Smithville Police have charged a 24 year old man accused of trying to break into an apartment on Friday, September 18th
Chief Richard Jennings says Joshua Rhyan Cripps of 118 Steeple Chase Drive was arrested for simple possession, unlawful possession of a weapon and attempted aggravated burglary.
According to the police report, Officer Travis K. Bryant responded to 320 West Broad Street Apartments in regard to a burglary in progress, Upon arrival, Officer Bryant made contact with Cripps, who was walking down the sidewalk. Bryant asked Cripps what he was doing and he responded that he was looking for a friend who lives in the apartment. Officer Bryant then asked Cripps if he had any weapons and he replied that he had a knife. Officer Bryant asked fellow Officer Matt Holmes to pat down Cripps and the search turned up a large knife. A subsequent search incident to arrest also uncovered a pill bottle containing sixteen white bar shaped pills. The investigation further revealed that Cripps had attempted to break into the apartment by sliding his drivers license card between the door frame and door and he was attempting to pry open the window in an effort to gain entry. The victim told police that she feared for her life.
Meanwhile, 48 year old Danny Ray Ponder of 7851 Old Mill Hill Road, Dowelltown is charged with simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance.
K-9 Officer Bradley Tatrow reports that on September 11th he received a call of a non personal injury traffic accident in the parking lot of City Walk Apartments. Upon arrival, Officer Tatrow made contact with the two drivers involved, one of whom was Ponder. According to Officer Tatrow, Ponder appeared to be intoxicated but was not in physical control of the vehicle. Ponder said that he is on parole for sale and delivery of a schedule II controlled substance. He gave Officer Tatrow consent to search both his person and his vehicle and a small blue container was recovered from Ponder’s right pocket. There was one small yellow pill inside the container believed to be K-4 Dilaudid, which is a schedule II controlled substance. Ponder was placed under arrest.
22 year old Hunter Wayne Patterson of 728 Short Mountain Street, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence, felony evasion and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Officer Nathan Estes reports that on September 13th he observed a vehicle squeal tires causing excessive noise at the intersection of Highway 56 and 70. Upon activating emergency equipment to signal the vehicle to stop at the entrance to Mapco Express, the automobile sped up going westbound on Highway 70. It continued to evade by turning left and going southbound on South Mountain Street. Officer Estes alerted dispatch. The automobile kept going south until it stopped at the intersection of South Mountain Street and Gentry Avenue where Officer Bradley Tatrow and a county deputy were standing by to assist Officer Estes in the apprehension of the suspect. Patterson was taken into custody and charged with felony evasion. Upon further investigation, probable cause was found to charge him with contributing to the delinquency of minors because he allegedly purchased alcohol for persons under the age of 21. Patterson had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage about his person, his speech was slurred, and he was unsteady on his feet. Patterson submitted to field sobriety tasks and performed poorly. Patterson submitted to a test to determine the alcohol and or drug content of his blood.
40 year old Thomas Lane Smith of 857 Luttrell Avenue, Smithville was arrested on September 14th for driving on a revoked license due to a second offense of driving under the influence. Officer Matt Holmes reports that he was at Regions Bank on Short Mountain Highway when he observed a vehicle traveling north and noticed that the driver, Smith, was not wearing his seatbelt. The vehicle was stopped at Pennzoil on East Broad Street. When Officer Holmes asked Smith for his drivers license, he replied that it was revoked due to a DUI. A computer check through central dispatch revealed that the license was revoked for a DUI in 1989 and that Smith had multiple offenses for driving on a revoked license since then. Smith was arrested and taken to the police department. He was also cited for not wearing a seatbelt and for not having insurance.
26 year old Randall Keith Crutcher, Jr. of 1870 Coconut Ridge, Smithville was arrested on September 14th for a first offense of driving on a suspended license. Officer Travis Bryant reports that he observed a vehicle traveling 41 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. Officer Bryant stopped the automobile and made contact with the driver, identified as Crutcher. A check of his drivers license revealed that it was suspended in Smith County on June 1st for failure to satisfy a citation. He was placed under arrest and transported to the police department.
42 year old Anthony George Franklin, Jr. of 844 College Street, Jackson Tennessee was arrested on September 15th for a second offense of driving on a suspended license. According to the police report, Officer Matt Holmes responded to the scene of an accident at the intersection of West Broad Street and Short Mountain Highway. Upon investigation of the accident, Officer Holmes made contact with Franklin who was in a Chevy Blazer. A computer check of his drivers license revealed that it was suspended in Hardeman County on January 17th, 1996 and on January 28th, 2007. Franklin was arrested for driving on a suspended license and cited for traffic offenses after being involved in an accident with injuries.
21 year old Silvia Nicole Hawkins of 390 Cecil Hale Road, Smithville was arrested on September 16th for driving under the influence and simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance. According to the report, K-9 Officer Brad Tatrow, while running stationary radar at South Mountain Street and Miller Road, observed a small silver SUV fail to maintain the lane of travel going northbound on Mountain Street. The vehicle made a sharp erratic turn left onto Miller Road. Upon getting behind the SUV north on Anthony Avenue, Officer Tatrow observed the vehicle weaving within the lane of travel and fail to maintain the lane of travel to the right side of the roadway. He also paced the SUV at 53 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. Officer Tatrow activated his emergency equipment but the vehicle continued traveling for about a quarter of a mile before coming to a stop. He asked Hawkins to exit her vehicle, and while she complied, Hawkins reacted slowly and was unsteady. After asking her if she had any weapons, narcotics, or alcohol, she produced an allergy medicine bottle containing eight green speckled pills believed to be Hydrocodone. She submitted to and performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Hawkins was placed under arrest for a first offense of DUI as well as simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance. She was transported to the Smithville Police Department by Officer Nathan Estes. Hawkins refused a chemical test to determine the alcohol/drug content of her blood. She was charged with violation of the implied consent law.