Man facing rape charge

A 33-year-old man faces a charge of statutory rape by an authority figure after he allegedly had sex with a 16-year-old foreign exchange student, according to a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office affidavit.

Michael Little, who has already posted a $10,000 bond, is expected to appear before Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck on May 6.

The incident came to light after the girl confided to a teacher at her high school about what happened. She said Little was ignoring her after they had sex last month.

The Times Free Press is not naming the school or where the student lives to protect her identity.

The teacher notified the principal, Child Protective Services, the school's resource officer and the director of the student exchange program.

Cass identified as crash victim

The motorcycle rider killed Sunday morning in a crash on Highway 58 has been identified as Jonathan Cass.

According to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, at about 10:20 a.m. deputies found that a Ford F-150 truck turned left from a parking lot to travel south and pulled out in front of a Honda motorcycle.

The truck driver was identified as Hunter Taylor.

The collision occurred in the 10000 block of Highway 58, which is near the Monger Lane intersection.

Police get grant to battle DUIs

Expect to see beefed up enforcement on city streets by the Chattanooga Police Department, which has received a $100,000 grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Office to reduce the number of fatalities, DUI offenders and serious crashes.

The grant will allow the department to step up enforcement through the remainder of this year and possibly into 2015, according to a news release from the Chattanooga Police Department.

The operation will cover all areas of Chattanooga. Twenty-four officers will work four-hour shifts with a focus on all alcohol-related charges such as DUI, open container and underage drinking.