Operation Christmas Child at Allen’s Chapel

November 13, 2023
By: Bill Conger

Allen’s Chapel and Buckner’s Chapel Churches join with other churches and groups across the nation collecting shoe boxes packed with toys and other items for needy children. November 13 through the 20th is National Collections Week for Operation Christmas Child, an outreach of Samaritan’s Purse.

Operations Christmas Child Drop Off Leader Beth Gill of Allen’s Chapel Church says the church at 1037 Coconut Ridge Road in Smithville will be open each day at specific times to accept people’s donation. *(See schedule below.) Churches and groups of all sizes collect boxes from their community each year to provide for children around the world.

If you’re interested in giving, here’s what Samaritan’s Purse recommends. Donors should include one “wow” item like a soccer ball and pump, stuffed animal, musical instrument, large truck or doll, personal care items, crafts and activities, smaller toys, school supplies, clothing and accessories. More details on what to pack and what NOT to include can be found by following this link: https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/what-goes-in-my-shoebox-suggestions/#gift-search-section.

Boxes are packed by gender and the age groupings of 2-4, 5-9, and 10-14. If you want, you can include a personal note and picture of your family to the child.

To make sure your shoebox gift gets to a child of the right gender and age, Samaritan’s Purse offers some different label options. Labels also offer a way for you to give the necessary $10 donation per shoebox to provide for collection, processing, shipping, and other project costs. If you donate online, the labels allow you to “Follow Your Box” and find out the country where your box will be delivered with the message of Christ’s love. You can simply check back on this page later to learn the destination of your box. Additional details for preparing the box for shipping are online: https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/label-options/#activate-labels.

**Drop-off Days and Hours at Allen’s Chapel, 1037 Coconut Ridge Road

Monday, Nov. 13 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 14 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 15 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 16 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 17 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 18 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 19 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 20 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

November 12, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Now Open!

A grand opening and ribbon cutting were held Saturday to commemorate the opening of the new Liberty Fire Hall.  County Mayor Matt Adcock along with Liberty Mayor Audrey Martin and Dowelltown Mayor Pam Redmon cut the ribbon accompanied by State Representative Michael Hale, several county commissioners, other Liberty and Dowelltown city leaders, county officials, DeKalb EMS staff, members of the DeKalb County Fire Department including the Liberty Station and other emergency services. Woodmen of the World donated a flag and flagpole to the new station, and Woodman representative Tim Bumbalough led a ceremony in raising this flag for the first time.

Described by County Fire Chief Donny Green as a district station, the fire hall sits on an 8.65 acre site in the city limits of Liberty owned jointly by the towns of Liberty and Dowelltown and once used as a recreation park off Highway 70 on West Main Street. Leaders of both towns earlier this year entered into a 99-year lease agreement with the county to use this property for the fire hall which is 55’ x 60’ in size and has bays to house a fire truck, 2,500-gallon tanker truck, a 4-wheel drive brush truck, and an ambulance. A helipad will also allow for the landing of medical helicopters when needed.

The county allocated $382,912 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the construction and Tim Pedigo of Pedigo Construction was awarded the bid to build it. The new fire hall is expected to improve firefighting and EMS services in the western portion of the county. Under the plan the current Liberty Fire Hall located in downtown Liberty is being replaced by this new fire station.

“I want to say thank you to County Mayor Matt Adcock and the County Commission for the work in making this come to pass and also to County Fire Chief Donny Green for the vision of seeing something greater for the western end of the county,” said State Representative Hale. “This is huge, not just for Liberty and Dowelltown, but for the entire western part of the county. I look forward to seeing the services that will be expanded out of this,” he said.

“Right now, we are working with the US Army Corps of Engineers trying to get another public safety building near Center Hill Dam. That is something we are continuing to work on. Meanwhile a new $10 million grant process was started on November 1 in the General Assembly that will be huge for equipment across the state. DeKalb County received some equipment money from it last spring. These are things that make DeKalb County a better place to live, work, and raise a family and that’s what we want. We want the very best for our people and we are thankful to have this facility,” said State Representative Hale.

“We officially began operating out of this station on November 1. The engine has been here, and we have been responding to calls out of this station for a little over a week now. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has been involved in this project from start to finish,” said Chief Green.

According to Chief Green, the total project was 94% grant funded with only 6% in local funds required by the county.

“The project and all the equipment located at this station has a value of about $976,000 and that does not include the land which was not purchased but leased by the county. Of that $976,000, $63,050 was the only amount that was used from local taxpayer funds. The rest of that, $912, 950 was funded by grants so this project cost DeKalb County about 6% to put down here while 94% of it was funded by state or federal grants. I would say that we made a good investment not just for today but for many years to come,” said Chief Green.

“I don’t want the community to look at this as just the Liberty Fire Station or the Dowelltown Fire Station or even a fire station. I want this to be your public safety building. If people are here and we have the doors open, we want the community to stop in and visit. We want you to know who we are and what we do. That’s important to have those relationships. EMS will also be here as a satellite station. We have also opened the doors to the sheriff’s department if deputies are out and about and need to stop in because we want this to be a public safety building for use by everyone,” Chief Green continued.

“Outside of your faith in God there is probably nothing more important than your investment in public safety. I’m not just talking about the fire department, EMS, Sheriff’s Department, or Rescue Squad by itself but the whole concept of public safety. If you don’t have a safe community, nothing else is going to thrive. You’re economy or anything else. I want to thank the community for supporting leaders that value public safety. I really believe this project is a step in that direction. We still have a vision moving forward to do greater things in serving our communities in providing better public safety”.

“This is our first model station that we want to have in every district. We have three fire districts in DeKalb County. This is the western part. We also have the more middle part and then the southeast part. Our vision eventually, not next week or next year, but maybe one day is to have one of these stations like this that we can refer to as a district station in every district of the county. We currently have 12 stations and are looking to build the 13th station at Wolf Creek, but we would like to have one of these district support stations with a tanker, brush truck, fire engine, and maybe even an EMS station if it can be justified in each of those three fire districts. DeKalb County’s population is growing and with growth comes more needs and services that have to be provided,” said Chief Green.

November 12, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

A Dowelltown man accused of committing three burglaries including one at Smithville Elementary School in February was sentenced on the charges last Tuesday, November 7 in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

41-year-old Bradley Shane Redmon entered a plea to three counts of burglary and received a three-year sentence in each case. Two of the sentences are to be served concurrently but consecutively with the third term for a total of six years. The sentence has also been suspended to supervised probation. Redmon was given jail credit of 152 days.

Chief Mark Collins said Smithville Police took a report on March 12, 2023 in reference to someone having broken into the car wash maintenance room at 406 E. Broad Street and damaging the wash control panel and coin changer. A large sum of money was taken along with the hard drive to the security system.

Police then learned on March 21 that someone had broken into Smithville Elementary School at approximately 2:30 am and burglarized a vending machine and drink machine, taking a large sum of money. Damage to the vending and drink machines rendered them unusable.

In yet another case, Redmon was alleged to have stolen a toolbox from a truck on February 9, 2023.

During the investigation, Chief Collins said Redmon was identified as the person responsible for the crimes and he was taken into custody without incident.

A Pennsylvania man, formerly of Smith County, who placed a false call reporting a stabbing and shots fired at an Alexandria residence Thursday, September 14 was also sentenced last Tuesday.

18-year-old Kaleb Rose of Indiana County, Pennsylvania entered a plea by criminal information to filing a false report and received a three-year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. He is seeking judicial diversion. Rose was given 42 days jail credit.

Alexandria Police Chief Travis Bryant explained what happened in this incident.

“On Thursday September 14 at approx. 2:05 p.m. officers from the Alexandria Police Department and the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a residence on Shady Lane in reference to a female being stabbed by another female suspect. The caller also stated that the female had a handgun and rifle and had been firing shots inside the residence. The caller also said that the suspect would fire on responding law enforcement officers. Upon arrival, officers were able to make contact with the individuals at the residence. There were no indications of a shooting or assault that had occurred. The individuals on scene stated that nothing had happened and cooperated with officers in determining the facts of the case,” said Chief Bryant.

“Soon after law enforcement’s arrival it was determined to be a false call. Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered that a male subject, later identified as Kaleb Rose of Indiana County, PA, had made the call and knew the information to be false. His intention was to utilize law enforcement in a manner to scare and intimidate the individuals at that residence through police action. Kaleb Rose is a former resident of Smith County and knew the individuals at that residence. At no point were residents in the area in any danger and it appeared to be an isolated incident,” said Chief Bryant.

Meanwhile, 42-year-old Melissa Anne Farley entered a plea to sale of a schedule II drug (methamphetamine) over 0.5 grams and received an eight-year sentence all suspended to TDOC probation. She was given credit for 95 days of jail time served and she must make restitution of $100 to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. Farley was also fined $2,000.

37-year-old Billy Qualls entered a plea to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on supervised probation except for 48 hours to serve. He will lose his driver license for one year and he must pay a fine of $350. Qualls must also complete an alcohol safety education program, attend the MADD Victim Impact Panel and complete an alcohol and drug assessment and follow and complete all recommended treatment.

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