Two Men Sentenced in Child Sex Crimes

June 2, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Two men were sentenced for child sex crimes Friday in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

35-year-old John David Stoops, Jr. of South Maple Street, Lebanon, who was originally indicted with three counts of aggravated sexual battery, entered a plea to one count of sexual battery by an authority figure and received a six-year sentence to serve at least 85% of the term. He must register with the state’s nonviolent sex offender registry. Stoops was given jail credit of 318 days.

At the time of the first offense in 2013, the victim was 6 years old. Stoops was named in a sealed indictment returned by the DeKalb County Grand Jury on Monday, July 18, 2022.

According to the indictment, between the dates of May 1, 2013 and May 1, 2014 in DeKalb County, Stoops (twice) did intentionally, knowingly and unlawfully accomplish sexual contact with a person less than 13 years of age (victim was born December 15, 2006) and a third time between the dates of January 1 and December 1, 2016 when the child was 9 years old.

Meanwhile, 63-year-old Carlos Restrepo entered a plea to aggravated sexual battery and received an eight-year sentence to serve at least 85%. Restrepo must register with the state sex offender registry, and he will be under community supervision for life. He was given 25 days of jail credit. Restrepo was indicted by the grand jury in this case on Monday, November 15, 2021 for Rape of a Child.

Restrepo was accused of digital penetration. The victim was 6 years old at the time.

Although the Restrepo case was from 2010, Sheriff Patrick Ray said at the time of the indictment that the victim did not disclose the crime until March 2021 after turning 16 years old. The minor child disclosed this information to the Tennessee Department of Children Service and a Detective of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office while being forensically interviewed at the Upper Cumberland Child Advocacy Center. This case was investigated by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s General Office.

In other cases, 61-year-old Julio Hernandez Battle entered a plea to aggravated assault and received a sentence of three years with six months to serve. He was given jail credit from November 27, 2022 to June 2, 2023.

29-year-old Raymond Marcelle Marks entered a plea to a 4^th offense of driving under the influence and possession of a schedule II drug. He received an eight-year sentence in the drug cases suspended to probation and was fined $2,000. He got a one-year sentence in the DUI case to be suspended after serving 150 days. Marks will lose his driver license for a period of time, and he must attend DUI school and undergo a victim impact and alcohol and drug assessment and follow the treatment directives. He was fined $1,300. The two sentences are to run concurrently as one eight-year term but he will be on probation after serving 150 days. He was given jail credit for two days.

61-year-old John Jay Miller entered a plea by criminal information to forgery and received a two-year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. According to the charge, Miller forged a check in the amount of $2,361 in the name of his victim on May 15, 2023.

51-year-old Marcus John Peregoy entered a plea to two counts of attempting to sell a schedule II drug and received a three year sentence in each case all suspended to TDOC probation. He was fined $2,000. The sentences are to run consecutively for a total of six years. He was given jail credit of twelve days.

June 3, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Ready to bring a new pet into your home? How about “Xander”? The WJLE/DeKalb Animal Shelter featured “Pet of the Week”

“Xander is a six-year-old English Bulldog, and he has been neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped, the works. He is a big, sweet boy who never meets a stranger. He loves everybody. If you would like to adopt Xander and already have a dog, we ask that you bring him with you so they can have a meet and greet here at the shelter. Take home this big ole love bug today,” said Shelter Director Emmaly Bennett.

“If you are interested in adopting Xander please check out the adoptable pet’s link on our website to fill out an application at https://www.dekalbanimalsheltertn.com/ and we will call you to come in and meet him,” said Bennett.

The shelter is open Monday-Friday from 8 to 4 and Saturday from 8 to 12 at 186 Transfer Station Road. Phone 615-597-3647.

June 2, 2023
By:

Fifty-eight DeKalb County natives were named to Tennessee Tech University’s Dean’s List for the spring 2023 semester.

The total includes 46 students from Smithville, five students from Liberty, four students from Dowelltown, two students from Sparta, and one student from Alexandria.

To be included on the Dean’s List, students must attend the university full-time and earn a grade-point average of at least 3.1 on the 4.0 scale.

“Tennessee Tech students continue to excel in the classroom and beyond. It is because of their dedication to their studies and determination to succeed that Tech remains the number one public university in the state,” said Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. “Congratulations to all of the DeKalb County natives whose hard work earned them a place on the Dean’s List. They have made their university and their hometown community proud.”

DeKalb County students named to Tech’s spring 2023 Dean’s List include: Briona A. Agee, Kennedy Grace Agee, Alexis Grace Atnip, Eleonore Jean Atnip, Allie M. Beshearse, Chloe L. Braswell, Emily Hope Burklow, Jenna L. Cantrell, Emme K. Colwell, Grace E. Crips, Corina Mata Crook, Nathaniel P. Crook, Lydia Grace Davenport, Julia Grace Dziekiewicz, Dexton B. Emberton, Tyler C. Evans, Hunter W. Fann, Isabella G. France, Skylar Mckinlee Fuson, Jessilyn Ariel Griffith, Peyton A. Harris, Garrett B. Hayes, Jacob T. Hough, Garrett Cole Huffstetler, Emma Brooke Jennings, Jacob Lee Johnson, Trey C. Jones, Jasper D. Kleparek, Isaac D. Knowles, Emily G. Lasser, Hannah E. McBride, Christopher B. Mitchell, Evan T. Morse, Braya S. Murphy, Addison G. Oakley, Alyssa Jade Owen, Robin Pafford, Jason Anthony Perricone, Lydia Catherine Phillips, Natalie Roberts, Daniel Martin Rodriguez, Mya K. Ruch, Benjamin A. Snipes, Kiley I. Speaks, Mackenzie L. Sprague, Kiley F. Staley, Alley E. Sykes, Chloe E. Sykes, Holly Nicole Tayes, Justin D. Trapp, Steve D. Trapp, Zachary D. Vincent, Savannah M. Westbrook, Aidan G. Whitman, Hannah X. Willingham, Jathan R. Willoughby, Keri Dawn Winchester and Jordan M. Young.

Tennessee Tech is ranked as the top public university in the state, according to Money Magazine, as well as a “Best National University” by U.S. News & World Report. The university offers more than 200 programs of study and Tech graduates leave with the least debt of all public universities in Tennessee. In fact, based on total cost and alumni earnings, Tech provides students with the highest return on investment for any public university in the state, according to PayScale.

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