Two Charged with Beating Man with Metal Pipe and Brass Knuckles

October 2, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Two men accused of breaking into a home and assaulting the resident with a metal pipe and brass knuckles will make a court appearance next week.

28 year old Jonathan Zachariah Rowland of Pine Grove Road, Smithville and 22 year old Ray Franklin Vincent of Short Mountain Road, Smithville are each charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of especially aggravated burglary. Bond for Rowland is $21,000 and $18,000 for Vincent. Their court date is October 11.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, September 20 Rowland and Vincent broke into a home on Redmon Road and assaulted the resident while also threatening the victim’s girlfriend.

According to Sheriff Ray, Rowland allegedly pushed the woman to the floor and displayed a metal pipe which he used to assault her boyfriend about his body and face. Vincent produced a set of brass knuckles which he used to also assault the man causing serious bodily injury.

24 year old Jessie Ray Herman of Meadowbrook Drive, Smithville is charged with disorderly conduct. He was also cited for no insurance and no driver license. His bond is $2,500.

Sheriff Ray said that on September 13 a deputy was dispatched to a wreck and upon arrival spoke with the driver, Herman, who began yelling and cussing in a threatening manner.

49 year old Noe Linares Castro of McMinnville is charged with driving under the influence. He was also cited for driving on roadways laned for travel. He is under a $1,500 bond.

Sheriff Ray said that on September 15 a deputy was patrolling Sparta Highway when he spotted a black Escalade failing to maintain its lane of travel. He conducted a traffic stop and spoke to the driver, Castro who had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. He eyes were glossy and red. Castro admitted to having consumed one beer. He performed poorly on field sobriety tasks but failed to submit to implied consent. A search warrant was secured to obtain a blood sample from Castro.

42 year old Jamie Rebecca Driver of West Main Street, Smithville is charged with public intoxication. Her bond is $1,500.

Sheriff Ray said that on September 16 a deputy spotted Driver walking toward Cookeville Highway on Allen Ferry Road at around 7:56 p.m. He stopped to investigate and found her to be distraught, unable to stand still, and she was not wearing shoes.  Driver told the officer that she had walked from West Main Street and replied, when asked, that she had not consumed any illegal substances though her pupils were constricted and she seemed to be agitated. The deputy determined that Driver was under the influence of a stimulant and she was taken into custody for her safety and that of the public.

21 year old Daniel A. Aguirre is charged with driving under the influence. He was also cited for simple possession of 0.49 grams of marijuana, failure to maintain lane of travel, and no driver license. His bond is $1,500.

Sheriff Ray said that on September 16 a deputy was patrolling on McMinnville Highway when he observed a black SUV failing to maintain its lane of travel. The vehicle crossed the center yellow line almost causing a collision with oncoming traffic. The officer conducted a traffic stop and spoke to the driver, Aguirre who had an odor of alcohol coming from his person. His eyes were also red and watery and an odor of marijuana could be detected coming from his vehicle. He performed poorly on field sobriety tasks but refused to submit to implied consent. A search warrant was secured to obtain a sample of his blood.

40 year old Holly Suzanne Woodside of Circle Drive, Dowelltown is charged with disorderly conduct. Her bond is $2,500.

Sheriff Ray said that on September 13 a deputy was dispatched to a wreck and upon arrival he observed Woodside yelling at other occupants of the vehicle causing a disturbance.

32 year old Shauna Faye West of Tabernacle Road, Smithville is charged with public intoxication. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court on October 4.

Sheriff Ray said that on September 17 West appeared in a public place under the influence of an intoxicant to the degree that she was a danger to herself and others. After leaving a residence on Tabernacle Road, West walked down the road to another home. She had a strong odor of alcohol on her person. West admitted to having consumed a few beers.

October 2, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Tourism is big business in DeKalb County and getting bigger.

Suzanne Williams, Director of the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce addressed the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen Monday night with some good economic news.

IMG_1621 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

In her report, Williams informed city leaders that Governor Bill Haslam and State Tourism Commissioner Kevin Triplett recently announced that DeKalb County’s tourism dollars increased by 6.7% from the previous year to $48.02 million, the third highest tourism dollars in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region.

Meanwhile, Williams said the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has selected DeKalb County to be included in its “Best Practices” program.

DeKalb County and Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital will be featured as a “Best Practices” in community partnerships and health initiatives for rural communities. This honor was given due to the success of the DeKalb County Health Adventure that was started by Saint Thomas DeKalb Community Benefit Dollars and continued with last year’s Three Star Grant written and submitted by the Chamber and the County Mayor’s Office.

Downtown is becoming a busier place with the addition of several new businesses including Old Timers’ Antique Mall, The Vintage Owl, The Market on Main, and D & D Fashions. Two of the downtown businesses have outgrown their present spaces and are moving to larger buildings on the square. Due to the most recent Community Development Block Grant awarded to the Chamber in the amount of $100,000, many façade improvements have been made to downtown building store fronts.

Williams further mentioned that the Chamber has been awarded a new Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Grant to be used for a Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree billboard on I-40 which will be exposed to as many as 42,000 vehicles per day.

The Fiddlers’ Jamboree & Crafts Festival is also being included in phase one of a new initiative by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development called “The Tennessee Music Pathway”. The music trail will be a 1,200 mile loop running the length of the state with a focus on preserving and promoting the history locally and how it has impacted music around the world and on current music events. The LIVE venues where people can go and hear music will be an integral part of this initiative. Williams said being a part of this will provide a lot of free promotion for this area.

Leadership DeKalb is back again under new leadership, Darrell and Beth Gill are the new co-directors. The opening retreat was held September 17.

October 2, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

The City of Smithville has a chance to get a federal grant up to $4.6 million for the development of a parallel taxiway at the airport but a snag has developed in efforts to acquire property needed for the project.

IMG_1616 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

According to Airport Manager Joe Johnson, the city has been in negotiations with Aaron Tippin, Ronnie Mack Davis, and Eugene Minnear to purchase properties adjacent to the airport. Both Tippin and Davis have agreed to sell but Minnear wants more than four times as much as the appraised value for his land.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, Johnson informed the mayor and aldermen that Minnear has been offered $35,150 (appraised value) for his property, 4.37 acres but Minnear rejected it and made a counter offer of $152, 950. According to Johnson Minnear’s property is an overgrowth area that only has an old barn on it. Tippin has agreed to accept the city’s offer of $38,025 for his property ( parts of four lots) and Davis will get $1,050 for his land (part of one lot).

The city has already secured grants with a 5% local match for appraisals, survey, and environmental work and to purchase the properties. But in order to receive the $4.6 million federal grant to build the parallel taxiway, the city must have ownership of all the properties where it is to be located. If all the land is not acquired soon, the city may miss deadlines for obtaining the grant and could have to wait another year before making application.

The aldermen voted to ask Johnson and City Attorney Vester Parsley to meet with Minnear. Their hope is they can persuade Minnear to accept the city’s offer of $35,150 for his property. If not, the aldermen have instructed Parsley to file a land condemnation (eminent domain) lawsuit against Minnear under which the city could acquire the property. Minnear  would be compensated but at an amount ordered by the court.

Johnson said if the city were to receive the $4.6 million federal grant there would be no local match other than 5% of the engineering costs which should not be more than $15,000 to the city.

The FAA awards airport improvement program discretionary grant funds across the country to primary and non-primary airports for infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, aprons and terminals.

Johnson said a parallel taxiway will make the airport much safer and enhance economic opportunity for the city making it more appealing to potential new industry.

“A parallel taxiway will make it where planes don’t have to back taxi down the main runaway. When you come in to land, you have to turn around and taxi all the way back before you can get off the runaway. If another plane comes in to land when that is happening you could be in trouble and we have had several close calls. Its like driving down the interstate and then having to turn around in the road to come back and get off an exit ramp. The state wants us to have a parallel taxiway but right now we can’t afford it without this grant,” said Johnson.

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