Sykes Charged After Meth Lab Components Found in His Home

A sheriff’s department detective doing a New Year’s Day welfare check on a child arrested a man after finding meth lab components in the home.
39 year old Scott Lynn Sykes of Alexander Street, Smithville is charged with initiation of a process intended to manufacture methamphetamine. His bond is $60,000 and he will be in court on January 17.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on New Year’s Day a sheriff’s department drug detective came to Sykes’ home on Alexander Street to do a welfare check on a small child. Sykes gave the detective consent to search the residence. In Sykes’ bedroom, the detective found rubber tubing, a 20 ounce Pepsi bottle, acid, ice compresses (cold packs) that had been cut open, a plastic baggie with a white substance believed to be lye, and pliers and cutters. In the kitchen, the detective found a two liter bottle partially filled with lighter fluid, an empty quart Kingsford fluid container, and a sixteen ounce bottle partially filled with acid. These components are used to manufacture methamphetamine. Sykes admitted that these items belonged to him. He was arrested and brought to the jail for booking. The house was placed under quarantine.
35 year old Amy Jeanette Lawson of Haley Road, Smithville is charged with introduction of drugs into a penal institution. Her bond is $10,000 and she will be in court on January 10. Sheriff Ray said that on January 6, Lawson was booked into the jail. Later, correctional officers found her asleep and had difficulty waking her. After she awoke, the officers found her to be very unstable and unsteady on her feet. A search of her person revealed that she had two plastic baggies of pills in her bra. One bag contained several broken pills. The other bag contained two white pills, believed to be xanax which is a schedule IV drug.
23 year old Ross Matthew Peterson of Midway Road, Smithville is charged with theft of property over $1,000. His bond is $10,000 and he will be in court on February 28. Sheriff Ray said that on November 20 Peterson began using a home equity line of credit card belonging to a family member without consent. This card was used at Region’s ATM at Walmart on several different occasions through November 26. It was also used at several local businesses. The total amount used in this time period was $7,301.61. The case was investigated by a criminal detective of the sheriff’s department.
45 year old William Hardie Morris, Jr. of Old Snow Hill Road is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court on January 10. Sheriff Ray said that on New Year’s Eve Morris was behind the wheel of a vehicle sitting in a church parking lot on the Old Snow Hill Road. The engine was running. An officer spotted the vehicle and stopped to do a welfare check. Morris had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was unsteady on his feet. He performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. Morris submitted to a blood test. Morris was arrested and brought to the jail for booking. His prior DUI offense was October 15, 2009 in DeKalb County.
28 year old Allen Lee Russell, Jr. of Nashville is charged with driving on a suspended license. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court January 17. Sheriff Ray said that on New Year’s Eve, Russell was operating a motor vehicle on Highway 56 and stopped for a light violation. He could not produce a license. A computer check revealed his license were suspended in Florida for failure to pay traffic fines. Russell was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
34 year old Joel Thomas Hayes of Bobby Hayes Road, Dowelltown is charged with driving on a suspended license. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on January 31. Sheriff Ray said that on January 3 Hayes, who was operating a motor vehicle on the public square in Smithville, was stopped by an officer who had prior knowledge that Hayes’ license were suspended. A computer check confirmed his license were suspended. Hayes was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
28 year old Michael Brandon Redmon of McMinnville Highway is charged with driving on a suspended license. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is set for January 9. Sheriff Ray said that on January 2 a deputy saw a truck attempting to turn in the right lane on Highway 70 west by the Snow Hill Mini-Storage. He stopped half way in the lane. The officer pulled up to check on the vehicle and noticed that the driver was Redmon. The officer and Redmon got the truck off the roadway. The deputy then asked for Redmon’s license and registration. A computer check revealed that Redmon’s license were suspended for failure to satisfy a citation on June 19, 2012 in Warren County. Redmon had been advised earlier that day by an officer on a previous call that his license were suspended and warned him not to be driving.
Two men, 51 year old Daryl Paul Grabowski and 25 year old Ronnie Lee Grimes III both of Sparta were each charged in a DUI case on January 6. Grabowski was charged with driving under the influence by allowance (for allowing Grimes to drive his vehicle while under the influence). Grabowski was further issued a citation for violation of the implied consent law. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court on January 17. Sheriff Ray said that on January 6, Grabowski was owner and passenger of a vehicle on Highway 70, driven by Grimes. Grabowski had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was unsteady on his feet. He submitted to but performed poorly on some field sobriety tasks but he refused to perform other field sobriety tasks due to health reasons. Grabowski said the reason he allowed Grimes to drive his vehicle was that Grimes wasn’t as drunk as him. Grabowski refused to submit to a blood test. He was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
Grimes is charged with driving under the influence. He was further issued citations for violation of the implied consent law, failure to maintain his lane of travel, and violation of the open container law. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court January 17. Sheriff Ray said that on January 6, Grimes was operating a motor vehicle on Highway 70 and stopped by an officer for failing to maintain his lane of travel. The passenger,Grabowski was the owner of the vehicle and charged with DUI by allowance. Grimes had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was unsteady on his feet. The officer found a six pack of beer in the middle of the seat including an open container beside Grimes in the vehicle as well as an open container between Grabowski’s legs. Grimes told the officer that he had too much to drink to perform field sobriety tasks. He also refused to submit to a blood test. Grimes was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
35 year old Brady Gordon Cunningham of Gassaway Road, Woodbury is charged with a fourth offense of driving under the influence and simple possession of a schedule IV drug. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court on January 17. Sheriff Ray said that on January 6 a deputy was called to the Dollar General Store in Alexandria to check out a possible intoxicated person in a white pickup truck. Upon arrival, the officer saw a man passed out behind the wheel with the keys in the ignition. The man, Cunningham, had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He was very unsteady on his feet. Cunningham submitted to a blood alcohol test. He was also found to have three white pills, which appeared to be xanax, in a blue container. His prior DUI offenses were on July 1, 2011 in Sumner County; April 1, 2011 in Cannon County; and January 21, 2012 in DeKalb County.