Two Charged in Theft of Bass Boat

November 23, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Two people have been charged with theft of property over $2,500 after they were found in possession of a 17-foot bass boat reported stolen in October from the Red Bank area of Chattanooga.

30-year-old Haley Dawn Wright of Midway Road, Smithville is under a $7,500 bond and she will be in court December 9. Bond for 40-year-old Scotty Brian Heard of Spring City, Tennessee is $22,500. In addition to the boat, Heard is also charged with theft of property over $1,000 and vandalism of a 2006 Harley Davidson Road King motorcycle reported stolen from a location on Highway 70 in the Snow Hill area. His court date is also December 9.

The boat was found at Wright’s home on November 15.

On the day it was reported stolen in DeKalb County, October 13, Sparta Police spotted the motorcycle and stopped it. Heard, who was operating the bike, was arrested and taken into custody. The motorcycle, which was returned to the owner, had some damage and missing parts totaling $2,270.

65-year-old Jimmy Ray Driver of Allen Street, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will make a court appearance December 2.

Sheriff Ray said that on November 16 a deputy was dispatched to Shady Drive due to a possible domestic assault. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a woman who said that she and her boyfriend, Driver had gotten into an argument and that when she tried to leave the residence on Allen Street, he attempted to push her out the door and down the steps. When she got to the yard, Driver pushed her against the front of a vehicle placing both hands on her upper chest causing a skin tear and bruising as well as bruising on her left arm. In an effort to escape, the woman hit Driver in the face. He then backed up and threw her phone giving her enough time to grab the phone and leave by car.

39-year-old Josue Alberto Sosa Torres of Petty Road, Smithville is charged with domestic assault and a driver license violation. His bond is $5,000 and he will make a court appearance on December 16.

Sheriff Ray said that on November 21 a deputy was dispatched to Petty Road due to a report of a domestic disturbance. Upon his arrival the officer spoke with Torres and a woman. She reported that her boyfriend, Torres had hit her in the head and arms while they were driving to the residence on Petty Road. She had several bruises on her right arm as well as a possible broken bone in her arm and a scratch on her left arm. Her daughter witnessed the assault and gave a written statement. While at the scene Torres also showed the officer a fake identification card.

November 23, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County High School basketball teams will play their home openers tonight (Tuesday) hosting Cannon County. The girls game starts at 6 p.m. followed by the boy’s game. WJLE will have LIVE coverage.

https://www.wjle.com/tiger-talk/

Listen for WJLE’s Tiger Talk program at 5:30 p.m. featuring Tiger Coach John Sanders and Lady Tiger Coach Danny Fish with Tiger players Jordan Young and Brayden Antoniak and Lady Tigers Kadee Ferrell and Natalie Snipes.

November 22, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

If the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen grant an annexation request by local developer Larry Hasty next month, they will have to do it without city ownership of a portion of the four streets surrounding the 13-acre site near the airport.

During the regular monthly meeting Monday night, the county commission voted 10 to 0 to reject a recommendation from the DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission to transfer ownership of Allen Street, Shady Drive, Second Street, and Parkway Drive to the City of Smithville subject to city annexation of the Hasty property. Four commissioners were absent.

As a result of the vote, the county will not be transferring ownership of these four roads to the city.

Hasty wants the city to annex his property which is surrounded by Parkway Drive, Allen Street, Shady Drive and 2nd Street so that he can develop a 40-lot residential subdivision there. The mayor and aldermen could still grant the request even without city ownership of the roads but it may be unlikely since that was one of the conditions established by the city council for consideration of annexation. Plus, a new concern has been raised by the city’s consulting engineer who recently sent a letter to Mayor Josh Miller urging the city to not take any action (annexation) that might interfere with the airport’s Runway Protection Zone (RPZ) or hamper future extension of the airport runway.

Several residents in the neighborhood showed up at both the county regional planning commission meeting on November 8 and at a workshop session of the county commission November 18 to voice their opposition to the whole idea of transferring the roads as well as the annexation. They may return when the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen hold a public hearing on the annexation request Monday, December 6 at 5:30 p.m. at city hall prior to the regular monthly meeting that night at 6 p.m.

The residents say a development with more houses there would create greater traffic congestion and safety concerns with speeding and add to already deteriorating road conditions and existing wetland issues in that area. There is also a concern with low flying aircraft from the airport.

Hasty said last Thursday night that there is no need for his neighbors to be concerned.

“I am a little bit puzzled by the community’s response to what I am proposing to do because this 13-acre tract has been designated for residential property for decades. I have owned this property for 15 years now since 2006. In 2015 I brought the property before the county planning commission and got their blessing on a residential development project as far as their blessing could be given. It was not really a final blessing. It was a plat and they told me if I was going to develop it the way I wanted to I would need to go to the city and get sewer. Obviously, the tract needs sewer to be developed. For the past six years I have been working with the city off and on to get sewer to the tract. We have talked about a grinder pump sewer system. We have talked about pump stations. I wanted to pump into the forced main on Allen’s Chapel Road with sewer, the one that has been there for years. They (city) didn’t want me to do that. They held my feet to the fire about having gravity flow sewer which is a big undertaking for this piece of ground,” said Hasty.

“Some of the objections are that septic problems exist in the area. I won’t have any septic tanks on this piece of property. On the flooding issue. Part of this 13-acre property, maybe two and a half acres, is wetland. The pond that is in place will remain as a retention area for runoff water. If I develop this property properly like I would with an engineer we won’t be dumping any water on anybody. We will control our property within the project and let it flow out the natural way it flows now,” Hasty continued.

“As far as the airport is concerned, I have worked with the City of Smithville. I have signed an overhead easement for the aircraft and I would be limited on the height that I could build the houses on the development. I am a little bit perplexed that there is really this much objection to property that was already going to be developed at some point anyway. There is not going to be anything near as nice as what I am going to put on it if it stays in the county and has to be developed some other way. With no zoning in place, it could be anything. What I am trying to do is put a nice residential project on it like has already been approved,” added Hasty.

“As far as traffic, that is always going to be with us but Big Hurricane Road and Allen’s Chapel Road have their own entrances out to Cookeville Highway and going down Parkway Drive through that neighborhood there is another outlet to Cookeville Highway. There will not be 80 cars a year traveling up and down through there. It will be a nice residential neighborhood,” said Hasty.

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