News
April 2, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
Hello Kitty!
Why not give a loving home to a loving cat!
“Tigger” is now available for adoption at the DeKalb Animal Shelter.
Tigger is a domestic short haired female cat. She is between 4 and 5 years old. Tigger has been fixed and is up to date on all her vaccines. Her adoption fee is $120.
If you are interested in meeting Tigger, fill out an application on the animal shelter website or come in. Visit https://www.dekalbanimalsheltertn.com/ or call 615-597-3647.
The shelter is open Mondays-Fridays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Transfer Station Road off Highway 70 east behind Tenneco.
Three Defendants Including Smithville Businessman Plead Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Scheme to Defraud Automobile Auction
April 2, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
A Smithville businessman is among three people facing sentencing in September after entering a plea in federal court to charges against them in what the Department of Justice has called a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud a used car auction in Murfreesboro.
50-year-old Jerry W. Hutchins of Dowelltown along with 53-year-old Brian Baker of Mount Juliet and 54-year-old Stephanie Louise Baker of Mount Juliet will be sentenced in federal court on September 11.
In a prepared news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Tennessee reports that “On Monday, March 31, 2025, defendant Brian Baker, 53, of Mount Juliet, Tenn., pled guilty to all charges against him for a wire fraud and money laundering scheme to defraud an automobile auction business in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The other co-defendants, Stephanie Louise Baker, 54, of Mount Juliet, Tenn. and Jerry W. Hutchins, 50, of Dowelltown, Tenn., each pled guilty last week to all charges against them stemming from their involvement in the same wire fraud and money laundering scheme”.
“I commend the effort of the prosecutors from our office who are holding these thieves accountable for their crimes,” said Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“We will continue to tirelessly seek justice for those affected by economic crimes here in our community.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to unraveling intricate financial transactions and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the original source of their money,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. “IRS Criminal Investigation, along with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office, will vigorously pursue those individuals who willfully try to enrich themselves by fraudulent means.”
“These defendants used fake transactions to operate a wire fraud and money laundering scheme to illegally enrich themselves,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI remains vigilant in the fight against fraud and will bring those who cheat and steal to justice.”
The federal indictment, returned by the grand jury in October 2023, had charged Stephanie Baker and Brian Baker, who are married, and Hutchins with a wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment also charged all three defendants with substantive offenses for acts of money laundering.
According to the indictment, between February 2017 and November 2018, Stephanie Baker was the General Manager of the Dealers Auto Auction Group’s Murfreesboro auction location. Brian Baker and Jerry Hutchins each owned and operated used car dealerships and did business at the auction. The defendants devised a scheme to defraud Dealers Auto Auction Group, LLC by creating fake transactions to make it appear that the defendants’ businesses had sold cars at the auction and were entitled to receive funds from Dealers Auto Auction Group, when in fact the defendants had not sold vehicles at the auction. Based on the fake transactions, Stephanie Baker caused Dealers Auto Auction Group to issue checks to Brian Baker’s and Hutchins’ businesses. Then, on a rolling basis each month, the defendants would create additional fake transactions using the same vehicles in order to conceal the original fraud and avoid detection. Brian Baker and Hutchins then converted proceeds of the fraud scheme for their own personal use and benefit.
As a result of this scheme, the defendants defrauded Dealers Auto Auction Group of more than $2 million.
The three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on September 11, 2025. The defendants face up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy, the money laundering conspiracy, and the concealment money laundering offenses, and up to 10 years in prison for domestic transaction money laundering. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation in which the government seeks to forfeit any property derived from the proceeds of the crimes, including a money judgment in the amount of at least $2,041,170 from Stephanie Baker, $1,357,310 from Brian Baker, and $683,830 from Jerry Hutchins.
This case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Suedekum and Nani M. Gilkerson are prosecuting the case.
WJLE Recognizes DCHS Class of 2025 (View Photo Gallery Here)
April 1, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
WJLE and participating sponsors are presenting a photo gallery of the DCHS Class of 2025 in April and May.
Graduation is set for Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. on the DCHS football field.
Click on the link below to view the senior formals.
Once you open the page, click each photo to view a larger image. The name of the senior you select is at the bottom of the photo
There are 173 photos in the gallery divided up 48 photos to a page. After you view page 1 be sure to click the links for pages 2-4 (top or bottom of the page) to view the remaining photos.
WJLE thanks the sponsors for April as follows:
State Representative Michael Hale
DeKalb Funeral Chapel
Alexandria Auto Parts
DeKalb Prevention Coalition
FirstBank
Gill Automotive
Good Health Family Clinic
General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Brandon Cox
Register of Deeds Daniel Seber
County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss
County Mayor Matt Adcock
Road Supervisor Danny Hale
Smithville Church of Christ
Smithville FBC (First Baptist Church)
Josh & Melissa Miller Farmhouse Realty the Miller Team
WJLE thanks the sponsors for May as follows:
State Representative Michael Hale
DeKalb Funeral Chapel
Liberty State Bank
DeKalb Prevention Coalition
FirstBank
Gill Automotive
General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Brandon Cox
Register of Deeds Daniel Seber
County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss
Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell
Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin
Smithville Church of God
Smithville Church of Christ
Smithville FBC (First Baptist Church)
Trustee Sean Driver
Bryan’s Auto Repair & Towing
Crossroads Medical Group-Smithville Office (Family Medical Center)
Josh & Melissa Miller Farmhouse Realty the Miller Team
