Dustin Estes Named Next DeKalb Administrator of Elections

August 14, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

After 14 years, the DeKalb County Election Commission has selected a new Administrator of Elections.

During a meeting Monday evening, a majority vote of the five-member commission chose Dustin Estes of Smithville to succeed Administrator Dennis Stanley, who recently announced his resignation effective at the end of the month. Stanley has served in the job since 2009.

Estes will officially take over on Tuesday, September 5.

“I am very excited. It’s an opportunity that I have been looking forward to for quite a while. I just appreciate everyone’s vote and I am looking forward to getting started. It’s a really big deal for me and my family,” said Estes after the meeting.

Estes said his first goal is to get familiar with the duties of the office.

“First, I’d like to learn the job as well as the ins and outs. That’s day one. I do have some long-term visions that I am thinking about, and I want to work with other local election administrators to get their input on what’s working for them so we can better implement those in DeKalb County,” he continued.

A lifelong resident of DeKalb County, the 33-year-old Estes is married to the former Courtney Rice and the couple has a daughter, Wyatt Estes, who is almost 15 months old, and another baby is due in February.

Estes is a graduate of DeKalb County High School, and he furthered his education at MTSU where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He currently works at Shiroki North America where he serves as Human Resources (HR Generalist).

“They (Shiroki) have been excellent for me. I have been there for almost seven years and in Human Resources for the last couple of years,” said Estes.

Two other candidates were in the running for the election administrator position including Tina Gee, who has worked as Stanley’s deputy administrator in the office for several years, and Roger Sharp, Jr., a computer tech for the election commission and a former computer tech for the DeKalb County School District.

After Stanley announced his resignation, the election commission advertised seeking resumes from persons interested in the position and Estes, Gee, and Sharp were the only respondents.

During the meeting Monday night, all three names were placed in nomination and seconded for administrator and a roll call vote of the five commissioners determined the outcome.

Commissioners Loree Hall, Ron Sifford, and Chairman Brandon Gay voted for Estes while Commissioners Kim Luton and Yvette Carver passed. Carver initially voted for Gee but then changed her vote to pass after the result was determined.

August 14, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

A Smithville man found in possession of a stolen truck has been charged with theft of property and vandalism.

32-year-old Justin Clay Penuel of O’Conner Street is under a $10,000 bond and he will be in court August 31,

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on June 19 Smithville Police responded to 850 O’Conner Street due to a report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival the officers spotted a 1993 Chevy reported stolen in DeKalb County. Penuel was found in possession of the title and vehicle. Sheriff Ray said the truck had been altered with spray paint to make it unrecognizable from the description given of the stolen vehicle.

Meanwhile a McMinnville man found with methamphetamine at a former county landfill location on Moore Taylor Road off Sparta Highway has been arrested for possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver.

38-year-old Brandon Keith Thomas is under a $20,000 bond and he will make a court appearance August 24.

Sheriff Ray said that on August 11 Thomas was found in possession of 4.05 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine contained in two separate baggies. Thomas entered an unapproved area owned by the DeKalb County government at the end of Moore Taylor Road. He quickly exited the vehicle and ran behind a building there. One of the detectives on the scene found baggies of methamphetamine a few feet away from Thomas’ vehicle and along the same path on which Thomas ran behind the building.

23-year-old Shaun David Lee West is under a $1,500 bond for public intoxication, and he will be in court August 31. Sheriff Ray said that on August 14 while investigating a harassment complaint, a deputy spoke with West at Village Market on Congress Boulevard and found him to be agitated and acting in a threatening manner. He allegedly admitted to having made threats about killing someone and would continue making those threats. West also allegedly admitted to having consumed alcohol and that he was drunk. West had an odor of an intoxicant on him. He was placed under arrest.

32-year-old Eddie Lee Smith of Old Mill Hill Road, Dowelltown is charged with aggravated assault. He is under a $3,500 bond and his court date is August 31.

Sheriff Ray said that on August 6 a deputy was summoned to a residence on Toad Road due to a physical domestic complaint. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a woman who had phoned in the complaint. She stated that her boyfriend, Smith tried to strangle her and during the assault it became difficult for her to breathe. He then allegedly pushed her into the kitchen sink.

50-year-old Dwayne Edward Reeder, Jr. of Old Highway 53, Alexandria is charged with driving under the influence. His court date is August 24.

Sheriff Ray said that on August 7 a deputy responded to the area of Nashville Highway and Dry Creek Road to do a welfare check on a male spotted slumped over in a vehicle by the side of the road. Upon arrival the officer found the man, Reeder slumped over in the driver’s seat. After waking the man, Reeder, the deputy asked him to shut the engine off and step out of the vehicle. Reeder complied but he was unsteady on his feet and his pupils were constricted. He admitted to having taken suboxone earlier in the day and to having smoked methamphetamine the day before on August 6. Reeder refused to submit to field sobriety tasks.

August 13, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The number of DeKalb SRO’s will remain at five for now!

During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Board of Education adopted a state required Memorandum of Understanding regarding the state grant funded School Resource Officer Program.

Under state law, the MOU serves as the template for the SRO program authorized by Public Chapter 418 of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly and must be executed between a local law enforcement entity (Sheriff’s Department) and the LEA (DeKalb School District) and presented to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security as part of the application process for grant funding. That agreement has been finalized and approved.

The purpose of this MOU is to set forth the obligations of the Parties with respect to the placement of School Resource Officers (“SROs”) in schools and with respect to planning and funding related thereto for the purpose of providing a law enforcement presence at each school.

“The MOU we have with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department is part of the new law the Governor has put in place for support of school resource officers in our county providing one in each school. It has been signed by me, the sheriff, and the county mayor. It is in place and our SROs are already actively working,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.

As in the past all DeKalb County Schools continue to have one school resource officer, but no more SROs are planned at this time.

Different from the past is that all five SROs are now funded by the state rather than the county and school district.

Sheriff Patrick Ray has said he would like to see another SRO added at the high school but whether that should ever be funded either by the school district or a partnership between the county and school board has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, Director Cripps publicly thanked local law enforcement agencies for their participation in the “Intruder Drill” walkthrough of the schools last week.

“I do want to thank the sheriff and chief of police and their officers and deputies. We have been doing Intruder Drills this week and we have one more to do. I want to thank them for going through our schools during their drill to help keep our kids safe,” he said.

Director Cripps also repeated a warning he first issued in April that any threat made toward a school, even if it is a prank or joke, will not be tolerated and students will face full consequences.

“I want to reiterate to our parents to talk to their kids about things they say. They may be saying things jokingly, but it is imperative that they talk with them about what they say. There’s a new law out and it says anybody that threatens mass casualties is committing a zero-tolerance offense. That’s a year
expulsion. We are taking this seriously. You can’t take any threat lightly, so we ask all parents to talk with their kids about that. I know how kids are. They will say things and think nothing of it but their neighbor next to them may take it seriously. We have to take all threats seriously, so parents please help us with that situation by talking to your kids,” said Director Cripps.

In other business, the board approved a pay rate adjustment for drivers of school buses on field trips and sports events.

“Its been a struggle getting bus drivers to run daily routes but now is the time of the year when we are doing ball trips and field trips and its getting harder to find people to do that too. This starts my ninth year as director and during that time and even before that the pay rate has not been adjusted so I ask that you consider those increases as we discussed in the workshop so that we don’t have sports teams waiting on a bus and no bus shows,” said Director Cripps.

In his monthly personnel report, Director Cripps reported that the following have been hired since July:

Bethany Poss-teacher at Smithville Elementary School

Reagan Owens-teacher at Smithville Elementary School

Victoria Stanley-teacher at Smithville Elementary School

Mary Cantrell-teacher at Smithville Elementary School

Ashley Dugaw-teacher at Smithville Elementary School

Alivia Jared-teacher at DCHS

Lesa Davis-teacher at Smithville Elementary School

April Moore-teacher at Smithville Elementary School

Cole- Dziekiewicz-teacher at DeKalb Middle School

Colter Norris-teacher at DeKalb Middle School

Caitlin Fox, Speech- Countywide

Leave of Absence as requested: Misty Agee and Sarah Storey

Resignation/Retirement: Loree Hall, teacher at Northside Elementary School.

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