik Patel, 21, of North Point Circle, the driver, was charged with first offense DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a schedule VI drug for resale, State Trooper Chad McAnally said...

Victim's tip helps police catch auto burglary suspect (02/02/12)
An observant theft victim helped Shelbyville police catch the man charged with breaking into his car Tuesday night. Mark Eschbach of Railroad Avenue was charged with auto burglary and is suspected in several other auto burglaries in the area around Walmart over the past two weeks, police said...

Police answer over 12,800 calls in 2011 (02/01/12)
2011 was a busy year for the Shelbyville's fire and police departments, according to statistics released this week. The city council received annual reports Tuesday from Police Chief Austin Swing and Fire Chief Ricky McConnell, detailing the numbers and types of calls they've made over the past year...

5 moms leave 7 kids alone, go to bar (01/31/12)
Seven young children were left alone by five mothers who went to a Shelbyville bar Saturday night, and two of the mothers have been charged with filing a false police report. The children, one only 4 months old, were left at a Landers Street apartment while the mothers were at the Pop-a-Top on Madison Street, Detective Sgt. Brian Crews of the Shelbyville Police Department said...

Two charged with stealing $6,500 ring (01/31/12)
Two suspects have been charged with taking a pistol, money bags and an expensive ring from a truck in Shelbyville. Roman Martinez, 21, and Miranda Ann Register, 27, both of a Greenwood Avenue home, have been charged with theft of property over $1,000, according to Shelbyville police. Martinez is also charged with burglary and criminal impersonation and is jailed on $31,000 bond. Register, who police were told is Martinez's girlfriend, is being held on $3,000 bond...

Man found dead in burning home (01/31/12)
The body of a Shelbyville man was found in his burning Richland Drive home early Sunday. "We have no reason to suspect foul play" in the death of Thomas Wilson, Detective Sgt. Brian Crews of the Shelbyville Police Department said. Firefighters found Wilson's body near the den and kitchen area of the home. He was not breathing when found, fire officials said...

SWAT team aims high with cutting-edge guns (01/29/12)
Private donations and help from an area firearms manufacturer has resulted in Bedford County's SWAT team being equipped with a weapon that American troops may be carrying someday in the future. The Bedford County Sheriff's Department's Special Weapons and Tactical Unit now packs the latest firepower from Barrett Firearms Co. in Christiana. The firm is known for manufacturing the M82 .50 caliber anti-materiel rifle, used by American troops and armed forces worldwide...

Truck smashes bridge (01/27/12)
Leaking gasoline threatened a creek which feeds into nearby Duck River, and a just-repaired bridge on U.S. 41A North was severely damaged this morning when struck by an out-of-control tractor-trailer. "I hit a little bit of a lip on the side of the road ... just barely hit the lip and lost it," truck driver Daniel Teachey said, referring to thin grooves cut into the paved shoulder of the highway. "With the slick roads there was nothing else I could do."...

Court dates set for crime spree suspects (01/27/12)
Three men accused of a nearly year-long crime spree in Bedford County and other communities made their first court appearances on Wednesday. l Joey William Ostrander, 19, of Bragg Circle, Tullahoma, is charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary, five counts of theft of property under $10,000 and five counts of attempted aggravated burglary. He is being held under $252,000 bond at the Bedford County jail. He will make his next appearance in court on March 15...

Juvenile center worth keeping (01/26/12)
Bedford County Juvenile Detention Center, which the county considered closing last year, continues to perform well, according to discussion at Tuesday night's meeting of the county Financial Management Committee. The center's revenues for the first six months of the fiscal year were $148,171, and it had $194,481 in expenses...

View from the bench: crowded courtroom (01/26/12)
Bedford County's largest courtroom was once again filled to capacity Wednesday as a 108-page docket was before General Sessions Judge Charles Rich. Shelbyville Fire Marshal Brian Nicholson determined that the chambers have an occupancy load of 218, and court officers ordered those without business before the judge to wait outside. Yet, after this photo was taken, more defendants entered and took every available seat, also lining the walls. It took Rich over an hour to read the docket. Nicholson said last month that "dangerous overcrowding" had taken place in a small downstairs courtroom, prompting an evaluation of how many people can safely occupy court chambers. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)

Head-on impact hurts two (01/25/12)
Israel Everett, 28, of Shelbyville is removed from his Nissan Altima after being pinned inside for approximately 15 minutes following a head-on crash at the intersection of U.S. 231 North and McDale Lane about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Hansen support suit set for March (01/24/12)
March trial dates have been set for a former Shelbyville woman who sent her adopted Russian son back to Moscow alone on a plane with a note stating she didn't want him anymore. Torry Hansen is facing a lawsuit for child support that could require her to publicly answer questions about her actions. A trial is set to begin March 27 in Bedford County Circuit Court, with a hearing set in the case on Feb. 1...

Two direct indictments presented to grand jury (01/24/12)
Two people had direct indictments presented to the Bedford County grand jury on Monday. Michael Tyrone Gant appeared before Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler on charges of theft under $500, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, possession of a weapon and possession of a firearm while committing a felony...

Bar owner robbed at knifepoint (01/24/12)
The owner of a Shelbyville bar was robbed of the night's proceeds at knifepoint early Saturday. "Don't do anything stupid. I want your money," the robber told Mary Thomason while holding a large butcher knife to her back as she was closing the Get Away Saloon, Sims Road, officer Gregg Loyd's report said...

Soring sentence includes order to write article for T-G (01/24/12)
Writing a newspaper article about his crimes is part of the punishment given to one of four people who pleaded guilty last year to soring horses. Paul Blackburn, 36, of Shelbyville received a year of probation and a $1,000 fine for conspiracy to violate the Horse Protection Act and substantive violations of the act....

Two Shelbyville businesses burglarized over weekend (01/24/12)
A Shelbyville business was entered for the third time in recent weeks overnight Thursday, police said. An Apple iPod Touch, a relatively small amount of petty cash and approximately 50 unsigned gift certificates were stolen after 8 p.m. Thursday at Curves, Colloredo Boulevard...

Judgment against Americare overturned (01/20/12)
The Tennessee Court of Appeals has overturned a $5 million judgment against the parent company of a local assisted living facility in a wrongful death suit. In April 2010, a Bedford County jury returned a verdict of more than $5.4 million against Americare Systems Inc, and Shelbyville Residential LLC, which does business as Celebration Way, and two nurses -- Dottie Hunt and Mary Ann Steelman...

Hearing date for Boisseau case reset (01/20/12)
A preliminary hearing has been reset for March 15 for a man accused of attempted murder and arson last summer. Roger Eugene Boisseau, 37, will appear on that date before General Sessions Judge Charles Rich, where he will decide if there is enough evidence to send the case to the Bedford County grand jury...

Debts mount quickly on stolen card (01/19/12)
A Wartrace woman racked up over $1,000 worth of charges within 30 minutes using a stolen debit card Tuesday, Shelbyville police said. Nora Chere Quick, 35, Anthony Road, Wartrace, admitted the spree, officer Chris Vest's report said. Quick told officers she saw a friend's wallet in his vehicle while he was in his home in Shelbyville, took the card and visited three large retail stores and a gas station. Quick then took the card home and cut it apart, Vest said...

Quake drill is critical (01/19/12)
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is encouraging schools, families and businesses to participate in an earthquake drill next month. Registration is open for the second annual Great Central U. S. ShakeOut earthquake drill, scheduled for Feb. 7 at 10:15 a.m.. Last April, more than 3 million people in 11 states, including 250,000 Tennesseans, took part...

Up in flames: Couple's home burns a week after marriage (01/18/12)
The honeymoon's over for Mark and Becky Williams Byrd. A fire destroyed their Peggy Lane home Tuesday morning, leaving just the outside walls. "We've been living here about a year," Mark Byrd said. "We just got married a week ago." "They were all at work, that's the good thing," Kenda Harrison said as she stood with the Byrds across the street from the burning home in a cold wind and light rain. She's a relative of Becky Byrd and was the first family member to arrive...

Gambling cases will be heard in February (01/18/12)
Yet another continuance has been granted in an ongoing case against seven local merchants who face gambling-related charges stemming from the seizure of alleged gaming machines last year. Naim Abulaban, 21, of Murfreesboro, Dipakbhai Bhagat, 50, Sejal Chaudhari, 26, Brad Jones, 36, Dharmendra Patel, 40, Rameshbhain Patel, 48, and Narendra Patel, 52, all of Shelbyville, were in General Sessions Court Tuesday, but had their cases continued again until Feb. 14...

Spring dates set for Freeman trial (01/18/12)
Trial dates have been set for a man accused of trying to run down two Bedford County deputies last spring. Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler set April 30 and May 1 as the dates when Jerry Stanton Freeman, 45, will stand trial. Freeman is charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder of an officer, two counts of possession of a schedule VI drug, possession of a schedule II drug, resisting arrest and evading arrest...

Puffing pot in public leads to driver's arrest (01/18/12)
Smoke marijuana while driving on a busy street during the day, and you might just get caught. Police say they found marijuana in a vehicle after a caller reported seeing a man in a black Dodge smoking marijuana from a pipe while driving on U.S. 231 North Saturday afternoon. The caller told police the man stopped at a convenience store...

Gunman robs pawn shop (01/15/12)
An armed man held up a clerk at Volunteer Financial Services on Elm Street at mid-morning Saturday, Shelbyville police said. The amount of money taken from the pawn shop and check cashing center by the suspect, who police said was carrying a black pistol, was not available by press time...

Supreme Court refuses Bushnell (01/15/12)
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a case filed by a local wrecker operator, who had unsuccessfully sued the city and county. In a one-sentence statement, the highest court in the nation denied a writ of certiorari filed by Robert L. Bushnell...

Check scam suspects strike across state (01/13/12)
A man and woman accused of attempting to cash fake payroll checks at grocery stores in Shelbyville and other cities are subjects of a statewide search. The couple has obtained multiple Tennessee-issued IDs across the state using falsified documents and stolen identities, which they use to cash fake payroll checks, according to a press release and photos sent by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department to law enforcement agencies statewide...

Suspect accused of 3 burglary attempts (01/13/12)
A Shelbyville woman has been charged with aggravated criminal trespassing after allegedly attempting to break into three homes during daylight hours Wednesday. Police arrested Holly Denise Knoblauch, 25, outside a Buffalo Valley Drive home where a resident said she heard loud noises, then saw a woman slamming the front door with her body and fist...

Hord case set; sheriff files denial to claims (01/12/12)
While one lawsuit against the sheriff and county has been settled, a trial date has been set for next year in the litigation filed by the department's former child abuse investigator. Meanwhile, the county filed documents Wednesday denying many of the allegations made against the sheriff...

Lott's appeal denied by court (01/12/12)
A woman serving an 18-year sentence for theft and credit card fraud has lost her appeal. Sheila Marie Lott had claimed she had received ineffective assistance of counsel and that her plea was not voluntarily made when she made an open plea in 2008 to a variety of charges...

Sentencing delayed in horse soring case (01/12/12)
Sentencing has been delayed until the end of next month for two people who have admitted their guilt in a federal horse soring case. Jeffery Bradford, 33, of Lewisburg, and Christen Altman, 25, of Shelbyville will now be sentenced on Feb. 27 instead of the original date of Feb. 13, according to an order by U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr...

Ring's lure sends suspect to jail (01/12/12)
A Shelbyville man is accused of taking a wedding band from a friend's home and selling it for cash Tuesday. Frankie Dewayne Fuller, Jr., 24, Woodland Avenue, allegedly spotted the ring, valued at $600, on a chain hanging from a wall at the Fairground Heights home, police were told. The ring belongs to a woman who shares the home with his friend...

Deputies to be paid OT (01/11/12)
Bedford County Board of Commissioners, after a closed attorney-client meeting, voted Tuesday night to settle overtime lawsuits brought against the county by sheriff's department employees, and to pay back wages owed to sheriff's department dispatchers...

CodeRED system to be tested Friday (01/11/12)
Expect a call Friday afternoon. Bedford County 911 Communications Center will use the CodeRED Emergency Notification System on Friday to call more than 15,000 land-line telephones in Bedford County. The calls, which will be made during the afternoon on Friday, are meant as a test of the CodeRED system, but will also serve to promote the system to local residents, whom officials say can benefit by registering themselves at the CodeRED website. ...

Russian boy finds adoptive family (01/10/12)
Artyom Savelyev, the boy sent back to Russia by his adopted mother from Shelbyville in 2010, has finally found a home. According to the Russian State News agency RIA Novosti, the 9-year-old has joined 16 other children who are being cared for by a woman that has raised several generations of abandoned children...

Shelbyville man charged with 6th DUI, speeding (01/10/12)
A Shelbyville man was charged with sixth offense DUI after being clocked at 101 miles per hour on Interstate 65 in Franklin early Saturday. Shawn Woods, 39, was in a 60 mph zone near the McEwen Drive exit, a Franklin Police Department press release said...

Thieves break into drug store, steal pills (01/10/12)
An undetermined number of pills were taken from a Shelbyville drug store around sunrise Sunday. The burglary alarm at McGee's Prescription Shop, Union Street, sounded at 6:08 a.m., Detective Sgt. Brian Crews of the Shelbyville Police Department said...

Judge denies request for injunction against sheriff's department (01/08/12)
A federal judge has denied a request for a preliminary injunction filed by four detectives who are suing Sheriff Randall Boyce and Bedford County. Following an evidentiary hearing and testimony on Thursday in Chattanooga, U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice denied the motion that would have halted alleged retaliation against Bedford County Sheriff's Department employees who may wish to join a lawsuit over unpaid overtime...

Graffiti writer gets probation (01/06/12)
A Unionville man accused of writing threatening graffiti at the Tyson Foods plant in December 2010 received four years probation as part of a plea deal. Zachary Wilson, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of filing a false report in connection with an incident that was followed by bomb threats at the chicken processing plant and national media attention...

Chestnut Drive home ransacked (01/06/12)
It took less than 45 minutes for a flat-screen television, DVD player, XBox 360 with two controllers and more than $700 worth of games, a laptop computer, iPad, iPod Touch and jewlery to be stolen from a Shelbyville home Wednesday morning. The victim was away between 10-10:43 a.m., she told police...

UPDATE: Photo of vehicle burglary suspect released (01/05/12)
CD players were stolen from three vehicles and several other cars and trucks in a spree across northern and western Shelbyville early Tuesday night, police said. The CD players were taken at Walmart and Kroger on North Main Street and Pizza Hut, Lane Parkway. The face of a CD player was stolen from an unlocked car at Rite Aid Drugs, North Main Street...

FLEX/COP may hit city's streets (01/04/12)
Protecting the public is the job of Shelbyville's police and fire departments, and both groups have laid out what they hope to accomplish in 2012. The city's department heads were asked by city manager Jay Johnson to draw up a list of their goals for this year. City council members received a booklet containing those ideas last week...

Chase suspect feared being jailed (01/04/12)
A motorcycle rider facing multiple charges after a high-speed chase on New Year's Eve says he didn't stop because he feared being jailed. Brian Keith Dennis, 26, of Orchard Lane led a Shelbyville police officer at high speeds from North Hillcrest Drive to near Wartrace and was later arrested in Coffee County by a Bedford County deputy...

Hansen trial reset again (01/04/12)
No trial date has yet to be set for a former Shelbyville resident who sent her adopted Russian child back to his home country in 2010. Tuesday had originally been set for Torry and Nancy Hansen and attorneys representing a Washington state adoption agency to appear in Bedford County Circuit Court for trial...

Five names, 1 man, multiple fraud tries (01/03/12)
Investigators are searching for a man who allegedly cashed payroll checks under various names at grocery stores in Shelbyville, Tullahoma and Chattanooga. The man cashed a Goodwill payroll check and presented a state identification card bearing the name "Henry Bell" at a Shelbyville grocery store on Friday, according to a police report filed by officer Gregg Loyd...

More bad luck flares up for fire victim (01/01/12)
"It seems all I have is bad luck," Patricia Crowson said as Shelbyville firefighters doused what was left of her Tate Avenue home Thursday night. The inside of the residence was gutted when a fire broke out about 10 p.m. in a bedroom. "I was cooking a casserole and I heard something pop -- it did it three or four times," Crowson said. "He (her son Shane Rhodes, who had just returned from a wrestling match) thought it sounded electrical...

Tales of loss lead annual top story list (01/01/12)
Two stories that touched the hearts of local readers top this year's list of the top 10 local stories as determined by a poll of the Times-Gazette staff. The top story of the year was the plight of the three people collectively known as The Shelbyville Missing: Shelley Mook, Bobby Smelcer and Antonio Taylor. That story was followed by the story of a young sixth grader whose illness brought the community together and whose death broke its heart...

Bypass, sheriff's woes among Top 10 stories (12/29/11)
The opening of a long-awaited, long-requested bypass around Shelbyville was cause for celebration in August but soon became cause for concern. That bypass, and the legal troubles of Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce, are the next two entries in a countdown of the year's top local stories as determined by a poll of the Times-Gazette staff...

Fire destroys historic Unionville spot (12/29/11)
A piece of Unionville history was destroyed Wednesday morning as a house on Unionville-Chapel Hill Road burned. "My mother moved into the house in 1939," Thomas King said as he watched the house burn. "She (Claytie King) ran the telephone office from the house. I bought the house from the telephone company in the 1950s."...

Drug fight tops DAs' concerns (12/28/11)
Tennessee's district attorneys say that synthetic and prescription drug abuse will be the biggest challenges they face going into the new year. District Attorney General Charles Crawford and 30 others recently met for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference to identify what they termed "serious areas of concern" which must be addressed at the state level in 2012...

Monkey case, adoption wrangling among year's top stories (12/28/11)
Perhaps the most unexpected new story of the year, and the continuation of last year's top story, take the sixth and fifth places on the Times-Gazette's annual countdown of the top local news stories of 2011 as determined by a poll of the Times-Gazette staff...

Rock quarry suit delayed again (12/28/11)
A federal judge has ordered another delay in an ongoing lawsuit over a proposed rock quarry, canceling a June 2012 trial date. Last October, Norma and Tommy Wright, Wright Paving Co. Inc., and Custom Stone LLC filed a suit in federal court for $10 million against the city of Shelbyville, its board of zoning appeals, planning commission, and codes and planning director Ed Dodson "in his official capacity and individually," accusing them of violating due process, inverse condemnation, unconstitutional taking, negligence and creating an unconstitutional "floating" zone.. ...

Four arrested after incidents at home (12/28/11)
Four people were charged after incidents Sunday at a South Cannon Boulevard residence. Micah Jordan Chapman, 21, of another South Cannon Boulevard home, allegedly rammed his vehicle into the victim's front porch, causing "severe damage," then attempted to gain entry by breaking a window with a piece of outdoor furniture before leaving, police said. Car parts found in the victim's yard matched damage to Chapman's vehicle, according to police...

Children thrown from SUV (12/27/11)
Two Shelbyville children were airlifted to a Nashville hospital after being thrown from an overturning vehicle on U.S. 41A South at mid-afternoon Monday. Elizabeth Shae Gant, 6, and Carter Gant Jr., 5, were flown from the crash site to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville in separate helicopters, State Trooper Barry Qualls said. Investigators said the injuries appeared to be primarily broken bones...

BREAKING: Children hurt when thrown from vehicle (12/26/11)
Two Shelbyville children were airlifted to a Nashville hospital after being thrown from a vehicle on U.S. 41A South at mid-afternoon Monday. Elizabeth Shae Gant, 6, and Carter Gant Jr., 5, were flown from the crash site to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville in separate helicopters, State Trooper Barry Qualls said. Investigators said the injuries appeared to be primarily broken bones...

Hearing scheduled in suit vs. sheriff (12/23/11)
A federal judge has ordered a hearing to see if a preliminary injunction will be issued to halt alleged retaliation against sheriff's department employees who may wish to join a lawsuit over unpaid overtime. U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice, Jr. has set Jan. 5 in Chattanooga for a full evidentiary hearing over claims made by four detectives who filed suit against Sheriff Randall Boyce and Bedford County...

3 charged with area burglaries (12/23/11)
Three men are facing up to a dozen counts of burglary in Bedford County, and are accused of committing more break-ins in neighboring communities. Following an investigation, detectives from Shelbyville, the county and Tullahoma believe the men are responsible for a nearly year-long crime spree in their jurisdictions, as well as in Manchester, Moore, Franklin and Coffee Counties...

Judges haven't joined courthouse talks (12/22/11)
County Mayor Eugene Ray said Tuesday night it's been difficult to get Bedford County's judges together to discuss courthouse security issues. Commissioner Jeff Yoes asked a question during Tuesday night's meeting of the county commission's courthouse and county property committee about a proposed coordinating committee of judges, law enforcement and government personnel that had been discussed months earlier. ...

Dream goes up in smoke (12/21/11)
The burning building a few feet away wasn't the main thing on the mind of Paula Rogers as she watched flames destroy Ziggy's Pool Room early today. Her concern was the "kids" -- her customers, who she hoped to steer away from a life of trouble. "The magic's gone," Rogers said...

State won't release Freeman to deputies (12/20/11)
A man accused of trying to run down two deputies had another court date set after state correction officials refused to release him into the custody of the county. Jerry Stanton Freeman, 45, of Warren Hollow Road, will now appear before Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler on Jan. 13 when he will either settle his case of have a trial date set...

Defendants' cases held until January (12/20/11)
A dozen defendants will have to wait until next month to learn if they were indicted by the Bedford County grand jury. Court officials stated that most of the defendants had only had their preliminary hearings before General Sessions Judge Charles Rich late last week and there was no time to properly draw up the indictments in time for Monday's meeting of the grand jury...

Judge to hear 2 suits vs.county (12/16/11)
A federal magistrate has determined that two suits filed against the sheriff and county are related and will not need to be assigned to a different judge. U.S. Magistrate William B. Mitchell Carter issued an order this week stating that litigation filed in August by four detectives and the lawsuit by the county's former child abuse investigator, Rebecca Hord, "is related" and that there is no need for reassignment since both cases are currently assigned to the same district judge, Harry S. ...

Railroad cars go up in flames (12/16/11)
Two railroad cars that once carried passengers on excursions between Shelbyville and Wartrace won't be making any final runs. Columns of smoke were visible throughout eastern Shelbyville when the cars, parked on tracks alongside Railroad Avenue behind Central High School, caught fire while being cut apart by railroad workers Thursday afternoon...

Sex offender's appeal denied by court (12/15/11)
A state court has rejected an appeal from a registered sex offender who violated the registry by not reporting his current address. Timothy Bryant Burton claimed that Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell erred by allowing prosecutors to introduce specific evidence of his prior convictions in violation of due process and the rules of evidence. Russell found Burton guilty of violation of the sex offender registry and sentenced him to four years in prison...

Sheriff's staff will receive holiday pay (12/14/11)
Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to approve a proposal to give holiday pay to sheriff's department and juvenile detention center employees for the remainder of this fiscal year, but hopes in the next fiscal year to review and develop a standardized county-wide policy...

Robbery foiled by officers (12/14/11)
A man who thought he was luring an unsuspecting cell phone buyer into a robbery was surprised to be met by two detectives and a drug agent Monday. Christopher Alan Perry, 18, of Oakwood Place was taken into custody in a Madison Street convenience store by detectives Jason Kennedy of the Tullahoma Police Department and Sgt. Brian Crews of the Shelbyville Police Department. In Perry's hands was a bag containing an eReader and USB cord valued at $20, police said...

Money taken from auto dealer's office (12/14/11)
Money was stolen from an office at Victory Nissan South, U.S. 231 North, overnight Monday, police said The parts manager told police he arrived at 8 a.m. Tuesday to discover a glass door had been broken, a satellite radio was missing and an inside office door had been pried...

Court denies Parrish reduced prison time (12/13/11)
A Shelbyville man who fired shots at a home in 2009 after a drug deal went bad has been denied an appeal for a shorter prison term. Derrick Lamont Parrish, 34, formerly of Cedar River Road, is serving a 16 1/2-year sentence after entering a best-interest plea on a number of felony charges...

McLean fraud victims due almost $1M (12/13/11)
Nearly $1 million in payments are due creditors who were victims of a Ponzi scheme by the late Murfreesboro financier Robert McLean. McLean died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound the day before a bankruptcy hearing in 2007. The financier swindled $67 million from investors and creditors while making donations to friends, MTSU and the Country Music Hall of Fame. A Ponzi scheme is where early investors are paid off with money put up by later ones...

Snowman, wreath taken from Shelbyville yard (12/13/11)
Shelbyville police stayed busy investigating burglaries and thefts over the past week, records show. l An illuminated snowman was stolen from the yard and an illuminated wreath from the side of a home on Union Street Thursday night or Friday, police said...

Detective sues over dismissal (12/09/11)
The county's former child abuse investigator has filed a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Randall Boyce and Bedford County, claiming she was fired for supporting other officers suing over unpaid overtime, and also for her race and gender. Rebecca Hord filed a complaint Wednesday in U.S. District Court under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Tennessee Human Rights Act (THRA) for failure to pay overtime, racial and gender discrimination, as well as retaliatory discharge...

Second court date set in child death case (12/09/11)
A man charged in the death of his 4-month-old daughter following an accident on the Shelbyville bypass made his first court appearance Thursday. Edward Petatan-Rendon, 26, of Smith Street, charged with reckless homicide and six counts of reckless endangerment, has a second appearance before General Session Judge Charles Rich set for Jan. 12. He is free on $35,000 bond...

Trying times at courthouse (12/08/11)
Defendants had to appear before a judge "in shifts" Wednesday due to limits placed on courtroom occupancy by Shelbyville's fire marshal. A sign restricting the maximum occupant load to 60 people for the main courtroom area was posted at entrances to the first floor chambers at the county courthouse, after Assistant Fire Chief Brian Nicholson said that "dangerous overcrowding" had been reported by a citizen last week...

Hearing date set in Boisseau case (12/08/11)
A preliminary hearing date has been set for a man accused of attempted murder and arson this past summer. Roger Eugene Boisseau, 37, will appear on Jan. 19 before General Sessions Judge Charles Rich, where the judge will decide if there is enough evidence to send the case to the Bedford County grand jury...

Three charged in burglary attempt (12/08/11)
Three persons were charged after an unsuccessful attempt to enter West Lane Market early Tuesday, police said. Andrew Phillip Marshall, 18, and Phillip Norman Marshall, 29, both of Himesville Road, and Robert Andrew Slaughter, 23, Highway 82 South, were taken into custody...

Court overturns pot conviction (12/07/11)
A criminal appeals court has overturned a conviction of a Bedford County man on a possession of marijuana charge, stating that "double jeopardy" bars two charges resulting out of a single offense. In July 2010, Marease Antonio Crawford was indicted by the county's grand jury for sale of a schedule VI drug (two counts), delivery of schedule VI (two counts), possession of schedule VI for resale, delivery of schedule VI and driving on a suspended license. ...

Assault charge filed after stabbing (12/06/11)
A Shelbyville man has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly stabbing another man over the weekend. Chuck Allen Webster, 65, told police he stabbed another man in his West Lane Street home. The victim's single knife wound to the back is not life-threatening and didn't penetrate any vital organs, police said...

'Dangerous overcrowding' at county courthouse (12/02/11)
"Dangerous overcrowding" occurred in Bedford County General Sessions Court Wednesday, and Shelbyville's fire marshal is requesting a meeting with county officials to develop a plan to reduce the risk to the public. In a letter to Circuit Court Clerk Thomas Smith, which also went to the county mayor, sheriff, court officers, judges and magistrates, Assistant Fire Chief Brian Nicholson stated that he responded to a citizen's complaint about the overcrowding...

Kibble sentence to be determined (12/02/11)
A Shelbyville man will be sentenced in February after making a plea agreement to charges of running his ex-girlfriend off the road and attacking her with a tire iron. Lavario Devon Kibble, 31, of Barksdale Lane, agreed to a sentence of five years at 30 percent, but how he will serve it will be up to Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell, who will conduct a hearing on that matter on Feb. 2...

Monkeys' owner faces short jail term (12/01/11)
A Bedford County man who was discovered with a number of monkeys at his home earlier this year will spend four days in jail and has been forbidden to keep any more exotic animals. Ricky Smith of Frank Martin Road was given a sentence of 11 months, 29 days probation on two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, with four days to serve in jail, according to assistant district attorney Drew Wright. The sentences are to run concurrent to any community corrections violations Smith has...

Moore commissioner's drug case continued (12/01/11)
A Moore County commissioner who is accused of selling drugs near a school has had his case continued until next year. William Karl Pyrdom Sr., 44, had a continuance set for Jan. 31 after making his fourth appearance in General Sessions Court on Tuesday. He is charged with sale of a schedule II drug and is free on $10,000 bond...

Suspect charged after $10 computer sale (12/01/11)
A Shelbyville man has been charged in connection with three area burglaries. Anthony Dewayne Fletcher, 46, Maplewood Drive, was arrested after a bag of jewelry allegedly stolen from a Shelbyville home was found in his car during a search Monday, according to a report filed by Detective Chad Webster of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department...

Code Red ready to go if disaster strikes Bedford Co. (11/30/11)
A new notification system gives local emergency departments a variety of new options for notifying the public in case of a disaster, and members of the public can opt in to receive notices related to severe weather. Bedford County Emergency Communications District (E-911) has signed up for the Code Red program, which gives departments options for making automated calls or sending cell phone text messages, according to Bedford County Communications Center director Cathey Mathis...

'Secret room' found in store (11/29/11)
A "secret room" containing video poker/slot machines was discovered at a Shelbyville store during a burglary investigation Saturday, police said. Officers investigating a burglary alarm at West Lane Market, West Lane Street, at 12:29 a.m. Saturday made the find, officer Tracey Nelson's report said...

Thief suffers cut while entering home (11/29/11)
A thief took jewelry, a knife set and a digital camera from a Belmont Avenue home and left behind a trail of blood, Shelbyville police said. The home was entered by breaking glass in a side door between 11 a.m. Friday and 1:38 a.m. Saturday, according to the report...

Freeman cited by grand jury on additional charge (11/27/11)
A man already facing attempted murder charges for allegedly trying to run over two deputies was indicted again by the Bedford County grand jury this month. Jerry Stanton Freeman, 46, was indicted on the charge of assault-bodily injury, making a brief appearance before Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler Monday, who set his next court date for Dec. 18...

Airlifted wreck victim likely to be released soon (11/25/11)
A woman airlifted to a Nashville hospital after a Thanksgiving night wreck in Deason is expected to be released Saturday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. Kathey Arlene McGrew, 48, of Pulaski suffered injuries to the head, neck and ribs, after the car in which she was riding was involved in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of U.S. 231 North and State Highway 82, THP Sgt. Monty Terry said...

Merchants' gambling allegation cases delayed until January (11/25/11)
Ongoing chancery court issues and similar charges in a neighboring county have resulted in another delay for a number of local merchants facing gambling allegations. Naim Abulaban, 21, of Murfreesboro, Dipakbhai Bhagat, 50, Sejal Chaudhari, 26, Brad Jones, 36, Dharmendra Patel, 40, Rameshbhain Patel, 48, and Narendra Patel, 52, all of Shelbyville, were in General Sessions Court Tuesday, but had their cases continued until Jan. 17...

Juvenile center gets a reprieve (11/24/11)
On paper, Bedford County Juvenile Detention Center is losing money, as it was expected to do, but it appears to be costing far less than it did in the past, and far less than it would cost the county to send its juveniles elsewhere. The center, located on Lane Parkway next to Bedford County Sheriff's Department, houses juvenile offenders while they are waiting for a hearing. ...

Hansen trial to be open (11/22/11)
The public and news media will be allowed access to the trial and records involving the case of a woman who sent her adopted Russian child back to his home country last year, a judge ruled Monday. However, it seems unlikely that the trial itself will go on in January as planned since both sides did not appear to be ready to proceed...

Farrar drops suit vs. city over arrest (11/22/11)
A Shelbyville man has said he will be dropping his lawsuit against the city over an alleged wrongful arrest. James Edward "Blue" Farrar Jr. filed a motion in federal court Monday asking that his suit be dismissed without prejudice. Farrar had been suing the Shelbyville Police Department, Mayor Wallace Cartwright, Police Chief Austin Swing and officers Tory Moore and Jose Garza, claiming his rights were violated when officers arrested him in April 2009 for public intoxication...

Shelbyville driver hurt in I-40 crash (11/22/11)
A Shelbyville truck driver suffered injuries last week in a west Tennessee accident that snarled interstate traffic for hours and killed dozens of cattle. Michael Heller of Shelbyville was transported to Henderson County Community Hospital on Wednesday after the cattle truck he was operating rolled over on Interstate 40 around mile marker 104 in Henderson County...

'Couponer' captured with 19 Sunday T-Gs (11/22/11)
A woman who described herself as a "couponer" told police she "probably got more papers than she had paid for" from newspaper vending boxes Sunday at Huddle House, North Main Street. Cherita Vaughn had 19 copies of Sunday's Times-Gazette and several copies of The Sunday News of Tullahoma in her vehicle, according to officer Mitchell Warren's report. She has been charged with theft of property...

Pre-trial hearings on adoption case will be open (11/21/11)
A Bedford County judge has ruled that pretrial hearings will be open to the public in the case of a woman who sent her adopted Russian child back to his home country. Torry Hansen was living in Shelbyville in April 2010 when she sent her then-7-year-old son on a plane to Moscow by himself with a note saying she didn't want to be his mother anymore because he had psychological problems...

Trailblazing female firefighter says she's just one of the guys (11/20/11)
Most of us can't imagine facing the dangerous heat of an immense, overwhelming fire even once in our lives, but for Shelbyville firefighter Amanda O'Brien, the thought is a daily encounter. Wearing a navy blue uniform inscribed with her title, O'Brien sat in the Shelbyville Fire Department headquarters with a heartfelt smile on her face...

Bushnell ordered to back claims (11/20/11)
A local wrecker operator has been ordered by a federal judge to show why his lawsuit against the city and county should not be dismissed. In May, Robert L. Bushnell refiled a suit against Bedford County and the city of Shelbyville -- the same suit he filed in 2008 that alleges the county and city have steered towing and repair jobs to one business...

Action urged on Farrar suit (11/18/11)
A federal judge has ordered that a suit over an alleged wrongful arrest in Shelbyville either be dismissed or move to trial next year as scheduled. U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr. issued an order Thursday that lifted a discovery stay on the suit filed by James Edward "Blue" Farrar Jr...

Market seized, closed (11/18/11)
Residents of Bell Buckle and the nearby area will have to find another place to gas up or get that morning cup of coffee after the state Department of Revenue's tax enforcement division seized 82 Market on Thursday, closing its doors to customers. A person at the Shelbyville state office refused to give any information on the seizure, but a property title search shows the market belonging to Sanklap, Inc. of Murfreesboro, a corporation formed in Bedford County in 2006, with Danny Brandon of Manchester as its registered agent. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)

Intoxicated driver smashes into parked cars (11/17/11)
Heavy damage to three parked vehicles occurred after an allegedly-intoxicated driver drove a U-Haul truck into three vehicles at a downtown used car dealership early Monday, police said. Aaron Mitchell Atkins, 29, Dover Street, told investigators he fell asleep at the wheel and veered into the parking lot of Warren and Associates Auto Sales, North Main Street. He passed out in a city police car following the accident, police said...

Bike theft suspect runs when confronted (11/15/11)
A Thunder Rage bicycle reported stolen Sunday from the carport of a home on Belmont Avenue was recovered in late afternoon by two boys who confronted a suspect, Shelbyville police said. The boys, who told police the owner had asked them to watch for the bike, saw another boy pushing it behind a Cliffside Avenue home...

Brighter days ahead (11/13/11)
A parent's worst nightmares pale in comparison to the reality Kerry Kimmel faced nearly two years ago as she rushed to the scene of a fatal car accident on U.S. 231 that involved her daughter, Victoria Atwell. Most know what happened; the coverage of the event reached many news outlets far and wide. Few can understand the panic and pain the families of the two young ladies involved in the crash have experienced since that dreadful day, Dec. 18, 2009...

Document describes soring methods inflicted by convicted SSH trainers (11/13/11)
Documents made public recently in a local horse soring case detailed the abusive methods used on the animals. Last week, Barney Davis, 38, and Jeffery Bradford, 33, both of Lewisburg, and Christen Altman, 25, of Shelbyville, pleaded guilty to charges involving a conspiracy to sore spotted saddle horses and falsify paperwork...

Bedford Manor residents pick up pieces (11/13/11)
Occupants who were forced by fire from an apartment building at Bedford Manor Apartments last week will begin picking up pieces of their lives this week. "We can't go back into the apartments until Monday or Tuesday," Kaci Eden said. Eden described the moments when the fire was discovered in her ground-floor unit at the Barksdale Lane complex last Monday...

Donated billboard keeps missing persons in view (11/11/11)
A national organization has donated a billboard featuring photos of Shelbyville's Missing. Installed near the 1200 block of Madison Street facing east, the photos of Bobby Smelcer, Antonio Taylor and Shelley Jones Mook remind drivers of the families who continue to search for their missing loved ones...

Roommates' complaints lead to drug arrest (11/11/11)
Drug-related charges were filed against a Shelbyville woman after pill bottles were found in her purse Wednesday, police said. Officers asked to search the purse belonging to Donna Marie Thomas, 54, of Collier Avenue after being called to the home due to a dispute between several roommates...

Stolen GPS helps police track truck (11/10/11)
A GPS-equipped phone stolen from a truck in Shelbyville helped authorities find a stolen truck in South Pittsburg, Shelbyville police said. The phone was stolen from a mix truck at Sequatchie Concrete, East Lane, along with rear view cameras from three trucks, police were told. An attempt was made to remove a compact disc player from one of the trucks...

County seeks partial dismissal of bail bond suit (11/10/11)
A motion is before a federal judge to partially dismiss a lawsuit centered around the county's bail bonding system. Ricky Robertson has been suing Bedford County since last December, claiming that it operates a system of setting bail for those arrested and presented to a judicial commissioner "that is not based on the individualized assessment of that particular person's likelihood to flee."...

3 plead guilty in soring conspiracy (11/09/11)
Three people at the center of a conspiracy to violate the Horse Protection Act pleaded guilty on Tuesday. Barney Davis, 38, and Jeffery Bradford, 33, both of Lewisburg, and Christen Altman, 25, of Shelbyville, appeared for a federal court hearing in Chattanooga and changed their pleas, admitting guilt...

New emergency alert system to be tested today (11/09/11)
The first nationwide test of a new Emergency Alert System (EAS) is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. local time this afternoon. The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of EAS as a public alert mechanism. There have been state-level monthly tests and local tests, but this is the first nationwide test of the system...

Apartments evacuated due to fire (11/08/11)
Eight families were forced to find temporary shelter Monday night as fire spread through one of the buildings at Bedford Manor Apartments, Barksdale Lane. "A grease fire started on the stove in my apartment," Cassie Eden, a resident of building 4A, said. "They (Shelbyville Fire Department) had to come back three times and now look what's happened."...

Vacant residence destroyed by fire (11/08/11)
A vacant home burned to the ground on Kingdom Road in northern Bedford County late Saturday night. "Two outside walls were on fire and the back was gone" when Bedford County and Unionville firefighters arrived, an unsigned Bedford County Fire Department report said. "The back right side of the house was burnt down."...

Lack of seat belt leads to arrest for marijuana (11/08/11)
Marijuana was found in a truck following a traffic stop Friday morning because the driver wasn't wearing a seat belt, Shelbyville police said. Myron Thomas Harper, 39, Sims Springs Road, allegedly had a cigarette box containing 10.12 grams of marijuana, along with a pack of rolling papers, in his truck, officer Jon Cooke's report said...

Wreck occurs on Fairfield Pike (11/08/11)
Sheriff Randall Boyce looks over debris scattered from a truck driven by Randy Hatchett, 53, of White Road, which ran off Fairfield Pike approximately two miles east of Cascade School about 7:45 a.m. Monday. Hatchett fell asleep at the wheel, Lt. Johnny Hunter of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. (T-G Photo by David Melson)...

Best on the beat: SRO Harvey is tops in state (11/06/11)
One of Bedford County's first student resource officers has been named Tennessee's best. Tracey Harvey has served as a law enforcement officer in Bedford County since the mid-1990s, and her career has gravitated toward serving youth. She began teaching D.A.R.E. classes in 1998 and was the third SRO hired...

Disposition dates set for Wilson, Kibble (11/06/11)
A Unionville man accused of writing threatening graffiti at the Tyson Foods plant last year will choose to go to trial or make a plea deal on Dec. 1. Zachary Wilson, 24, appeared before Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell briefly on Thursday to learn his disposition date on two charges of filing a false report in connection with an incident that was followed by bomb threats at the chicken processing plant and national media attention...

Fortunate escape (11/06/11)
A Webb School student was uninjured in an accident on State Highway 82 east of Bell Buckle Friday morning. Diana Skordallos, 16, of Manchester was shaken up but smiling without a visible scratch as Bedford County EMT workers checked for injuries. Her parents and a Webb official also rushed to the scene. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)...

Attorney censured for alleged rules violation (11/04/11)
A Bedford County attorney has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court's Board of Professional Responsibility. According to a press release from the board, Robert Lee Marlow of Shelbyville received the censure on Wednesday. A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect his ability to practice law...

Peebles cleared of sex charges (11/03/11)
Following a two-day trial, a Shelbyville horse trainer was found not guilty by a Bedford County jury of sexually related charges involving minors. J.W. "Dick" Peebles, 61, of Holt Avenue was arrested in January and charged with two counts of sexual battery, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means and solicitation of a minor...

Synthetic marijuana discovered in vehicle (11/03/11)
A package of Kush, described by experts as a "synthetic marijuana," was found in a vehicle following a traffic stop Tuesday night, Shelbyville police said. Travis Lamar Briggs, 32, Warners Bridge Road, told officers several people had been driving his truck and the substance belonged to them. He was charged with possession of a schedule VI drug and posted $1,000 bond...

Enlarged heart led to inmate's death (11/02/11)
An autopsy shows that the death of a Bedford County jail inmate in September was due to natural causes. The death of James Carmello Azzopardi, 29, was caused by myocarditis -- an enlarged heart -- according to a report from the Tennessee Office of the Medical Examiner...

Suit vs. city may be dismissed: Lawyers (11/02/11)
Attorneys for Shelbyville say that a federal suit over an alleged wrongful arrest is "ripe for dismissal" after the Tennessee Supreme Court recently denied an appeal in the case. James Edward "Blue" Farrar Jr. has been suing the police department, Mayor Wallace Cartwright, Police Chief Austin Swing and officers Tory Moore and Jose Garza, claiming his rights were violated when officers arrested him in 2009 for public intoxication...

Autopsy results on Olmstead inconclusive (11/01/11)
Investigators say they're handling the death of a Manchester man found Sunday near where he disappeared almost two weeks earlier as if it was foul play. Jimmy Olmstead, 59, was found approximately 500 yards from a pond where he had been fishing off Coop Road, Capt. Tony Barrett of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department said...

Father charged in daughter's wreck death (11/01/11)
The father who ran a stop sign and drove his small car into the path of a pickup truck Oct. 22, leading to the death of one of his children and serious injury to two others, has been charged in the incident. Edward Petatan Rendon, 26, of Smith Street was charged Saturday with reckless homicide and six counts of reckless endangerment. He is being held on $35,000 bond pending an initial Circuit Court date of Dec. 8...

Immunity question delays trial over inmate's death (11/01/11)
A federal trial over a county inmate's death that was to have begun today has been canceled so that an immunity question can be ruled on by a higher court. The remaining wrongful death claims involving county jail inmate Larry Dale Byford, 54, who died in 2009 after suffering an apparent heart attack, were to be heard by a jury today in Winchester. Byford's sister, Doris Rollins, is suing jail nurse Donna Delrio and Bedford County over her brother's death, claiming he was denied medical care...

BREAKING: Missing fisherman's body found (10/30/11)
The body of a Manchester man missing for almost two weeks was found Sunday afternoon near the location off Coop Road he was last seen, authorities said. Jimmy Olmstead, 59, was found approximately 500 yards from a pond where he had been fishing -- and just a short distance from where search efforts last week stopped, Capt. Tony Barrett of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department said...

Assult charge leads to drug arrest (10/28/11)
A Shelbyville man was charged with drug possession after he was arrested on an assault charge at his King Arthur Court home Wednesday night. Troy James Neal, 34, attempted to swallow Xanax and hydrocodone tablets at Bedford County Jail after his arrest, police said...

Hansen hearing postponed as public access debated (10/28/11)
A dispute over whether or not the proceedings should be open to the public and the press has resulted in the postponment of a hearing on two motions in the case against the family that put an adopted son on a one-way flight to Russia, creating an international incident...

Child Safety Fun Fair set for Saturday (10/27/11)
United Way of Bedford County will hold its annual Child Safety Fun Fair Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at H.V. Griffin Park. The free event offers fun and educational activities for the kids, but also offers the chance for parents to have their children fingerprinted by a trained law enforcement officer...

Drug Take Back Day scheduled Saturday (10/27/11)
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 29. The local event will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the CPI building, 539 Tate St. The event gives citizens a chance to safely dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs, thereby preventing abuse of the drugs and saving them from entering the water supply. It's free and anonymous...

Suspect captured after 3-county chase (10/27/11)
A Shelbyville man led deputies on a chase through three counties before stopping late Monday night, according to the Bedford County Sheriff's Department. Jason Ryan Davis, 29, of Belmont Avenue, was initially blue-lighted by Deputy Steven Daugherty near Wartrace because one of his vehicle's headlights was out, the BCSD said...

County receives $50K in traffic funding (10/26/11)
Two county law enforcement agencies have received more than $50,000 in highway state grants. The Bedford County Sheriff's Department received $52,924.22 for alcohol and traffic enforcement, while the Bell Buckle Police Department took in a total of $5,005 to be used for high visibility law enforcement campaigns...

Lawsuit vs. county to stay active (10/25/11)
A federal judge has denied Bedford County's request for summary judgement in a wrongful death suit, suggesting that the credibility of the jail's nurse may be in question. Attorneys for the county had been asking for dismissal of the remaining claims involving county jail inmate Larry Dale Byford, 54, who died at Vanderbilt Medical Center in 2009 after suffering an apparent heart attack while incarcerated...

Copper wire stolen from vacant houses (10/25/11)
Copper wiring was removed from two homes for sale in Shelbyville last week, police said. The unoccupied homes are on Ledbetter Street and Chockley Street, just off North Main. A witness said he saw a man removing copper wiring from walls on the Chockley Street home and a real estate broker noted the wiring missing at the Ledbetter Street location...

Child killed, siblings serious after crash (10/23/11)
A 4-month-old child was killed and two of her siblings were critically injured late Saturday morning in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Route 437 (the Shelbyville bypass) and Railroad Avenue east of Shelbyville. Bedtbaidy Petatan-Rojas and the other two children were all ejected from a small Volkswagen Jetta, State Trooper Barry Qualls said. ...

Man still missing (10/21/11)
A search of a pond near where Jimmy Olmstead was last seen Tuesday revealed no signs of the missing man or his three dogs, the Bedford County Sheriff's Department said this morning. Search crews waded the pond from one end to the other Thursday without finding any signs of Olmstead, who a fishing partner said disappeared while walking through a heavily-wooded area 30-40 yards west of the water...

Prescription drugs stolen from home (10/21/11)
Prescription medication was stolen from a Walnut Grove Road home at midday Oct. 14, according to a Bedford County Sheriff's Department report released Thursday. The home had been locked when residents left at 12:15 p.m. One returned at 12:45 to find the front door standing open. A flat tool was used to pry the door's latch, the report said...

'True predator' faces long sentence (10/20/11)
A Shelbyville man called "a true sexual predator" received the toughest sentence the judge could hand down on Monday. Joseph Darryl Taylor, 55, will serve a 20-year sentence for rape, consecutive to any remaining time of a 15-year term he had been previously serving before being released on community corrections...

Plan may hike deputies' holiday pay (10/20/11)
Bedford County Sheriff's Department wants to reduce the number of officers who attend court sessions and use the savings to provide holiday pay for those officers, according to discussion Tuesday night at the meeting of Bedford County Board of Commissioners' law enforcement committee...

Poisoning death of hawk may mean prison term (10/20/11)
A Wartrace farmer faces a seven-month federal prison sentence and fines after pleading guilty to misusing a pesticide that led to the death of a protected bird. On Monday, Lawrence Parawan, 57, of Wartrace, entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga, charged with the misuse of a pesticide known as carbofuran, as well as "the unlawful killing of a migratory bird" -- a Northern Harrier Hawk...

Soring suspect pleads guilty (10/20/11)
A Shelbyville man is facing a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges involving soring spotted saddle horses. Paul Blackburn, 35, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga Tuesday to conspiracy to violate the Horse Protection Act. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 23 and faces up to a year in prison and a $3,000 fine...

Severe weather hits midstate in the fall, too (10/19/11)
Today is Tennessee Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day, as declared by the National Weather Service. "Although severe weather and tornadoes are more common across Tennessee during the spring, a secondary peak of severe weather occurs during the fall and winter seasons -- especially during the month of November," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ...

Divers enter search for missing fisherman (10/20/11)
Divers were searching the pond near Bell Buckle today where a friend said Jimmy Olmstead was last seen Tuesday afternoon, according to the Bedford County Sheriff's Department. Olmstead, 59, of Manchester had been fishing at a private pond in a thickly-wooded area behind a Coop Road home, Bedford County Sheriff's Department officials were told. He and his three dogs were last seen about 1:30 p.m. by fishing partner Don Lloyd Jr., who owns the property...

Attempt to kill officers results in indictments (10/18/11)
A man accused of trying to run over two officers during an undercover drug buy was indicted on a number Monday of charges, including two counts of attempted first degree murder. Jerry Stanton Freeman, 45, of Warren Hollow Road, was indicted on two counts of attempted first degree murder of an officer, two counts of possession of a schedule VI drug, possession of a schedule II drug, resisting arrest and evading arrest...

Father admits killing son (10/18/11)
A Normandy man will spend the next 27 years in prison for killing his infant son for disturbing his video game. Andrew Keith Johnston, 19, entered a best interest plea on Monday to charges of second degree murder for the death of his 1-month-old son William on Oct. 15 of last year...

Meth lab ingredients found in vehicle (10/18/11)
The sound of glass breaking alerted a Bedford County deputy to what turned out to be an alleged meth lab in a vehicle last week near Wartrace, according to a sheriff's department report released Monday. Three Manchester men -- John Wayne DeWitt, 30, James Edward Rutledge, 52, and Bill Rich Teal, 39 -- were charged with promotion of meth manufacture. ...

T-G honored by emergency management group (10/14/11)
The Times-Gazette was honored Tuesday night by the Emergency Management Association of Tennessee with its Print Media Award. The award, based on coverage of local emergency management activities, was presented during EMAT's annual conference in Murfreesboro. Local EMA director Scott Johnson nominated the T-G. From left are Jim Bassham, director of Tennessee Emergency Management Agency; T-G copy editor David Melson; T-G city editor John I. Carney; TEMA regional director Kelly Zadakaus; and Jody Zorsch, president of EMAT. (Submitted photo)

Escape nets 6 more months (10/13/11)
An escapee from the Bedford County jail admitted guilt on Wednesday, earning extra jail time as a result. Billy Ellis Gooch, 39, will serve six months consecutive to any other sentences he may face in other cases, afterwalking away from a Bedford County Workhouse crew detail on Aug. 19...

Trial date of Jan. 3 set for Hansen case (10/12/11)
A trial date has been set over a lawsuit against the family that sent an adopted Russian boy back to Moscow last year, sparking an international incident. However, motions will be heard later this month that could possibly bring an end to the litigation...

Assault suspect denies hiding in shed (10/12/11)
The victim of an attack at a Deery Street home Monday night refused hospital transport despite suffering a "busted eye, a laceration on his left arm and his left ear lobe was split in half," as police described his condition. And the suspect, Robert Gordon Lovvorn Jr., 39, of Deery Street, said he was not hiding in the shed where the victim told police he had gone...

Video assists marijuana arrest (10/11/11)
Video proved a Shelbyville officer's suspicion that a small bag of marijuana was tossed by a suspect, police said. The bag was within a larger bag of items officer Jose Garza said was tossed by Tyler Clay Stewart, 18, Hickory Drive, as he got out of a truck stopped by police on Madison Street...

Haynes trial now set for March (10/07/11)
New trial dates have been set for March against a Murfreesboro man charged with vehicular homicide in an accident that killed his wife last year. John David Haynes, 51, will stand trial March 5 and 6, according to an agreed order signed by the defense and prosecution. Haynes had been reindicted last month after Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell barred a variety of testimony from his original trial, which had been scheduled to begin Monday...

Freeman bound to grand jury (10/07/11)
A detective testified that a Moore County man came only inches from striking him with a truck following an undercover drug buy in April. Jerry Stanton Freeman, 45, of Warren Hollow Road, was bound over to the next session of the Bedford County grand jury, set for Oct. 17, on charges of two counts of attempted first degree murder of an officer, two counts of possession of a schedule VI drug, possession of a schedule II drug, resisting arrest and evading arrest...

Fire destroys home (10/07/11)
Bedford County firefighters hose down the remains of a two-story log cabin on Straight Creek Road east of Fairfield in northeastern Bedford County. The home, occupied by the Russell Sullivan family and owned by Dottie Adams, was fully engulfed when 911 was called at mid-morning Thursday, investigators said. (T-G Photo by Tracy Simmons)

Trial set Nov. 1 over jail death (10/05/11)
Following more than a month of motions in a wrongful death suit against the county, a federal judge has set a trial date for November in Winchester Since August, attorneys for the county have been asking for dismissal of the remaining claims involving county jail inmate Larry Dale Byford, 54, who died at Vanderbilt Medical Center after suffering an apparent heart attack while incarcerated...

Beloved city drug dog to take it easy (10/05/11)
One of Shelbyville's finest, and a favorite of the public, is getting long in the tooth and will soon be hanging up his badge. Remy, the city's beloved K-9 officer, is 13 years old, and if you do the calculation from human to dog years, he's still working the mean streets at the age of 91...

Construction foreman accused of metal theft (10/04/11)
A construction foreman at Shelbyville's new sewage treatment plant has been charged with stealing over $10,000 worth of metal from the site. Christopher Lane Sweeney, 50, of U.S. 41A North was arrested at work by officer Bobby Peacock on Wednesday. Sweeney, an employee of Trans Electric Co. of Murfreesboro, was selling the metal to a Shelbyville scrap yard, detective Charles Merlo of the Shelbyville Police Department said...

Guilty plea planned in soring case, attorney says (10/02/11)
A Lewisburg man accused of soring spotted saddle horses intends to plead guilty and has asked for an extension to a plea agreement deadline. Barney Davis was to stand trial on Oct. 18 on charges he and others allegedly sored horses and conspired to falsify entry forms and other related paperwork...

Trooper hopes to meet helper in DUI capture (09/30/11)
A state trooper who apprehended a DUI suspect after a wild vehicle and foot chase Wednesday night says he'd like to meet the man who helped in the capture. Christopher Lee Roden, 33, of U.S. 231 North was tackled by a passerby while running from Trooper Tommie Boleyn, capping a 100-plus mph chase in Deason shortly after 8 p.m...

BREAKING: Trooper's hand injured in incident (09/29/11)
A state trooper was injured while attempting to apprehend a suspect Wednesday night north of Shelbyville, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Trooper Tommie Boleyn's hand was cut as he attempted to remove Christopher Lee Roden, 33, from his vehicle after it ran into the median on U.S. 231 North near Deason, THP spokesperson Dalya J. Qualls said...

ICE won't comment on arrests (09/29/11)
A spokesman for federal immigration authorities could not confirm whether the arrests of three people in Shelbyville last weekend was part of a nationwide sweep of criminals who are in the country illegally. More than 2,900 convicted criminal aliens and fugitives were nabbed in all 50 states by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it was announced Wednesday. The arrests were the results of a seven-day national "Cross Check" operation...

Supreme Court refuses to hear Whitaker appeal (09/29/11)
Tennessee's Supreme Court has denied hearing an appeal from a woman who admitted guilt in a 2008 jail rape. Brooke Lee Whitaker's application for an appeal was denied, it was announced Tuesday by the court. She will be allowed to waive legal costs, but was also denied a motion for the appointment of counsel...

Copper thief leaves behind tools of trade (09/29/11)
A metal thief took an alcohol break while at work Monday night, police said. An estimated 1,000 feet of copper wiring installed at a North Main Street office building Monday had been pulled out or cut when Ogles Electric workers arrived Tuesday morning...

Fired up for barbecue (09/28/11)
The Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Firehouse Barbecue from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Once again, the event was a great success, full of great food and fun for all who attended. More than 150 people attended the dinner and fundraiser, held at the Tennessee Fire Service and Code Academy dining hall on Unionville-Deason Road...

Brotherly love disappears in fight (09/28/11)
Coffee County authorities arrested a Normandy man Sunday for allegedly stabbing his brother. The Tullahoma News reported that Bill Freeman, 46, of Normandy Road, Normandy was charged with aggravated assault for the alleged stabbing of Jackie Freeman...

Class action status sought in bail bond lawsuit (09/28/11)
A man suing the county over its bail bonding system is asking a federal judge for class action status, entering a number of exhibits in his case. Ricky Robertson has been suing since last December, claiming that Bedford County operates a system of setting bail for those arrested and presented to a judicial commissioner "that is not based on the individualized assessment of that particular person's likelihood to flee."...

Supreme Court won't hear Whitaker appeal (09/28/11)
Tennessee's Superme Court has denied hearing an appeal from a woman who admitted guilt in a 2008 jail rape. Brooke Lee Whitaker's application for an appeal was denied, it was announced Tuesday by the court. She will be allowed to waive legal costs, but was also denied a motion for the appointment of counsel...

DTF actively fighting drugs (09/27/11)
Drug enforcement continues to be a priority in Bedford County, the head of the 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force said. County detectives who are suing Sheriff Randall Boyce and the county over alleged unpaid overtime stated last week that the investigation of drug activity here has been "all but completely eliminated" following the disbanding of the sheriff's department's Criminal Suppression Unit...

Potential scrap metal taken from 3 locations (09/27/11)
Two businesses and a home were struck by individuals possibly looking for metal to be sold as scrap, law enforcement agencies said. l Nine catalytic converters, with an owner-estimated value of $8,000, were stolen from Hockaday Automotive, April Lane, overnight Thursday...

Hispanics fear arrest, group says (09/23/11)
Hispanic residents of Shelbyville claim they continue to live in a "climate of fear and intimidation," according to a Nashville-based immigrant advocacy group. The claims follow a raid conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last Saturday that resulted in the arrest of three Bedford County residents...

Inmate dies in county jail (09/22/11)
An autopsy has been ordered and the TBI has been called to assist in investigating the death of a 29-year-old inmate at the Bedford County jail. James Carmelo Azzopardi of Cedar Grove Road in Shelbyville suddenly died around 11 a.m. Wednesday while in custody at the jail, according to Chief Deputy David Williams Jr...

Dad accused of injuring 4-month-old (09/22/11)
The father of a 4-month-old girl is accused of inflicting injuries that have left her fighting for her life in a Nashville hospital. James Tyler Cobble, 24, of Templeton Street was charged with aggravated child abuse and child abuse Wednesday afternoon, detective Carol Jean of the Shelbyville Police Department said...

Synthetic drugs not seen locally (09/22/11)
Synthetic drugs have been confiscated from convenience stores in the Murfreesboro, Nashville and Coffee County areas within the past few weeks, but a Shelbyville detective said none were found locally in seven stores checked last Wednesday. "We sent an undercover officer into the stores and tried to buy marijuana," Sgt. Brian Crews said. "The officer had been provided with money...

Jett appeal sought too late, judge says (09/22/11)
A Bedford County man who pleaded guilty to sexually related charges has lost an appeal claiming he was denied a full and fair hearing. Donald R. Jett had appealed Bedford County Circuit Court's summary dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief concerning his 2006 conviction of aggravated sexual battery in which he pleaded guilty. Jett received a sentence of 12 years of incarceration to be served at 100 percent...

County animal facility remains fully populated (09/22/11)
Bedford County Animal Control director Brenda Goodrich reported to the county commission's law enforcement committee on Tuesday that the facility is staying full -- even after the Rescue Waggin' program took some animals away, the facility quickly filled back up again...

Gambling raid case reset to Nov. 22 (09/22/11)
Suspects who were charged in a gambling raid eariler this year have had yet another continuance granted due to ongoing chancery court issues in the case. Naim Abulaban, 21, of Murfreesboro, Dipakbhai Bhagat, 50, Sejal Chaudhari, 26, Brad Jones, 36, Dharmendra Patel, 40, Rameshbhain Patel, 48, and Narendra Patel, 52, all of Shelbyville, appeared Tuesday in General Sessions Court but had their appearances reset for Nov. 22...

Racial discrimination denied by city, county authorities (09/21/11)
Officials are denying that a federal raid targeted community activists who claim a pattern of racial profiling and discrimination in Bedford County against Hispanics. The accusations came after the reported arrest of three residents by federal immigration officials and the publication of a report calling for a Department of Justice investigation...

Murder attempt charge against Kibble reduced (09/21/11)
A Shelbyville man has been bound over to the Bedford County grand jury on reduced charges resulting from an alleged violent incident in June. Lavario Devon Kibble, 31, of Barksdale Lane, now faces a single count of aggravated assault, which was reduced from the charge of criminal attempt to commit first degree murder, according to assistant district attorney Richard Cawley...

Metal stolen from chicken barns (09/21/11)
Sheet metal has been stolen from three of five chicken barns on Reese Street, Shelbyville police were told Monday. The theft is thought to have occurred around Sept. 1, according to the complainant. l Prescription medication was taken from an Evans Street home during the day Monday, police said...

Haynes charges remain active (09/20/11)
A Murfreesboro man has been reindicted on vehicular homicide charges after a judge barred a variety of testimony from his upcoming trial last week. John David Haynes, 51, was indicted by direct presentment on Monday and appeared briefly before Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler. He is still free on $35,000 bond from the previous charge and is scheduled to appear again on Oct. 6...

Several items stolen from home (09/20/11)
A handmade hickory back chair and stool, handmade quilt and a Huffy mountain bike were stolen since Sept. 1 from a Pope Lane home, the Bedford County Sheriff's Department was told Wednesday. The following were charged since Thursday by the Shelbyville Police Department, Bedford County Sheriff's Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol or 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force. They are only charged; guilt or innocence will be determined by the courts...

Some THP evidence, testimony barred from trial (09/18/11)
A judge has ruled in a vehicular homicide case that certain evidence and testimony by several Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers will not be allowed because he said THP has been reluctant to turn over the evidence. Meanwhile, prosecutors are trying to decide how to proceed in the case, which is set to be heard by a jury in two weeks...

Salutes to fallen firefighters ring out at academy (09/18/11)
Three times the bell rang -- a soft chime that drifted over the silent crowd at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy late Saturday afternoon in Deason. The bell, they said, was calling two firefighters home, telling them their shift had ended, their duty was done...

Detectives hit disbanding of drug unit (09/16/11)
Detectives suing the sheriff and county over alleged unpaid overtime claim that the investigation of drug activity in Bedford County has been "all but completely eliminated" following the disbanding of the department's Criminal Suppression Unit. The 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force also investigates drug activity in Bedford County and is not involved with or affected by the lawsuit...

Knife throw results in suspect's arrest (09/16/11)
Aggravated assault and marijuana charges were filed against a Shelbyville man accused of throwing a butcher knife at two women Wednesday night. Gregory Vincent Miralez, 45, of Roberts Drive allegedly arrived at a Deery Street house Wednesday night, became angry when he didn't find someone he was seeking and threw the knife at the women, who were on the front porch...

Boisseau case waits until judge's return (09/15/11)
The absence of the county's General Sessions judge this week means that a man charged with arson and attempted murder won't have his second appearance until next month. Roger Eugene Boisseau, 37, made a brief appearance in court Wednesday, but had his next date set for Oct. 12. Judge Charles Rich has been attending a judicial conference this week, so all case on his docket have been rescheduled...

Driver caught after running from police (09/14/11)
A driver stopped due to active warrants against him allegedly ran from police Monday night, Shelbyville police said. Davon Eugene High, 25, of Railroad Avenue allegedly turned from Elm Street to Lipscomb Street before stopping in a driveway on Sevier Street, according to police,...

Rape charge filed following attack (09/13/11)
A Shelbyville man was charged with rape after allegedly attacking a woman in her home Saturday. Marquez Candido Pulido, 51, of Couch Lane, was being held on $10,000 bond Monday at Bedford County Jail. The victim told Shelbyville police she was asleep when Pulido attacked. She ordered him out of her bedroom and he angrily tore away her blanket and yelled at her to leave, the report said...

Johnson had close call during attacks (09/11/11)
In September 2001, Scott and Alice Johnson were living in Washington, D.C. Scott was working as an agent for the U.S. Air Force, while Alice taught at a local elementary school. Their two children were in high school in northern Virginia...

Waving high (09/11/11)
The sun shines brightly on the American flag as a ceremony in remembrance of Sept. 11 begins Friday at Shelbyville Fire Department. (T-G Photo by David Melson)

Fire at local home (09/09/11)
Bedford County firefighters prepare to enter a Midland Road home where heavy smoke damage occurred late Thursday morning. "I was just driving by and saw smoke coming out of the top of the house on both sides," said Joan Molder, seen here looking at the fire....

Teamwork from tragedy (09/08/11)
One of the goals of al-Qaida on Sept. 11, 2001 was to break America's resolve. But Bedford County emergency officials say the attack actually led to more teamwork between agencies. "It's brought on a lot more cooperation and camaraderie between departments," Chief Mark Thomas of the Bedford County Fire Department said...

Sheriff: No retaliation for lawsuit (09/08/11)
Sheriff Randall Boyce claims no overtime was approved for members of his department's crime suppression unit, denying allegations by detectives that they have been victims of retaliation for filing a lawsuit. An affidavit from Boyce was filed Wednesday in federal court in response to the suit, as well as a detailed answer to the allegations, with the sheriff saying the detectives are not entitled to any back pay...

Court date reset for attack suspect (09/07/11)
Another court appearance is set for later this month for a Shelbyville man charged with attempted murder. Lavario Devon Kibble, 31, of Barksdale Lane, who faces charges of especially aggravated stalking, three counts of reckless endangerment and criminal attempt to commit first degree murder, will appear in General Sessions Court on Sept. 20...

Thief takes wallet during ride home (09/07/11)
A woman who said she gave a ride to another in need reported her wallet missing after the trip. The victim told police the suspect approached her in the parking lot of an Anthony Road apartment complex, said she'd been off substances for three weeks and had just moved to Shelbyville from Kentucky...

City faces $10K radio upgrade (09/06/11)
An unfunded mandate from the federal government means that Shelbyville will be spending nearly $10,000 to upgrade the city's radio communications. The city council was informed by manager Jay Johnson that to meet new Federal Communication Commission standards, police, fire, the codes department, public works and city administration must adhere to new public safety spectrum regulations...

City to join county's anti-disaster plan (09/06/11)
The city of Shelbyville intends to sign on to the county's plan to prevent natural and man-made disasters when the City Council meets Thursday evening. City manager Jay Johnson told the council that the city, as well as Wartrace and Bell Buckle, should adopt the county-wide Hazard Mitigation Plan, since it is required as a condition of future grant funding for mitigation projects and also makes Shelbyville eligible for higher rates of reimbursement in the event of a disaster...

Normandy man faces statutory rape charge (09/04/11)
A Normandy man is facing sexually related charges in Coffee County after allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Christopher Lee Hall, 32, of Normandy Road, Normandy has been charged with aggravated statutory rape and is in the Coffee County Jail under a $10,000 bond, according to a report from the Tullahoma News...

Driver bails shortly after 100 mph chase (09/04/11)
A driver being pursued at over 100 mph south of Shelbyville Thursday night bailed out of the vehicle shortly after officers backed off, city police were told early Friday. Kryon Bryson, who police said has been living at several locations in Tennessee and Alabama, leapt from the Lincoln Navigator just past Hawthorne Road, officer Jose Garza's report said. ...

Attorney general says sheriff can be certified (09/02/11)
Tennessee's attorney general has ruled that Sheriff Randall Boyce has satisfied all requirements to be certified in his office, following a request from the county's financial committee to clarify his status. The sheriff has been embroiled in an ongoing dispute with the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission following his election in 2006 over the issue of whether he should have gone through basic law enforcement officer training after his election or whether his certification as an officer from the 1970s, plus attendance at a school for new sheriffs and other in-service training, was sufficient.. ...

Caution lights may be placed near hospital (09/02/11)
Heritage Medical Center may be getting a traffic signal on U.S. 231 North after all, but it won't be the type they were originally asking for. City Manager Jay Johnson told the city council that Shelbyville received authorization to place flashing caution beacons at the intersection of Industrial Park Drive and Highway 231 North...

Trial date set for husband in wife's traffic death (09/02/11)
October trial dates have been set for a vehicular homicide case after the matter was put off so that the defense could examine evidence John David Haynes, 51, of Murfreesboro, will now stand trial Oct. 3-4 on the charges stemming from a motorcycle accident last June in which his wife, Pamela Haynes, 49, was killed on State Highway 82 at a sharp curve just east of the Bell Buckle town limits...

Ring, GPS taken from vehicle (09/02/11)
A white gold diamond ring valued at $1,100 and a GPS unit were stolen from an unlocked car at an East Depot Street home late Wednesday night, police said. The following were arrested since Wednesday by the Shelbyville Police Department, Bedford County Sheriff's Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol or 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force. They are only charged; guilt or innocence will be determined by the courts...

Meth lab discovered in woods (09/01/11)
In years past if an illegal substance was being manfactured in the woods, it was probably moonshine. But in today's world, it's likely meth. Two men allegedly operating what police call a "clandestine methamphetamine lab" in woods off Sims Road were arrested by Shelbyville police and the 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force during pre-dawn hours Tuesday...

New traffic plan works well so far (08/31/11)
Reduced departure time after the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration's busier nights is already noticeable, emergency officials say, but changes in traffic patterns are still a work in progress. "It appears to be emptying out fairly quickly," Scott Johnson, director of Bedford County Emergency Management Agency, said Tuesday. "The real time to tell will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday -- the big nights."...

Retaliation alleged by plaintiff in suit (08/31/11)
A sheriff department employee claims that retaliation is continuing against those who filed a federal lawsuit over unpaid overtime. He says the retaliation is in the form of displaying news articles about the matter at Bedford County Jail. Two weeks ago, maintenance worker Jeremy Beech joined a lawsuit filed by four detectives who allege they have worked for two years without being paid overtime, and were demoted for informing county officials about the situation...

Delay sought in bail bond suit (08/31/11)
A man who filed a class action suit against the county and a deputy last year is asking for more time to file motions in the case. Last December, Ricky Robertson sued Bedford County, Deputy Kevin Roddy and "John Does," alleging violations of the 4th, 8th and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution...

Dangling keys lead to vehicle burglary (08/31/11)
A key chain accidentally left in an apartment door was too much of a temptation for a thief Monday on Purdy Court. The resident told Shelbyville police he heard a noise at his door about 1 a.m., looked out and saw no one. Later in the day he realized the keys were missing, checked his car at noon and discovered three compact discs and $487 were missing, police said...

Robbery suspect found quickly as bystanders help (08/30/11)
One of two suspects in the early morning robbery of a Shelbyville convenience store Saturday was quickly captured with the help of bystanders. Maurice Cyril Smith, 22, of Fairfield Pike was arrested in a residential area behind the Kangaroo store on South Cannon Boulevard within moments, police said. He was charged with aggravated robbery and is being held on $25,000 bond...

Truck driver accused of stealing mattresses (08/30/11)
A Kentucky man has been charged with stealing mattresses from a Shelbyville bedding firm. John Edward Gentry, 38, of Guthrie, Ky., had four new mattresses in the back of his pickup truck when stopped for a lane violation Friday night on 437 Bypass, Shelbyville police said. Gentry is a truck driver for Corsicana Bedding...

Be prepared if quake strikes midstate (08/28/11)
The East Coast is the last place you would expect an earthquake, yet the nation's capital was rocked by a 5.8-magnitude quake last week that sent thousands fleeing into the streets. Fortunately, no major damage, deaths or injuries were reported after the unexpected shake. ...

Monkey owner faces charges (08/26/11)
The Bedford County man who kept five monkeys at his home is now facing multiple animal cruelty charges. Ricky Smith of Frank Martin Road has been charged with five counts of aggravated animal cruelty following an incident earlier this month when a Japanese macaque named "Yoshi," was shot and killed after it escaped and attacked two people...

Boat, bike stolen from Depot Street (08/26/11)
Two items were stolen from East Depot Street homes Tuesday. A flat-bottom boat was taken from outside 1315 E. Depot during the day Tuesday and a red Murray mountain bike with flashing lights was stolent 701 E. Depot Tuesday night, Shelbyville police said...

Retirement is new start for firefighter (08/25/11)
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- In 1961, Charlie Armstrong, along with his elementary school classmates, visited the Shelbyville Fire Department. That experience left a distinct impression on Armstrong, an AEDC Fire Department firefighter crew chief who is retiring from Arnold after nearly 38 years in the profession...

Unexpected rider jumps into pickup truck (08/24/11)
A Flat Creek man was arrested after allegedly jumping into the bed of a moving pickup truck Monday afternoon .on Industrial Parkway. The victim drove to his nearby workplace where he and a co-worker subdued Tommy Lance Bailey, 37, who is accused of kicking the truck's rear window., police said...

Second autopsy to be held; no abuse found, police emphasize (08/23/11)
A second autopsy is planned on a 7-month-girl who died at her family's Shelbyville home Friday, but authorities say no signs of abuse have been found. The first autopsy, held Saturday in Nashville, found nothing conclusive, Detective Sgt. Brian Crews of the Shelbyville Police Department said. The second autopsy does not indicate any charges are planned or that the death was intentional or due to neglect, Crews said...

Convicted drug dealer gets no relief (08/23/11)
A man who received a 21-year sentence in a drug case five years ago has lost his second criminal court appeal. Emmett Russell McGee, Jr. claimed that he was given improper advice concerning possible sentences he could have received if he went to trial and that his consecutive terms were illegal...

Youths become ill from substance near school (08/23/11)
A teen described by police as a "juvenile male" faces drug charges after two youths at Central High School became ill from a substance they say they were given during Friday night's football game. The substance, thought to be "7H" and described by police as "fake marijuana," left the youths ill. Officers found them lying on a sidewalk behind the school, one sick at his stomach and the other claiming his nose was bleeding...

Man killed in 41A South crash (08/23/11)
An Estill Springs man died Monday from injuries suffered in a single-car crash south of Shelbyville on U.S. 41A. Wayne Allen Deuermeyer, 56, lost control of his car and struck an embankment near the Shipman's Creek Road intersection, State Trooper Barry Qualls said. The accident was reported at 8:22 a.m....

Volunteers cover county for 'The Shelbyville Missing' (08/21/11)
There were tears in Lillie Buchanan's eyes Saturday morning as she stood on the steps of Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center on Midland Road and watched the trailers of local search and rescue groups pull in to the parking lot. It had been 11 years and 11 months to the day since her grandson, Antonio "Tony" Taylor, 21, had left her home with a wave. She's not seen him since...

City seeks dismissal of quarry suit (08/21/11)
The city of Shelbyville is trying once again to have an ongoing federal lawsuit over a proposed rock quarry dismissed. Last October, Norma and Tommy Wright, Wright Paving Co. Inc., and Custom Stone LLC filed a suit in federal court for $10 million against the city, the board of zoning appeals, the planning commission, and codes and planning director Ed Dodson "in his official capacity and individually," accusing them of violating due process, inverse condemnation, unconstitutional taking, negligence and creating an unconstitutional "floating" zone.. ...

Child's death may be from natural causes (08/21/11)
The death of a 7-month-old girl at a Shelbyville home Friday afternoon is under investigation, but police say her death could have been from natural causes. An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday, at which time police hoped to get more answers. The names of the chid and her family members have not been released...

Justin Handy recovers from burns, now helps prevent fires (08/21/11)
A parent's nightmare came true for Barbara Newsom on an October afternoon nine years ago. Her son Justin Handy, then 8 years old and a third grader, got off the school bus and went to play with the prize he had nabbed from the countertop of a local restaurant the night before. His intent was to start a fire. With gasoline...

Suspect passes $400 in counterfeit bills (08/21/11)
An individual passed four $100 counterfeit bills at Tractor Supply Co., North Main St., Wednesday, police said. The suspect is described as a black man approximately 55-65 years of age and 6 feet to 6-feet-2 tall. Pills were taken from a Robinson Addition home early Thursday morning, police said...

County wants end to jail death claims (08/21/11)
Submitting over 300 pages of depositions and documents, attorneys for Bedford County are asking a federal judge to dismiss the remaining claims of a wrongful death suit involving a county jail inmate. In Oct. 2009, 54-year-old Larry Dale Byford died at Vanderbilt Medical Center after suffering an apparent heart attack while incarcerated at the county jail...

Search continues for work crew escapee (08/20/11)
A Bedford County Jail inmate who ran away from a work crew was still at large Saturday, investigators said. Three eastern Shelbyville schools were placed on lockdown late Friday after Billy Ellis Gooch, 39, fled a group mowing the yard of an eastern Shelbyville school, according to officials....

Com Center gains TIES to more info (08/19/11)
Starting next week, Bedford County Communications Center will be able to look up criminal histories, check for information on wanted criminals, and run license plates when requested by law enforcement personnel in the field, according to com center director Cathey Mathis...

Latin Kings member sentenced on weapons charges (08/19/11)
A member of the Latin Kings gang that was involved in a series of break-ins last year has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison on federal weapons charges. Jose Luis Rodriguez, 28, Morton Street, received a sentence of 57 months for the unlawful transfer of firearms. He was also sentenced to three years supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment...

Freeman preliminary hearing moved to fall (08/19/11)
A preliminary hearing for a Moore County accused of trying to run over two deputies has been rescheduled for the fall. Jerry Stanton Freeman, 45, of Warren Hollow Road, will appear Oct. 6 before General Sessions Judge Charles Rich, who will decide whether there is enough evidence to bind him over to the Bedford County grand jury...

UPDATE: Suspects charged in I-beam thefts (08/19/11)
Two men have been charged in connection with taking steel I-beams from an Eady Road farm last weekend. It is the same incident in which county commissioner Bobby Vannatta was initially charged with theft of the beams. James Henson, 41, of Shelbyville and Jesse Henson, 27, of Tullahoma, allegedly took the I-beams from a bridge at a private lane on the property of James Curtis Smith, Capt. ...

Pickle pays in prison for robbery of market (08/18/11)
A Shelbyville man will spend over 11 years in federal prison for last year's armed robbery of Wedge Market on Belmont Avenue. Justin Pickle, 25, of Central Avenue, was sentenced to 135 months imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice, Jr. on robbery charges and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence...

News story leads to stolen bike's return (08/18/11)
An employee of Middle Tennessee Metal Recovery, who said he saw a story in Tuesday's Times-Gazette about a mini-bike being stolen, realized the mini-bike had been sold to him for scrap metal Monday. He notified Shelbyville police and retrieved the mini-bike, which was returned to its owner...

Charges against Vannatta dropped (08/18/11)
For Bobby Vannatta, one ordeal is over. But the longtime Bedford County commissioner fears the damage he feels has been done to his reputation will linger. All charges were dismissed Wednesday against Vannatta, who was accused of taking steel beams from a Bedford County farm last weekend....

Judge recuses himself from drug sale case (08/17/11)
A local judge has recused himself from a drug case involving a Moore County commissioner, and a different district attorney's office has been asked to take up the matter. William Karl Pyrdom Sr., 44, has his third appearance in General Sessions Court set for Nov. 29. However, General Sessions Court Judge Charles Rich has recused himself due to one of Pyrdom's family members being an officer of the court...

Locke enters guilty plea (08/17/11)
A Bedford County man will serve 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted first degree murder for shooting at his ex-girlfriend. Christopher Vernor Locke, 42, Rippy Ridge Road, appeared before Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler to make the plea. Locke will serve 30 percent of the sentence until he is eligible for parole...

Plaintiff joins suit against Boyce (08/17/11)
A maintenance worker with the sheriff's department has joined a lawsuit filed by four detectives alleging unpaid overtime, while the officers are asking for a court injunction to prevent retaliation against others who want to participate in the litigation...

Commissioner fired up about insurance costs (08/17/11)
Commissioner Jimmy Patterson asked his fellow commissioner and Bedford County Fire Department chief Mark Thomas last night what can be done to improve the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating for the area served by Unionville Volunteer Fire Department. Thomas said he's already working on it, and is 12 months into what he said is an 18-month process...

Missing persons' families search for answers (08/16/11)
Earlier this year, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette organized a meeting of families of Shelbyville's three missing persons. After a series of articles profiling the families, they were invited to a luncheon. Central in their conversations was their shared need for closure -- to bring their loved ones home, to finally have the answers they've been seeking for so many days...

Nine indicted by grand jury (08/16/11)
Bedford County's grand jury took around an hour Monday to indict nine people on a variety of charges. Appearing before Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler for arraignment were: The next session of the grand jury will meet on Sept. 19...

No escape route for burglary suspect (08/16/11)
No matter which way he went, the suspect in a burglary at a Unionville market Friday night -- who told investigators he entered the store due to "peer pressure" -- couldn't escape deputies. Charles Michael Reed, 42, was standing by the counter near the smashed front door of Community Cash Market, U.S. 41A North, when Deputy Cam Ferrell arrived...

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