It is with heavy hearts that we share the name of the member of the Franklin community tragically killed in yesterday’s train accident.
At 9:44 a.m., Thursday, Franklin Police and other emergency responders were dispatched to the railroad tracks in the area of the Liberty Pike crossing. There, we found 17-year-old David “Junior” Hernandez mortally wounded after being struck by a train. Our investigation into this tragic accident shows that David was wearing stereo ear buds, while walking down the railroad tracks, when the train struck him from behind.
Our officers and members of this community are deeply saddened by the untimely loss of Junior Hernandez; his family is in our hearts, on our minds, and in our prayers.
At 9:44 a.m., CSX dispatch reported that one of their trains had just struck a pedestrian on the railroad tracks in the area of the Liberty Pike crossing. Emergency responders located the victim in a wooded area north of Liberty Pike; he died at the scene. The Franklin Police Department’s Critical Incident Response Team, a component of the Traffic Unit, is investigating with assistance from CSX Railroad Police.
The victim has been identified as a 17-year-old male who lives nearby. His family is devastated, and says that he left home a short time before the accident to walk to a nearby business where his girlfriend was working. Traffic Investigators have determined that the teen had stereo ear buds in his ears and was walking with his back to the train when he was struck. Every indication points to this as being a tragic accident.
“Our hearts and the hearts of the Franklin community hurt for the family and friends of this young man,” said Chief Deborah Faulkner. “They are in our prayers.”
A Franklin woman, high on gasses found in retail products, was hospitalized and charged with DUI after crashing her car into a sidewalk mailbox.
Anna K. Thomas, 28, of Franklin, was hospitalized after crashing her SUV into a mailbox on Battle Avenue near Cannon Street at 9:00 last Wednesday morning. Arriving officers found Thomas extremely disoriented. An inventory of her vehicle revealed 13 nearly empty cans of whipped cream scattered throughout the vehicle. Thomas, charged with DUI and Failure to Report a Crash (for running her car into a ditch, at another location, prior to this crash), is due in court 06/04/2015 at 1:00 pm.
The dangers of misusing retail aerosol products is readily apparent in this case. In fact, their misuse can lead to serious medical conditions, and death.
*2014 arrest photo, updated booking photo currently not available
Franklin, TN –Franklin Police and Fire are teaming up again to offer a program designed especially for women. The “Women’s Safety Boot Camp” will take place June 8 – 18 on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6 – 8 pm at Franklin Fire Station 2, 907 Murfreesboro Rd.
This free program provides women with emergency survival skills.Live fire extinguisher training, CPR, self-defense, and child car seat workshops, complete with a vehicle extrication demonstration are among the topics to be presented.
Eat before you come or bring your dinner with you.Limited to the first 30 registrants. Please commit to attending all four classes.
To register, call the Franklin Fire Department at (615) 791-3270 or visit www.franklintn.gov/fire. ###
At 2:30pm, Friday, Franklin Police Chief Deborah Faulkner will swear in and personally hand Franklin Police badges to Officers Kyle Brink, Britton Cornell, Craig Kitt, Ashlee Metilor, Matthew Thompson, and Jarvis Robinson. The formal ceremony is being held at Rolling Hills Community Church, 1810 Columbia Avenue. There, the six will be joined by Officers Clinton Buchanan, Jesus Coreno, Robert Dilworth, and Ryan Grande, all hired by the Franklin Police Department with prior police service at other departments. The public is invited to attend this one-hour ceremony as we welcome these 10 officers, joining us in service to Franklin.
The six officers Chief Faulkner will be swearing-in are among 80, from across Tennessee, graduating from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy earlier this same day. There, officers from across the State will accept their certification to serve as Tennessee police officers.
Franklin Police Department Professional, Progressive, Responsive
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Leaving car keys under floor mats, house keys under flowerpots, and money under mattresses is old fashioned, and very common knowledge for crooks. Safe communities, like Franklin, are attractive to criminals because residents may feel safe enough to let their guard down; don’t.
At 4am yesterday morning, officers were summoned to the 400 block of Franklin Road following a citizen report of a vehicle that had crashed into a yard. Arriving officers found an abandoned BMW that had crashed hard enough to activate the airbag. After finding no one in or around the crashed vehicle, officers visited its owner’s home in the 400 block of Maple Grove Drive, nearly four miles away. Officers found the owners of the car, and everyone else who lives with them, asleep at home. The vehicle was stolen from the driveway of that home in the Maplewood Subdivision with little effort by the suspect – the car doors were left unlocked, and the keys left under the floor mat by the owner.
Later the same morning, officers were summoned to a second Franklin Road home where a vehicle was stolen from the driveway. The vehicle was unlocked at the time it was stolen, and the keys were left inside by the owner. Officers recovered that Volvo after the suspect abandoned it on Mack Hatcher near Spencer Creek. The suspect remains unknown, and at-large.
Keeping Franklin safe is a partnership between the police and our community – we need your help: Lock car doors and remove valuables from your parked car; report suspicious people and behavior to police: (615) 794-2513.
Franklin Police Department Professional, Progressive, Responsive
Christopher M. Bishop Date of Birth: 08/05/1970 8109 Brenthaven Drive Brentwood, TN 37027
Christopher Bishop, 44 of Brentwood, remains behind bars this morning, charged with his 2nd DUI.
Officers were dispatched to a fight in the parking lot of 2000 Mallory Lane last night at 5pm. While en route, one of the subjects involved left in a vehicle. The officer located and stopped the driver, Christopher Bishop, and determined that he was intoxicated. Officers found marijuana and open alcohol in Bishop’s vehicle. The fight initially reported to police was an argument between Bishop and a family member who tried to stop him from driving drunk.
Bishop, charged with DUI – 2nd Offense, Violation of the Implied Consent Law, and Possession of Marijuana, remains jailed on a $5,750 bond. He is due in court 05/28/2015 at 1:00 pm.
In 2014, there were 6,634 known alcohol-related traffic crashes in Tennessee. Nationally, one in three traffic fatalities are a result of an alcohol-impaired driving crash.
Nationally, one in three traffic fatalities are a result of an alcohol-impaired driving crash. Friday night, 05/15/2015, the Franklin Police Department will conduct a sobriety checkpoint on Hillsboro Road.
In 2014, the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office awarded the Department with a $50,000 grant to use for anti-DUI initiatives including DUI checkpoints, saturation patrols, training, equipment, and overtime for officers working this checkpoint.
While Franklin is a safe community, we are certainly not immune to crime. The suspects in both of these cases live here, which is why police are asking Franklin parents to watch over their children, and to talk with them about the danger that strangers can pose.
The tips below can be used to start a conversation with your kids about how to avoid potentially dangerous situations, and what they can do to protect themselves if faced with the unthinkable:
Help kids understand who a safe grownup is. Let them know who the trusted adults in their lives are. Remember, however, that some adults in “trusted” positions do hurt children.
Show kids how to say “No!” and get away fast if someone does or says something that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Teach children to always let a trusted grownup know where they are going.
Kids should play and travel in groups. Being alone makes them more susceptible to danger.
Abductors often trick children into going with them quietly. Teach your kids that adults should ask for help from adults, not children. Abductors have tricked kids into going with them by offering candy, toys, saying that their puppy is lost, or asking the child if they want to see a baby animal or if they can give them directions. If an adult is asking for help, they should say “No!” and run to a safe grownup.
Some abusers pay extra attention to a child, or give the child gifts for no reason in order to build trust with the child before they hurt them. Teach your child to tell you right away if someone gives them a gift or extra attention.
If the worst should happen, and an abductor actually grabs a child, they should fall on the ground, kick, scream, bite, and fight as hard as they can, and make as much noise as they can.
Practice dangerous situations with your children, and show them how to say “No,” how to run away, and how to make a bunch of noise. Do not assume that once is enough; take advantage of opportunities to discuss these types of safety issues with your kids regularly.
