Woman Found with Drugs During Traffic Stop Lies About Her Identity

January 9, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A Smithville woman who lied about her identity during a law enforcement traffic stop was also found with drugs.

40-year-old Jennifer Jeane Duff of Lonnie Cantrell Road, Smithville is charged with simple possession of a schedule II drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, and criminal impersonation. She is under a $10,000 bond and her court date is January 25.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on January 2 a deputy was patrolling Midway Road when he spotted a black Nissan Frontier run a stop sign. He pulled over the vehicle and spoke to both the driver and a passenger, Duff who gave her name as Cecily Warner and birth date as April 19, 1989. After a background check through central dispatch showed no such name on file, the officer checked further and learned her real identity. Duff later confessed to lying about her name knowing she had warrants against her in Cannon County. During a pat down search of her person, the deputy found on Duff a pink and black container which held three orange and white pills believed to be Lisdexamfretamin. He also found two pipes inside a handkerchief. One of the pipes had in it a clear crystal-like residue and the other contained marijuana residue.

41-year-old Willie Ray Murphy of West Bryant Street, Smithville is charged with driving on a revoked or suspended license and possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. His bond totals $53,500 and he will make a court appearance January 25.

Sheriff Ray said that on January 2 a deputy was patrolling Sparta Highway when a white Lincoln car, driven by Murphy passed him heading eastbound. Knowing that Murphy’s license was suspended, the officer turned around to make a traffic stop. The officer also noticed that the car bore the wrong license tag. Murphy turned onto Curtis Road, parked in the driveway of a residence, got out, and started jogging down the road. The officer stopped Murphy who said he had just taken his girlfriend home. The deputy then found a silver container in the path where Murphy had been jogging which held a clear baggie with a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine. The baggie weighed 5.25 grams.

31-year-old Ashley Nicole Mingle of West Main Street, Smithville is charged with theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card. Her bond totals $10,000. Sheriff Ray said that between September 15 and October 5, 2023 Mingle took from the victim on Holmes Creek Road, a Samsung S21 cell phone, canvas print, and a debit card valued at $264. Meanwhile between October 1 and October 17, Mingle illegally used a Region’s debit card at various online and local businesses totaling $1,165. The case was investigated by a sheriff’s department detective.

19-year-old Jesus Petriz Calvo of Adcock Cemetery Road, Smithville was charged twice within three hours on the same day for no driver license. His bond on the two charges combined is $7,500 and he will make a court appearance on January 25.

Sheriff Ray said that on January 7 a deputy was patrolling East Broad Street when he saw Calvo operating a red Chevrolet S-10. Knowing that Calvo had no license and that he had previously been warned and ticketed several times for the same offense, the officer pulled him over and confirmed through central dispatch that Calvo had no license. Three hours later, the deputy spotted Calvo driving the same vehicle again on Midway Road near the intersection of Curtis Road. He was again pulled over and charged with no driver license.

51-year-old Kristie Lynette Morton of Yulonda Hills Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault. Her bond is $7,500 and she will be in court January 25.

Sheriff Ray said that on January 7 a deputy was summoned to the sheriff’s office to speak with a man who reported that he had gone to a residence on Allen Ferry Road, Smithville when an argument began between the victim and another man which became physical. During the incident Morton, who was on the scene, allegedly fired a 40 caliber Astra handgun into the air placing the victim in fear of bodily injury.

January 8, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Bloody hammer recovered!

A search of a county dumpster today (Monday) by investigators of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has turned up the suspected murder weapon allegedly used by 70-year-old Joseph Michael Glynn to kill his wife, 76-year-old Jackie Glynn at their primary residence in Nashville before burying her body on property they owned on Allen Bend Road in the Belk Community of DeKalb County last week. Law enforcement found Ms. Glynn’s body on Friday. Mr. Glynn was charged by Metro Nashville Police with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. He remains in custody on a $1,030,000 bond.

Meanwhile, another arrest has been made in the case by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. 29-year-old Anthony Tate “Rooster” Miller of Allen Bend Road has been charged with filing a false report. Although Miller is not accused of being an accomplice in the murder, Sheriff Patrick Ray said Miller gave conflicting stories to investigators about his contact with Glynn last week and his knowledge about how Ms Glynn’s vehicle, a Toyota RAV4 got to where it was found abandoned on Barnes Mill Road.

During an interview by Metro Nashville Police detectives on Friday, Glynn allegedly confessed to beating his wife to death with a hammer and told them that he had thrown the murder weapon away in the trash at the Keltonburg convenience site on Tuesday. The hammer was believed to be in a dumpster.

Sheriff Ray said when he learned of this information, he contacted County Mayor Matt Adcock about getting access to the dumpster to look for the hammer.

“Last Friday night, I contacted County Mayor Adcock about the convenience site at Keltonburg and if the dumpster had been dumped (emptied) since Tuesday. He thought that it had been. County Mayor Adcock called me back Saturday morning and told me he checked further and found that the dumpster did not have enough trash in it to dump. I had Mayor Adcock pull the dumpster in from the compactor and take it to the transfer station. It was placed there in a secure location under camera. We went today (Monday) at 3 p.m. and by 3:25 p.m. we had found two bags. Glynn had told Metro Nashville detectives that there were two bags (he had thrown in the trash). One of the bags had clothes and things in it. The other bag had a bloody hammer and other articles in the trash bag that had blood on them including a towel and rags that Glynn had allegedly used to try to clean up the murder scene in Nashville. We retrieved them,” said Sheriff Ray.

He further explained Miller’s involvement in the case.

“Two Metro detectives and myself went and talked to Rooster on Friday and asked him if he knew Glynn. He first said no but after a few minutes Miller said he remembered him. Miller said it had been a couple of weeks since he had seen him (Glynn) and that he had not talked to him and did not know anything about him. Later that night, sheriff’s department detectives went and talked to Miller again and he confessed to knowing where (Ms Glynn’s) car was. That’s how we found the car. We learned that on Tuesday Glynn towed the vehicle on a trailer and had dropped it off at Miller’s house (Allen Bend Road) and then sent Miller a text stating the vehicle was at his house. It stayed there until 10 or 10:30 Friday morning when Glynn came and picked up the vehicle and took it to Barnes Mill Road. When we found out that Miller had lied to law enforcement during the murder investigation, we decided to charge him with filing a false report,” said Sheriff Ray.

Miller’s bond is $10,000 and his court date in DeKalb County is January 25.

Sheriff Ray said the Glynn investigation remains ongoing.

January 8, 2024
By:

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and State Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins recently recognized DeKalb County Administrator of Elections Dustin Estes for passing the Administrator of Elections Certification Exam.

“Congratulations to Dustin Estes on this achievement,” said Secretary Hargett. “Dustin’s strong desire to meet the highest of standards shows he is committed to effectively serving DeKalb County.”

Administered by the Secretary of State’s Division of Elections in Nashville, the exam is held at least once yearly. This rigorous written assessment contains questions based on statutory requirements, ranging from voter registration to Election Day guidelines.

“Dustin’s hard work and his successful completion of this exam prepare him well to serve,” Goins said. “I appreciate his dedication to ensuring DeKalb County elections are secure, accurate, and trustworthy.”

Before taking the certification exam, election administrators must complete a training process covering 40 different topics related to election law. By passing the exam, these election administrators demonstrate they have the knowledge and training to successfully administer election laws in their respective communities. Tennessee is currently ranked number one in the nation for election integrity by the Heritage Foundation.

“It is important to give confidence to the public that our office complies with Tennessee election laws,” said Estes. “I look forward to working with the Secretary of State’s office and our local election officials to ensure fair and free elections.”

For more information about Tennessee elections, please visit GoVoteTN.gov or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.