Traffic Stops Turn Up Methamphetamine

March 13, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Two people found with methamphetamine during a traffic stop last week have been charged in the case.

28-year-old Raymond Marcelle Marks of Antioch, Tennessee and 24-year-old Savannah Elizabeth Derrick of Crestlawn Drive, Smithville will be in General Sessions Court on March 30. Marks is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver, felony possession of a firearm and driving on a revoked license. His bond is $22,500. Derrick is charged with possession of methamphetamine (2 counts) with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. Her bond is $40,000.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 9 a deputy spotted Marks driving on Nashville Highway with Derrick as his passenger. Knowing that Marks’ license was revoked, the deputy pulled him over and confirmed the offense through central dispatch. During a search of the vehicle a zippered bag was found in the floorboard between the driver and passenger seat which held 10.53 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine. The bag was within reach of both Marks and Derrick. Marks also had on him a Glock 26-9-millimeter handgun.

Derrick got out of the vehicle with Marks and retrieved a backpack personal carry bag from another automobile before trying to enter an apartment. She was then detained but refused to give consent for the officer to search her bag. After a search warrant was obtained, the deputy found inside the backpack, a green bag which held 1.088 ounces of a crystal-like substance thought to be methamphetamine and another bag of the same substance that weighed 1.37 grams.

In a separate case, 38-year-old Jason Duane Madewell of Ferrell Road, Smithville is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver and public intoxication. His bond is $11,500 and he will be in court March 23.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 7 a deputy was on patrol when he spotted a man who appeared to have been intoxicated. He stopped the man, Madewell, at Mapco Express in Smithville and found him to be unsteady on his feet. Madewell was sweating profusely, and he couldn’t focus during conversation with the officer. When the deputy asked if he would consent to a body search, Madewell admitted to having methamphetamine in his left front pocket and said that he had consumed some meth three hours earlier. The meth found on him had container weight of 16.1 grams.

43-year-old Toby Lynn Young of Short Mountain Highway, Smithville is charged with theft of property over $10,000. His bond is $30,000 and he will make a court appearance March 23.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 7 Young went to a residence on Midway Road and allegedly stole a 2002 Harley Davidson Softtail Motorcycle valued at $15,000 and a Troybilt riding lawnmower valued at $2,500.

24-year-old Steven Lemont Waller of Sparta Highway, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault (2 counts). His bond is $30,000 and he will be in court March 23.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 9 a deputy was summoned to Shady Drive due to a complaint of shots fired. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a man who reported that Waller fired a round from a rifle in his direction during an argument. The sheriff’s department was called back there the same day due to another complaint of shots fired. This time the officer spoke with a woman who said that Waller fired a round from a rifle in her direction during an argument.

March 13, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The DCHS Tiger baseball season opener at home against White County scheduled for today (Monday) at 5:30 p.m. has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m. in Smithville.

March 13, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

As investigators continue searching for clues in the disappearance of Brittany Miller, there may be a break in the 15-month-old case of another missing person.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said Monday a human skull was found Thursday near Center Hill Lake only 1.6 (aerial) miles from where Matthew Wayne 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. While he can’t yet confirm that the skull is the remains of Braswell, Sheriff Ray said there is a strong possibility, and his family has been notified of the discovery.

“He (Braswell) is the only missing person that we have a report on anywhere near this area,” said Sheriff Ray.

The skull has been sent to an anthropologist for identification. If it is Braswell, Sheriff Ray said speculation is that he may have died from injuries sustained in the crash or from hypothermia due to the cold weather on the day of his disappearance. After the crash, Investigators believe Braswell tried to flee on foot through the woods from Ponder Road back across Cookeville Highway enroute to a residence from where he started out that morning near the lake but that he may have gotten lost.

“While out for a walk, someone on the lake shore came upon what appeared to be a skull only about 50 yards from the water Thursday afternoon. It was reported at 2:57 p.m.. We (investigators) had the Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad and TWRA pick us up by boat at the ramp near Lakeview Mountain Estates and take us to the site which was better accessible by water. Detectives from my department and I went to the scene along with an investigator of the District Attorney’s Office and the County Medical Examiner. We found what we believed to be a human skull. That was the only (body part). There was no jaw but some teeth were in the skull. It appeared the skull had lodged into a fallen tree off the side of a very steep bluff. Investigators searched the ridge atop the bluff but could find no other bones or evidence. Another search of the area is also planned with Middle Tennessee State University Anthropologists, who have examined the skull and determined that it is human. We will send it off to see if any DNA can be extracted to determine if there is a match with Braswell or some other missing person from another county,” said Sheriff Ray.

Prior to the discovery of the skull, Sheriff Ray said plans were for his department to organize and conduct another intensive search for Braswell as had been done Saturday in the Brittany Miller case.

Braswell, age 29 at the time, was a passenger of a 2006 Chevy Tahoe, driven by 26-year-old Danny Phillips of McMinnville when they were spotted by a resident going through the mail of his mailbox on Ponder Road on December 17, 2021.

As the resident came out of his home to confront them, the truck sped away but then went out of control and struck several trees at the edge of the road. The two men then bailed out of the truck and fled into the woods. Phillips was quickly captured but Braswell got away and hasn’t been seen since. Even Braswell’s girlfriend claimed at the time she had not heard from him. Phillips was transported by DeKalb EMS to Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital and later taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center. The Tennessee Highway Patrol worked the injury accident.

Local and state authorities including a K-9 unit conducted a ground search for Braswell that day but to no avail. A THP helicopter flight crew and multiple ground searches were done Monday December 20, 2021 but there was no sign of Braswell other than his white and gray jacket (hoodie), which was found in the woods about a half mile from the crash site near the Burton-Ponder cemetery. Since the incident, Braswell’s family hasn’t heard from him. Braswell was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as a missing person.

On February 5, 2022, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, along with multiple agencies gathered back on Ponder Road to do another land and aerial search. According to Sheriff Ray “The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department along with other agencies searched on foot for Braswell along with 12 K-9 cadaver/tracking dogs and drones, but we still didn’t find anything.”

Braswell was last seen wearing blue jeans and possibly a white tank top shirt. He stands six feet tall and weighs 145 pounds. His hair and eyes are brown in color, and he has facial tattoos with a money sign “$” over his right eye and the name “Kim” over his left eye. Braswell had a mustache/goatee. Braswell was reported not to have a primary address.

“Braswell did have active warrants against him at the time (of his disappearance) and he was aware of those warrants with an attitude to avoid law enforcement although he had never been aggressive toward officers,” said Sheriff Ray.

The District Attorney’s Office along with the Tennessee Highway Patrol has assisted the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department in the investigation.

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