Man Involved in Rollover Crash Found with Several Drugs

January 2, 2024
By: Kelly Chambers

A 52-year-old man involved in a rollover crash on Midway Road while trying to elude law enforcement last Wednesday, December 27 will be making a court appearance January 18 on a host of drug charges.

Chad Everete Knowles of the Loop Circle, Smithville is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of a schedule II controlled substance for sale or delivery; possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver; evading arrest; possession of a schedule III drug with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver; simple possession of a schedule VI drug; and a second offense of driving on a revoked license. His bond totals $90,000.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, who investigated the crash, Knowles was traveling west in a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer on Midway Road at a high rate of speed apparently trying to elude a law enforcement officer when he lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a curve and overturned. He was taken by EMS to the hospital.

Sheriff Patrick Ray explained how his department was involved. “A deputy spotted Knowles driving and knowing that he did not have a valid driver license the officer activated his blue lights and siren and got in pursuit but instead of stopping, Knowles accelerated in a reckless manner to avoid arrest. After the crash, the officer searched Knowles’ vehicle and found a black digital scale with drug residue. During a pat down search, the deputy also recovered from Knowles’ pocket a clear baggie containing a single white pill believed to be Hydromorphone along with two other baggies that held a white crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine that weighed 8.59 grams and yet another clear baggie containing eight peach-colored pills thought to be Buprenorphine and 6.2 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. A background check through central dispatch confirmed that Knowles’ driver license was revoked.

64-year-old Robert Earl Nimmons of Tabernacle Road, Smithville is charged under a Grand Jury sealed indictment with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and two counts of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 13. The alleged offenses all occurred on May 1, 2023.  His bond is $200,000 and he is to be arraigned in criminal court on January 29.

30-year-old Dillian Tyler Hasty of Oakley Hollow Road, Alexandria is charged with domestic assault and interfering with an emergency call. His bond is $8,000 and he will be in court January 4.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 30 a deputy was summoned to a residence on Oakley Hollow Road due to an active domestic assault in progress. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the victim who reported that she and her husband, Hasty got in a physical confrontation during which she was struck several times in the face. She had visible scratch and red marks on her face and a busted lip. The officer determined that Hasty was the primary aggressor and he was taken into custody for domestic assault. The deputy also learned that when the victim initially called 911 Hasty allegedly grabbed and broke her phone trying to keep her from contacting emergency services. With children having been present during the incident, a referral was made to the state department of children services.

January 2, 2024
By: Kelly Chambers

Tennessee Tech University’s Appalachian Center for Craft has new artwork to greet visitors when they enter the lobby: a painting titled “Reminiscences” by the late Sally Crain-Jager.

Sally was a member of Tech’s fine arts faculty from 1967 to 2001. During her tenure, she was instrumental in developing Tech’s Bachelor of Art Education degree and Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting degree. She also managed the Joan Derryberry Art Gallery and served as interim director of the Craft Center.

Kim Winkle, director of the School of Art, Craft and Design and the Appalachian Center for Craft, says when Sally’s husband Bob Jager mentioned donating the painting to the university, she knew the perfect place to display it: a large, prominent wall in the Craft Center’s lobby.

“Sally had a warm and inviting personality,” Winkle said. “I think her painting in the lobby is another way of greeting people into the Craft Center. We’re so honored to be able to feature it and have a piece of Sally with us each day.”

Reminiscences is a large-scale painting comprised of nine panels, and Bob describes it as an autobiographical abstract.

“It’s Sally’s story in a painting,” he said.

Bob explains that Sally liked to include portals – doors and windows – in her paintings. Reminiscences also includes what, at first glance, may appear as dark smudges but they are actually shadows of Sally’s family. Finally, the colors represent the Oklahoma plains where Sally grew up. Bob says Sally’s paintings convey her personality.

“She loved people,” he said. “She loved teaching. She loved sharing her knowledge with others. Even now, I’ll be in the grocery store and one of her former students will come up to me and say, ‘Mr. Jager, I just wanted to tell you how much I miss her.’ Sally loved life tremendously, and it’s in her paintings. I can’t think of a painting of hers that has any negative connotation. It’s all about creativity, life and joy.”

Sally and Bob met at a faculty meeting, which Bob jokes is the best thing he ever got out of a faculty meeting, and the two married in 1993. Bob was a member of Tech’s music faculty, and the two shared a love of the arts. Sally passed away in 2014 but Bob says he is grateful that people continue to appreciate her art.

Sally’s painting was formally dedicated at the Craft Center on Nov. 19, and Bob recalls seeing the painting displayed there for the first time.

“It’s on the wall as you come in the front door, and the neat thing about it is that right across from the painting are windows where natural light shines in,” he said. “The painting really glows.”

Bob adds that he was able to share a special moment with his late wife at the dedication.

“It was towards the end of the event, and people were starting to leave and things had quieted down,” Bob recalled. “I looked up at the painting in its new home and said, ‘What do you think, honey?’ I know she was there for that.”

Winkle says that although Sally has passed, her presence and impact remain strong at the Craft Center and in the Upper Cumberland arts community.

Bob added, “She loved this community and the people in it and of course, Tennessee Tech. She enriched this community – both the university community and Cookeville itself. For an artist, there’s nothing better that can be said than this: She left the earth a better place.”

January 2, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A Repeat!

For the second year in a row, Ricky Atnip has claimed the WJLE Fearless Forecaster of the year title!

During the 15-week college football season including bowl games, Ricky compiled the overall best record picking winners in 253 games at 171-82. For the third year in a row, Atnip also accumulated the most underdog points during the season at 67 points this year.

Ricky will be presented the “WJLE Fearless Forecasters Joe Goodwin Memorial Awards” Thursday, January 11 on the season finale of the Fearless Forecasters Show on WJLE at 4:30 p.m.

Goodwin, a longtime member of the Fearless Forecasters, passed away in February 2019 and the awards are named in tribute to him.

The final standings of the forecasters for the season are as follows:
Ricky Atnip: 171-82
Grant James: 169-84
John Pryor: 168-85
Scott Goodwin, Dewain Hendrixson, and Darrell Gill: 166-87 each
Jared Davis: 165-88
Chad Kirby: 161-92
Scott Brown: 160-93

Final underdog points standings are as follows:
Ricky Atnip: 67 points
Jared Davis: 54.5 points
Darrell Gill: 39 points
Dewain Hendrixson: 37.5 points
Chad Kirby: 35 points
Scott Goodwin: 30 points
John Pryor: 28.5 points
Grant James: 11.5 points
Scott Brown: 9 points

Best Bowl Season Records
Darrell Gill: 29-14
Ricky Atnip: 26-17
John Pryor and Dewain Hendrixson: 25-18 each
Scott Goodwin, Jared Davis, and Scott Brown: 22-21 each
Grant James: 21-22
Chad Kirby: 19-24

The program is sponsored by the Charles D. Atnip Realty and Auction Company, Davis Auto Body, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, First Bank, DeKalb County Insurance, DeKalb Ace Hardware, Gill Automotive, Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, and Domino’s Pizza.