Intoxicated Motorcycle Operator Arrested After Pursuit and Crash

September 12, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

A motorcycle operator was taken into custody Friday after a pursuit which started in DeKalb County and ended with him crashing his bike in Warren County.

Mark Petty is charged with driving under the influence, evading arrest, and reckless endangerment among other offenses.

Lieutenant Dewaine Jennings of the Tennessee Highway Patrol spotted Petty operating a motorcycle on Allen’s Ferry Road without his headlights on during foggy conditions. He also noticed that the bike had no license tag.

As he tried to stop it, Lieutenant Jennings said the bike took off turning from Allen’s Ferry Road to Holmes Creek Road and Golf Club Drive and then back onto Allen’s Ferry Road to Highway 56 where the bike headed north. Petty then turned around at a church on Cookeville Highway and traveled back toward Smithville on Highway 56 before turning onto Smith Road and later Midway Road and then back onto Highway 70 toward the city. The pursuit continued into Cannon County from Short Mountain to West Greenhill Road in Warren County, and back into DeKalb County on Seven Springs Road, before Petty re-entered Warren County and crashed at the intersection of Capshaw Road and Highway 56.

After being taken by EMS from the jail to the emergency room of Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital, Petty left on foot while being treated but he was quickly apprehended by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department near the intersection of Riley Avenue and West Main Street.

September 12, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Tigers suffered their third loss of the season Friday night falling to the visiting Watertown Purple Tigers in Smithville 21 to 14.

DC drops to 1-3 on the year and Watertown improves to 3-1.

Neither team scored in the 1st period but DeKalb County took a 7-0 lead with 10:39 left in the 2nd period on a 6 yard touchdown run by Nathaniel Crook, capping a 35 yard drive. Jasper Kleparek added the PAT .

Tiger Quarterback Axel Aldino later found Desmond Nokes on a pass that went for 90 yards and a touchdown. Kleparek tacked on the extra point and DeKalb County led 14-0 with 7:34 left in the 2nd period.

Watertown got on the board with 7:12 left in the half on a 58 yard touchdown run by Jordan Cason. The PAT attempt was blocked by Evan Jones and the Purple Tigers trailed 14-6 which was the score at halftime.

The Tigers were shutout in the second half but Watertown found the endzone twice more. Cason scored on a 4 yard touchdown run with 11:55 left in the 4th period capping a 63 yard drive. Cason then scored on the 2 point conversion run to tie the game at 14.

Watertown finished off the Tigers with 7:46 left in the game as Cason scored his 3rd touchdown of the night. This time on a 26 yard run capping a 54 yard drive. Trey Pack booted the extra point and Watertown prevailed 21-14.

DeKalb County (1-3) travels to Grundy County (0-3) Friday night, September 18. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. and WJLE will have LIVE coverage. Grundy County’s losses have been to South Pittsburg 49-0, York Institute 6-3, and Bledsoe County 40-6.

September 12, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

For his heroic efforts in rescuing a drowning boater on Center Hill Lake earlier this year, Lieutenant Charlie Caplinger of the Tennessee Highway Patrol was honored this week by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

The Three Stars of Tennessee and First Responder Recognition Awards ceremony was held Thursday to pay tribute to public servants who have either risked or sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

Lieutenant Caplinger was among 16 recognized with First Responder awards for their heroic actions.

Greg Mays, Director of the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, made the presentation.

“Lieutenant Caplinger is being honored for his actions while off duty in a fishing tournament on Center Hill Lake. While fishing he heard another man yelling from a distant boat whose partner had fallen into the lake and could not get back in the boat. Lt Caplinger and a friend immediately responded and due to their efforts they were able to get the victim who was becoming hypothermic out of the water and safely to shore,” said Mays.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the awards were not presented in-person as they have been in years past. Certificates will be sent to their respective agency who will then honor the first responders in a smaller setting. This ceremony has been a long-standing tradition in memory of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Three Stars of Tennessee Award honors public servants who have sacrificed their lives or suffered a career-ending injury in the line of duty. Director Mays, Governor Bill Lee, First Lady Maria Lee, Commissioner Jeff Long, and State Senator Becky Massey (R-Knoxville) joined recipients, their family members and agency representatives to honor five recipients with the “Three Stars of Tennessee Award.”

“This event is very important to us,” Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long said. “We owe a great amount of thanks to the men and women first responders who sacrifice their life or their health for the safety of their fellow citizens. Our hearts go out to the families who had loved ones make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. We are proud to honor them with this award.”

The Three Stars of Tennessee Award Honorees are:
Master Patrol Officer Spencer Bristol (Posthumous- Hendersonville Police Department; Trooper Matthew Elias Gatti (Posthumous)-Tennessee Highway Patrol Officer; Dustin Legieza (Posthumous)- Brentwood Police Department; Officer Jeffrey Creighton (Career-ending injury)- Memphis Police Department; and Paramedic Heather Birdwell (Career-ending injury)- Putnam County EMS.

First Responder Recipients are:
Officer Derek Caleb Couch, Johnson City Police Department; Lieutenant Sammy Shaffer, Knoxville Police Department; Critical Care Paramedic Stephanie Johnson, Morristown, Hamblen EMS ; Senior Firefighter James D. Nelson, Chattanooga Fire Department; Captain Joe Smith, Putnam County EMS; Trooper William Looper, Tennessee Highway Patrol District; Chief Brooke Haas, Nashville Fire Department; Officer Randy Cox, Clarksville Police Department; Firefighter Nick Greene, Clarksville Fire and Rescue; Officer Dustin Holley, Dyersburg Police Department; Field Training Officer Wesley C. Blankenship, Dyersburg Police Department; Officer Brandon Wheeler, Dyersburg Police Department; Sergeant Ricky Finley, McNairy County Sheriff’s Office; Sergeant Calvin Taylor, Memphis Police Department; Special Agent Robert Burghardt, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; and Lieutenant Charlie Caplinger, Tennessee Highway Patrol.

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