DCHS Tiger Paxton Butler signed a letter of commitment on June 18, 2018 to play NCAA baseball for Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy Massachusetts after his official campus visit June 11, 2018. Butler was awarded $72,000 in scholarships and grant from ENC. Butler will major in Environmental Science and earn his bachelors degree while attending the New England college. Paxton is the son of Ronda Butler of Smithville and Dennis Butler of Sparta.

Eastern Nazarene is a Private Christian Liberal Arts College on Boston’s south shores. BestColleges.com recently ranked ENC as #20 on its list of best colleges in the state, joining Harvard (#1) and MIT (#2) on the list.

A man accused of downloading child pornography appeared for sentencing in DeKalb County Criminal Court Tuesday.

Judge Gary McKenzie presided.

51 year old Roy Junior Wilkey entered a plea to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and received a four year sentence to serve in the Tennessee Department of Correction. His name will be listed on the state’s sex offender registry. He was given jail credit from June 27, 2017 to June 19, 2018.

Smithville Police said that on June 22, 2017 they were called to check out a possible break in at a residence on Bright Hill Road. Upon arrival they found Wilkey outside the home. He was not trying to break in but had been locked out by female minors inside the residence that he had been babysitting. One of the girls alleged that Wilkey had taken a picture of her while she was either in or coming out of the shower. Officers asked Wilkey for consent to look at his cell phone. He voluntarily turned it over to them. While no pictures were found of the children he was babysitting they did find images of child pornography that he had downloaded from the Internet. He was subsequently charged in the case.

The indictment against Wilkey alleged that on June 22, 2017 he did unlawfully and intentionally or knowingly possess material to-wit: more than 50 images that depict minors engaged in sexual activity.

Meanwhile in a separate case. 53 year old Vincent Rodolpus Helser entered a plea by criminal information to a violation of the sexual offender registration and monitoring act. He received a two year suspended sentence. The term is to run consecutive to a violation of probation against him in General Sessions Court. Helser was given jail credit from March 12, 2018 to June 19, 2018.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on December 31, 2017 Helser violated the sex offender registration law by not self reporting to the sheriff’s office as required.