A search is underway in the Hurricane bridge area on Center Hill lake for a Nashville physician who reportedly went kayaking Sunday.
The man has been identified as 55 year old Dr. William Coltharp, a cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville.
Central dispatch received the call at 1:19 a.m. Monday morning from the man’s wife who reported that she has not heard from her husband since Sunday at around 6:00 p.m. He apparently put in on the lake at Hurricane on Sunday afternoon. His SUV was found parked at the Hurricane bridge boat ramp. An overturned kayak was found about a mile downstream from there.
Members of the DeKalb County Rescue Squad, TWRA, Corps of Engineers, DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department and officers of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department are all on the scene. Some are on the lake. Others are conducting a ground search.

The chance to have fun while helping to preserve the natural beauty of Center Hill Lake is coming. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is once again sponsoring the annual Fall Shoreline Cleanup at Center Hill Lake and seeking volunteers for the effort.
Park Ranger Gary Bruce said this year’s cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, October 1 from 9 a.m. – noon, rain or shine. Sign-in and garbage pick-up sites will be located at the Floating Mill and Ragland Bottom Recreation Areas. Participants will be provided gloves and garbage bags and assigned a section of shoreline to work. A free lunch for all participants, complete with door prizes, will be provided. Volunteers should wear work clothes and sturdy footwear and, depending on the weather forecast, pack rain gear . . . just in case.
A clean-up will also be conducted on the upper end of the lake originating at the Pinhook Recreation area near Pates Ford. Lunch will be served. Please call 597-4225 or 597-5175 for more information about that particular cleanup effort.
All participants should pre-register for the cleanup by calling the Center Hill Lake Resource Manager’s Office at (931) 858-3125. Pre-registration will help planners prepare the proper number of lunches and select desired lakeshore cleanup areas. On the day of the cleanup, individuals and groups not pre-registered may still take part by signing in at Ragland Bottom or Floating Mill Recreation Area.
Organizers predict one of the best ever such events and invite all to help keep one of Tennessee’s lakes one of the most beautiful in the country.

The new chemistry/science lab has been completed at DeKalb County High School and classes could be held there for the first time since the update as early as next week or after fall break.
The old lab equipment was removed at the end of the school year in May and the room underwent a major renovation over the summer. Although most of the work was completed by the start of school in August, the new lab equipment did not arrive until September.
(NOTE: THE VIDEOS SHOWN BELOW DEPICT THE LOOK OF THE SAME SCIENCE LAB ROOM BOTH AFTER AND BEFORE THE RENOVATION. THE TOP VIDEO IS THE NEW LAB. THE BOTTOM VIDEO SHOWS THE LOOK OF THE OLD LAB)

Dylan Kleparek, one of the teachers who will be using the lab, told WJLE Friday that the facility is state of the art. “I’m very impressed. I think its going to be great. It’s a well needed update to our school and its going to help us do things we weren’t able to do before. We have a long line of storage cabinets along the side wall with a dishwasher to wash glassware and a handicapped accessible sink in the back. Along the back wall we have a fume hood that is used for experiments and things that create fumes which are not good for inside the classroom. We have lots of storage cabinets in the back to hold glassware and various experiment equipment and things. We have eight lab tables where we can have four students per table. Each table is equipped with gas, water, and electricity and more storage. In the front, we have a teacher work station. Its going to be great for setting up demonstrations and teaching from. We have a promethean smart board in the front which is the most up to date technology we can get. We have all the makings of a really good lab setup. Its about as state of the art as we can get,” said Kleparek.

Amanda Fuller, another teacher who will be using the lab, said she too is impressed with what she has seen. “It is amazing to walk in here and see everything that’s available, things I didn’t even know we were going to have. They’ve gone above and beyond anything we expected to have in this classroom. It will definitely change what we are able to do from a safety perspective. We can allow students to do things and not have as much of a fear of them getting hurt. I want to thank the people who have contributed to this, the people who have worked so hard to get this here for our students. Its something we have needed for a long time. Its been overdue. I’m very appreciative that they have seen the need. They have worked hard to get it done,” said Fuller.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby and school board members Kenny Rhody and W.J. (Dub) Evins, III visited the lab on Friday.
“I’m really pleased with the way the place looks,” said Rhody. ” We’ve definitely jumped ahead 40 years from where we were. I’m real excited for the kids and for Coach K,” he said.
“I’m grateful we were finally able to put some things together and get this done,” said Evins. ” I appreciate the board’s input. It’s a little bit expensive but not for what its worth. We spend $80,000 on a bus each year but put $20,000 to $30,000 more with it and look at what we have. I appreciate a comment a young lady (student) made who just came in here (to the lab). She sat down in one of the seats and said she thought she could learn more because of the setting. That’s a pretty good comment. This room is configured for 32 students. We’ve got a smart board in here. I think its just a great thing to see the difference now compared to what was in here since 1963. We have the teachers who have the capability of doing what they need to do. They just needed the equipment to do it with. I don’t think we could ask for anything better for what money this cost. Its just a great thing. We hope that the end result when the kids graduate from here and go onto college is that they can be proud of graduating from here and getting a good education in physics, chemistry, and the science department,’ said Evins
Willoughby added “I think that our teachers are really happy. Most of all I think by having facilities such as this we’ll be able to meet the needs of our students much better. As times change our facilities have to change also. We have an up to date science lab/chemistry lab which can be used by our different teachers. I think it will make all the difference in the world in the learning experience for our children. Its been a lot of hard work getting to this level. We’ve had a lot of people put a lot of hours in making it happen but our whole goal is what is good for the students. This is good for the students of DeKalb County. That’s why we’re in the business. The board has been pushing for this. They have seen the need for it and now we see the reality of making it happen. When we come back from fall break, we intend to have classes right here. Its going to be a great learning facility for the students of DeKalb County,” said Willoughby
“I want to thank our board for focusing on our children and putting the focus on making sure we meet the needs of the children,” added Willoughby. ” Its pretty easy to keep things the way they are but to change things is difficult. Changing things makes a big effort. It’s a lot harder to make a change and have a vision for the future rather than it is to just stay the same. Our board of education and our teachers are not satisfied with staying the same. Our board, our teachers, and all our staff want to progress. They want to have the vision for the future for our children. They want to focus on what’s best for the children. We have a great staff here at DeKalb County High School along with our other schools. We also have a fantastic board that focuses on what’s best for children. If we would all focus on what’s best for children, the whole world would be different and I think DeKalb County would be different also and progress a lot faster. Hopefully, in the future we will always look and see what’s best for the children in all the decisions that we make,” said Willoughby.

A former Walmart employee has been charged with theft for allegedly stealing from the store.
37 year old Lisa Lee Ray of 230 Nikki Lane, Smithville is charged with one count of theft of property.
Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger reports that on Tuesday, September 20 while working at the cash register, Ray allegedly committed theft by changing prices and in some cases bagging merchandise without scanning it.
She is under a $2,000 bond and will be in court on October 13. Ray is no longer employed by the store.
42 year old Donna Overall is charged with criminal trespassing and theft under $500
Chief Caplinger reports that on Saturday, September 24 a police officer responded to a residence on Snow Street to a complaint of an unwanted intruder in the home. Upon arrival, the officer found Overall there.
According to Chief Caplinger, the woman who lives there reported to police that while she was away, Overall came to the home. With only three children in the residence, Overall allegedly entered the home uninvited and began picking up things. Overall was apparently still in the home when the woman who lives there returned.
Overall is under a total bond of $6,500 and she will be in court on October 13.
43 year old Melvin Lee Griffin is charged with assault, domestic assault, and vandalism.
Chief Caplinger reports that on Friday, September 23 a police officer was called to a business on East Broad Street, where a woman had been assaulted by her ex-boyfriend, Griffin.
According to police, the woman and Griffin drove into the parking lot of the business in separate vehicles. Griffin got out of his automobile and allegedly assaulted the woman. He then followed her into the business, where she ran to seek refuge. Another vehicle in the parking lot received some minor damage during the scuffle between Griffin and the woman. When told by the operators of the business establishment that they were calling police, Griffin left. He was stopped by White County authorities at the county line and later taken into custody by police and charged in the case.
Griffin is under a total bond of $9,000 and he will be in court on October 13.
52 year old Ramone Serano Ramone was charged with driving on a revoked license on Friday, September 23.
Chief Caplinger reports that an officer was dispatched to Wade Street where he encountered a woman who reported that she and Ramone had gotten into an argument at his residence on Main Street in Smithville but that she had left and returned to her home on Wade Street. Ramone showed up at the woman’s home while police were there. As he got out of his vehicle, police asked him for identification. A computer check revealed that his license had been revoked for a previous offense.
Bond for Ramone is $1,500 and he will be in court on October 6
24 year old Robert Grady Cox is charged with being a fugitive from justice. Police learned on Friday, September 16 that Cox, wanted in Catoosa County, Georgia for probation violation, was staying at a residence on East Bryant Street. Police went there and picked him up.
He is expected to be returned to Georgia.

Seats are filling fast for the Sixth Annual History Hayride at Edgar Evins State Park on Center Hill Lake, between Smithville and Cookeville, Saturday, October 8th. . There is still time to call in your reservations if you hurry! Call the park office at (931) 858-2114 or Toll Free: 1-800-250-8619. Admission is only $10 per person, including light refreshments. There is a $20 non-refundable deposit for groups of four or more.
This is a wholesome family oriented event sponsored by the Friends of Edgar Evins State Park, in partnership with park and other State employees. Nine wagon loads will leave from the park’s Visitors Center at approximately 30 minute intervals to visit nine scenes along the route where costumed re-enactors will present a story depicting real people and events from past days in the park and area. Commemorating the 150 year anniversary of the start of the War Between the States some new characters from the era of the Civil War will appear along with a few of the old favorites. In addition there will be a pre-show at the Visitors Center where participants will be greeted by an actor portraying James Edgar Evins, the man for whom the park was named.
Reservations will be for wagons leaving at staggered intervals but all participants are requested to arrive at the Visitors Center at least 30 minutes before the projected wagon departure time. This will allow time for completing the registration process and visiting the refreshments table. Admissions may be paid by cash or check.
It is advised that people prepare for cooler temperatures than at home as the breezes off the water of the lake and the moving wagons make it seem colder. Dress warmly in layers and bring a blanket.
For those wishing to make this an over-night or weekend event the park office can also take reservations for the cabins which sleep up to six comfortably. Camping at the park (both primitive and with hook-us) is also available but no reservations are required.
The Galley Restaurant at the marina in the park will offer a special for participants of the Hayride who wish to dine there before or after the event on October

Mallory Sullivan, a sophomore at DCHS, earned second place in the State Class A-AA Golf Tournament at Willowbrook in Manchester Wednesday
Sullivan shot an 80 on Tuesday, just four shots off the lead, and a 73 on Wednesday for a score of 153, six shots behind the state champion Marlee Ingham of Creekwood who shot a 147 in the tournament.
Callie Mitchell, a senior at DCHS, shot a 98 on Tuesday and 96 on Wednesday for a score of 194 in the tournament.
In the boys competition, Ethan Roller, a sophomore at DCHS shot an 85 on Tuesday and 76 on Wednesday for a score of 161. The state champion is Dowling Armstrong of David Lipscomb who shot a 138 in the tournament.
Sullivan, who also competed in the state tournament last year, said she was pleased with her overall performance. “The first day I was striking the ball really good. I just wasn’t there with my short game. After the round I went and practiced my putting and my chipping. The second day my short game was a whole lot better. I didn’t hit the ball as good but everything turned out better. The competition this year was really hard. Players like Sara Dolmovich (Signal Mountain) and Sophia Shubert (Christian Academy of Knoxville) are really good players and to beat them gives me a lot of confidence,” she said.
Sullivan said she is also proud of her fellow athletes from DCHS who competed in the state golf tournament, Callie Mitchell and Ethan Roller. “Its Callie’s senior year and she made it to the state this year. I was really proud of her. Ethan has also done great all year. He just had one bad day. If he hadn’t had that bad day, I’m sure he could have won,” she said.
Mallory is also grateful for the community support “I would like to thank everyone who has supported the golf teams this year and to everyone who came out and watched me play today. I also want to thank Joe Pat Cope for being a wonderful coach this year and to my family for supporting me,” said Sullivan.
Coach Cope said Mallory played with a lot of maturity in the tournament. “Mallory was so mature today. This is her second year at the state but she is only a sophomore. We’ve got a fifteen year old sophomore out there but she shot today like a seasoned pro. I was just tickled to death at the way she played,” he said.
“It was Callie’s senior year. She ended up in the top half. She had a couple of big numbers, made an eight and a nine which kind of hurt her but Callie has worked on her game and has come around so much. We hate to lose Callie, her being a senior. But I just want to commend her so much because in the off season she really dedicated herself and worked on her game and it paid off. It was Callie’s first appearance in the state tournament and she had a great finish down there. It just goes to show what a good work ethic will do for you,” he said.
“As for Ethan (Roller), he got off to a little rough start. His first nine, he had a couple of bad breaks. A couple of balls went out of bounds. They didn’t fly and took a couple of bad hops and ended up out of bounds on him. It was his first year there (state tournament) and he may have had some jitters. But after that he came back and shot four over for his next twenty seven holes which would have gotten him a top five. I know its no consolation but Ethan has the type of mentality and attitude that when he went down there he expected to win and had the game to do so. He just got off to a little rough start,” said Coach Cope.
You can view the golf scores online at www.tssaa.org.