November 22, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
The investigation into a triple homicide in Warren County this week led to the arrests of three people in DeKalb County Thursday evening after some tense moments in the area of Bell Street Apartments.
The three taken into custody were 28-year-old Caleb Dias Brookins and Jessica Root, wanted by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department as suspects in the triple murder, and 21-year-old Hannah McKenzi Rose of Hickory Hollow Terrace in Antioch, Tennessee. Rose has been charged locally by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department with aggravated assault on a first responder and evading arrest in a motor vehicle. Her bond totals $125,000 and the court date is December 5.
During the episode, Sheriff Patrick Ray said a Homeland Security agent from Warren County sustained a leg injury after being struck by a vehicle trying to make a getaway being driven Rose with Brookins as her passenger. Before that, Rose rammed a DeKalb Sheriff’s Department truck operated by Chief Deputy Brian Williams with Detective Stephen Barrett as a passenger, but they were not injured. Although no one else was hurt, Sheriff Ray said Chris Stanford, the Warren County District Attorney fired shots on Rose’s vehicle. Neither the vehicle nor the suspects were hit by the gunfire. Brookins fled on foot but was taken into custody a couple of hours later without incident by TBI. Brookins was found near Bell Street on Wade Street walking down the road. He was unarmed.
According to Sheriff Ray, one of the suspects (Root) had lived here at one time and she has family here.
“The Warren County Sheriff’s Office had a search warrant for an outbuilding on Bell Street trying to find items from the triple homicide,” he said.
“We found her (Root) here in DeKalb County. They (Warren County) had warrants on her. They also had warrants on Brookins for theft,” said Sheriff Ray.
Sheriff Ray went on to provide a more detailed statement about how the episode unfolded.
“Today Warren County Sheriff Jackie Matheny Jr. and his detectives along with an officer from Homeland Security came to DeKalb County because they had a lead on one of the suspects in a triple homicide this week in Warren County. We assisted them by going to a local store and pulling video footage and found out who the subject was (Root) and where the subject was staying. We went over there. They had a warrant on her. It was a female they were looking for (Jessica Root). We were able to arrest her. We found out that her boyfriend (Brookins), the other suspect in the triple murder was on his way back from Nashville coming to Bell Street Apartments. We setup waiting on him to come to the apartments. We had a vehicle description and he (Brookins) and another woman (Rose) pulled into the parking lot. We thought that is who it was. It was hard to get a clear vision, but it was a white female and a black male in the car. They went to the end of Bell Street apartments and turned around. The sheriff’s departments from DeKalb and Warren Counties had people set up there. The female driving the car (Rose) rammed a DeKalb Sheriff’s Department truck operated by Chief Deputy Brian Williams with passenger Detective Stephen Barrett who were not hurt but she hit a Homeland Security officer injuring his leg. They were trying to get away and ran up into a yard at a residence on Bell Street. The male (Brookins) took off running. He was caught by the TBI a couple of hours later in the housing projects on Wade Street,” said Sheriff Ray.
Within minutes of the incident, Sheriff Ray said a 911 call alert was issued to warn the public.
“Within probably five or ten minutes of when this happened at about 3:45 p.m. I instructed central dispatch to do a one-mile radius call to residents around Bell Street to inform them that we had somebody that we thought was armed and dangerous at the time and to be observant. We gave a description of him and what he was wearing. We later extended that call to warn residents in a three-mile radius of Bell Street,” said Sheriff Ray.
Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said Smithville Elementary, Northside Elementary, DeKalb Middle School, and DCHS were on lock down with their afterschool programs during the threat and while buses did not run after school routes from those schools, parents were permitted to pick up their children.
Warren County Sheriff Jackie Matheny Jr, Thursday night issued the following statement:
“On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at approximately 8:50 a.m., officers with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office responded to 900 Merry Oaks Road in reference to a deceased male being located inside the residence. Upon further investigation, two other bodies were located in an outbuilding on an adjacent property being used as a residence. The deceased have been identified as the homeowner, William Piechocniski, Dana Ramsden, and Otis Hawks, II”.
“I immediately requested the assistance of investigators with the District Attorney General’s office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and agents with Homeland Security. Also responding and assisting at the scene were detectives with the McMinnville Police Department”.
“Leads were quickly developed and the investigation led us to locations in Nashville and Memphis. Evidence of theft of property that belonged to at least one of the deceased individuals was found in both Nashville and Memphis. The identification of the suspects was confirmed through the evidence found in these cities”.
“On Thursday, November 21, 2024, investigators received information that the suspects may be in DeKalb County, Tennessee. Investigators responded to DeKalb County where one suspect, Jessica Root, was taken into custody without incident. The second suspect was located in a vehicle being driven by a female identified as Hannah Rose. In the process of attempting to evade law enforcement, a Homeland Security agent was struck by the fleeing vehicle. At this time, shots were fired, but no person was injured”.
“Subsequently, and after an intensive search, the second suspect, Caleb Brookins, was taken into custody, along with Hannah Rose”.
“Caleb Brookins and Jessica Root have been charged with three (3) counts of Criminal Homicide and they are being held without bond in the Warren County Jail. Hannah Rose has been charged in DeKalb County with Felony Evading Arrest and Aggravated Assault for hitting the agent with Homeland Security”.
“I want to personally thank and highly commend the outstanding collaborative work of all of the law enforcement agencies during this investigation. I want to ask that you pray for the families of the three (3) victims and also pray for our Homeland Security agent as he recovers from his injuries”.
Sheriff Ray said agencies involved in the search and investigation in addition to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department were detectives, officers, and drones of the Warren County Sheriff’s Department and McMinnville Police Department and members of their SWAT Team, Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter and ground units, agents of Homeland Security, Smithville Police Department, and members of the 13th and 31st District Attorney General’s Offices including DA’s Bryant Dunaway and Chris Stanford.
The following statement was released by District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway:
“This evening, at my request, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began to investigate an incident that occurred on Bell Street in Smithville, Dekalb County, Tennessee. The incident involved a report that the District Attorney for Warren County, TN, Chris Stanford, fired shots during the attempted apprehension of a man named Caleb Brookins on outstanding warrants out of Warren County, TN. He was later taken into custody on those warrants and transported to Warren County. No individual was shot in the incident,” he said.