Smithville and Liberty Christmas Parades One Week Away (VIEW VIDEOS HERE)

November 24, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Two of the three Christmas parades this holiday season in DeKalb County will be held next weekend.

Sponsored by the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department, this year’s Smithville Christmas parade will be Saturday, December 1 and will depart from Smithville Elementary School at 1 p.m. The line-up begins at 11 a.m. The parade will make its way down South Congress Boulevard and turn onto Don Cantrell Street by city hall to the public square.

(VIEW VIDEOS BELOW OF THE 2017 SMITHVILLE CHRISTMAS PARADE)

M2U02599 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

(2017 SMITHVILLE CHRISTMAS PARADE PART 2 BELOW)

Everyone wanting to get a good look may gather downtown or find a spot along the parade route. Santa will visit with the children after the parade on the square.

A first, second, and third place plaque will be awarded to the best floats and the Smithville Business and Professional Women’s Club will present a Spirit Award.

The deadline for entering the parade is Friday, November 30 but if you still wish to enter after the deadline your entry will be placed at the back of the parade line.

To enter contact Jeff Wright at 615-597-6750 or John Poss at 931-349-5598

(VIEW VIDEO OF 2017 LIBERTY CHRISTMAS PARADE BELOW)

M2U02601 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

Meanwhile the Liberty Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Town of Liberty and Liberty State Bank will be Sunday, December 2 starting at 2 p.m. The line-up begins at 1 p.m. at Salem Baptist Church. No pre-registration is needed. Anyone wanting to participate may just show up for the line-up at 1 p.m. Refreshments will be available and prizes will be given away after the parade. The best entries in the parade will also be awarded in various categories.

(VIEW VIDEO OF 2017 ALEXANDRIA CHRISTMAS PARADE BELOW)

M2U02613 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

The Alexandria Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Town of Alexandria and participating businesses, will be Sunday, December 9 at 2 p.m. with the line-up at 1 p.m. on West Main Street. To enter, contact Jessica Cripps at the Alexandria City Hall to fill out an entry form. Call 615-529-2171 for more information. Prizes will be given away after the parade. The best entries in the parade will also be awarded in various categories.

November 23, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Cash Express in conjunction with the Smithville Police Department is hosting its 3rd annual “Fill A Police Car” event today on Black Friday, November 23 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the business location 126 E. Bryant Street.

The police department has provided a vehicle to be fill up with food, toys, and coats. This event also includes a bake sale, soup sale, and jewelry sale.

(VIEW VIDEO BELOW OF SMITHVILLE POLICE SERGEANT TRAVIS BRYANT AND JAMIE DAWSON OF CASH EXPRESS)

IMG_2918 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

The public is asked to bring new toys, canned food, and winter coats for this collection effort. All the donations will remain in DeKalb County for families in need. Monetary donations will also be accepted along with soups and bake sale items. You may also make monetary donations on Facebook.

Money and toys will go to the Smithville Police Department to be distributed; food will go to a local pantry; and coats and clothes will be donated to the clothes closet. The toy and coat drive will run through December 7 with more than 100 drop box locations in DeKalb County. For questions concerning this event, you may call 615-597-3427

November 23, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

When DeKalb County Jail inmates are scheduled for arraignment they have to be escorted by deputies from the jail to the courthouse for their first appearance in court. That will soon change thanks to a grant the county has received to purchase and install a video arraignment system.

During Tuesday night’s all committees meeting of the county commission, County Mayor Tim Stribling said the total cost of purchasing and installing the camera equipment for LIVE video chat between the jail and in the general sessions and criminal courtrooms comes to $39, 391 but the county applied for a grant through the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts and was funded at $35, 407 dollars with a 10% local match of $3,984. Stribling said former Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack and he wrote the grant and submitted the application several months ago.

(VIEW VIDEO BELOW OF ANDERSON COUNTY’S SYSTEM)

With the video arraignment system, a judge can have the formal reading of criminal charges to a defendant without them being in the room. The inmates will be beamed into the courtroom through video chat rather than physically being transported to the courthouse.

Stribling said the video arraignment system still preserves the rights of due process for inmates without incurring the risks and expense of inmate transportation back and forth between the jailhouse and courtroom. It can also enhance safety and security in the courthouse.

“This video arraignment system is something Katherine Pack and I talked about getting for a couple of years. Last year we applied for a grant for bullet proof benches and panic buttons in both courtrooms. We received $17,000 for this upgrade and also courtroom security training. This brought our courtrooms up to minimum courtroom security standards thus allowing us to apply for the video arraignment system. The judges and Sheriff Patrick Ray were in favor of us applying for this grant. We are pleased and very fortunate to have received funds for this system. With only a 10% match, it lessens the financial burden on the county of installing a $39,000 system like this,” said County Mayor Stribling.

“I am very thankful for the video arraignment grant. Transporting inmates from the jail to the courthouse is very dangerous. It is a time that inmates may try to escape or try to pick up contraband and bring back into the jail. There are also safety concerns for the inmate. Someone may try to take out their anger on an inmate for the crime he or she has committed during this time. This is a safety concern for the jail staff also, “ said Sheriff Ray.

“We transport around 25 to 30 inmates on General Sessions court days and around 35 to 49 inmates on Criminal Court days. The video arraignment will cut down on transporting inmates for first time court arraignments also. We have to do inmate transports from other jails to the courts here in DeKalb County. We are hoping this system can be used instead of doing the transports. If a jail has a system like this, the inmate will remain in the county they are incarcerated at and the judge will be able to see them in the courtroom here in DeKalb and do their arraignment over the video system. This will save a lot of time and money and also free up sitting space in the courtrooms and bed space at the jail,” added Sheriff Ray.

Since defendants have a right to face their accusers, the video system cannot be used in every stage of the judicial process.

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