The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be participating in Operation Dry Water, June 29-July 1. Operation Dry Water is a national weekend of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) awareness and enforcement campaign directed toward reducing alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities.

Operation Dry Water is held the weekend prior to the Independence Day (July 4) holiday to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season. The TWRA is teaming with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Operation Dry Water was started by the NASBLA in 2009.

TWRA boating officers will saturate high traffic areas on reservoirs across the state. Along with the use of life jackets and other safety practices, officers want boaters to be aware of the effects and ramifications of alcohol use. The TWRA will be intensifying efforts to detect and apprehend boat operators who are operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In 2017 during Operation Dry Water, there were 13 boating under the influence (BUI) arrests across the state.

Operating a boat with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 percent or higher is illegal in Tennessee, the same as operating a motor vehicle. Penalties may include fines, jail, boat impoundment and the loss of boat driving privileges.

Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion intensify the effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.

For more information on Operation Dry Water, visit www.operationdrywater.org.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce has announced the winners of the 2018 “Project Welcome Mat” in time for the Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival July 6 & 7.

This year’s winners are as follows:

*People’s Choice – Webb’s Pharmacy, Gifts, & Soda Fountain, “Two Scoops and You’re in Heaven, Welcome to Jamboree 47”

*Most Original -Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, “Get Those Fiddles Revvin To Jamboree 47”

*Best Worded- Wilson Bank and Trust, “Pick a Seat and Watch the Show, Off to the Jamboree We Go!”

“We want to thank all the businesses that participated in the 17th Annual Chamber of Commerce “Jamboree Project Welcome Mat” contest and for using your message signs to welcome Jamboree visitors. The signs were all so great, and we have received so many positive comments. It’s vitally important to make sure that our Jamboree visitors know how appreciated and important they are, so mission accomplished,” said Suzanne Williams, Executive Director of the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce

“We had a record-breaking number of entries this year. The votes were so close, I had to recount several times to be sure. Again, we are so grateful to all who entered the contest,” said Williams.

A man responsible for the theft of a vehicle from a car lot, a radio from another automobile, a license tag, and several items from Wal-mart appeared in criminal court for sentencing Tuesday.

41 year old Benjamin Roberto Garcia entered a plea by criminal information to burglary of an automobile and theft over $2,500. He received a two year sentence for the burglary and four years for the theft to run concurrently for a total of four years. He will be on TDOC probation. Garcia must make restitution of $1,100 to one victim and $750 to another. He was given jail credit of 99 days.

According to Smithville Police, a report was filed on February 19 that someone had broken into an automobile at Davis Auto and stolen a radio causing damage to the vehicle. The following day another report was filed of someone having taken a 1994 Dodge Dakota from Auto Hut after breaking the lock and entering the gate of the car lot. During the investigation and after viewing surveillance video, police identified Garcia as a person of interest. After recovering the truck taken from Auto Hut, police checked the license plate on it through Central Dispatch and learned that the plate was stolen. Garcia found himself in more trouble after he was spotted on Sunday, March 11 shoplifting a pair of ear buds and a rugged speaker from Wal-mart. He was taken into custody on Tuesday, March 13.