Knoxville man airlifted after Sunday Rollover Crash

April 4, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A Knoxville man was airlifted Sunday after he crashed the box truck he was driving on Highway 83 (Allen Ferry Road) near Freels Lane.

Trooper Ben Cannon of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said 42 year old Justin Tittle was traveling toward Highway 70 in a 2019 white Freightliner 26,000 pound box truck, hauling frozen meat products, when he ran off the right side of the roadway, overcorrected, and then went back across the road and off the left side before hitting an earthen embankment and flipping over.

Tittle was pinned in the truck and had to be extricated by members of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department’s rescue team. The windshield was reportedly removed to gain access to him.

Tittle was treated by DeKalb EMS and then airlifted from the scene by Vandy Life Flight and flown to a Knoxville hospital.

Sheriff’s Department deputies were also on the scene and Trooper Caleb Bain assisted Trooper Cannon.

April 2, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A man believed to be responsible for setting fire to two vehicles and a house in January 2021 was indicted last Monday, March 28 by the DeKalb County Grand Jury.

22-year-old Jacob Clinton Williams is under indictment for one count of arson and two counts of setting fire to personal property. He will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, April 4.

The crimes occurred on January 16, 2021 and were investigated by the Smithville Police Department.

“We responded to a call of a car fire at a residence on South College Street,” said Detective Brandon Donnell. “The police and fire departments showed up but the fire was already put out. Only the tire was on fire. About 30 minutes later we got a call of a house fire on Jennings Lane. By the time they (police and fire) got there it (house) was fully engulfed. Police realized that the car which was on fire on South College Street was registered to the same man who rented the house on Jennings Lane. By the time I was called to the scene another car at the same house on South College Street was lit on fire. They (fire department) arrived and got that put out,” Detective Donnell explained.

The following day, Williams became a person of interest to police after his girlfriend came forward with a tip.

“I got a phone call the next day from a woman who said her boyfriend, Williams suspected that she may have been seeing the man who lived in the house and owned one of the cars that caught fire. I went to neighbors and viewed video from their security cameras the night of the crimes which showed Williams’ car leaving the fires,” said Detective Donnell.

Police later learned that while on his way back to Cookeville where he lived, Williams almost hit a car head on while traveling Cookeville Highway. “The driver of the car he almost struck turned around and followed Williams to the Dollar General Store near the Interstate and saw him throw something out the window. The next day we (police) went to that location and found a jug of gasoline that we believe he threw out,” Detective Donnell continued.

A few days later police discovered that Williams had already been picked up and was in jail at Putnam County for unrelated offenses. “We went there to talk with him but he would not cooperate,” said Detective Donnell. We then went to his mother’s house and found Williams’ car, which was the same one observed on video leaving the fires the night of the crimes. We took a warrant against him which was served upon his release from custody in Putnam County,” added Detective Donnell.

April 1, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

Unemployment rates dropped in counties across Tennessee including DeKalb in February, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Each of the state’s 95 counties saw lower unemployment during the second month of 2022.

Ninety-one counties recorded a rate of less than 5% for February, while four counties had unemployment higher than 5%, but less than 10%, during the month.

DeKalb County’s rate for February was 3.5%, down from 3.8% in January and well below the February 2021 rate of 5.5%.

The DeKalb Labor Force for February was 7,805 while 7,535 were employed leaving 270 without work.

Moore County had Tennessee’s lowest unemployment rate in February. At 1.8%, its rate dropped 0.4 of a percentage point from the January rate of 2.2%. Williamson County had the state’s second-lowest rate for the month at 2%, down 0.2 of a percentage point.

Cocke County had the highest jobless rate for the month at 6.3%. While the county’s rate was the highest, its February number dropped 0.8 of a percentage point from January’s rate of 7.1%. Lake County had the next highest rate at 5.8%, which was a 0.6 of a percentage point decrease from January’s rate of 6.4%.

When calculating county unemployment rates, seasonal impacts are not factored into the rates, while the statewide unemployment data is adjusted for those occurrences.

Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 3.4%, a 0.1 of a percentage point drop from January’s rate of 3.5%. The new figure came in 1.6 percentage points lower than the 2021 rate of 5%.

The United States unemployment rate also dropped slightly in February. The nationwide seasonally adjusted rate inched down by 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.8%. One year ago, the national jobless rate was 6.2%.

TDLWD has many resources available to help individuals navigate the thousands of open jobs in and around Tennessee, as well as locate opportunities to improve skill sets or learn new, in-demand skills. Job seekers can find those resources in-person at an American Job Center, or online at www.TNWorkReady.com.

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