Smith charged with forgery and theft

February 16, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

A Smithville woman who allegedly stole a checkbook and passed three forged checks in October will make a court appearance on May 6.

32 year old Maranda Rose Smith of Andrew Street, Smithville is charged with three counts of forgery and three counts of theft under $1,000. She was further cited for simple possession of methamphetamine. Her bond is $12,000.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on October 29 Smith stole a checkbook and forged the name of her victim on the check for $180 and then deposited the money into her account. Smith passed to other forged checks involving the same victim on October 31 for $450 and for $300. During a search at the jail, Smith was found to have hidden in the right side of her bra a small baggie containing 0.6 grams of a crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine.

A Smithville man who allegedly cut open the trunk lid of a car to obtain a jack which he used to lift another vehicle to steal a catalytic converter has been charged with vandalism over $1,000 and theft.

47 year old Jeffery Lynn Sanders of Highland Drive, Smithville is under a $25,000 bond and he will make a court appearance May 13.

Sheriff Ray said that on February 14 Sanders damaged a car by cutting the trunk lid open with a saw to obtain a jack which he used to jack up another vehicle to steal a catalytic converter. Sanders actually cut through one of the converters completely but only partially cut through another. After Sanders was confronted by the owner he took off running with a back pack and one of the converters. He was found later lying down in a tree line and the converter and backpack were recovered.

51 year old Billy Eugene Cook of Floyd Drive, Smithville is charged with criminal trespassing and theft of property. His court date is May 6. Sheriff Ray said that on January 5 Cook came onto the property of his victim on Lakeview Drive and took a Lodge cast iron skillet from the porch valued at $65.

47 year old Freddy Sylvester Stringer of Church Street, Liberty is charged with violation of the sex offender registry. He is under a $10,000 bond and his court date is May 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on February 5 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Church Street in Liberty due to a complaint of an unwanted guest. Upon arrival he spoke with Stringer, a convicted sex offender, and learned that Stringer was furloughed from the White County Jail three days earlier and had failed to comply under the state’s sex offender registry law to report his new address within 48 hours upon arrival.

29 year old Steven Ray Foster of Short Mountain Highway, Smithville is charged with bringing contraband into a penal institution. His bond is $3,500 and he will make a court appearance on April 15. Sheriff Ray said that on February 10 Foster was asked by correctional officers before entering the jail if he had anything on him that would be considered contraband and he replied no. He was later spotted on jail surveillance video removing something from his body cavity. Correctional officers searched Foster and found on him a white powdered substance believed to be methamphetamine that weighed 0.2 grams.

21 year old Gregory Michael Patton, Jr. of Lancaster is charged with driving under the influence. He was further cited for violation of the open container law and no insurance. His court date is May 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on February 11 a deputy was called to a wreck on Robinson Road where he found a GEO Prizm in the yard of a residence and the driver, Patton, passed out behind the steering wheel. After being awakened by the deputy, Patton admitted to having been drinking earlier. Patton smelled of alcohol and a bottle of Smirnoff Ice was found in the floorboard on the passenger side. Patton submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.

A man who got gas at the Liberty Stop N Buy without paying for it on February 8 was caught two days later when a sheriff’s department detective spotted his car at DeKalb Market where he and a passenger had accidentally locked themselves out of the vehicle.

22 year old Joseph Daniel Morgan of Woodbury is cited for property theft due to the gas drive off. His passenger, 31 year old Misty Dawn Gingerich of Holmes Creek Road was cited for theft after she removed an antenna from another vehicle at DeKalb Market to unlock Morgan’s car. Their court date is May 6. When confronted by the detective Morgan admitted to getting $25.24 worth of gas without paying for it while Gingerich confessed to taking the antenna.

37 year old Jennifer Elizabeth Chapman of West Main Street, Smithville is cited for fraudulent use of a credit card. Her court date is April 22.

Sheriff Ray said that through the month of December, 2020 to January, 2021 Chapman used the credit card of another without their consent for products or services through Infinity mobile and Amazon Prime totaling $375.38

February 15, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The ice storm has created widespread power outages in DeKalb County.

Caney Fork Electric Cooperative Monday afternoon reported power outages on Cookeville Highway, Nashville Highway, Dowelltown, Liberty, and Short Mountain Road due to a tree down on two circuits outside of the substation. The tree had to be cut away causing the need for extensive repairs.

If you are without power and have urgent needs that require electricity please try to use other alternatives until your electricity is restored.

CFEC work crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.

February 15, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

After more than 35 years as an insurance agent for State Farm Jackie Smith has decided to call it a career.

In an interview with WJLE Friday, Smith said she will be stepping down on February 28 to begin her retirement.

“I just felt like it was a good time to get out and do some other things while my health and my husband’s health are still pretty good,” said Smith.

Both Jackie and her husband Wade Smith were born and raised in DeKalb County and they have two grown sons, Chris and Brandon. Wade’s 106 year old mother, Carrie Helen Smith is a resident of NHC Smithville and is believed to be the oldest living person in DeKalb County.

Before her career in the insurance business, Jackie spent 14 years as an educator in the DeKalb County School System.

“I taught seventh grade English at DeKalb Middle School for 14 years and I had gotten really burned out. I just didn’t feel like I was being effective with the kids so a friend of mine, Carolyn Morrison from Cookeville, who was studying to become an insurance agent at that time, got me thinking. We were talking and I said if I could do anything else I would so she got me started in the insurance training program and from there I got licensed and was hired. Fortunately I was able to work here in my own hometown. Its unusual that State Farm puts a person in their home town but they were on track to hire minorities and women so that was one of my stipulations. I said if you want me I’ve got to be at home,” said Smith.

Although the change in careers brought on different challenges, it gave Smith an opportunity to still be visible and active in the community.

“It was a lot like teaching because I was still working with people. The difference was instead of the children, I was working with their parents and other adults,” she said.

Over the years the insurance business has experienced changes like any other, but Smith said State Farm’s core mission has remained the same.

“State Farm’s main line of insurance has been auto and homeowners. That’s what the company started out with and that is still their bread and butter but over the years they expanded to securities products and banking although they are not so much in the banking now. Still we have seen a big change in what we are able to write now,” Smith continued.

Because of her desire for community service, Smith has often been called upon over the years to help for one cause or another. For example, she has been part of the community chorus and serves as a member of the DeKalb County Election Commission.

“With my office on the public square I have been conveniently available for anybody who needed someone and I got a lot of calls from different government and local organizations so whenever I could I would participate,” she said.

Smith said while she will miss working with her customers, she is looking forward to retirement.

“As with when I left teaching, what I missed was the people that I worked with. I’ll miss that and I will miss seeing the people who have insurance at our agency. Of course I will see them out in town but it will be in a different role. My husband Wade and I like to fish. We also like to travel but traveling for us is mostly just getting out on the road and driving. Usually when see a road we haven’t been down before we like to take it to see where it goes so maybe we can do a little more traveling this year.”

Although she doesn’t foresee herself ever coming out of retirement to venture into another career, Smith said she might pursue furthering her education.

“I don’t know if I will even do this but after I earned my Master’s degree during my teaching career, I wanted to get a PhD and lately that thought has been coming back into my head to work on a PhD so I might do that,” she said.

The new State Farm agent here will be someone Smith knows quite well, Mallory Sullivan Pfingstler.

“I actually had her mom, Tonya (Foutch) Sullivan as a student when I taught. Mallory will start March 1 and I am sure she will be great,” said Smith.

Mallory’s office will be located at 126 West Main Street in Smithville

Smith said she will forever be grateful to her staff including Loni Easterwood, LaShay Stout, and to former employee Jaya Harwell. “Loni will stay with Mallory but my niece LaShay will be going to an agency in Hermitage and I can’t talk about our office without mentioning Jaya who was with me two different times, five years each. She left last March but she was like my right hand”.

Smith said the community has always been kind and supportive of her and she appreciates it.

“I have been blessed and fortunate to have been able to work here in Smithville. I can’t think of any better place that I would want to live. We have lived through turbulent times especially back in the 1960’s with school integration and all that and we are having some turbulent times now but all in all I could not have asked to have been treated better any other place than I have here,” she said.

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