Missing Person Case Finally Solved

May 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Missing person case finally solved!

A seventeen-month-old mystery as to the whereabouts of Matthew Braswell is a mystery no more.

According to Sheriff Patrick Ray a skull found on the shoreline of Center Hill Lake two months ago has now been positively identified as Braswell’s remains.

“The skull was sent to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Nashville, along with other bones, after they were found. The Medical Examiner’s Office sent the skull to another lab for DNA testing. One of my Detectives retrieved DNA from Braswell’s mother to compare to the DNA in the teeth of the skull. The lab confirmed the skull was that of Matthew Braswell,” said Sheriff Ray in a prepared statement released Tuesday afternoon.

The first clue in the disappearance of Braswell turned up on Thursday, March 9 when a human skull was found only 1.6 (aerial) miles from where Braswell was last seen on December 17, 2021 after he fled on foot from the scene of a crash on Ponder Road off Cookeville Highway. He was age 29 at the time.

More evidence including a shoe, sock, and a bone surfaced during a follow-up visual search in the same area on Wednesday, March 15. Sheriff Ray said at the time that the sock and shoe were consistent with the clothing Braswell was wearing when last seen.

A little more than a month later on April 17 additional remains, keys, and clothing were located during an expanded search effort in the same area.

“During that discovery on April 17 we found a scapula (shoulder blade) and a mandible (jawbone). We also found a portion of a pair of blue jean denim shorts fitting the description that Braswell was wearing and a key lanyard with keys on it. An area of about 10 acres was searched and the terrain was very rough making the effort very difficult”.

According to Sheriff Ray, the cause of Braswell’s death has not been determined.

May 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

May is National Treatment Court Month and the perfect opportunity to celebrate graduates from the local treatment court, DeKalb County Recovery Court (DCRC). DCRC represents a compassionate approach with much accountability. This program is an intense one-year-plus treatment program that ensures each person in the program receives an individualized, evidence-based treatment plan. The DCRC team identifies and meets individual needs beyond clinical treatment such as education, employment, housing, family reunification, and health care.

The DeKalb County Recovery Court is commemorating the month by recognizing graduates of the program.

Today’s feature is on Kyle Denton, who graduated today (Tuesday, May 9) from the DeKalb County Recovery Court. He was honored during a ceremony in the General Sessions Courtroom by Judge Brandon Cox, Recovery Court Coordinator Kate Arnold, and members of the DeKalb County Recovery Court Team.

According to his case manager, Rhonda Tiefenauer, Denton began his journey with the Recovery Court 13 months ago. Not only has he completed the program earlier than most, but he is also celebrating 15 months of sobriety.

“I have been with Kyle for 13 months now. He joined our program on March 7, 2022, so he has only been 13 months in the program, and it can go anywhere from 12 to 18 months, so Kyle just went one month over the year mark, which is amazing, said Tiefenauer.

“I remember when I started this journey,” said Denton. “I got involved with drugs at a really young age. I was lost and broken but through a network of people I found my way between Recovery Court, Independence Again (transitional housing), and my employer (Appalachian Performance Engineering) and sponsor. Every single one of them gave me a chance to get my life back and be where I am at today and for that I am grateful,” added Denton after receiving his graduation certificate.

“I have been clean for 15 months today. This program has shown me that I am capable and worthy of having a life worth living,” said Denton. “I have three kids and one on the way. I am ready to build a life around them and give them the life they deserve. I currently live in transitional housing and work at Appalachian Performance Engineering. I plan to stay there and continue my career and within the next five years purchase my own house in Putnam County,” Denton said.

According to Tiefenauer, Denton has a passion for helping others, especially the homeless and that has been part of his focus during recovery.

“Something that Kyle loves is community service work. He has worked with feeding the homeless population in Putnam County, a program that Justin Veals and Independence Again started and for the last 12 months he has been doing that,” said Tiefenauer. “He has gone to Capitol Hill in Nashville to advocate for the homeless population and has started delivering Narcan to the homeless camps there in Putnam County to save lives,” she continued. “All while doing this he has done his 12-step program with a sponsor, and he is a past MVP with the Recovery Court. Kyle is also working full time at Appalachian Performance Engineering (APE) where they take boxes of pipe and weld them together according to the customer’s needs to build things like ATVs for handicapped people so they can continue to have a happy life. Much like what Kyle has been doing at his job, he has been doing with his life. He has taken the pieces of his life and he has methodically put those pieces back together with the help of his family, friends, co-workers, the Recovery Court, Independence Again, and many more to make a fun, cool, and valuable life and he has his sobriety too,” said Tiefenauer.

“Kyle is a man of few words, but words only carry you so far. Its your actions that speak for you and since he has been in this program Kyle’s actions have been exceptional,” said Judge Cox. “Kyle is the reason this program exists. I can tell that Kyle is a man who is ready and dedicated to future success. I am extremely proud of Kyle and hope he continues on this journey of recovery,” added Judge Cox.

“This story is just one powerful reminder of when one person rises out of addiction and finds recovery, we all rise. And it is just one of many stories that demonstrate why treatment courts like the DCRC are so critical in the effort to address addiction and related crime,” said Recovery Court Coordinator Arnold.

The DeKalb County Recovery Court Team includes Judge Brandon Cox, Kate Arnold (Coordinator), Rhonda Tiefenauer (case manager), Darnell Gurley (case manager), Lary Latzman (Certified Peer Support Specialist/Volunteer Behavior Health), Jackie Vickers (treatment provider, Buffalo Valley), Abigail Wood (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department), James Cornelius (Smithville Police Department), Clara Knowles (probation), John & Kay Quintero (mental health provider, Haven of Hope), Greg Strong (District Attorney Office), and Allison West (Public Defender Office).

May 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

An intoxicated Springfield woman driving a stolen car with drugs and paraphernalia led DeKalb County deputies on a pursuit east on Highway 70 Saturday before ramming two White County patrol cars and being forced to stop.

35-year-old Kaleigha Beth Arnold is charged with promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of burglary tools, simple possession of a schedule IV drug, driving on a suspended license, driving under the influence, evading arrest in a vehicle, reckless endangerment, violation of the implied consent law, and simple possession of a schedule I (heroin). Her bond totals $58,000 and she will make a court appearance on May 25.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Saturday May 6 a deputy was traveling east on Highway 70 when he spotted a silver Honda Pilot fail to maintain its lane of travel. He had the license tag checked through central dispatch and learned that the car had been stolen in Smithville. The officer got behind the vehicle and turned on his emergency lights and sirens but the driver, Arnold failed to stop. He then started a pursuit of the car east on Highway 70 and along the way Arnold passed and almost hit several other vehicles. As the pursuit left DeKalb County, White County deputies assisted in trying to get the fleeing car to stop by putting down spike strips near Old Kentucky Road but even with a successful deployment of the spike strips the car continued east and rammed two White County patrol cars causing damage to both vehicles. Officers of both the DeKalb County and White County Sheriff’s Departments eventually stopped the car and removed Arnold from the vehicle.

According to Sheriff Ray, Arnold admitted to having stolen the car, having taking heroin two hours prior to driving, and having been in possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. A search of the vehicle turned up a black zip up bag containing a glass mason jar with used and moist brown paper towels, clear tubing, a glass beaker wrapped in black electrical tape with residue. Coffee filters were also found in the interior zip up pocket of the bag as well as red phosphorous and several matchbooks all normally used in the production of methamphetamine.

Sheriff Ray said officers also found in the car two syringes, a glass pipe with residue, scales and other items used for narcotics as well as a gray zip up container with several tools and a lock pick kit used to gain access to the vehicle. On the driver side, Sheriff Ray said officers found a red, black and green rubber container that held an orange-colored substance believed to be heroin. In the center console was a red Swisher Sweet package containing 34 yellow pills thought to be Gabapentin.

Arnold has two prior convictions for simple possession and a driving on a suspended license offense in Robertson County in December 2022 for failure to satisfy fines. Because she appeared to be intoxicated or high at the time of her arrest, Arnold was charged with driving under the influence, and she refused to submit to a blood test resulting in a charge of violation of implied consent.

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