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Grand Jury 12-14
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Indictments were handed down by the December session of the Warren County grand jury.
Included in indictments rendered by the tribunal:
Shane Gardner, Marcus Giles, Ashley Hernandez and Rebecca Watson were indicted on the charge of possession of meth for resale. Giles was also indicted for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and Hernandez for introduction of drugs into the county jail. They were all arrested after they were pulled over and drugs and guns were found in their vehicle.
Chad Hinshaw was indicted on the charge of aggravated domestic assault. He is charged with hitting his girlfriend in the head with the butt of a baseball bat.
Jefry Overall was indicted on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and having a prohibited weapon. He is charged with showing up on a man’s doorstep and threatening him with a knife.
Sam Wooten was indicted on the charge of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Amy Lawson was indicted on charges of introduction of drugs into the county jail and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and shoplifting.
Glenn Wright was indicted on the charge of manufacture, sale or delivery of drugs.
Jennifer and Thomas Sparkman were indicted on charges of possession, manufacture or sale of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Cody Fults was indicted on the charge of theft.
Clayton Nichols was indicted on the charge of driving on a suspended license.
Kenneth Bond was indicted on the charge of third-offense driving on a suspended license.
Steven Hankins was indicted on the charge of fourth-offense driving on a revoked license.
Charlie King was indicted on the charge of six-offense driving on a revoked license.
Johnny Tindell was indicted on charges of third-offense driving on a revoked license and driving without a license.
Jhea G. Williams was indicted for driving without a license.

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