The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has apparently solved three recent burglaries and thefts with the arrest of a 27 year old Kentucky man, who was in this area doing some contract construction work
Sheriff Patrick Ray says Scottie Baird of Pine Knot, Kentucky is charged with theft of property under $500, two counts of burglary, and two counts of theft of property over $1,000.
Sheriff Ray says on October 17th, the Sheriff’s Department received a report of a theft at a residence on Hurricane Ridge Road in which some plywood and landscaping bricks had been stolen.
Another theft was reported on October 10th. Someone had broken into a barn on Four Seasons Road and stolen sheets of OSB board, sheets of flooring lumber, pressure treated wood, and a refrigerator and a stove.
Sheriff Ray says authorities believe the same person went back to the barn on October 13th and stole several pieces of expensive virgin beechboard wood.
Baird was identified as a suspect through the investigation and he was subsequently arrested and charged in the case.
He is currently under a $55,000 bond.

A Baxter man, formerly of Smithville, was arrested Monday after calling the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and making threatening remarks to a correctional officer.
Brian Roberts of Hamer’s Street, Baxter is charged with retaliation of a past action, which is a Class E felony, for making threats against law enforcement officers.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says at around 1:50 a.m. Monday (today) one of the correctional officers at the jail received a call from someone wanting to know the officer’s name. Sheriff Ray says the caller threatened the officer, saying he was a “dead man”. The caller also made threats against other members of the department, saying he would be “waiting to kill them when they get off from work.”
After making the threats the caller hung up.
Sheriff Ray says members of the department immediately contacted him and he began an investigation. Sheriff Ray says ” We traced the call through the phone company and found out where the call came from.”
The call originated from a residence on the Old Bildad Road in DeKalb County, but Roberts, who had made the call, had left by the time officers arrived.
Roberts was later arrested by Putnam and DeKalb County authorities at his Baxter home and charged in the case. He is currently under a $50,000 bond.
Sheriff Ray says Roberts, who formerly lived on Midway Road in DeKalb County, has been in trouble with the law before on various charges and is currently listed on the state’s sex offender registry.

A 90 year old Liberty woman was seriously injured in a two vehicle traffic accident at 11:52 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Highways 70 and 53.
Trooper Brian Raymond of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says Mary Anderson was northbound on State Highway 53 in a 1993 Caprice Classic and was turning west onto Highway 70 when she pulled into the path of an eastbound 1997 Chevy Blazer, driven by 44 year old David Carter of Lavergne.
Trooper Raymond says Anderson was partially ejected upon impact and was trapped between the two vehicles. Bystanders at the scene pushed the Chevy Blazer back enough to remove her from the wreckage.
Anderson was taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb West School where she was airlifted by a Life Flight helicopter ambulance and flown to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville.
Carter was not believed to have been seriously injured.
Others on the scene rendering assistance included members of the Liberty Fire Department, County Deputies, Constables, and Sergeant Billy Prater of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

A tip from a concerned citizen to the Smithville Police Department led to the arrest of two men on drug charges Wednesday night.
Chief Thomas J. Stufano says Jimmy Brown Martin of 2454 Hurricane Ridge Road is charged with simple possession of marijuana and Billy Joe Griffith of 9659 Short Mountain Highway is charged with possession of a schedule IV drug and sale and delivery of marijuana.
Bond for Martin is $1,500 and Griffith is under a $5,000 bond.
Chief Stufano says “On Wednesday night at approximately 8:00 p.m., Smithville Police responded to the MAPCO gas station at Highway 56 and Highway 70 to investigate a reported suspicious incident in the parking lot.”
“A concerned citizen had called relaying that the occupants of two vehicles were acting suspiciously and possibly selling narcotics. Officers responded, locating the vehicles and subjects, and after a short investigation arrested the two men.”
“During the investigation officers found three bags of marijuana totaling approximately 24.4 grams in Griffith’s vehicle. In addition to Griffith’s arrest, his vehicle was seized under the State’s Drug Forfeiture Act.”
“Martin was arrested after officers found a bag of marijuana hidden on his person.”
Chief Stufano says “Smithville Police appreciate the overwhelming response our citizens have shown in contacting us about suspicious persons or incidents. Our police officers are committed to actively investigating all criminal concerns within the city limits and want you to know that our residents safety and security is our number one priority.”

A 39 year old Smithville man, already charged with a burglary of one residence at Brookview Apartments, has now been charged with the burglary of three others there.
Police Chief Thomas J. Stufano says James Nathaniel McKissack, a resident of Brookview Apartments, was charged on Sunday with aggravated burglary and resisting arrest. “On November 19th, Smithville Police arrested MsKissack of 740 Walker Drive for his participation in a burglary of a neighbor’s apartment located at Brookview Apartments.”
“Detectives who had been working the case have now discovered that McKissack had also broken into three other neighbors apartments and stole a wide array of items including a laptop, pot and pans, sneakers, boxes of candy that are sold by school children, jewelry, cleaning supplies, makeup and video games. In one instance, the neighbors had been away and were unaware of the break-in and theft to their residence until police officers showed up with their property. All of the stolen items were eventually recovered in McKissack’s apartment.”
Additional charges of burglary were placed against McKissack at the DeKalb County Jail with bond set at $58,500.
Chief Stufano says “this is another case where citizen cooperation has afforded the Police Department with valuable information which helped resolve crime in our city.”

Five defendants were sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Friday after entering guilty pleas under negotiated settlements.
The presiding judge was Leon Burns, Jr.
20 year old Danny Hugh Kennedy III pleaded guilty to simple possession and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended. He will be on supervised probation for six months and unsupervised probation for six months if all fines, fees, and costs are paid. He must perform 25 hours of community service work and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment.
22 year old Melody K. Mencer pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended. She was fined $150. The case is to run concurrently with a criminal court case against her in Warren County.
29 year old Walter Ray Pedigo pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule II controlled substance. He received a three year sentence all suspended to DOC probation. The fine was waived.
53 year old Julie Murphy pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule II controlled substance, sale of a counterfeit controlled substance, and two counts of sale of a schedule III controlled substance. All the sentences are to run concurrently for a total of four years but she was given credit for time served and will be on supervised probation for the remainder of her term. All fines were waived in the case but she must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the prescribed treatments.
60 year old James Edward Murphy pleaded guilty to two counts of sale of a schedule II controlled substance and two counts of sale of a schedule III controlled substance. All the sentences are to run concurrently for a total of four years, all suspended to one year of probation supervised by community corrections and the remaining three years on DOC probation.. All fined were waived in the case and he was given credit for time served.