Smithville Police this week were summoned to a residence on Green Acre Drive where a man was reportedly despondent and suicidal.
Chief Tom Stufano says “Officers were advised that a despondent man was held up in his residence located at 224 Green Acre Drive in Smithville. 911 dispatchers had received a call from another address on the street that a man was claiming that he was suicidal and would hurt anyone responding. Numerous calls were made back to the original phone number but the resident there stated that the man had left and gone back to his residence.”
According to Chief Stufano, “At approximately 12:30 p.m., Smithville Officers closed down the neighboring streets setting up a perimeter around the man’s residence and negotiations began with the man now known as 55 year old Fred Claspell. Officers used a megaphone from a police car as Claspell did not have a phone in the residence. After almost 20 minutes Claspell came running out of the front of the residence yelling, “Shoot me I want to die, I’ll kill you all”. In his haste Claspell slipped on the front steps falling to the ground. Officers were able to quickly move in to secure him. EMS who had been standing by during the incident was also present. Claspell did not have any weapons on him at the time. Claspell was taken to DeKalb Community Hospital for a cut on his nose and a mental health evaluation. While Officers were closing up the residence they saw numerous types of ammunition, large saber swords and various gun parts near the doorway. Claspell’s daughter was notified and responded to the police station.”
Chief Stufano says ” The Smithville Police Department commends the actions of the neighborhood residents who helped in this incident, so that a successful resolution was found.”

Babies from one day to twelve months old were showcased during the annual Baby Show held Thursday evening at the DeKalb County Fair.
The winners are as follows:
Girls (1 day to 3 months)
First Place- Kaitlyn Brooke Summers, daughter of Alisha Root and Matt Summers of Smithville.
Second Place- Madison Gale Byars, daughter of Amy Walker and Cody Byars of Smithville
Boys (1 day to 3 months)
First Place- Jacob Ryan Lawson, son of Tim and Christy Lawson of Smithville
Second Place- Savory Ike Brown, son of Elizabeth Hutson and Matthew Brown of Smithville
Girls (4-6 months)
First Place- Katherine Irene Knowles, daughter of Jared and Karen Knowles of Smithville
Second Place- Addison Grace Miller, daughter of Josh and Amy Miller of Smithville.
Boys (4-6 months)
First Place- Robert Zaxton Grandstaff, son of Marcus and Dianna Grandstaff of Alexandria
Second Place- Alex Lane Lemons, son of Ed and Ashley Lemons of Smithville
Girls (7-9 months)
First Place- Sway Roberts, daughter of Mickie Ritchie and Ralph Roberts of Liberty
Second Place- Katlynn Miranda, daughter of Phillip and Rachel Miranda of Smithville
Boys (7-9 months)
First Place- Jordon Dallas Parker, son of Kendall and Dallas Parker of Smithville
Second Place- Spencer Lee Pipes, son of Jimmy and Brandy Pipes of Brush Creek
Girls (10-12 months)
First Place- Ila Renee Adcock, daughter of David and Shannon Adcock of Smithville
Second Place- Emily Louise Robinson, daughter of David and Linda Robinson of Smithville
Boys (10-12 months)
First Place- Braydon Murphy, son of Michaela and Cody Murphy of Smithville
Second Place- Noah Seth Culwell, son of Jonathon and Hayley Culwell of Smithville
Twins (1 day to 12 months)- Andrew Jackson Dakas and Annabella Eleni Dakas. Their parents are John and Amanda Dakas of Smithville
Meanwhile, Lisa Oakley won the $1,000 cash giveaway Thursday night.

Eight year old Mary Elizabeth Murray was crowned Little Miss Princess at the DeKalb County Fair Wednesday night.
Murray is the daughter of Angel Brown and Dwight Murray of Smithville.
She succeeds the retiring 2006 Little Miss Princess, 10 year old Kelsey Sueanna Hedge, daughter of David and Trina Hedge of Smithville.
First runner-up in the pageant was Mallory Dickerson, the eight year old daughter of Terry and Tracy Dickerson of Carthage.
Eight year old Rosa Maria Payne of Alexandria was second runner-up and also named Miss Photogenic.. She is the daughter of Tammy and Randy Payne.
Third runner-up was seven year old Caitlin Tyree, daughter of Josh and Carrie Tyree of Liberty.
Meanwhile, Rick Martin was the winner of the $1,000 cash giveaway Wednesday night.

The 2007 DeKalb County Fair Miss Sweetheart is 12 year old Chelsea Lewis of Smithville.
Lewis, the daughter of Jimmy and Gina Lewis, was crowned Wednesday night during the annual pageant at the fair.
She succeeds the 2006 DeKalb County Fair Miss Sweetheart, 12 year old Kelley Beth Walker, daughter of Shane and Michelle Walker of Smithville.
The first runner-up in the pageant was 12 year old Arielle Corinne Davis, daughter of Eddie and Beth Davis of Brush Creek.
Brittany Wilkerson was the second runner-up. She is the 11 year old daughter of Michelle Cantrell of Smithville and Sean Wilkerson of Lebanon.
11 year old Sarah Elizabeth Edwards of Liberty was the third runner-up. She is the daughter of Clay and Tena Edwards.
Meanwhile, 11 year old Shauna Faith Taylor, daughter of Ken and Cindy Taylor of Smithville, was named Miss Congeniality.

Levi Katon Driver and Sarah Anne Colwell were crowned Little Mister and Miss at the DeKalb County Fair Tuesday night.
Driver, who was also named Mister Congeniality, is the four year old son of Brad and Kelly Driver of Dowelltown and Colwell is the six year old daughter of Trent and Christie Colwell of Smithville.
They succeed the retiring Little Mister and Miss Hunter Vaught and Macy Elizabeth Hedge. Vaught is the seven year old son of Ronnie and Bethany Vaught of Brush Creek and Hedge is the six year old daughter of David and Trina Hedge of Smithville.
First runner-up in the Little Miss contest was Alexis Diann Bly, the seven year old daughter of Steven and Cristy Bly of Smithville.
Second runner-up was four year old Taylor Nicole Gibbs, daughter of Teesha Gibbs of Smithville.
Six year old Madison Elaine Colwell was third runner-up. She is the daughter of Gabriel and Heather Colwell of Smithville.
Meanwhile, four year old Sarah Rose Smith was named Miss Congeniality. She is the daughter of Shane and Amy Smith of Gordonsville.
First runner-up in the Little Mister contest was Bryson Lee Stewart, the four year old son of D.J. Stewart and Dallas Parker of Smithville.
Five year old Colin Howell was the second runner-up. He is the son of Michael and Juanita Howell of Brush Creek.
Third runner-up was Ethan Lane Evans, the five year old son of Sherry and Ricky Evans of Smithville.
Meanwhile Alan Cox was the winner of the $1,000 cash giveaway Tuesday night.

Three concerned citizens from the Austin Bottom area of DeKalb County attended the county commission meeting Monday night complaining of a recent disturbance at the Austin Bottom landing and the lengthy amount of time it took for authorities to respond.
Chuck Stacey says Austin Bottom Landing, which is a gathering spot for people who like to drink and party, is increasingly posing a safety concern for residents in the area and they want it closed or restricted for use only as a boat launching ramp.
Stacey says one person was seriously injured there last week in an assault.
Most of the problems occur late at night and Stacey would like to see more law enforcement patrols in the area.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says his deputies have patrolled the community but it’s “hit and miss” on catching the troublemakers, not knowing when they are going to be there. Sheriff Ray says his officers are doing their best but can’t be in the area seven nights a week because there are usually only two officers on duty at night to cover the entire county.
Foster proposed an idea which he says might make things better. ” I’ve talked with several people about it and we think cleaning up the area, making it a better ramp, making it more user friendly, getting more people in there would probably be a better solution than trying to close it. If you’ve got families there you’re less likely to have these people that you’re talking about in there(undesirables). We’ve got approximately forty ramps around the lake and four hundred plus miles of shoreline. I live at Holiday Haven and it’s the same way down there. You go down there on a given night and there’s nobody there and you go back another night and there’s forty partying and you can’t get your boat in. From working that area years ago, I know it is out of the way. I think improving it to the point that you do get more families down there and patrolling it maybe a little more will help, maybe talking to the TWRA officers and getting them to run by there more often, because I know we did when I worked for them. The Corps also maybe needs to do some more. We could put up the signs (boat launching only) but it’s federal property. Even though technically the ramp area is leased to the county, the county can’t enforce federal laws, which would have to do with camping on that property. We can enforce state laws that have to do with firearms, alcohol, and that kind of thing.”
County Commissioners say a constable position is open in the fourth district and they asked Stacy, who is a retired law enforcement officer, if he would be interested in being appointed until the next election. Stacey said if he had to provide his own vehicle, he probably wouldn’t want the position. Constables also receive no pay other than fees from serving papers.
Stacey says he and a group of residents in the Austin Bottom area plan to meet with officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to further discuss possible solutions.

DeKalb County is getting a new Pre-Kindergarten Class.
Governor Phil Bredesen and State Representative Frank Buck Tuesday announced that 257 new pre-K classrooms will open for the 2007-08 school year serving approximately 4,000 additional four-year-olds across the state.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby says plans are for the new Pre-K class to be started at Smithville Elementary School. With the addition of the new class, DeKalb County will have a total of five Pre-K classrooms, including four at Smithville Elementary School and one at DeKalb West School.
Eligible children must be four years of age by September 30th, and their parents must meet the federal income guidelines.
Each Pre-K class may have up to twenty students. At least sixteen students per class must be enrolled by September 30th in order for the school system to retain available funds for the program.
Governor Bredesen requested $25 million new state dollars to expand Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K Program, raising the investment for the 2007-08 school year to $80 million. Dekalb County Schools will receive $89,909 to fund one new classroom.
“We have expanded access to our quality pre-K program from serving 3,000 students three years ago to 17,000 today,” Governor Bredesen said. “This commitment to early childhood education means over the last three years, we’ve helped nearly 40,000 boys and girls start their education on a path designed to help them achieve academically in the long run. Tennesseans want more students to graduate from high school; the task starts with making sure students start out on the right foot from day one.”
Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K Program now operates in 94 out of 95 counties and 133 of 136 school systems, providing a high-quality early childhood education to more than 17,000 four-year-olds. The National Institute for Early Education Research has ranked Tennessee as one of six states maintaining the highest pre-K standards in the nation for the past two years.
“Pre-K is the foundation of a strong educational system,” said Representative Buck. “We must ensure that our children graduate on time and with the skills they need to succeed. Pre-K is critical to ensuring this success.”
The trademarks of Tennessee’s high-quality pre-K program include:
o a staff to student ratio of 1:10;
o a lead teacher with a Bachelor’s degree and endorsement in early childhood education
o 18 hours of professional development required for staff each year; and
o a maximum class size of 20 students.