John Coffelt, Editor

 Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin was recognized at the Coffee County Commission meeting, Tuesday, April 11 for his actions during a recent armed conflict in Tullahoma in which the suspect pointed a gun at him and bragged about how many officers he could hit before they “took him out”.

County Mayor Judd Matheny said that just a few brief hours after Partin joined the Elk River Boy Scouts for a commemorative presentation, the sheriff was among area law enforcement officers who responded to an armed standoff with a man with a gun.

“The sheriff sized up the situation, used his experience and deescalated (the situation), and put himself in harm’s way multiple times,” Matheny said.

Matheny further commended Partin for courage and leadership that avoided any rash action.

“The sheriff didn’t want anyone to get hurt, and didn’t want his own men to have to take anybody’s life. It’s something that we can all be proud of,” he said.

The suspect, Kraig Lee Cornelius, is charged with aggravated assault for the incident that happened on Silver Street this past month. Lawmen encountered him sitting in a Jeep outside the apartments, holding a firearm to his head. Partin, who was trying to talk the armed man into dropping his weapon, put himself into harm’s way.

“Sheriff Partin was at the scene trying to talk with the subject at one point (Cornelius) pointed the gun at the sheriff and began to pick people out that he could hit with his gun before they took him out,” the warrant against Cornelius reads. “He fired the gun into the air after having pulled the trigger four times.”

The warrant revealed the situation began after an argument with his wife in which she would not give him the keys to the Jeep.

“He got very angry and pushed her down on the bed, then put the gun next to his head and pulled the trigger,” the warrant revealed. “The gun did not go off, but he pointed it at the ceiling and pulled the trigger and it fired a shot through the ceiling.”

Cornelius was taken to a mental health facility for treatment after he was talked into laying down his weapon following negotiations.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.