Director Says New School Security System will make Schools Safer without Inconveniencing the Public

January 12, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County School District has launched another new layer of security at the schools to better protect students and staff from those that may present a danger but Director of Schools Patrick Cripps wants to assure the public that the Raptor Visitor Management System will not be used to inconvenience anyone.

Director Cripps said that Raptor allows each school to better screen visitors to strengthen security but no one will be asked to leave their ID and car keys at the main office during a visit.

“There has been some talk that we will take their license and their car keys and keep them (while they are in our buildings) but that’s not how the process works,” Director Cripps told WJLE. “In no way will this be an inconvenience to anyone.”

“All parents were notified just before the end of the Christmas break explaining how the Raptor System works and it was implemented on the first day we came back,” said Director Cripps.

“Upon entering a district (school) building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system,” according to the letter sent out. “If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor’s name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork,” the letter stated.

“When you get to a school and press a button to enter, a staff member will ask you for your photo ID driver license and they will run it through our scanner, and it will print out a label with your picture on it and your information. After your driver license is scanned it will be immediately returned to you. We are not keeping any personal information on you,” said Director Cripps.

“This is just another level of safety that we are trying to provide for our students, faculty, staff and for parents,” Director Cripps explained. “We want them to be able to send their kids to school and feel that we are taking every precaution we can to make sure that they are being provided a safe and secure environment in which to do their educational learning. The Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students”, he said.

January 12, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Election Commission has released a sample ballot for the March 5 DeKalb County Republican and Democratic Primaries and the Tennessee Presidential Preference Primary.

Sample Ballot

The DeKalb County Assessor of Property race is contested. The candidates are Republican Incumbent Shannon Cantrell and GOP challenger Amy Clare Lockhart. The winner of the DeKalb Republican Primary in that race will be unopposed in the August 1, 2024 DeKalb County General Election.

The only other local race to be contested in March is in the 5th district for the Board of Education (School Board). The candidates are Republicans Megan Moore and Tom Walkup. Incumbent 5th district member Jamie Cripps is not seeking re-election.

Names of candidates for other local offices in the March 5 GOP primary are as follows:

Board of Education: District 5- Megan Moore and Tom Walkup

Board of Education: District 6- Jason Miller (Incumbent)- Unopposed

Constable: District 1-Tyler Cripps –Unopposed.

Constable: District 2-Danny Adamson- Unopposed.

Constable: District 3-Travis Bryant (Incumbent)-Unopposed.

Constable: District 4-Lane Ball (Incumbent)-Unopposed

Constable: District 5-Mark Milam (Incumbent)-Unopposed

Constable: District 6- No Candidate.

Constable: District 7-Jeremy Wayne Neal-Unopposed

Criminal Court Judge-Part III (13th Judicial District)- Shawn Fry of Cookeville- Unopposed

The DeKalb County Republican and Democratic Primaries will be held March 5 in conjunction with the Tennessee Presidential Preference Primary. Party nominees for local offices on March 5 will run in the DeKalb County General Election on Thursday, August 1, 2024 and those elected will take office September 1, 2024.

The voter registration deadline for the March 5th primaries is February 5 and the early voting period will be Wednesday, February 14 through Tuesday, February 27. The Absentee ballot request deadline is Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

The presidential field is set in Tennessee for the March 5, 2024, Super Tuesday Presidential Preference Primary. On Super Tuesday, 15 other states will join Tennessee in helping decide each party’s presidential nominee.

The following candidates are on Tennessee’s March 5, 2024, ballot:

Republican Primary Ballot:
•Ryan Binkley
•Chris Christie
•Ron DeSantis
•Nikki Haley
•Asa Hutchinson
•Vivek Ramaswamy
•David Stuckenberg
•Donald J. Trump

Democratic Primary Ballot:
•Joseph R. Biden

January 12, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A convicted felon who led sheriff’s department deputies on a pursuit from DeKalb County into two other counties before being forced off the road into a ditch in April had his day in court Tuesday, January 9.

40-year-old Warren Brandon Glasby entered a plea to possession of a schedule II drug methamphetamine) over 0.5 grams and possession of a schedule II drug (ANPP) for sale. He received an 8-year sentence in the meth case and 3 years on the other charge to run concurrently with each other and with a Wilson County TDOC sentence against him. Glasby must serve at least 30% of the sentence before his release eligibility date. He was fined $2,000. Glasby was given jail credit of 273 days.

The passenger with Glasby, 30-year-old Katelyn Luann Goodwin of Allens Ferry Road, Smithville was also charged. Her case remains pending in court.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Monday April 10 a deputy was patrolling Woodbury Highway when he spotted a red Ford Mustang failing to maintain its lane of travel. He said the Mustang almost hit another vehicle. The officer turned around and caught up with the Mustang at the intersection of Woodbury Highway and Nashville Highway, but when he turned on his emergency equipment, the driver of the Mustang, Glasby fled into Cannon, Wilson, and then back into Cannon County.

During the pursuit, Sheriff Ray said Goodwin threw objects out of the passenger side door including a large cooler apparently trying to slow the deputy and another officer which had joined the chase.

According to Sheriff Ray, Goodwin also handed Glasby a firearm which he pointed at the officers from the driver side window of the Mustang before throwing it to the ground during the pursuit. Goodwin also handed Glasby other objects during the chase which he threw out of the car window placing the pursuing deputies in imminent danger. Those objects were later recovered including numerous baggies, clothing and the firearm.

As the pursuit continued, Sheriff Ray instructed the officers to force Glasby off the road due to the increasing risk to the public as Glasby had posed a danger to other vehicles and a pedestrian along the way.

After the Mustang was forced off the roadway into a ditch, Glasby got out of the car through the driver side window and fled on foot through a creek and into a field before he was taken forcibly to the ground and handcuffed by officers. Goodwin remained at the car and was also taken into custody.

During a search, deputies found inside Glasby’s front pocket a grocery bag which contained 1.95 ounces of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine and 10 grams of a white powdery substance thought to be cocaine. A background check through central dispatch revealed that Glasby’s driver license was revoked.

In other cases, 21-year-old Kobe Cantrell entered a plea by criminal information to possession of methamphetamine over 0.5 grams for sale and aggravated assault. He received an 8-year sentence in the meth case and 3 years for the aggravated assault. The two sentences are to run concurrently with each other, and all suspended to supervised probation except for 201 days of time served. Cantrell was fined $2,000.

35 year old Maranda Smith entered a plea to possession of methamphetamine over 0.5 grams for sale and received an 8 year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. She was fined $2,000

31-year-old Ashley Mingle entered a plea to theft over $1,000 and received a two year sentence all suspended to probation. She was given jail credit of six days.

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