After the May 13, 2025 Coffee County Commission Meeting, the Commissioners and Mayor Dennis Hunt met in a closed door session with County Attorney Mark Williams. After the closed door session concluded, the Commissioners voted to initiate an investigation of fellow commissioner Joe Mike Hodge for official misconduct.
Commissioner Hodge told Thunder Radio that he was “ambushed by this thing” and did not have a statement at the time.
Coffee County Commissioner Joseph Michael Hodge filed a petition June 20, 2025, in Chancery Court seeking to compel the county government to comply with a public records request in a filing that releases a litany of accusations against Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt and Sheriff Chad Partin.
Hodge, who represents the Fourth District, alleges that the County Mayor Dennis Hunt and Sheriff Chad Partin deliberately withheld documents he originally requested in February of 2025 related to the planning commission, a zoning moratorium, and actions by the former county mayor Judd Matheny.
Find Thunder Radio’s November 2023 news story about the controversy regarding former Mayor Matheny attempting to remove five members of the Coffee County Planning commission HERE
According to the filing by Hodge, the documents were stored in the county mayor’s office and allegedly compiled by Matheny, who has since passed away. Hodge claims he attempted to access the documents through the Mayor’s Administrative Assistant, Connie Goethe, but this effort triggered accusations of criminal behavior by county leadership.
According to the court filing, Goethe was pressured to resign under threat of criminal prosecution after she indicated she agreed to release the records to Hodge. The complaint states that Goethe was led into a meeting on April 13 with county human resources, Partin and Hunt and threatened with criminal prosecution if she did not resign and she elected to resign that day.
A signed statement dated April 13, 2025 by Goethe states in part, “Mr. Hodge contacted me by phone to see when he could get the records. He wanted to get them when Mayor Hunt was not in the office. I was told that the box contained some old Planning Commission records that Judd had. I realize now that what was about to take place was wrong and possible illegal”.
Thunder Radio has obtained the audio recording that led Coffee County Government to ask Goethe to resign and investigate Commissioner Hodge. As well as the interview with Goethe.
Hear the complete unedited audio recordings from both sessions by tuning into Thunder Radio’s show, “Connecting Coffee County” on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 3PM.
Listen live at 107.9FM-AM1320-106.7FM in Tullahoma, online at www.thunder1320.com or anywhere in the world on the ManchesterGO smartphone app. “Connecting Coffee County” is presented by People’s Bank and Trust.
