Two Charged in Separate Cases of Stealing Electricity from CFEC

December 25, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Two people have been arrested in separate cases for stealing electricity from Caney Fork Electric Cooperative.

33-year-old Molly Sue Lawrence of Page Drive, Smithville and 44-year-old Christopher Joe Bogle are each charged with theft of services. Bond for Lawrence is $20,000 and she will make a court appearance January 16. Bogle is under a $7,500 bond and he will be in court January 6.

In the case against Lawrence, Sheriff Patrick Ray said that Caney Fork Electric Cooperative terminated electric service at a residence on Page Drive December 5 but discovered eight days later on December 13 that someone had tampered with the meter box there resulting in the theft of $1,805 in electricity.

Meanwhile, in the case against Bogle, Sheriff Ray said that on February 22, 2019, Caney Fork Electric Cooperative terminated service at an address on Antioch Road but later discovered that someone had tampered with the meter box there on December 2, 2021, resulting in the theft of $5,773 in electricity.

31-year-old David Micah Williams of Auburntown is charged with criminal trespassing. His bond is $2,000 and he will make a court appearance January 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 15 a deputy was called to Sparta Highway due to an unwanted guest who was intoxicated. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the trespasser, Williams and instructed him to leave the premises at the owner’s request but he refused. Fuston was taken into custody.

47-year-old Michael Willie Richmond is charged with violation of the sex offender registry and possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. His bond is $25,000 and he will make a court appearance January 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 17 Richmond was found at an address on East Broad Street where he had been residing since December 11 but as a sex offender, he had not reported his move there to the sheriff’s department within the time requirements of the state’s sex offender rules. Richmond also had on him an estimated 1.5 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine wrapped in several pieces of paper and baggies.

39-year-old Jodie Wade Taylor, recently named in a sealed indictment by the grand jury, was picked up on December 18 charged with two counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell or deliver and four other counts of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) for sale or delivery.

33-year-old Dustin Matthew Brewer is charged with public intoxication. His court date is January 6. Sheriff Ray said that on December 18 a deputy was summoned to the 900 block of Keltonburg Road where a man was spotted walking in the road dressed in all black clothing. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the man, Brewer but due to his erratic behavior, the deputy determined that Brewer was under the influence. Brewer was unable to satisfactorily perform standardized field sobriety tasks and was placed under arrest.

39-year-old Christian Antonio Avina of Foster Road, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and he will make a court appearance January 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 18 a deputy spotted a blue Chevy truck traveling west on Highway 70 and noticed that it crossed the yellow line several times. He stopped the truck and spoke with the driver, Avina, who appeared to be under the influence. Avina submitted to field sobriety tasks and then was placed in custody. An inventory search of the truck turned up two glass pipes from under the seat.

45-year-old Stacey Carroll Thompson of Madison is charged with driving under the influence and her court date is January 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 18 a deputy pulled over a black Ford Escape for failing to maintain lane of travel. The officer spoke with the driver, Thompson who appeared to be drowsy and her speech was slow and slurred. She submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. She also submitted to implied consent (blood test) and was placed under arrest.

42-year-old Eric Steven Pollard of McMinnville is charged with evading arrest and possession of a prohibited weapon. His bond is $10,000 and he will make a court appearance on January 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 27 a deputy spotted Pollard in a 1993 red Chevrolet and tried to stop him knowing that Pollard had an active warrant against him for illegal possession of a weapon. Instead of pulling over, Pollard tried to evade arrest resulting in a pursuit, but he was subsequently arrested. The warrant against Pollard resulted from an incident two years ago on December 10, 2019, when a deputy had found Pollard in possession of a .22 caliber Iver-Johnson revolver. At that time Pollard admitted that the gun belonged to him and that he was a convicted felon. Pollard had been convicted of methamphetamine possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver on March 3, 2019 in White County.

37-year-old Jonathan Dewayne Barnes of Talley Road, Smithville is charged with a 7th offense of driving on a revoked or suspended license. His court date is January 13.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 20 a deputy went to a residence to serve a warrant on Barnes when he spotted him drive by. Knowing that Barnes’ license was revoked or suspended, the officer confronted Barnes and placed him under arrest.

30-year-old John Edward Strayn of Walker Creek Road, Alexandria is charged with violation of bond conditions. He is under a $1,000 bond and his court date is January 6.

Sheriff Ray said that on December 21 Strayn was arrested for violation of bond conditions. During the booking process Strayn placed a phone call, saying it was to his mother, but it was actually to his wife and the conversation was overheard by a sheriff’s department correctional officer. Strayn later admitted to the officer that he had been on the phone with his spouse. Under the bond conditions against him, Strayn is to have no contact with his wife.

December 25, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department D.A.R.E. program was presented with a $500 donation Friday from the Mountain Harbour Property Owners Association (POA).

The Mountain Harbour POA residential golf and lakefront community is located on the eastern end of Center Hill Lake adjacent to Riverwatch Golf Course.

Sheriff Patrick Ray accepted the donation and expressed his sincere appreciation to Mountain Harbour POA for their continued support of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. “This donation was specifically earmarked for the Sheriff’s Department D.A.R.E. program and will be used to buy needed supplies for the program. I appreciate the Mountain Harbour POA’s support for the D.A.R.E. program,” said Sheriff Ray.

Pictured are Brian Clark (left) and Pete Siggelko (right) of the Mountain Harbour Property Owners Association with Sheriff Ray.

December 24, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County’s share of local option sales tax collections for November 2021 outperformed the same month in 2020 by almost $23,000 according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue. For the county and the four cities therein, combined collections were up by more than $52,000.

DeKalb County brought in $139,926 in November 2021 compared to $117,000 for November 2020.

The four cities within DeKalb County also hauled in more local option sales tax revenue.

The comparisons between the two months for each municipality are as follows:
Smithville: $326,672 (November 2021), $301,995 (November 2020)
Alexandria: $27,858 (November 2021), $27,796 (November 2020)
Dowelltown: $2,886 (November 2021), $2,541 (November 2020)
Liberty: $12,727 (November 2021), $8,053 (November 2020)

NET COLLECTIONS (LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX): $510,071 (November 2021), $457,387 (November 2020)

November sales tax collections reflect previous month activity.

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