Two people caught with a stolen trailer

July 18, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Two people caught with a stolen 2021 Homesteader Intrepid trailer have been charged with theft of property over $1,000.

35 year old Ronald Joshua Carter of Carter Drive and 28 year old Lynette Holubek of Smith Road will be in court on July 22. Carter’s bond is $20,000 while Holubek is under a $10,000 bond.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on June 23 a deputy went to a residence on Carter Drive where he found Carter and Holubek in possession of a 2021 Homesteader Intrepid trailer valued at $20,000 which was stolen in Cookeville on June 19.

Two men will find themselves in court this week after being found in possession of methamphetamine earlier this month.

38 year old Warren Brandon Glasby of Manchester is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. He is under a $10,000 bond and 41 year old Jeremy Ray Likens is facing charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver and fabricating or tampering with evidence.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 6 Glasby exchanged with Likens an object later determined to be approximately 1.5 ounces of a clear crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine.

Likens, who was found with three ounces of a clear crystal substance believed to be methamphetamine as well as a glass pipe commonly used to consume meth, threw those items into the dirt trying to get rid of them after being confronted by law enforcement.

Likens is under a $17,500 bond. Both he and Glasby are due in court on July 22.

58 year old Robert Lewis Judkins of Alex Lane, Smithville, is charged with vandalism. His bond is $2,000 and he will be in court July 22.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 6 Judkins was spotted picking up a bird feeder and breaking down a door to a building. The victim reported that damage to the door and a lock on the door amounted to at least $200.

64 year old Steve Mitchell Redmon of Miller Road, Smithville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court July 22.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 7 a restaurant employee on West Broad Street reported to a deputy in the parking lot that someone inside the diner was highly intoxicated and annoying customers and employees. The officer confronted Redmon and detected a strong odor of alcohol on him and his speech was slurred. Redmon admitted to having consumed a few drinks before he left home but said he was okay when he arrived at the restaurant. Redmon was placed in custody.

49 year old Jannah Lee Cowan of Hillview Heights, Dowelltown is charged with violation of an order of protection. Her bond is $2,500 and she will be in court August 5.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 8 a deputy drove by the Hillview Heights residence and noticed a vehicle in the driveway. Due to an order of protection having been served at that home earlier and the officer knowing there should be no vehicles there, he called for a check of the license plate through central dispatch and learned that the automobile parked there belonged to Cowan who was not supposed to be at the residence. The deputy then knocked on the door and the man who answered admitted that Cowan was inside the home. She was placed under arrest.

36 year old Michael Frederick Teachout of Students Home Road, Smithville is charged with violation of an order of protection. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court August 5.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 8 a deputy was patrolling Holmes Creek Road when he noticed a vehicle setting off the roadway almost in the creek. While conducting a welfare check a woman emerged from the woods. The officer asked if she was okay and that if there was anyone else around. She responded “yes, Michael” and then opened the door to the vehicle. Teachout was sitting in the passenger seat. Knowing there was an order of protection in place against Teachout to keep away from this woman, the officer placed him under arrest.

47 year old Jason Bradley Cripps of Four Seasons Road, Smithville is charged with fabricating or tampering with evidence and public intoxication. He is under a $7,000 bond and his court date is July 29.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 10 a deputy was dispatched to the area of Old Snow Hill Road where a suspicious person was spotted looking through windows at the Old Snow Hill Church. The officer found the suspect, Cripps who appeared to be unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. He was placed under arrest. While the officer was conducting a pat down search, Cripps removed a baggie from his shoe containing three white pills which he tried to put in his mouth. Cripps later said the pills were Subutex.

33 year old Justin Matthew Cripps of Grandview Drive, Smithville is charged with vandalism. His bond is $3,500 and he will make a court appearance on August 5.

Sheriff Ray said that on June 24, Cripps intentionally and knowingly vandalized property owned by the DeKalb County government. Cripps was observed on jail surveillance video walking around the dayroom area of the jail, striking the commissary box several times leaving the machine dented and broken. Cripps went before the disciplinary board, where he admitted to breaking the machine.

54 year old Douglas Wayne Easey of Tubb Street, Liberty, was charged on June 29 with violation of the sex offender registry. His bond is $5,000.

Sheriff Ray said Easey was released from the Wilson County Jail on June 23 and did not report to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department within the allotted time for a sex offender, which is 48 hours upon release.

39 year old Derrick Edmond Hale of Church Street, Dowelltown, is charged with failure to appear and criminal impersonation. His bond is $2,500.

According to Sheriff Ray, a deputy went to a residence on Church Street in Dowelltown June 30 to serve a failure to appear warrant on Hale, for expired registration, no seatbelt, and another failure to appear. Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with a man who said that his name was Jared Hale, and he gave a different date of birth from Derrick Edmond Hale. After an investigation, the officer confirmed that Derrick Edmond Hale is the man’s true identity.

38 year old Jimmy Joel Farris of Restview Drive, Smithville, is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell. He is under a $10,000 bond and is due in court on July 29.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 2 at approximately 11:36 p.m. a deputy was on patrol in the area of Holiday Haven Boat Ramp, when he observed two people sitting inside a white SUV. The deputy stopped and spoke with them and identified one as being Jimmy Farris. After a background warrants check, the officer received consent to search Farris’ vehicle, and found a clear baggy containing approximately 1.2 grams of a white crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine. Farris said the substance belonged to him. He was placed in custody and taken to the DeKalb County Jail.

Jesus Fernando Martinez-Padillo of Winding Way, McMinnville is charged with violation of an order of protection. His bond is $1,500 and he will make a court appearance on July 22.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 3 Martinez-Padillo was determined to have violated an active no-contact order from bond conditions against him out of Warren County. A deputy pulled over Martinez-Padillo’s vehicle which he was driving and found him with a female passenger. A background check through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) revealed that Martinez-Padillo was under an active no-contact order to keep away from this woman. He was placed under arrest.

56 year old Joey Lewis Derting is charged with driving under the influence. He is under a $1,500 bond and his court date is July 29.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 1 a deputy pulled over a green Chevy Cavalier on Woodbury Highway where the driver was observed failing to maintain his lane of travel. The officer spoke with the driver, Derting, whose eyes were bloodshot and glassy and his pupils were constricted. Derting consented to but performed poorly on field sobriety tests. He was then placed under arrest.

20 year old Jammy Wayne Bruce of Tabernacle Road, Smithville is charged with sale and delivery of a schedule IV & VI drug. He is under a $15,000 bond.

According to Sheriff Ray, a deputy was on patrol July 4 when he observed a gray Ford Taurus being operated by man he knew had no license, and that the registration did not belong to that vehicle. The registration displayed was to a black Ford Ranger. The deputy pulled over the vehicle at the intersection of Smith Road and Martin Street. As he approached Bruce’s automobile, the officer smelled marijuana and during a search of the vehicle, he found inside Bruce’s backpack, a clear baggy containing 28 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, as well as 20 yellow pills containing the imprint of R039, identified as Alprazolam. Bruce was placed into custody and transported to the jail.

35 year old Joseph Kilzer of Parkway Drive, Smithville, is charged with public intoxication. He is under a $2,000 bond and is due in court on July 22.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 5 a deputy responded to the area of Parkway Drive where a man was observed walking through people’s yards. The deputy spotted a man, Kilzer, who matched the description of the suspect and he stopped to speak with him. Kilzer admitted to walking through the yards adding that he had also taken methamphetamine and was trying to get on Youtube. The deputy noticed that Kilzer was unsteady on his feet and very fidgety. For his own safety, and the safety of the public, Kilzer was placed under arrest for public intoxication.

July 17, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Forty six toddlers from ages 13 to 47 months were featured Friday evening during the annual Toddler Show at the DeKalb County Fair.

First place winners received a blue ribbon. Red ribbons went to those receiving second place.
This year’s recipients are as follows:

Boys (13 to 18 months)
Winner: Corbin James Claude, the 18 month old son of Bailey Pack of Dowelltown
Runner-up: Ranson Lewis Dewberry, the 14 month old son of Tiffany and Eric Dewberry of Smithville
Other participants: John Luke Scott, 16 month old son of Reagen and Kristen Scott of Smithville; Coleman “Ridge” Dedmon, 18 month old son of Brey and Samantha Dedmon of Dowelltown; and Sawyer Cordell Oyster, 14 month old son of Coleman and Morgan Oyster of Liberty

Girls (13 to 18 months)
Winner: Delylah Reed, 13 month old daughter of Josh and Olivia Reed of Smithville
Runner-up: Dayvani Haggard, 13 month old daughter of Caleb Haggard and Haley Haggard of Smithville

Other participants: Lydia Sutherland, 14 month old daughter of Madison Cripps and Dusten Sutherland of Smithville; Fallon Wiggins, 15 month old daughter of Megan Linder and Destry Wiggins of Smithville; Myra Shepherd, 15 month old daughter of John and Alanna Shepherd of Smithville; and Carleigh Edwards, 18 month old daughter of Abram and Shannon Edwards of Liberty

Boys (19 to 24 months)
Winner: Elijah Robert Underhill, 23 month old son of Nick and Christian Underhill of Smithville
Runner-up: Callahan Dean Cox, 19 month old son of Brandon and Whitney Cox of Smithville

Other participants: John Forrest Linder, 20 month old son of Joshua and Emily Linder of Smithville and Waylon Johnson, 23 month old son of Alexis Utley and Ian Johnson of Smithville

Girls (19 to 24 months)
Winner: Jazmin Ariel, 19 month old daughter of Blanca Jones and Joel Perez of Smithville.
Runner-up: Livy Slager, 21 month old daughter of Jon and Katie Slager of Alexandria

Other participants: Ella Claire Rathbone, 23 month old daughter of Corey and Sarah Rathbone of Smithville; Ava Michelle Burton, 23 month old daughter of Paige Burton of Alexandria; Elena Rose Ritchie, 19 month old daughter of Destinee Ritchie and Ricardo Escobedo of Dowelltown; Elliott Quinn Prichard, 21 month old daughter of Mark and Amanda Prichard of Smithville; Emberly Rose Musick-Morris, 21 month old daughter of Alannah Musick-Morris and Elijah Fults of Smithville; and Myracle Jade Clark, 22 month old daughter of Morgan Clark of Liberty.

Boys (25 to 30 months)
Winner: Samuel Keith Griffin, 27 month old son of Luke and Casey Griffin of Alexandria

Girls (25 to 30 months)
Winner: Hattie Donnell, 25 month old daughter of Travis and Amber Donnell of Alexandria
Runner-up: Laurel Cait Kilgore, 28 month old daughter of Colby and Taylor Kilgore of Smithville

Other participants: Serenity Carmen Tiner, 30 month old daughter of Billy and Stephanie Tiner of Smithville; and Cornelia Grace Kamer, 27 month old daughter of Timothy and Alexa Kamer of Liberty

Boys (31 to 36 months)
Winner: Jaxen Khyren Agree, 31 month old son of Donnie and Stephanie Agee of Smithville.
Runner-up: Gradyn Elijah Harvey, 35 month old son of Chad and Kayla Harvey of Alexandria

Other participants: Kase Bryson Roller, 32 month old son of George Roller and Abbey Caldwell of Smithville; and Matthew Hayden Williams, 31 month old son of Dillon and Hailey Williams of Alexandria.

Girls (31 to 36 months)
Winner: Briar Rose Kilgore, 35 month old daughter of Clay and Mariah Kilgore of Smithville
Runner-up: Peyton Rae Shepherd,33 month old daughter of Jason and Ashley Shepherd of Smithville
Other participant: Elizabeth Mary Sue Gammons, 34 month old daughter of Bruce Gammons and Amanda Ford of Smithville

Boys (37 to 47 months)
Winner: Camden Lucas Wright, 38 month old son of Nick and MiKayla Wright of Smithville
Runner-up: Hagen Kayd Ford, 45 month old son of Bruce Gammons and Amanda Ford of Smithville

Other participant: Myles Hale, 38 month old son of Kimberly and Austin Hale of Smithville

Girls (37 to 47 months)
Winner: Adalyn Cate Meadows, 45 month old daughter of Caitlin Anderson and Nate Meadows of Smithville.
Runner-up: Carrigan Elise Cox, 37 month old daughter of Brandon and Whitney Cox of Smithville

Other participants: Rozlyn Marie Prichard, 46 month old daughter of Mark and Amanda Prichard of Smithville; Opal Rose Sackman, 42 month old daughter of Collin Sackman and Destiny Perryman of Dowelltown; Kathryn Ann Williams, 45 month old daughter of Dillon and Hailey Williams of Alexandria; Blakelynn Emerie Cripps, 42 month old daughter of Corey and Kami Cripps of Smithville; Magnolia LaRue Ellis, 38 month old daughter of Nicholas Ellis of Alexandria; and Charlee Anna Eaton, 44 month old daughter of Lonnie Eaton and Katie Turner of Alexandria.

July 17, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb Animal Coalition may soon be getting more financial assistance from the county.

During a meeting Thursday night, the budget committee voted 4 to 3 to recommend to the county commission that the request from the Coalition be granted for a contribution of $39,805 to hire an additional full time employee with benefits at the animal shelter. The money, if approved by the commission with passage of the 2021-22 budget, would go to and the employee would be hired by and under the control of the Coalition and not the county at the starting wage of $15 per hour.

Budget committee members voting for the funding were County Commissioners Jenny Trapp, Beth Pafford, Dr. Scott Little, and Julie Young. Those voting against were Commissioners Jerry Adcock, Sabrina Farler, and Jeff Barnes.

The county currently funds $3,000 a year for animal control.

The shelter has two full time positions funded by the City of Smithville and a part time employee that the Coalition provides but that is not enough according to Emmaly Bennett, Assistant Director at the shelter who addressed the budget committee with the request at the Tuesday night meeting.

“I know you (county) have budgeted $3,000 a year for animal control because of the contract you have with the 501c3 (DeKalb Animal Coalition) but that is not adequate. Its not working. We receive phone calls daily from those who need our assistance and as of right now its just really hard for us to get to them. With another employee that would help with responding to animal control calls in the county and city as well. Two people have to respond to an animal control at all times for safety reasons and we must be accompanied by a law enforcement officer because we are not animal control officers,” said Bennett.

“Right now the city funds $115,000 a year for our animal shelter. They also supply the truck, maintenance, fuel, and everything that goes into a shelter and the Coalition which is a non-profit supplies a part-time employee for the weekends and they put in about $60,000 a year and supply money for our vaccinations, animal care, and other things like that. They (Coalition) are also required in their contract to keep up maintenance on the inside of the building while the city maintains the outside of the building,” added Bennett.

According to Bennett another full time employee would allow animal control services to be more responsive and adequately prepared to safely handle calls and would secondarily allow the DeKalb Animal Shelter to have increased operational hours to better serve the public and reduce or eliminate overtime hours of all employees.

Bennett said two thirds of the animals taken in at the shelter come from within DeKalb County outside the City of Smithville. Statistics provided by Bennett show that from November 6, 2017 when it opened until July 1, 2021, the shelter has taken in overall 1,410 animals including 488 from the City of Smithville (34.60%) and 922 (65.39%) from DeKalb County.

During Thursday night’s meeting, Third district commissioner Jenny Trapp made a motion that the coalition’s request for $39,805 be granted adding that it should be considered funding and not a contribution. Seventh district member Beth Pafford offered a second to the motion.

Trapp said the animal coalition provides a service much like the fire and police departments and that the county should be doing more than $3,000 a year especially when the city is putting in $115,000 a year.

“We have an obligation to keep the shelter running adequately, and this will help. If we can sit there and fund 911, we can fund the fire department, it’s not so hard to fund the animal shelter, which provides care for these animals that come in. They neuter and they spay them, and give them their shots. I don’t understand why it is not a priority. It should be. They provide a service to the county just like the fire department, just like the EMS, just like the police department. They provide a service and that is something we need to think about,” said Commissioner Trapp.

Fourth District Commissioner Dr. Scott Little agreed with Trapp that the county should be doing more.

“Two thirds of the animals at the shelter come from the county and the city pays $115,000 a year while the county pays $3,000 a year. I don’t see anyway that you can look at that and think we (county) are doing our share. Just from plain fairness we have got to do more,” said Commissioner Little.

Second District Commissioner Sabrina Farler said while the county should perhaps do more in terms of funding, granting a request for $39, 805 for a new position starting at $15 per hour seems too much given the fact that most county employees don’t earn that much money especially starting out.

“We don’t have anyone (county employee) starting at $31,000. I am not saying we don’t need to support more than $3,000. I am just not sure $15.00 an hour is where to start at. Fifteen dollars an hour is a pretty hefty salary to start with when you think of what we have done (salary wise) across our county (county employees). We had some $10 an hour employees (DeKalb EMS) last year. Our educational assistants (school system) start at $13,000 a year. No one in our administrative staff (county employees) with zero experience starts at $30,000 a year,” said Commissioner Farler.

Fifth District Commissioner Jerry Adcock vehemently expressed his opposition to funding the $39,805 position insisting that the county should stick to the original memorandum of understanding with the Coalition which says in part that the Coalition is to pick up aggressive animals for the county when a request is made from the county mayor’s office or the sheriff’s department at a fee of $110. The county has had to pay only $1,100 over the last year.

“Four years ago, they (Animal Coalition) came to us and said enter into this contract and they would never come back to us again. That’s in the contract,” said Commissioner Adcock.

Bennett, who was not associated with the animal shelter four years ago, said that agreement was made before the shelter was even built and needs have changed adding that even the city has amended its original contract.

“As time has progressed the city has revised their contract. In the original contract the city funded one full time employee and one part time. They later bumped it up to two full time employees,” responded Bennett.

Most of the animals at the shelter are not picked up by the coalition but brought to the shelter voluntarily as owner surrenders and strays. Commissioner Adcock asked why those people are not charged a fee for bringing animals into the shelter. Bennett said that would discourage people from bringing them in.

“This will gross a lot of people out but I grew up in the country and when I was a kid if you had a stray dog in the way and it didn’t belong to a neighbor we eliminated them,” said Commissioner Adcock.

“It’s 2021 and we’re not doing that”, said Bennett.

“Then the people who are bringing them (animals) to you should be paying and not those (county taxpayers) who are not bringing them to you,” added Commissioner Adcock.

In March the City of Smithville voted to terminate the city’s 99 year lease with the DeKalb Coalition for the Humane Treatment of Animals and for the city to assume total control of the operation. The Coalition went to Chancery Court to challenge the decision and was granted a temporary injunction to take back control of the shelter from the city pending a hearing in Chancery Court. A settlement has reportedly been reached between the City and Coalition subject to the court’s approval. The announcement is expected at the next scheduled hearing this month in Chancery Court.

Shelter Background:
The DeKalb Animal Shelter opened in November 2017 on Transfer Station Road off Highway 70 east in Smithville behind Tenneco Automotive under the guidance of the DeKalb Animal Coalition, a non-profit organization, with a mission to provide a safe location for neglected, abandoned and abused animals; to provide an alternative low-kill policy so these animals receive medical attention, reduce overpopulation, and be cared for until they can be placed in homes. The new shelter replaced an old dilapidated dog pound which the city operated and staffed for years on Smith Road
The two full time employees who work at the shelter, Director Megan Moore (no longer employed there) and Emmaly Bennett were employed by the City of Smithville. The Coalition also funds a part time employee. The city provides a truck for the shelter which is used for animal transports and the city has other expenses related to the shelter as specified in the 99 year lease which the city entered into with the Coalition in 2015. The original agreement was for the city to fund only one full time and a part time employee but that was later changed due to the workload.

Both the City of Smithville and the DeKalb County Government appropriated $75,000 for construction of the shelter and the Coalition raised funds and borrowed money to complete it.

Also under the Memorandum of Understanding with the county, the Coalition is to pick up aggressive animals for the county when a request is made from the county mayor’s office or the sheriff’s department at a fee of $110.

In a meeting on October 29, 2020, Janice Plemmons Jackson, the City of Smithville’s financial advisor, provided information on how much the city has spent on animal control before and since 2017.

“In fiscal year 2015 (before the new shelter was built) we spent roughly $60,000. In 2016 we spent $63,071. In 2017 we spent $64,000. In 2018, not counting the $75,000 that we gave toward building the shelter, we spent $118,372. In 2019 we spent $103,000 and in 2020 we have spent almost $115,000 so we have almost doubled what the city has been spending since before the building was built and what we have been contributing,” said Jackson.

“What we committed to originally was one full time and a part time employee, a vehicle and utilities. In addition to that you have some salary payroll taxes, insurance, retirement, repairs and maintenance, supplies, uniforms, the vehicle operation, and we do insure the building. They (Coalition) insure the contents, etc. So our costs have doubled yet we are getting no revenue (from the shelter). I don’t see a whole lot of what they are contributing other than they have got the building in place for us,” said Jackson.

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