Alexandria Has New Police Chief and New Officer (View Video of Meeting Here)

September 11, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The Town of Alexandria has a new police chief and a new officer.

During a special called meeting Tuesday evening of the Alexandria Mayor and Aldermen, Kenneth (K.D.) Smith of Brush Creek was hired as the new Chief of Police while Veronica Dodge of Sparta was employed by the council as a police officer.

Smith, who retired from the Greenbrier Police Department in 2019, has a background in law enforcement that spans 36 years. He served five departments and as Police Chief for three of them. He is a POST certified officer.

“I started law enforcement in Mount Juliet in 1984 as a volunteer,” said Smith. “From there I went full time at Lebanon in 1986. I left there and went back to Mount Juliet in 2006. That’s when they started Providence. I worked for Mount Juliet helping them with traffic issues, etc. and when I left Mount Juliet in 2008 I became the Chief at the Lakewood Police Department in Davidson County until 2010 when they decided to vote it out (dissolve municipal charter and merge with Metro Nashville) and then I came back to Lebanon for a couple of years. I then went to Westmoreland. I was the Chief there for almost three years and then I joined the Greenbrier Police Department as Chief from 2014 to 2019 when I retired,” he said.

Smith said he decided to come out of retirement after hearing that Alexandria was without police officers.

“I heard it through word of mouth,” said Smith. “I had several friends who had been in law enforcement who had called and asked me to look into it. Thinking I might be able to help them out, I called the mayor and talked to her about 30 minutes. She wanted to meet me in person. We later arranged a meeting and talked for a good hour and shared some ideas. We hit it off,” he said.

Chief Smith said he is ready to go to work right away.

“There’s a lot to be done building the police department back but that’s going to be our goal. It’ll just be the two of us for a while until we get things up and going. Possibly in the future we can bring on one or two more officers,” said Smith.

The work schedule between he and Officer Dodge still has to be worked out.

“The citizens may see me at 10 in the morning or 3 in the morning. I’ll be out at different times. My job won’t be an 8 to 4,” he said.

“For now, they (Smith and Dodge) will be doing 12-hour shifts or if they want to, they can rotate doing 10-hour shifts,” said Mayor Beth Tripp.

During times when neither Smith or Dodge may be on duty, the Sheriff’s Department is expected to continue doing routine patrols and answering calls in Alexandria just as it has always done.

“I am a people person,” said Chief Smith. “I love getting out in the community. I’ll be a working chief. I don’t sit in the office. There will be times I’ll have to be in the office doing paperwork, etc. but I’ll be out, seeing the people. I want the police department to be one that the citizens and this board can be proud of and that’s my goal as the chief,” he said.

Smith said he has a sister who lives in Watertown. His daughter and her family live in Brush Creek. Smith’s youngest son is looking to buy a house but is currently living with him. Smith’s oldest son lives in South Carolina.

Officer Dodge and her husband and child reside in Sparta where she has worked for the White County Sheriff’s Department.

“I am a transplant from Wisconsin,” said Dodge. “I was born in California but raised in Wisconsin. My husband and I moved to Sparta about six years ago. He also works at White County. We live in Sparta with our son. He goes to school there. Most of my law enforcement is in corrections. I got certified here last October in Tennessee. I went to the police academy in Wisconsin,” said Officer Dodge.

“I am excited to start with the Alexandria Police Department and help here. I like starting new programs and building them up. I did it for White County. I’m their NCIC TAC go between with the TBI. I help with TIBRS and crime reporting. I do a lot of finding and searching things, organization, talking with people, helping with courts. I wear many hats. I enjoy a challenge so this new opportunity for me here in Alexandria will be fun though it will be a lot of hard work,” said Dodge.

Mayor Tripp said she is excited about the new hires of Chief Smith and Officer Dodge adding that the town plans to fill another police department position at a later time.

September 10, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A woman indicted last summer on aggravated child abuse charges for allegedly using a taser on a five-year-old child appeared in DeKalb County Criminal Court today (Tuesday) where she received a two-year sentence.

40-year-old Nikesha Danielle Cooper, who had been indicted on three counts of aggravated child abuse and six counts of child abuse, entered a plea to two counts of child abuse and received a two-year sentence in each case to run concurrently. Cooper is to serve 100% of the sentence but she has already been given jail credit for 411 days.

The case against a co-defendant, 36-year-old Mark Dwayne Cantrell remains pending in court.

According to the nine-count indictment returned by the grand jury in July, 2023, the offenses occurred on or about August 26, 2021 when the child was five years old until August 25, 2022. The child’s date of birth is July 27, 2016. The youngster is now eight years old.

“This was a situation where a taser was used on the child”, District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway told WJLE in July, 2023.

Both Cantrell and Cooper were co-indicted for two counts of aggravated child abuse and four counts of child abuse. Cooper was also indicted for one additional count of aggravated child abuse and two additional counts of child abuse.

The counts against the two for aggravated child abuse allege that “On or about August 26, 2021 to August 25, 2022 in DeKalb County and before the finding of this indictment, Cantrell and Cooper did unlawfully, knowingly, and other than by accidental means, abuse (victim), a child under 18 years of age, such act of abuse, neglect, or endangerment was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, or involved the infliction of torture to the victim, thereby committing the offense of aggravated child abuse in violation of state law”

The counts against Cantrell and Cooper for child abuse allege that “On or about August 26, 2021 to August 25, 2022 in DeKalb County and before the finding of this indictment, Cantrell and Cooper did unlawfully, knowingly, and other than by accidental means, abused or neglected, and inflicted injury on (victim), a child under 18 years of age, such act of abuse or neglect so as to adversely affect the child’s health and welfare, thereby committing the offense of child abuse in violation of state law”.

September 10, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The Scottish Rite Chapter of Dekalb County would like to recognize the winner of this year’s $1,000 scholarship award to Ms. Abby Cross of Dowelltown.

Abby is very excited for this next chapter in her education and will be attending Tennessee Tech University this fall. Abby plans to major in Nursing and be involved in clubs such as The Women’s Ministry and Delight.

The Scottish Rite encourages all Dekalb Co. seniors to participate in the scholarship program by presenting a short essay for consideration. For more information and details on next year’s scholarship opportunity please see Mrs. Lorie Myrick.

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