Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) Chair Mary Mancini will be the speaker at the DeKalb County Election Season Kickoff Rally to be held Saturday, June 6. The rally marks the start of the 2016 Election Season and will be held at 10 a.m., at the DeKalb County Courthouse basement, One Public Square, Smithville.
“We are thrilled to have Chair Mancini in attendance to help us kick off this Election Season,” said Jordan Wilkins, DeKalb County Democratic Party Chair. “This event is to bring like-minded people who share Democratic values together and discuss ways to show support for each other while strategizing on how we can be better represented whether it’s on the city council, county commission, at the legislature, in Congress or in the White House.”
Mancini will focus her speech about her vision to seat more state, county and local leaders.
“At the TNDP, we are working on engaging Democrats from all over the state and from all walks of life to get fired up and ready to go to register people to vote, knock on doors, call on their neighbors and friends to be an active participant in the Democratic process and be a part of our Get Out The Vote programs,” said Mancini. “The way GOP lawmakers voted this past legislative session shows we need a change in the legislature and this election cycle we will be focused on shoring up Democrats and engaging voters so we have elected officials who will advocate on behalf of Tennessee’s families on issues such as access to affordable health care, raising the minimum wage, retirement security and greater accountability in the public and private sectors.”

The Smithville Police Department will host an identity theft class on Monday June 1st at 6:00 pm at the County Complex in the UT Extension room on South Congress Boulevard in a continued effort for public awareness.
The class will be instructed by Homeland Security. The class is open to the public and is free of charge. “Its heartbreaking when people come to the police department and they have been scammed out of the money that they have worked hard for,” said Captain Steven Leffew. “We welcome everyone to come out and get some ideas on how to better protect you and your family”.
Protecting Your Identity – What You Should Know, What You Should Do
Identity fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. It affects millions of victims each year and results in billions of dollars in losses for consumers, businesses, and financial institutions. It takes years to build one’s identity, but it could be destroyed very quickly if it is misused by someone.
This 1 hour presentation is intended to explain some common methods used by identity thieves, how to safeguard your identity, and what to do if you become a victim of identity theft

The recent DeKalb County Foundation for Education Classroom Grant winners have been announced from each school.
The winners are:
DCHS: Jeanine Cantrell, and Jenny Norris,
DeKalb West School: Lori Pryor
DeKalb Middle School: Cassandra Binkley, Suzette Barnes, and Amanda Dakas.
Smithville Elementary School: Ally O’Connor.
The DCFE is committed to excellence and education. The mission is to improve the education opportunities for our students. DeKalb County Schools appreciates the continued support of the Education Foundation and Barry and Lisa Butler.
Picture L-R
Ally O’Connor, Cassandra Binkley, Jenny Norris, and Amanda Dakas

The body recovered from Center Hill Lake Memorial Day morning has been identified as the remains of a man reported missing on Saturday.
Dead is 31 year old Justin Nicholas Roper of Smithville.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Central Dispatch was notified at 9:16 a.m. Monday by the TWRA that a body was found in the lake close to the Holiday Haven area. The body was recovered from the lake shortly thereafter by TWRA and a Detective from the Sheriff’s Department.
A search began Saturday afternoon after a woman reported that her husband had gone missing at the Holiday Haven Boat Ramp. “On Saturday May 23rd at 12:05 p.m. DeKalb Central Dispatch received a call of a missing man at the Holiday Haven Boat Ramp. The complainant was the wife of the missing man. She reported that on Friday night, May 22nd she and her husband had spent the night in their vehicle at the boat ramp. According to the woman, her husband had walked down toward the boat ramp to go swimming and never returned. Deputies and a Detective with the Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene and started a missing person investigation. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and the Corps of Engineers were also notified and assisted in the search.
The case remains under investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department

DeKalb Farm Bureau has announced the 2015 4th grade Poster Contest and 7th grade Essay Winners.
Poster Contest Winners for local 4th graders in the event titled “Where does our food come from?”. Left to right: Cathy Officer, DeKalb Farm Bureau Women’s Chairman, Ryder Miller – 1st Place winner of $25.00, Jacklyn Kleparek- 2nd place winner of $20.00, and Gloria Pinegar, Farm Bureau Secretary. (Not pictured: Jeanine Boody – 3rd place winner of $15.00) This is an annual contest open to all 4th graders. Ryder Miller’s poster was submitted to the state contest to be judged in June.
Essay Contest Winners for local 7th graders. The subject for the essay was “What is a Farmer?” Pictured from left to right: Cathy Officer, Farm Bureau Women’s Chairman, Creston Bain -1st place winner of $25.00, A. J. Crips – 2nd place winner of $20.00, Kayley Padilla-3rd place tie-winner of $15.00, Caden Close – 3rd place tie- winner of $15.00, and Gloria Pinegar, Farm Bureau Secretary. Creston Bain’s essay was submitted to the state contest to be judged in June.

A 37 year old man charged with coercion of a witness was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Friday, May 22 after entering a best interest plea under a negotiated settlement.
Judge David Patterson presided.
Steven Anthony Nelson received a sentence of two years, all suspended to supervised probation by community corrections. He was given jail credit from July 8, 2014 to May 22, 2015. The term will run concurrently with a Grundy County sentence against him. His bond conditions shall be lifted to allow contact with a family member.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Tuesday, July 8, 2014 a deputy was dispatched to the hospital where he spoke with a woman who reported that her husband, Nelson had come into her home while she slept. When she awoke, the woman found Nelson standing over her. Nelson allegedly got the woman out of bed and threatened her, saying that if she did not drop domestic assault warrants against him, his father would come to her home and shoot her in the face. Nelson continued making threats against the woman until she left the residence.
Nelson was previously arrested on Thursday, July 3, 2014 for the domestic assault of his wife.
37 year old Jason Cripps pled guilty to aggravated domestic assault and auto burglary. He received a four year sentence for the assault and two years for the burglary to run concurrently for a total of four years. The sentence has been suspended to supervised probation. Cripps was given jail credit of 228 days served. He is barred from having any contact with the victim.
Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, June 5, 2014 a deputy was dispatched to Cripps’ residence on a domestic assault complaint. The officer spoke with a woman who said when she came home, her husband, Cripps was passed out on the back porch. After waking up, Cripps came into the house and an argument started. Cripps grabbed his wife by the neck, slammed her into the wall, and started choking her, causing red marks on her neck. He then left the house. Cripps was later arrested and charged with domestic assault and brought to the jail for booking.
Meanwhile, Smithville Police said that on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 officers responded to DeKalb Specialty Clinic on a complaint of an intoxicated person who had showed up at a doctor’s office there. Upon arrival, the officer was told that Cripps had left but was seen walking toward the hospital.
The officer heard an auto alarm and found Cripps who had allegedly entered a Jeep Cherokee and was going through personal belongings and papers in the vehicle without the owner’s consent. According to police, Cripps’ speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet. Cripps was placed under arrest.
37 year old Gary Ashford pled guilty to sale of a schedule III drug and received a two year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. The term is to run consecutive to his current probation. Ashford was fined $2,000 and he must make restitution of ten dollars to the Alexandria Police Department. He was given jail credit from December 1, 2014 to January 25, 2015.
20 year old Thomas Nix was granted judicial diversion for two years after entering a plea to possession of a schedule VI drug for resale. The sentence is to be suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000.
37 year old Stacey Ashford was granted judicial diversion for three years after entering a plea to delivery of a schedule IV drug. She was fined $2,000 and given jail credit from December 1, 2014 to January 21, 2015. Ashford will be on supervised probation.
32 year old Anthony Hawkins pled guilty by information to reckless endangerment and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on supervised probation.
34 year old Justin Lavaughn Westbrook pled guilty to driving on a suspended license and received a six month sentence all suspended to supervised probation. The case is to run concurrently with a Wilson County case against him.

A Livingston man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash near Sligo Bridge Sunday afternoon only minutes after his passenger fell off the bike as the two were traveling on Highway 70 east near Adcock Cemetery Road.
46 year old Troy Walker was airlifted after the accident.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Walker was operating a 2005 Harley Davidson east on Highway 70 when he lost his male passenger near Adcock Cemetery Road without noticing he had fallen off.
Walker kept going until he reached the west end of Sligo bridge, where he lost control of the motorcycle and crashed, hitting a concrete barrier severely injuring his arm on a road sign. Walker came off the Harley in the roadway, and the bike continued several hundred feet through the construction zone at the bridge before coming to rest when it wedged itself between a parked Jeep Cherokee and a rock outcropping.
Walker, suspected of being intoxicated at the time, could be facing charges . His passenger was not seriously injured in the fall from the bike.