DeKalb Jobless Rate Increased to 5.1% in October

December 15, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb was among 33 Tennessee counties that experienced a jump in the unemployment rate for October.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) reports that the DeKalb County Labor Force for the month was 7,951. A total of 7,548 were employed and 403 were unemployed resulting in a jobless rate of 5.1%, an increase from the September rate of 3.8% and a jump from the rate of 4.4% in October 2018.

The state report shows that 38 counties had a drop in unemployment during October, while rates remained the same in 24 counties.

Williamson County’s statistic of 2.3 percent mirrored its previous month’s rate. Davidson and Cheatham counties also had a rate of 2.3 percent in October, both down by 0.1 of a percentage point from September’s number.

During most of October, employees at the General Motors manufacturing facility in Spring Hill, along with workers at several dozen automotive suppliers in surrounding counties, were not working.

In Maury County, unemployment more than doubled, causing the county to have the second-highest rate in the state. It spiked 3.4 percentage points, going from 2.6 in September to 6 percent in October.

Other counties in Southern Middle Tennessee also experienced a jump in unemployment.

Perry County had the state’s highest unemployment rate in October at 8 percent. That represents a 4.5 percentage point increase from the prior month’s rate of 3.5 percent.

Decatur, Lewis, and Marshall counties experienced similar spikes in unemployment during October.

“Many different factors impact a county’s employment situation,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “The vast majority of Tennessee’s counties had continued low unemployment in October. The ebb and flow of the statistics in several areas will likely return to more typical numbers in the coming months.”

Statewide, unemployment held steady in October. Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent matches the previous month’s rate.

Nationally, unemployment experienced a slight uptick. October’s rate of 3.6 percent is 0.1 of a percentage point higher than September’s rate of 3.5 percent.

Tennesseeans looking for new employment opportunities find more than 205, 000 current openings from across the state on Tennessee’s workforce development website www.Jobs4TN.gov. They can also find job search assistance, resume writing tips and job interview advice at more than 80 American Job Centers across the state.

December 15, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Two men found in possession of a stolen truck belonging to Caney Fork Electric Cooperative have been charged with theft over $60,000.

31 year old Brandon Wayne Hutchings of Sparta and 50 year old David Anderson of Liberty were arrested on December 6 and will make a court appearance on the charge January 9. Bond for Hutchings is $55,000 and $25,000 for Anderson.

Smithville Police report that on December 6 Hutchings and Anderson were found in possession of the  2017 Ford F-350 which was reported stolen December 5 in McMinnville from Dibrell-Lucky Road.

Central Dispatch received several calls that day (December 6) from people who reported seeing a truck matching the description of the stolen vehicle at Hardees as well as the carwash behind Domino’s Pizza in Smithville. Police responded and found the truck at the car wash. Hutchings was inside the truck and Anderson was outside. Both men were taken to the police department for questioning and then charged in the case. The vehicle was recovered but the owner, Caney Fork Electric Cooperative is seeking restitution for damage to the vehicle and items missing from it.

In other cases, 25 year old Matthew Dustin Colwell of 321 Jackson St was cited for vandalism on November 25. Police were called to Colwell’s residence for a possible domestic situation and noticed that Colwell’s hand was cut and bleeding. The officer was informed that Colwell’s father had stopped by to pick up his younger brother who didn’t want to leave. Colwell then became upset and punched the window out of his father’s vehicle. Colwell’s court date is December 19.

39 year old Johnny Arthur Parsons of 107 Juniper Lane was cited November 29 for allowing dogs to run at large. Police were called to a business on West Broad Street due to dogs running at large. Upon arrival the officer encountered the dogs which belong to Parsons. While at the scene, as the victim tried to make contact with one of the dogs, another dog bit him on the hand and arm. DeKalb EMS was called and treated the victim at the scene. He then went by personal vehicle to the hospital’s emergency room to receive further treatment. Parsons will appear in city court on January 7.

67 year old Betty Sue George of 905 West Main Street was cited on November 26 for allowing a dog to run at large. George has a tan Pitbull that was seen running at large down West Main Street. Police were informed that George could not keep the dog pinned up. George has been warned and cited several times for the same offense. Her court date is December 19.

63 year old Johnny Wayne Trapp of 8264 Holmes Creek Road was arrested on December 1 for public intoxication. Police were called to Hardees due to a man found passed out at a table. Upon arrival, the officer observed the man, Trapp asleep at the table. Trapp smelled of an alcoholic beverage and after being awakened Trapp was unsteady on his feet. Trapp, believed to have been a danger to himself and an annoyance to the employees at Hardees, was placed under arrest. His bond is $2,000.

Less than a week later, Police encountered Trapp again. This time Trapp was charged with public intoxication and two counts of failure to appear. According to Police, on December 7 Trapp was at the home of a family member on West Broad Street causing a disturbance. When the officer arrived and spoke with Trapp, he could smell an odor of alcohol coming from Trapp. Due to his actions and intoxicated state Trapp was arrested. A computer search through central dispatch revealed Trapp had two active warrants against him for failure to appear in DeKalb County. Bond for Trapp is $4,500 and his court date is December 19.

40 year old Benjamin Theodore Taylor of 1785 Lee Braswell Lane was arrested on December 8 for a 2nd offense of driving under the influence. Police were called to the parking lot of Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital due to a possible vehicle on fire. Upon arrival the officer found a man sitting in the driver seat of a blue Nissan Maxima who appeared to be asleep or passed out. The keys were in the on position of the ignition. The officer awoke the man, Taylor and had him to exit the vehicle because it was smoking. Taylor smelled of alcohol and he was unsteady on his feet. Taylor then submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Taylor’s bond is $3,500 and his court date is December 19.

29 year old Michael Joseph Lee of 605 Estes Street was arrested on November 27 for violation of bond conditions. Police were called to Lee’s home due to an attempted burglary. They had been there on November 3 and arrested him for domestic assault with bond conditions. Police learned that while on the property November 27, Lee had beaten on the exterior door of the home and threatened the victim if all charges against him were not dropped. In the bond conditions order, Lee is prohibited from communicating with the victim and is directed to stay away from the victim’s home. Bond for Lee is $3,500 and his court date is December 19.

39 year old Mark William Green of Alexandria was arrested on November 28 for driving on a suspended license. While on routine patrol, police observed a vehicle with a broken taillight and initiated a traffic stop. The officer spoke with the driver, Green who admitted that his license were suspended. Due to him having several failure to appear offenses against him, Green was arrested instead of being issued a citation and verbal warning about the taillight. Bond for Green is $1,500 and his court date is December 19.

35 year old J.C. Martin Baker of Quebeck was arrested on December 2 for possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. Police were called to Mapco Express where a man was observed possibly asleep in a vehicle. Upon arrival the officer confronted the man, Baker who was sitting in his vehicle in the middle of the parking lot. After obtaining consent to search, the officer found in the front left pocket of Baker’s overalls a baggie containing a white clear crystal substance which weighed 2.7 grams. Baker admitted that the substance was methamphetamine. Bond for Baker is $35,000 and his court date is December 19.

30 year old Joshua Hayden Stubblefield of McMinnville was arrested on December 2 for driving under the influence and he was cited for a traffic control device/signal offense and failure to maintain lane of travel. According to police, at approximately 10:30 p.m. that night an officer spotted a vehicle traveling west on East Broad Street which left its lane of travel and ran a red light. The officer pulled over the vehicle and spoke to the driver, Stubblefield who had a strong odor of alcohol on his person. Stubblefield’s speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet. Stubblefield submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Bond for Stubblefield is $1,500 and his court date is December 19.

21 year old Emma Leigh Flesher of Greenbrier was arrested on November 30 for carrying or possession of a weapon and she was cited for shoplifting and simple possession of methamphetamine. Police were called to Wal-Mart where a woman was observed with a gun threatening to kill someone. By the time police arrived the woman had already left the store but later an officer spotted a vehicle and woman at Mapco Express that matched the description of the suspect. The officer confronted the woman, Flesher who had a loaded handgun concealed in her front waistband. He also learned that Flesher is a convicted felon. Along with the weapon, police found on Flesher 0.4 grams of a white crystal-like substance which field tested positive for methamphetamine. Upon a further search incident to arrest, the officer found a purse in Flesher’s vehicle which contained items stolen from Wal-Mart that still bore Wal-Mart tags. Bond for Flesher is $5,000 and her court date is December 19.

52 year old Michael Shane Powell of Sparta was arrested for public intoxication on December 5. Police were dispatched to Hooper Street due to a possible domestic disturbance. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the victim who said that Powell had come to her house intoxicated and she feared he would hit her after past experiences between the two of them. When Powell heard officers were enroute, he fled fearing he would get arrested for public intoxication. After speaking with the victim, the officer encountered Powell outside the home. He was unsteady on his feet. His speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol. Powell was arrested for his safety and that of the public. Bond for Powell is $1,500 and his court date is December 19.

December 14, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A caregiver has been charged with stealing a debit card from a dementia patient she had been caring for. She and her husband then used the card to make purchases for themselves at Walmart.

According to the Smithville Police Department, 47 year old Natasha Gail Judkins and 51 year old Shayne Allen Judkins of 645 Keltonburg Road are each charged with theft of property over $1,000. Bond for each is $7,500 and they will make a court appearance on December 19.

According to the warrants: Natasha and Shayne Judkins used the stolen debit card from June 29 to November 4 at Wal-Mart where they purchased merchandise and received cash back totaling $2,605.06.

In a separate case, Natasha was cited for theft of property on December 10 after being spotted on Walmart surveillance video failing to scan or pay for items totaling $323.29 while using the self checkout on eight separate occasions. Her court date for that offense is also December 19.

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