Cannon County Man Sentenced for Breaking Into and Stealing from Local Auto Body Shop

July 18, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A Cannon County man who broke into a local body shop in October 2021 and stole a car and thousands of dollars’ worth of tools before being caught by the Smithville Police Department appeared for sentencing in DeKalb County Criminal Court Monday (July 18)

23-year-old Joseph Morgan entered a plea to theft over $10,000 and received a sentence of 6 years all suspended to supervised probation to run concurrently with a Cannon County TDOC sentence against him. Morgan was given jail credit for 287 days served and he is to make restitution to the victims in the amounts of $300 and $14,584.

According to Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins and Lieutenant Detective James Cornelius, Morgan pried open a side door and entered Custom Collision Auto Body & Repair on South Congress Boulevard around 11 p.m. Saturday night, October 2, 2021. Once inside Morgan found a Kia Soul which belonged to a customer that was in the shop for repairs and began loading into the car thousands of dollars’ worth of tools along with the shop’s DVR surveillance system.

While Morgan was still inside the business, a Smithville Police Officer was on patrol in the area and spotted three people behind Smithville Elementary School who were there dumpster diving. The officer got the identities of the three and ordered them to leave. Not knowing Morgan was inside the body shop a few feet away, the officer left the area and continued patrolling around Food Lion where he found people behind that store. When he chased them away, the officer returned to patrol the parking lot of the county complex and noticed Morgan near the shop. Morgan had opened the bay door from inside the shop and driven the Kia Soul out of the building. After Morgan saw the officer, he sped away. The officer got in pursuit of the vehicle and was joined by other patrolmen. Although police couldn’t catch up to it at the time, the car was later found abandoned off Holmes Creek Road near redneck beach but the stolen tools were not in it.

During his investigation, Detective Cornelius learned that several businesses and other establishments near the scene of the crime captured video with their surveillance systems. He then spent hours reviewing the footage which helped identify Morgan as a suspect. Detective Cornelius also discovered that one of the people dumpster diving behind the elementary school was an acquaintance of Morgan although he had not been connected with Morgan’s illegal activities that night.

Police located Morgan Sunday, October 3, 2021 and brought him in for questioning but he initially denied committing the crimes. Morgan was later released as more evidence was being gathered. By Monday evening, October 4, 2021 Detective Cornelius was ready to make an arrest and again picked up Morgan. Once confronted with the proof, Morgan confessed and led officers to the place where he had ditched the stolen tools near the scene of the crime before making his getaway.

The stolen Kia Soul and almost all the stolen tools were recovered. There was some minor damage to the body shop where Morgan had pried open a door to gain entry. The value of the stolen car is $23,490; $20,000 in shop tools, and $2,300 for the DVR equipment which at the time had not been recovered.

July 18, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A woman who allegedly tried to harm a man by hitting him with her moving vehicle has been charged with aggravated assault.

47-year-old Stephanie Ann Pierce of Blue Springs Road, Smithville is under a $10,000 bond and she will be in court July 21. Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on July 12 a deputy was summoned to Blue Springs Road due to an assault. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a man who said that Pierce tried to hit him with her vehicle. According to the man, as he was trying to get her tag number, Pierce put her car in reverse and sped toward him. He had to jump a fence to get away from the car.

36-year-old Jason Alexander Sturdivant of Page Drive Smithville is charged with resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest or search. His bond is $7,000 and he will be in court July 28. Sheriff Ray said that on July 12 while a deputy was speaking with Sturdivant about warrants against him out of Wilson County, he (Sturdivant) fled on foot after telling the officer he had no bond money. Sturdivant was soon taken into custody.

25-year-old Bailey Moriah Huck of Cookeville is charged with possession of a handgun while under the influence and driving under the influence. She was further cited for violation of the open container law, simple possession of a schedule VI drug (marijuana) and drug paraphernalia. Her bond is $6,500. Sheriff Ray said that on July 13 a deputy was patrolling Nashville Highway when he came upon a motor vehicle accident at Murfreesboro Highway. He stopped and spoke with the driver, Huck who had a strong odor of alcohol on her and Huck’s eyes were glossy. She was also uncooperative with the deputy and refused to submit to field sobriety tasks. Inside the vehicle was an open container of Vodka, 12 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, a marijuana grinder, and a marijuana bong with residue. Huck also had in her possession a Ruger EC9S 9-millimeter handgun. She was placed under arrest.

44-year-old Jamie Lee Orrand of Church Street, Alexandria is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $500 and he will be in court July 28. Sheriff Ray said that on July 14 while conducting searches of the general public at the courthouse, a deputy noticed that Orrand appeared to have been under the influence as he came through. The officer continued to watch Orrand throughout the morning and saw that his behavior seemed unusual and that others in the room appeared to be annoyed by his actions. After being placed under arrest. Orrand admitted to the deputy that he had taken some methamphetamine prior to coming to the courthouse.

55-year-old Lisa Taylor Chancey of Sparta Highway, Smithville is charged with violating an order of protection. Her bond is $7,500 and she will be in court July 28. Sheriff Ray said that on July 14 a deputy served an order of protection on Chancey to keep away from her husband but after asking her several times to leave the residence as stated in the court order, Chancey refused the officer’s admonitions to do so.

38-year-old Violet Mae Tucker of Antioch Road, Smithville is charged with violating an order of protection. Her bond is $5,000 and she will make a court appearance July 28. Sheriff Ray said that on July 16 a deputy was called to a residence on Antioch Road due to a verbal domestic between Tucker and a man she was supposed to keep away from. Upon arrival the deputy spoke with the man who said that Tucker came to his home, in violation of the protection order, became irate, and threw things from inside the home at him.

July 18, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

Two weeks after she went missing, 31-year-old Brittany Ann Miller still has not been found and the search for her goes on spearheaded by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said search efforts have been conducted by ground, air, and on the lake but so far to no avail. An investigator of the District Attorney General’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are also assisting in the case

“Since the missing person report came in July 4, we have done grid searches around her property where she lives and also other property around there. The grid searches are conducted using officers on-foot and in all-terrain vehicles. The Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad has been instrumental in helping us do that. We also had cadaver and tracking dogs from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department and Murfreesboro Police Department come down and we had StormPoint Emergency Response deploy a drone to do an aerial search. The Tennessee Highway Patrol also did fly over helicopter searches and the Rescue Squad even conducted water searches using sonar around boat ramps and other locations on the lake,” said Sheriff Ray.

“It is still an on-going missing person case. If anyone has information as to Miller’s whereabouts, please give central dispatch a call at 615-215-3000 or phone the sheriff’s department’s crime tip line at 615-464-6400.

According to Sheriff Ray, Miller was last seen on July 4th around 4:00 p.m. at her home on Hurricane Ridge Road, Smithville. At the time she was reportedly wearing a black tee shirt possibly saying “DCHS Tigers”, black shorts knee length, and black tennis shoes with black “no show” socks. A white woman, Miller is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. Her eyes are blue and she has dark brown shoulder length hair. She also wears black frame glasses and has a tattoo of “Adam” across her forearm and “Tyler” on her right ankle.

Miller has been listed with the National Crime Information Center as a missing person.

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