
News
December 22, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility has reportedly been made aware of a criminal indictment returned last week by the DeKalb County Grand Jury against Chris Stanford, the District Attorney General of the 31st Judicial District in a November shots fired incident in Smithville during the apprehension of suspects in a Warren County triple murder.
DeKalb County’s District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway of the 13th Judicial District confirmed for the Southern Standard Friday that he has informed the TBPR’s ethics panel of Stanford’s indictment. The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility is a division of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
After the sealed indictment was handed down last Monday, Stanford turned himself into authorities and posted a $10,000 bond. He will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on January 7. Stanford is facing charges of reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm into an occupied habitation.
The indictment alleges that “ On or about the 21st day of November, 2024 in DeKalb County, Stanford did unlawfully intentionally, and recklessly discharge a handgun while standing on Bell Street, a residential street in Smithville, causing a bullet to be projected from the muzzle of the handgun, strike and pass through a patio chair on the exterior wall of the habitation and travel into the habilitation striking and coming to rest in the interior living room wall. At the time the bullet was discharged into the habitation, the home was occupied by Teresa Estep and three minor children, placing those persons in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Evidence further indicates that when the bullet was discharged into the occupied habitation, there was no immediate threat to Christopher Stanford or others, that Stanford was not aiming the handgun, that he did not make use of the gun’s sights but just held it out and shot”.
Since the incident, Estep has come forward to say that she was glad Stanford has been charged alleging that he put her family in more danger noting that one of her children was standing only a couple of feet from where the bullet entered, and that the incident could have ended very badly.
In 1976, the Tennessee Supreme Court created the Board of Professional Responsibility to aid in supervising the ethical conduct of attorneys.
The board’s Disciplinary Counsel investigates complaints alleging unethical conduct. After investigation, the Disciplinary Counsel recommends dismissal of the complaint if there is insufficient proof of a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct. If the investigated complaint reflects a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct, the Disciplinary Counsel recommends diversion, private informal admonition, private reprimand, public censure, or the filing of formal disciplinary charges.
After the Board of Professional Responsibility authorizes the Disciplinary Counsel to file formal disciplinary charges (i.e. a petition for discipline) against an attorney, the matter is assigned to three district committee members who constitute a hearing panel. The Hearing Panel sets the disciplinary proceeding for a hearing which is open to the public unless a protective order has been entered.
The Board of Professional Responsibility must prove an attorney’s unethical conduct by a preponderance of the evidence. Hearing Panels may recommend dismissal, public censure, suspension or disbarment.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said the investigation of Stanford was conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at the request of District Attorney General Dunaway.
The shots fired incident occurred during the apprehension of 28-year-old Caleb Dias Brookins and Jessica Root, wanted by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department as suspects in the triple murder, and 21-year-old Hannah McKenzi Rose of Hickory Hollow Terrace in Antioch, Tennessee. Rose was charged locally by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department with aggravated assault on a first responder and evading arrest in a motor vehicle.
During the episode, Sheriff Ray said a Homeland Security agent from Warren County sustained a leg injury after being struck by a vehicle trying to make a getaway being driven by Rose with Brookins as her passenger. Before that, Rose rammed a DeKalb Sheriff’s Department truck operated by Chief Deputy Brian Williams with Detective Stephen Barrett as a passenger, but they were not injured. Although no one else was hurt, Sheriff Ray said Stanford, the Warren County District Attorney fired shots on Rose’s vehicle. Neither the vehicle nor the suspects were hit by the gunfire. However, according to the TBI the shots fired by Stanford struck a home occupied by a woman and her three children. They too were apparently not injured. Brookins fled on foot but was taken into custody a couple of hours later without incident by TBI. Brookins was found near Bell Street on Wade Street walking down the road. He was unarmed. According to Sheriff Ray, one of the suspects (Root) had lived here at one time and she has family here.
Smithville Elementary Students of the Month for December
December 22, 2024
By:
Smithville Elementary has recognized its Students of the Month for December. These students were selected for their outstanding character, academics, and other traits that make them an all-around excellent student. Selected as Students of the Month for December are:
PreK – Brynlee Lack, Oliver Kade Frazier
Kindergarten – Olivia Furnival, Haily Penuel
1st Grade – Kambree Rowland, Summer South
2nd Grade – Fallon Mathias, Brooklyn Luther
DeKalb November Local Option Sales Tax Collections Outperform October 2024 and November 2023
December 20, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County’s local option sales tax collections for November were better than October and stronger than November, 2023.
According to the Tennessee Department of Revenue, DeKalb County collected $182,150 in November, up from $179,384 in October, and better than $171,014 taken in during November 2023.
Local option sales tax collections in November were up in all four towns in DeKalb County compared to October and up from November 2023.
In Smithville, November collections were $399,755, better than $395,496 in October and stronger than $367,352 in November 2023.
Alexandria’s collections increased from $30,319 in October to $32,316 in November and were better than November 2023’s collections of $28,266.
Dowelltown brought in $3,318 in November compared to $3,054 in October and $3,014 in November 2023.
Liberty’s jumped from $12,889 in October to $24,356 in November and up from $12,499 in November 2023.
Net collections of local option sales taxes for the county and cities combined in November were $641,897 in November, up from $621,145 in October and up from $582,147 in November 2023.
November sales tax collections reflect previous month activity.
