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Escape attempt ends badly
Running from law
James Clark photo Law enforcement officials say Paul Edward Knight Jr., 41, was driving this car and running from the law Thursday night when he crashed and rolled on Jessie Road. He was airlifted to Erlanger from a field near the crash site.

A man who ran from the law, crashed through a fence, and flipped his car was airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center on Thursday night.

McMinnville resident Paul Edward Knight Jr., 41, faces three charges for the incident which began on Hennessee Bridge Road and ended when he crashed on Jessie Road, which is off Francis Ferry Road.

“He made the statement he didn’t want to go back to prison as the reason he was running,” said Sheriff Jackie Matheny. “But there were no drugs in the car and no warrants for his arrest so we don’t know what had happened to make him think he would go back to prison. If he didn’t run, we probably wouldn’t have even tried to stop him.”

The incident began at the Happy Camper, a campground off Hennessee Bridge Road when Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Kelly Carter responded to a call of suspicious activity in the area. When he arrived, Carter noticed a gray car following a Gator-type of off-road vehicle.

The driver of the car turned his head when passing the officer in an apparent attempt not to be identified. He further caught the attention of the officer by driving erratically.

As Sgt. Carter began to follow the car, Knight did several peculiar maneuvers, including spinning his tires, slamming his brakes, and at one point driving toward the deputy.

Carter then tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect refused to pull over. He eventually turned from Francis Ferry Road onto Jessie Road.

The suspect was able to pull away from the officer and momentarily leave his sight on Jessie Road, but that didn’t last long. Carter soon came upon the vehicle on its roof just off the right side of the road.

Knight was trapped inside and had to be freed by emergency responders. He was airlifted from a nearby field. He faces charges of driving on a suspended license, evading arrest and reckless driving.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community