New Police Officer Sworn in to Crossville Police Department

Crossville city judge Ivy Gardner swearing in Officer Joshua Mangas

Press Release:
AUGUST 4, 2016

The City of Crossville Police Department is pleased to announce the addition of a new member to our team. The Crossville Police Department has had an open patrol officer position available. After testing and interviewing quite a few qualified applicants, this position has been filled.

Cumberland County, TN resident, Joshua Mangas, has been selected to fill the patrol officer position. Officer Mangas is a 2016 graduate of the East Tennessee Regional Law Enforcement Academy. The hiring of Officer Mangas will bring the Crossville Police Department’s patrol division to full strength and will provide for more officer presence and call coverage than ever before. This will ensure that calls for assistance and daily operations are handled more effectively, providing for a safer community.

STABBING AT US HWY 127 YARD SALE, SUSPECT SOUGHT

PRESS RELEASE

August 4, 2016

On August 4, 2016 at approximately 0135 hours, officers with the City of Crossville Police Department were dispatched to US Hwy 127 North, for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, officers located a male victim who stated that he had been stabbed in the chest by an unknown black male, who had fled the scene prior to police arrival.

The victim stated that he had caught the suspect inside of a vehicle, which the victim had presented for sale in the 127 Yard sale.  The victim reported that when he pulled the suspect from the vehicle, he was stabbed in the chest, by the suspect, with an unknown object.  The suspect then fled the scene on foot.  As the victim lay injured on the ground beside the vehicle, he yelled for help until a neighboring vender/camper heard him and called authorities.  The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The victim described the suspect as a tall, skinny, black male wearing a white or light blue long sleeve shirt and dark pants. The right shirt sleeve may have been torn in the scuffle.  The suspect had multiple short braids in his hair.  Anyone with information on the location of the suspect is being urged to contact the Crossville Police Department. Do not make any attempt to apprehend the suspect yourself, call 911 immediately.

There is no further information available at this time. This crime is currently under investigation and any further information will be released when the investigation has concluded

Election Day August 4. Polls open from 8 AM to 7 PM (Sample ballots in story)

Today is election day in Cumberland County and across the State of Tennessee.  The ballot includes the state and federal primaries and local county elections.  Sample ballots are below.

The polls will be open between 8 AM and 7 PM.  Local races on the general election ballot include Assessor of Property, county commission seats and board of education seats.

In addition there are the names of 11 sitting justices and judges that voters can choose either to retain or replace on the ballot for appellate and supreme court seats. Those include three Supreme Court at large justices Jeffery S. Bivins, Holly Kirby and Roger A. Page.  Appellate judges on the ballot include Kenny Armstrong, Brandon O. Gibson, Arnold B. Goldin, Robert H. Montgomery, Timothy L. Easter, Robert L. Holloway and J. Ross Dyer

NARCOTICS INDICTMENTS SERVED ON FENTRESS INMATE BRINGING ADDITIONAL FELONY CHARGES

On Wednesday August 3, 2016, Officers with the City of Crossville Police Department served an indictment for the arrest a Fentress County resident, following the actions of The Cumberland County Grand Jury, in which the indictments were handed down for Prescription Drug Fraud (x4 counts) and TennCare Fraud (x2 counts). Crossville Narcotics Detective’s efforts led to the charges being presented to the June 27, 2016 session of the grand jury. With this most recent effort:

Joshua Bertram Clark – 36 years old, who is currently being held at the Fentress County Jail following an arrest for similar crimes in that county, was served with the Cumberland County indictments and, once released from Fentress County, will face an additional $30,000.00 bond in Cumberland County.

This investigation, spanning over 10 months and involving agencies in more than 6 counties in Tennessee, uncovered stolen prescriptions which were forged and passed, using several names at multiple pharmacies, for the receipt of illegal Schedule II narcotics. In addition to the fraudulent/stolen prescriptions, TennCare was also fraudulently used to help purchase some of the prescription narcotics. These latest actions by the Crossville Police Department’s Narcotics Detectives demonstrate the Department’s resolve to eradicate illicit narcotics and protect the families and children of our community.

This information was provided by the Crossville Police Department. 

Another Friday at the Crossroads August 5, bigger and better!

Another Friday and the Crossroads comes to downtown Crossville on August 5, 2016 and will celebrate back to school.

Festivities start at 4 PM and will continue into the evening at 8 PM. Many participants are offering special deals for the donation of school supplies and there will be music, activities for kids and adults and the bounce house will return to the courthouse lawn.

The number of participants continues to grow and it would be easier to list the downtown business what are not participating. There will be activities on the courthouse lawn as well as all up and down Main Street, on side streets and West Ave. There will be music at numerous locations including the Spirit Broadband Amphitheater.

While Main Street will remain open, drivers are asked to drive slowly and watch for pedestrians. Portions of Second Street and Fourth street on either side of Main Street will be closed for the event allowing for vendors and crafters to set up and display.

The first even was well attended and well received 2 months ago and this one is expected to be even bigger. Photos below are from the first event.

Visit the Friday at the Crossroads Facebook page

City receives $500,000 grant to improve Garrison Park.

Crossville Mayor James Mayberry announced that the city has received a $500,000 grant for the re-development of the old Garrison Park of Fourth Street through the Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF).

The funds have been awarded by Governor Bill Haslam and Department of Environment and Conservation commissioner Bob Martineau as part of a $16 millions in funds for use by communities for recreation improvements.

The entrance to Garrison Park and at left the old grandstands built over 50 years ago.

The grant requires a match of an additional $500,000 of local funds and will fund the first phase of a plan to provide a splash pad, playground, restrooms, renovation of the basketball court, walkways along with the removal of the existing outdated grandstand and two baseball fields.  Plans are underway to incorporate features to recognize the history of the park that was the original location of the annual county fair.

In addition, the Crossville Parks and Recreation department has been working with the ball leagues using the existing fields and they will be accommodated at Centennial Park in future years.

Phase two of the plan will include development of a multipurpose field and open plan area.  The plan for Garrison Park were part of the recreation mater plan developed by the city several years ago and the need for additional recreational facilities was mentioned in the visioning meetings held around the community.  Also, council has discussed the need for such a facility to be near the center of Crossville for easier access by low income families.

Garrison Park concept drawing from Recreation Master Plan

Power outage caused by truck wreck. Power and traffic now restored.

Power was out in areas on the south side of Crossville and the Homesteads for about 30-45 minutes this morning.  The outage was caused when a tractor trailer truck caught a power line and tore down some lines along with a service pole and transformer.  Traffic through the area was rerouted through Brookhaven Subdivision for around an hour but all traffic is restored and most of the power is as well. 

Traffic was backed up in both directions on 127 south of Crossville from the 

accident scene.  It could have been much worse if the yard sale was in full force.

A power service pole that was once behind a house was ripped up and thrown across the highway by the force of the truck catching a line. 

This was the original location of the pole.  It was pulled completely down and thrown across the highway.  Note what's left of the transformer lying on the ground at left. 

Numerous emergency vehicles responded to the scene of the accident

The accident happened near the Physicians Associates office near the entrance to Brookhaven.  Traffic was diverted through the subdivision for a time.  The truck involved is at right in this photo. 

In order to get the highway reopened, members of the Crossville fire and police departments removed the damaged trim from the truck so it could be moved.