Suspected Drug Dealer Busted by Sheriff’s Department

August 16, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A suspected drug dealer was busted by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department last week after a search of his home yielded a variety of drugs, weapons, a vehicle with an altered VIN number, and a large amount of cash.

39-year-old Nathan Joe Trapp of Magness Road, Smithville is under a $181,000 bond and he will make a court appearance in the case August 25. He is charged with possession of Suboxone, Alprazolam, and Clonazepam with intent to sell or deliver; and possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver over 300 grams; unlawful possession of a weapon; possession of drug paraphernalia; violation of an order of protection; and alteration of a VIN number.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Friday, August 12, a detective and other members of the Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at Trapp’s residence and found 650 grams of a crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine, two whole orange pills and broken pills believed to be Suboxone, two Alprazolam bars, five Clonazepam pills, numerous scales, baggies, and other drug paraphernalia along with two loaded Taurus 9 mm handguns, a loaded DB 5.56 caliber AR-15, and $30,750 in cash.

In addition to the money, investigators seized from Trapp a 2003 Nissan Murano and a 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle. They also discovered that the VIN number had been removed from the dash, door jams, and frame of a black Chevy Silverado truck on the premises.

Trapp was charged with the illegal possession of the weapons after authorities learned that he is a defendant in an order of protection matter and is not allowed to have any firearms.

21-year-old Sarah Michelle Starnes of Hickman is charged with domestic assault and vandalism under $1,000. Her bond totals $3,500 and she will be in court August 18. Sheriff Ray said that on August 4 Starnes grabbed the arms of a man during an altercation and pushed him by the throat and chest leaving marks on him. She also broke the windshield of a 2017 Jeep Wrangler with a rock she had thrown at another woman at the scene.

30-year-old Anthony Wayne Hale of Midway Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault. His bond is $40,000 and he will make a court appearance August 18. Sheriff Ray said that on August 3 a deputy was summoned to the Dollar General Store on Short Mountain Highway where a man was reportedly holding a woman at gunpoint. Upon arrival the officer learned from the woman that she and Hale got into an argument in their vehicle and that when she tried to get out, he grabbed her by the arm to keep her inside and reached for a firearm from the center console which he put to her throat.  The woman further claimed that Hale grabbed her face and throat trying to choke her.

29-year-old Denys Edgardo Herrera of Sparta Highway, Smithville is charged with evading arrest and driving under the influence. His bond totals $11,500 and he will be in court September 1. Sheriff Ray said that on August 7 a deputy was patrolling Sparta Highway when he spotted a red Toyota Corolla traveling on the wrong side of the road which almost hit the cruiser. The officer then tried to pull over the vehicle deploying his blue lights and siren, but the car sped up to over 80 miles per hour trying to get away.  After a short chase, the driver, Hererra pulled over. He had a strong odor of alcohol on him, his eyes were glossy, and he was unsteady on his feet. Hererra submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and he was taken into custody.

48-year-old Randall Keith Boehm, Jr. of McMinnville is charged with domestic assault. He is under a bond of $8,500 and he will be in court September 1. Sheriff Ray said that on August 7 a deputy was summoned to a residence on Quiet Lane due to a verbal dispute. Upon arrival the officer spoke with two people who reported that Boehm, their mother’s boyfriend, had struck their sister in the face with his open hand. Boehm appeared to have been intoxicated at the time.

21-year-old Caleb Ryan Warrick of Lebanon is charged with aggravated assault and violation of bond conditions. His bond is $15,000 and he will be in court August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on August 1 a deputy was called to a residence on Moore Taylor Road due to a child custody issue involving a gun. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a man who reported that two people showed up in a vehicle for the purpose of helping move someone out of the residence. The man said when he asked them to leave, the passenger of the automobile, Warrick pulled and cocked a gun, pointing it at him before leaving. An NCIC background check revealed that Warrick was under bond conditions out of Wilson County which prohibited him from carrying a weapon and being near a woman who was at this residence on Moore Taylor Road.

43-year-old Scotty Wayne Knowles of Jacobs Pillar Road is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver; possession with intent to sell or deliver Heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond is $23,500 and he will be in court September 15. Sheriff Ray said that on August 13 Knowles was arrested on active warrants at Ragland Bottom Campground when a baggie containing a white crystal-like substance, a blue pill, and another baggie with a pink powder substance believed to be Fentanyl were all found in the area where he was sitting along with two spoons and two scales.

35-year-old Brittany Sara Ann Cossel of Nashville is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. Her bond is $15,000 and she will be in court September 8. Sheriff Ray said that on August 14 a deputy pulled over a silver Chevy Malibu and during the traffic stop the officer asked the passenger, Cossel if there were any drugs in the car and she replied “yes”. Cossel had a small amount of marijuana and ICE in a small black pouch inside her purse.  The purse held 1.23 grams of methamphetamine and 1.49 grams of marijuana.

38-year-old Vilot Mae Tucker is charged with aggravated assault and violation of an order of protection. She is under a $7,500 bond and her court date is September 8. Sheriff Ray said that on August 15 a deputy was summoned to a location on Antioch Road where he spoke with a man who reported that Tucker had cut his truck tires. When he threatened to call police, Tucker warned that she would kill him with a knife she was holding at the time. According to the order of protection, Tucker is to keep away from this man.

August 16, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A restoration of the Liberty Tennis Courts will proceed.

During a special called meeting Monday night, all members of the Liberty town council agreed to move forward with the project with the exception of Kendra Stanford, a new alderman who last week raised questions about the company doing the work. Because of Stanford’s concerns, Mayor Audrey Martin said work on the project was stopped Thursday until the aldermen could meet and resolve the issues.

In May, 2022, the former Liberty town council voted unanimously to hire Seal Rite, Inc, doing business as Sport Rite, Inc. of Tullahoma to repair the tennis courts at a bid price of $28,600. According to the minutes from the May 2, 2022 meeting, “it was decided that there would be two tennis courts. A basketball goal would also be installed on the outside of the fence facing the parking lot”. The minutes went on to reflect that the town had received a $1,000 donation from one individual and that total donations toward the project came to approximately $4,000. Last month, the county commission earmarked $18,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Liberty Tennis Court Renovation and city leaders say the project is also to be supported by a matching grant.

Alderman J.D. Bratten said the city’s decision to rehabilitate the tennis courts was the result of interest by residents of the town.

“The town of Liberty people came to us and said this is what we want. We got this bid and this is what we want to do with it. Okay, that’s what we did, and we all (aldermen) voted on it,” said Alderman Bratten.

After the city initially advertised and was unsuccessful in obtaining bids for the project, Sport Rite, Inc. was contacted by former alderman Derek Johnson on behalf of the city and the company quoted an estimate.

According to Johnson, who was at the meeting Monday night, all the aldermen later met with the owner of the company before voting to award the project based on that quote which included repairing cracks and resurfacing the tennis courts.

“The whole board met with Sal (company owner) and he gave us a price, but he had to re-evaluate it because we had delayed the process. This is the new (price) he sent back to us ($28,600). When he sent that back to us, he said if we all agreed to do it, to sign that piece of paper and send it back to him and that would be our contract between us and him,” said Johnson.

Stanford said the ownership of the company apparently changed recently and that the new owner is not a licensed contractor but is operating under the previous owner’s license.

“This guy (owner) doesn’t have a contractor license. It is under the previous owner’s name. He didn’t own this company until July 13. He has to have a contractor’s license with the state of Tennessee under his name,” said Stanford.

“Sal (owner) said to me that he is responsible for it and has the license and also has the insurance,” said Alderman Bratten.

Alderman Stanford also questioned if the city actually has a valid contract since the terms lack specifics. “I thought a contract was supposed to specify when they were going to start the job and finish the job. This is not even a contract. It is an estimate,” she said.

Because of the concerns raised, Mayor Martin said Smithville Attorney Vester Parsley was contacted. Although not on retainer, Parsley is sometimes consulted by city leaders for legal advice.

According to Mayor Martin and City Secretary Charlotte Bratten, Parsley advised the city not to take any action to change or void the existing agreement with the company.

“If Vester Parsley says that this is a binding contract, we have to go with it. He is a lawyer. He said if we wanted to do away with it (agreement) then we would be in the middle of a lawsuit and we could lose,” said Martin.

“I don’t think there would be a lawsuit if they (company) are not legitimate,” said Alderman Stanford.

August 15, 2022
By:

Bro. Danny Bandy was honored with a reception on Saturday, August 13 at DeKalb Community Complex for 50 years of ministry. It was a great turnout with around 100 guests which included family, friends, retired co-workers, and members from every church he has pastored were represented to show their love and appreciation for Bro. Danny. He is the current pastor of Mt. Pisgah FWB Church in Smithville.

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