Making sure families arrive safely for Christmas gatherings are the goals of the “Safe on 70” enforcement events this month by the Rutherford County Traffic Safety Task Force members. Murfreesboro Police Capt. Cary Gensemer said officers will enforce hazardous moving violations such as speeding, running red lights and distracted driving. “They will also focus on…
Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office achieved the Outstanding Department Award from MADD Tennessee for increasing awareness to prevent drunk driving and arresting impaired drunk drivers. The award was presented Thursday during MADD’s annual Tennessee Night of Remembrance honoring law enforcement officers statewide who enforce DUI laws and potentially saved 6,663 lives last year by DUI arrests….
Rutherford County Sheriff’s Detective Patty Oeser earned the Crisis Intervention Training First Responder of the Year award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Middle Tennessee. Oeser serves as the CIT training coordinator for Middle Tennessee. CIT is a 40-hour, specialized training for law enforcement officers with the goal of improving outcomes of people…
Shontisha Marie Rutland’s family will spend another holiday season without knowing the circumstances of her death in the summer of 2020. Rutland, 22, of Nashville, frequently talked with her grandmother, Annie Maples. Their last conversation was in June 2020. When Maples didn’t hear from her granddaughter, she sensed something was wrong. Rutland’s skeletal remains were…
Two Rutherford County Sheriff’s patrol deputies earned top awards from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office Wednesday. Deputy Austin Watson was named “Deputy of the Year” and was chosen as “Drug Recognition Expert of the Year for Middle Tennessee.” A drug recognition expert or drug recognition evaluator (DRE) is a law enforcement officer specifically trained to…
One elementary school student participating in the Shop with the Sheriff event in 2019 wanted to buy food for his family instead of buying toys for himself, remembers School Resource Officer Sam Trubee. “He had two siblings,” Trubee said. “He wanted to get those presents and his Mom something. The kid was completely selfless. He…
If you want to understand Deputy Chief Kevin Henderson’s vision, just read the worn sign posted in his office. “The difference between the impossible and the possible is in a person’s determination” reads a quote by Tommy Lasorda, the legendary World Series winning manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a National Baseball Hall of…
Two hundred small stuff animals from Kohls Cares were recently donated by the Exchange Club of Murfreesboro to the Rutherford County Sheriff Office, Rutherford County Fire Rescue Department, Rutherford County EMS, City of Murfreesboro Police Department, and City of Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department. The stuffed animals will be used when necessary should a child (…
Nate Isbell, 13, helped his 3-year-old niece, Lily, decorate pumpkins the night before Halloween last year. Lily didn’t want to touch the slimy inside of the pumpkin, remembered Nate’s father, Chuck Isbell. “Nate got Lily to touch the guts,” Isbell said. “He made her think it was funny.” That memory remains precious since Nate died…
Detective Monica Fonseca of the Criminal Investigations Division, Rutherford County Sheriff Office was recognized on October 27, 2021 as the County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by The Exchange Club of Murfreesboro. Detective Fonseca coordinates the Stop Violence Against Women federal grant for the Sheriff’s Office. She investigates only domestic violence crimes and sexual…