Man Gets Probation For Theft of Cemetery Vases

A 27 year old man who was charged last year with stealing bronze vases from cemetery tombstones and then selling them at a scrapyard received two years probation in DeKalb County Criminal Court Friday, February 20
Judge Gary McKenzie presided.
Gary Christopher Ponder pled guilty to theft over $1,000 and received a two year sentence on supervised probation. The sentence is to run consecutive to his current probation in another case.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on or about March 24, Ponder allegedly took eleven bronze vases from eleven different graves (tombstones) at DeKalb Memorial Gardens. He then took the vases to a scrap yard in Woodbury where he sold them. The approximate value of the vases was more than $1,000.
20 year old Patrick Jess Gilliam of Rogersville, Tennessee pled guilty to one count of evading arrest and one count of reckless endangerment. He received a two year sentence in each case, all suspended to supervised probation. The sentences are to run consecutively or back to back for a total of four years. He was given jail credit from December 12, 2014 to February 20, 2015.
Sheriff Ray said that on October 16, 2013 two Sheriff’s Department Detectives responded to an unwanted guest call on Highway 56 north. They stopped a vehicle and checked for warrants on the two persons in that automobile. The passenger had an active warrant against him out of Hawkins County. The detectives approached the vehicle, opened the door, and asked the passenger to get out. The driver, Gilliam, then took off at a high rate of speed on Highway 56 north endangering the lives of the two detectives.
One of two women charged last year with introduction of contraband into the jail after sending a greeting card containing suboxone strips to family members incarcerated there was sentenced Friday.
28 year old Rebecca Marie Dickens pled guilty to the charge and received a three year sentence, all suspended to supervised probation. She has requested judicial diversion. Dickens must pay a $2,000 fine and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the recommended treatment. The case against a co-defendant, 54 year old Tammy Elizabeth Burton, apparently remains pending in court.
According to Sheriff Ray, Dickens and Burton mailed a greeting card to prisoners Corey Dickens and Travis Davenport on Friday March 7, 2014. The card arrived at the jail on Monday, March 10. Corey Dickens is Rebecca’s husband and Davenport is Burton’s son. Correctional officers found the subxone strips concealed inside the card “They (Dickens and Burton) tore loose one of the double backings in the card and inserted the suboxone strips,” said Sheriff Ray.
35 year old Abigail Vogel pled guilty to introduction of contraband into a penal institution. She received a three year sentence, suspended to probation. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, April 26, 2013 Vogel was arrested for another offense and brought to the jail for booking. After arriving, Vogel was asked several times if she had anything on her person that was illegal that the officers needed to know about. She replied no. When the correctional officer searched her before being booked, a plastic bag containing a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana was found in Vogel’s pocket.
23 year old Michael Leichtfuss pled guilty to introduction of contraband into a penal institution. He received a three year sentence, all suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000 and must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the recommended treatment. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, April 14, 2014 Leichtfuss was observed on video surveillance at the jail performing a suspicious act. When correctional officers investigated, Leichtfuss rose to his feet and a pill believed to be xanax, a Schedule IV drug, fell from his person onto the floor near his bunk. Leichtfuss admitted that the pill belonged to him.
43 year old Peggy Peoples pled guilty to two counts of attempted delivery of a schedule III drug. She received a three year sentence in each case to run concurrently with each other. The sentence was suspended to judicial diversion probation. She must pay a $2,000 fine to the drug fund.
75 year old Harry Vedder pled guilty to possession of a schedule VI drug and was granted judicial diversion probation for two years.
41 year old John Deck pled guilty to sale of a schedule II drug and received a three year sentence, all suspended to supervised probation by community corrections. He was fined $2,000 and must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the recommended treatment. Deck was given 81 days jail credit.
32 year old Christopher Newsom pled guilty to sale of a schedule II drug and received a three year sentence, suspended to judicial diversion probation. He was fined $2,000.
41 year old Cynthia Vaughn pled guilty to TennCare Fraud and sale of a schedule III drug. She received a three year sentence in each case to run concurrently and all suspended to supervised probation. She has requested judicial diversion. She must make restitution of $104.90 to TennCare and $25 to the Smithville Police Department.
56 year old Janice Darlene Strange pled guilty to sale of a schedule II drug and received a three year sentence, all suspended to TDOC probation on judicial diversion. She was fined $2,000.
23 year old Alexander Piasecki pled guilty to possession with intent to sell and received a two year sentence, suspended to judicial diversion supervised probation. He was fined $2,000
24 year old Hugo Godinez Juareg pled guilty to reckless endangerment and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on supervised probation.
36 year old John Perry pled guilty to assault and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days, all suspended to supervised probation. He was given jail credit of 55 days.
27 year old Robert Wright, III pled guilty to a second offense of driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to 90 days to serve and 28 days of inpatient treatment. He was fined $610 and will lose his license per Department of Safety regulations. He was given 90 days jail credit.
32 year old Kevin Manning pled guilty to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended except 48 hours. He was given jail credit for seven days. Manning must pay a fine of $350 and he will lose his license for one year. Manning must also attend an alcohol safety school and undergo and alcohol and drug assessment.
38 year old Brian Raynes pled guilty to driving under the influence. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days and will be on supervised probation except for 48 hours to serve. Raynes was fined $360 and he will lose his license for one year.
50 year old Pamela Moyers pled guilty to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days to serve 48 hours. She will be on supervised probation and was fined $350.