Two Dump Trucks Involved in Tuesday Crash on Holmes Creek Road

January 10, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Two dump trucks were involved in an accident Tuesday morning on Holmes Creek Road.

According to Trooper Rodney Whiles of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 28 year old Thomas Bradley of Pikeville, North Carolina was driving west in a 2011 Volvo dump truck pulling a flatbed trailer when the truck ran off the right side of the roadway and overturned onto the driver side dumping its load in the road. The truck was hauling asphalt and the trailer carried paving equipment. Meanwhile, 49 year old Tony Sherrill of Springfield was also traveling west in a 2007 Freightliner dump truck and came upon the crash after having just negotiated a right curve. Sherrill swerved to the right and into the ditchline before hitting the rear passenger side of Bradley’s trailer. After impact Sherrill continued to travel west in the ditchline before eventually coming to rest.

Bradley and two passengers with him, 53 year old Marvin Christian and 44 year old Fred Dews both of Springfield were injured and taken by DeKalb EMS to St. Thomas DeKalb Hospital.

Neither Sherrill or his passenger, 47 year old Kenneth Jones of Springfield were injured.

January 9, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

In the latest candidate update, the DeKalb County Election Commission issued a qualifying petition Monday to Anita Puckett, County Commissioner in the 5th district. She is an incumbent planning to seek re-election. Puckett will be a candidate in the DeKalb County Democratic Primary May 1.

Meanwhile, the latest to obtain petitions to run for a seat on the school board include Kate Miller in the 4th district; Carl (C.D.) Webb in the 2nd district; and Orvil Hendrix in the 2nd district. Miller is an incumbent member of the school board. The Board of Education races are on August 2.

January 9, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Court costs are about to go up in the Smithville Municipal Court but the increase will help the police department upgrade to a new court management computer software system.

During Monday night’s meeting, the aldermen adopted an ordinance on first reading to raise the city court costs. The current fees associated with traffic violations, etc. are $85 per violation and a $13.75 litigation tax levied by the state. The new fee would be $100 per citation, a $15 increase.

Although the new Courtware Government Software Solutions system is free to the city, the cost of the software by the provider will be be passed along to violators in the form of the increased court costs.

Police Chief Mark Collins said the new Courtware System will save the city money, simplify the city’s court processing procedures, and provide offenders the option of paying their fines and court costs online.

“We (city) pay $2,000 a year just to have the system we’re using now. The new one is free to the city but will be paid for by offenders who are found guilty of speeding and traffic offenses. Ten dollars out of their court costs will go to this courtware system to pay for it. It creates more ways to pay a ticket. We do not have a pay online system now. With this new system people can pay online,” said Chief Collins.
In addition to online fine payment, other software features include an online court calendar, digital documents, fund calculations, automatic dispositions, simple docket scheduling, statistical data that can be helpful to the police department, and more.

The ordinance increasing the court costs will be considered for passage on second and final reading by the aldermen next month.