July 4, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
A man arrested last month after leading authorities on a high speed chase stemming from a shooting investigation has been charged with stealing the car he was driving during the pursuit.
44 year old Gregory Michael Patton is charged with burglary, aggravated burglary, and theft of property over $10,000. His bond is $22,500 and he will be in court July 30.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, June 11 Patton broke into a home on Adcock Cemetery Road and stole $1,000 worth of property and then stole from the residence a 2015 Toyota Corolla valued at $12,000.
Officers of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Smithville Police Department encountered Patton while searching for 28 year old Gregorio Cruz Vanloo of McMinnville, who had been a suspect in a “shots fired” incident in the parking lot of Los Lobos Mexican Restaurant in Smithville.
“While we were searching a call came in that someone had spotted a man fitting the description of our suspect (Vanloo) getting into a red Toyota, driven by another man later identified as Patton, at the corner of Evins Mill Road and Highway 70. According to the witness, the man (suspect) got into the rear seat and laid down, The car then came back into town,” said Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins.
County and city officers later spotted a red Toyota matching the description on Highland Avenue and when they approached the car it sped away resulting in a pursuit which started in Smithville and traversed along several streets and county roads before heading out Short Mountain Highway and into Cannon County where the driver finally pulled over on Jim Cummings Highway near the Coffee County line. During the chase, which at times exceeded speeds of 100 miles per hour, a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) was issued and officers from the Warren County and Cannon County Sheriff’s Departments, Woodbury Police Department, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol joined in the effort to get the vehicle stopped. Following the chase , officers discovered that Vanloo was not in the Toyota with Patton and received a tip that he was at a residence on Highland Avenue where the pursuit began but upon arriving there after the tip, they discovered Vanloo had already left.
After the pursuit, Sheriff Ray said that Patton was charged with reckless endangerment, evading arrest, and driving under the influence. He was also cited for possession of schedule II and V drugs (methamphetamine and Gabapentin).
The charges against Patton taken that day (June 11) allege he tried to evade law enforcement in congested traffic driving at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour forcing several vehicles off the roadway and going through a public housing area at excessive speeds where children were present.
Patton admitted to having taken methamphetamine and heroin. His speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet. Patton had to be assisted to the patrol car. He had on him 0.4 grams of methamphetamine and two Gabapentin pills.
Later that day, June 11, Vanloo was tracked to a home on Toad Road and was killed in an exchange of gunfire with local law enforcement officers.
47 year old Candida Faye Davidson of Eagle Creek Road, Smithville is charged with violation of bond conditions. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court July 16. Sheriff Ray said that on June 23 a deputy was summoned to a residence on Frosty Point due to an unwanted guest. Upon arrival he found Davidson at the residence with another woman in violation of court ordered bond conditions put in place on May 26. Under the order Davidson is to stay away from the woman.
30 year old Christopher Lee Cunningham of Old Blue Springs Road, Smithville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court July 16. Sheriff Ray said that on June 23 a deputy found Cunningham in a ditch on Blue Springs Road. He appeared to be under the influence. Cunningham was placed under arrest for his safety and that of the public.
49 year old Kevin Scott Hammond of Shady Drive, Smithville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,000 and he will be in court July 16. Sheriff Ray said that on June 26 a deputy was called to a business on Cookeville Highway where a man was possibly intoxicated. Upon arrival he found Hammond there. He was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. Hammond was placed under arrest for his safety and that of others.
41 year old James Ricky Ashford, Jr. of Eckels Heights, Liberty is charged with vandalism, burglary of an auto, and theft of property. His bond is $7,000 and he will make a court appearance July 16. Sheriff Ray said that on April 8 Ashford broke into a silver Chevrolet Impala and took several tools, tool bag, and baseball pitching machine with a total value of $600 . During the burglary he damaged the backseat of the car. The damage amount totaled $500.
38 year old Barry Summers of Wolf Creek Road is cited for theft under $1,000. Sheriff Ray said that on June 4 Summers took three batteries from a business on Cookeville Highway. He admitted to having committed the theft. The batteries were recovered at his home. The value of the batteries exceeded $500.
38 year old Jon Stephen Smith of Goodlettsville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court July 16. Sheriff Ray said that on June 22 a deputy was called to Pates Ford Marina on a domestic complaint. Upon arrival the officer learned that Stephen was the primary aggressor against his wife. He allegedly dragged her from bed, took a tablet from her, and then hit the woman about the head and face.
45 year old Jimmy Mason Page of Old Snow Hill Road, Dowelltown is charged with violation of an order of protection. He is under a $2,500 bond and his court date is June 25. Sheriff Ray said that on June 9 a deputy was summoned to a residence on the Old Snow Hill Road due to a suspicious person. Upon arrival the officer found Page at his mother’s home in violation of the order to keep away from there.
60 year old Jerry Donald Johnson of Lower Helton Road, Alexandria is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court July 2. Sheriff Ray said that on June 13 a deputy was called to a home on Lower Helton Road due to a possible domestic incident. Upon arrival the officer spoke with Johnson’s son who said that when he got home from work his father came after him with a stick. Witnesses said Johnson was the primary aggressor.
30 year old Eric Dean Morgan of Watertown is charged with a violation of an order of protection and domestic assault. He is under a $3,500 bond and his court date is July 2. Sheriff Ray said that on June 14 a deputy was called to the public square in Alexandria and spoke with a woman who reported that her ex-boyfriend, Morgan pushed her several times and struck her in the face and head with his fist at a residence they shared on Malone Hollow Road prior to her obtaining an order of protection against him. Under the order, Morgan was to keep away from the woman.
39 year old Mark Denver Young of Barnes Mill Road, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court July 16. Sheriff Ray said that on June 10 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Barnes Mill Road due to a domestic assault. Upon arrival the officer spoke to a woman who had bruises on her mouth, neck, and left arm. The woman said Young had struck her several times causing bruising and bleeding and that Young had also assaulted her four days before on June 6.
70 year old Melissa Ann King of King Court Circle, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court July 16. Sheriff Ray said that on June 11 a deputy responded to a domestic violence call on Kings Court Circle and spoke with King who said she and her daughter were at a neighbor’s home and got into an argument over civil matters. According to the daughter, King slapped her just below the left ear leaving marks.
49 year old Stanley William Morris, Jr. of Pumpkin Hollow Road, Liberty was arrested June 18 after being named in a Grand Jury sealed indictment charging him with 2 counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a half gram of methamphetamine in a drug free zone. His bond is $7,500 and he will be arraigned in criminal court on July 14.
24 year old Spencer Ervin Stanfield of Vickers Hollow Road, Smithville is charged with a 3rd offense of driving under the influence. He is under a $1,500 bond and will be in court July 9.
Sheriff Ray said on June 20 a deputy responded to the area of Four Seasons Road where a vehicle was setting in the middle of the road and the driver was passed out. Upon arrival the officer observed that the driver had two open containers of alcoholic beverages in his possession, one between his legs and the other in the center console cup holder. The deputy awoke the driver, Stanfield and asked him to submit to field sobriety tasks. After performing poorly on the tasks, Stanfield was placed under arrest. He was further cited for driving on a revoked license and violation of the open container law.