A Smithville man is in trouble with the law after allegedly stealing a personal check from a mailbox, forging his own name on the check, and then depositing it into his bank account.
37 year old Samuel Malachi Murphy of Cookeville Highway, Smithville is charged with forgery and theft of property over $500. His bond is $10,000 and he will be in court December 19.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on November 24, Murphy allegedly stole a personal check from the victim’s mailbox on Highway 56 south, changed the name on the check to his own name, and then went to Regions Bank in Smithville and deposited the check for $733 into his own account. The next day he withdrew the money from the account.
57 year old Lorain Ruth Caldwell of Spencer is charged with driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license. Her bond is $3,000.
Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, December 9 someone called in a report of a reckless driver on Highway 56. An officer responded and spotted Caldwell’s vehicle swerving in the roadway on Highway 56. He stopped the automobile and spoke with Caldwell. Her speech was slurred and she was unsteady on her feet. She also had problems holding up her head. Caldwell admitted to the officer that she had taken several prescribed medications. She submitted to but performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. Caldwell also submitted to a blood test. Caldwell produced an ID only license. A computer check revealed that her license were suspended in North Carolina for failure to satisfy a citation. Caldwell was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
32 year old Jesse Rita Leaf of Meridan Drive, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $2,500 and she will be in court December 19.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 12 Leaf allegedly assaulted her sister by cursing her and punching her several times in the face and head with her fist, causing bruising to her sister’s face and a swollen lip. The victim had injuries to her thumb and pinky finger from blocking punches. Leaf was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
58 year old Antonio Hernandez Gomez of Gordonsville is charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. His bond is $4,000 and he will be in court January 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, December 14 Gomez was operating a motor vehicle on Highway 56 when he was stopped by an officer at Locke’s Market in Warren County after being involved in a crash at Mystic Market in DeKalb County, where he hit and caused damage to a road sign and utility pole and then left the scene. Gomez had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was very unsteady on his feet. Gomez was so intoxicated he needed assistance getting to the patrol car. He refused to submit to field sobriety tasks and a blood test. Gomez had an open 12 ounce can of beer and four empty cans of beer inside the vehicle. He was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.

A DeKalb County couple are the proud parents of the year’s first baby born in Warren County.
Elliot Bunch, son of Richard and Aleisha Bunch of Smithville, arrived at 7:54 a.m. on New Year’s Day at River Park Hospital in McMinnville. The child reportedly weighed seven pounds and twelve ounces and was twenty one inches long. The baby boy was delivered by Dr. Vanessa Streicher.
The family received gifts from several local businesses in Warren County.

Two sixteen year old boys accused of forcing their way into the home of a Smithville woman and then assaulting and robbing her in September will be tried as adults.
The boys appeared in DeKalb County Juvenile Court Wednesday, December 11 for a hearing on whether the cases should be transferred from the Juvenile to the Criminal Court.
“I filed a motion to transfer the cases to the criminal court to be tried. We had a hearing and he (Judge Bratten Cook,II) granted the motion. “I asked that these boys be tried as adults due to the serious and aggressive nature of the crimes,” said Assistant District Attorney General Greg Strong in an interview with WJLE.
“The petition was amended to include the charge of aggravated kidnapping along with aggravated robbery,” said Strong.
Bond for each boy was set at $250,000. They are being held at a Juvenile Detention Center in Nashville.
One of the boys is being represented by the District Public Defender’s Office. Local attorney Mingy Bryant is the lawyer for the other.
Their cases will now be presented to the April term of the DeKalb County Grand Jury.
Officials have not disclosed the boy’s names. The name of the victim is also being withheld.
According to Lieutenant Matt Holmes of the Smithville Police Department, the incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 18 at the woman’s Smithville residence. He said the victim, who lives alone, heard something outside and when she opened the door to look outside, the two boys, who were wearing hockey masks forced their way in and assaulted her. ” Upon investigation, I found out that the victim heard a noise outside the back of her residence,” said Lieutenant Holmes. “She looked out but didn’t see anyone. She went to open the door. As she cracked the door open, two masked men forced their way into the residence. One of the suspects tackled her to the ground, pepper sprayed her multiple times, and tried to insert a wash cloth in her mouth to keep her from screaming,” he said. “One of the suspects ransacked the house and stole a 38 caliber revolver and multiple other items,” he said. The total value of the stolen items came to around $600.
The woman, though injured in the attack with cuts, scrapes, and bruises, was apparently not seriously hurt and declined medical attention.
Though the two boys were carrying razor knives at the time of the attack, they apparently did not use them on the woman.
“We worked the case until about four in the morning (Thursday, September 19) and started back again later in the day,” said Lieutenant Holmes. We went to Walmart and were able to trace the sale of the hockey masks back to the juveniles who had bought them prior to the incident,” he said.
” We located them (the two suspects) at the high school and placed them under arrest in the classroom on Thursday. Our fear was that they may have brought the gun to school but as it turned out they did not have the gun at school. It was found at their home,” said Lieutenant Holmes.
“We found in the attic of their residence the two hockey masks and a loaded 38 caliber handgun and other items that were taken from the victim’s home. We also found some pepper spray,” Lieutenant Holmes continued.
He said the boys, who lived together in the same household at the time of their arrests, are not related. Neither of the boys is related to the victim. The two boys lived in the same area of the city as the victim but police would not disclose the name of the street or neighborhood where the attack occurred.
Lieutenant Holmes, who was assisted in the investigation by Detective Brandon Donnell and Corporal Travis Bryant said police believe the two boys committed the crimes hoping to find money and drugs.
The two boys also allegedly tried to break into another residence in the same area the night before on Tuesday, September 17 but were unable to make entry.

The winter break has been extended by at least one day as DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, JANUARY 6TH DUE TO FORECASTS OF SNOW AND BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES.
The remainder of the school calendar is as follows:
Schools will be closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 20 and for President’s Day, Monday, February 17.
Schools will be closed for spring break March 24-28
No school for students on Good Friday, April 18 and Memorial Day, Monday May 26.
The following are designated as Early Release dates: Friday, February 14; Friday, March 7, and Friday, March 21
Students will not attend on Tuesday, May 27. That will be an administrative day and all teachers must attend. The last day of school will be Wednesday, May 28. That will be an abbreviated school day and report cards will be sent home.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, March 11 at DeKalb County High School from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will also be held from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, March 13 at DeKalb Middle School, Northside Elementary, Smithville Elementary, and DeKalb West School.
Report cards to be sent home from all schools on Tuesday, January 7. DCHS report cards to be sent home Monday, March 10 and at all other schools Tuesday, March 11.
ACT Test for the 11th grade will be Tuesday, March 4
Writing Assessment for the 5th, 8th, and 11th grades will be February 3-7.
TCAP testing of elementary students will be April 28 through May 9

After working for the people of DeKalb County as their Road Supervisor for almost 24 years, Kenny Edge has decided the time has come to retire when his current term expires August 31.
The six term incumbent has announced that he will not be a candidate for re-election in 2014.
“They (supporters) beg me every day to run again. It’s not that I don’t love them and don’t want to do the work. It’s just I’m not as young as I used to be. I’ve enjoyed working for them (people of the county). I’m still their friend. I just feel like this is a time in my life that I need to retire and do the things I want to do,” said Edge in an interview with WJLE Thursday.
Edge was first elected Road Supervisor in 1990 and he was re-elected in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010. Prior to 1990, Edge served the county in other capacities. “I’ve got 43 years in working for DeKalb County and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. (Then County Judge) Billy J. LaFever hired me in 1971 when the new courthouse and new school houses were being built. I did the maintenance and electrical work. He wanted me to do all the mechanical work so I worked for the county as well as the school system together up until 1990 when I ran for this office,” he said.
In spite of tight budgets, Edge said he has been able to manage his resources over the years to maintain as many roads and bridges as possible. “The roads in DeKalb County are better than they have ever been. Almost all roads are either paved or oiled and chipped but there are certain roads you can’t spend that kind of money to upgrade, knowing when the first flood comes it is going to destroy it. But basically all of the roads are in good shape,” said Edge.
“The bridges are basically in real good shape. Since I’ve been in office, I don’t know how many federal bridge programs I’ve participated in. The last big one I built was on Smith Fork. I believe it was a $1.1 million project. We’ve built bridges across the county including several under the hill because most of the water problems are under the hill,” he said.
Edge said he appreciates the support he has received from county mayors and county commissions over the years in helping the road department fund certain projects. ” They have been good to work with me. They bought me a new wheel loader for the crusher and a new road grader in 1995. I also borrowed a million dollars and paved forty miles of road across this county. It took me ten years at $100,000 a month to pay it back but I’ve paid it all back,” he said.
Asked if he had any regrets , Edge said he wishes he could have had the money to hot mix more roads. “Everybody loves hot mix and I do too. I’d like to have done more asphalt work instead of oil and chipping. I’d hot mix every road in this county if I had the money to do it. The average life of a good paved road is twenty years before you need to put a top on it. The average life of an oil and chipped road is about eight years. We (road department) can oil and chip a road, but we can’t hot mix it because we have to contract it out. We don’t have the equipment. Right now it costs right around $100,000 to pave a road twenty feet wide, two and a half inches deep, a mile long,” said Edge.
“My total budget (revenues) is less than two million dollars. I carry over about a half a million dollars every year (fund balance) and budget it. I’ll average $120,000 to $130,000 of new money (revenue) each month. I get it monthly. But if you bought $130,000 worth of hot mix each month then you wouldn’t have enough to pay your hands, buy fuel, or do anything. You’ve got to keep your operation going,” said Edge.
By saving where he could, Edge said he has been able to hot mix a few more miles of roads while meeting other needs of the department. “You’ve got to save as much as you can during the year so that maybe you can hot mix five or six miles of road. Sometimes you have to do that over a two year period. It just depends on what breakdowns you have or what equipment you need to buy. The last two new dump trucks I bought cost $121,000 each. Tires are also expensive. It’s hard to operate on what money we get especially with the economy like it is,” he said.
For the 2013-14 fiscal year, the DeKalb County Road Department is budgeted to receive almost two million in revenues, including over $1.4 million from its largest source, state gas tax revenues and more than $400,000 from the state aid program. The county budgets three cents of the property tax rate or $128,860 along with a mineral severance tax of $15,474. The department’s fund balance (carry over from last year) was more than $378,000. Total appropriations for this budget year are projected to be $2.1 million.
Edge still makes use of the county rock crusher but it’s mostly used on a seasonal basis now with a smaller staff to help man the department. “The rock crusher is in excellent shape. We use it but I don’t run it 100% of the time because my work force has gone from twenty five to fifteen employees. They crush in the fall and winter but as soon as the grass gets up, I’ll have them go to mowing,” he said.
Like all public officials, Edge has his critics but he believes most people appreciates the job he has done. “I try to help everybody. I try to listen to them and try to do everything they ask me to do. I realize it’s their highway department. Anybody who calls here and they need a tile put in, if they’re building a house, I’ll put them a tile in and fix them a driveway. I do it for everybody. It don’t matter who they are or where they live in the county. I gravel every road to every cemetery. I always have. I fix everybody an entrance off a county road anywhere they want to” Edge continued.
In recent years, state auditors have noted findings in yearly audit reports concerning such practices by the county road department but Edge defends his work for the public. “I get wrote up saying you can’t do that. It’s frustrating how that the state has such a problem with me putting gravel or a tile in a driveway, but sees nothing wrong with the state putting down hot mix and installing guardrails to a dead end on private property in the midst of a cedar thicket on the side of a hill along side a state highway (referring to property at the foot of Snow Hill on Highway 70). I wish they would operate under the same law they want me to,” he said.
Edge said he is thankful to the people of DeKalb County for supporting him all these years. “I want to thank all the people of this county for their trust in me and for voting for me. I love them all and I’ll still help them anyway I can,” he said.
As for his retirement, Edge said he has no particular plans. “I’ve got a farm I can play around on and do like some of the rest of them, run out here to Hardees every now and then and get me some coffee and a ham and biscuit,” concluded Edge.

A New Year’s Day fire swept through the residence of Andrew and Caitlin Wilbur at 904 West Main Street this morning (Wednesday)
911 received the call just before 1:00 a.m.
Members of the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department rushed to the scene but could not save the home.
Shortly after the fire was spotted and reported, flames could be seen coming through the roof.
Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker told WJLE that the Wilbur’s were not home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. He said the cause of the fire has not been determined.
This is the fourth home fire within the past three weeks in DeKalb County.
Members of the Smithville Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, DeKalb EMS, and Smithville Electric System were also on the scene.

While most of the attention has been focused on the May primary elections, petitions for the non-partisan school board seats will be available beginning Friday, January 3rd.
Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley said Friday is the first day petitions can be issued for the school board seats that will be up for election August 7th. Those seats are in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7.
“School Board seats are considered non-partisan positions and thus are not on the ballot until August,” Stanley said. “As a result, the petition and qualifying dates were different from the May primary election cycle.”
Again, petitions for school board seats will be available beginning Friday and the qualifying deadline is NOON April 3.
Also, Stanley said the City of Smithville Municipal Election will be held in August and petitions for the Mayor and two Aldermen seats will also be available beginning Friday, January 3rd. The qualifying deadline will also be NOON April 3rd.
Meanwhile, petitions are still available for all the races that will be on the ballot for the DeKalb County Democratic Primary and the 13th Judicial District Democratic and Republican Primary elections. The qualifying deadline for those candidates is NOON February 20th.

An 18 year old Murfreesboro man is charged with theft of property under $500 for trying to steal scrap metal from a property owner on Antioch Road.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said Justin Keith Manley is under a $1,500 bond and he will be in court on February 6.
According to Sheriff Ray, a deputy was called to Antioch Road on Wednesday, December 18 to a possible theft in progress. When the officer arrived, he saw two men and a woman loading a large pile of scrap metal onto a trailer. One of the men took off running through the woods when he saw the officer. The other man, Manley, and the woman stayed and spoke with the officer. The woman said that their landlord had given them permission to gather up the scrap metal. But a further investigation revealed that all the metal had actually been taken from the adjoining property of a neighbor. The officer found that a fence between the two properties had been cut.
Manley was placed under arrest for the crime. He was also issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia after the officer found a marijuana pipe in Manley’s pocket.
20 year old Killian Blake Ellis of New Hope Road, Alexandria and 36 year old Martha Cheyenne Silcox of Hartsville Pike, Carthage were arrested on December 23 after a joint investigation by the Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff’s Department detectives into the vandalism and theft from drink machines at Prichard’s Foods on Brush Creek Highway.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 23, Ellis did vandalize a drink machine by using a pry bar to the door of the machine causing damage to the front and to the side of the machine. The damage cost over $1,000. Ellis was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
Meanwhile through an investigation, a detective learned that Silcox was the driver of a vehicle who dropped off and picked up Ellis. She was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
Sheriff Ray said more arrests are expected in the case.
Bond for Ellis and Silcox is $5,000 each and they will be in court on January 16.
A woman arrested recently on a failure to appear warrant is now facing more charges after she tried to conceal drugs and paraphernalia when brought to the jail.
26 year old Lydia Renee Judkins of Jefferson Road, Smithville is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of drugs in a penal institution. Her bond is $6,500 and she will be in court on January 9.
Sheriff Ray said that it is customary that when prisoners are brought to the jail, they are searched before being locked up. In this case officers asked Judkins if she had any contraband on her. She did not answer. As officers began to search her, Judkins produced two empty syringes, a small container of marijuana, and a bag of marijuana and three more empty syringes. She had tried to conceal these items in her body cavity.
43 year old John Thomas Bailey of Short Mountain Highway, Smithville is charged with assault and resisting arrest. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court on January 23. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, December 30, the sheriff’s department was summoned to Bailey’s home in answer to a domestic call. Upon arrival, officers spoke with Bailey. But during the conversation, Bailey became very irate with the officers. He approached the deputies and then pushed them. When placed under arrest for assault, Bailey refused to be handcuffed and had to be taken to the floor. While on the floor, he continued to struggle with the officers to keep them from handcuffing him. Bailey was subsequently handcuffed, placed under arrest for assault, and brought to the jail for booking.
53 year old Timothy Donald Bates of Williams Road, Alexandria is charged with a fourth offense of driving under the influence, and a sixth offense of driving while revoked. His bond is $17,500 and he will be in court January 16.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 21, a deputy was dispatched to Highway 70 in Liberty in response to reports of a reckless driver. The officer noticed a gold van traveling in the wrong lane and on the wrong side of the road. After stopping the vehicle, the officer made contact with the driver, Bates. His speech was slurred and he had a smell of alcohol on his person. He performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. Bates was arrested and brought to the jail for booking. A computer check revealed his license were revoked for a DUI. He was further issued a citation for failure to maintain his lane of travel.

A man from the Johnson Chapel Community died in a one car crash just after midnight Saturday, December 28 in White County.
Dead is 25 year old Joshua Tyler Davis of Young Ridge Road.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that Davis was in a 2006 Chrysler Sebring traveling south on Indian Mound Road near the intersection of Pin Hook Road when he lost control while attempting to negotiate a curve and left the roadway, striking a tree.
Davis was not wearing his seatbelt.
The Sparta-White County Rescue Squad was dispatched to the scene to extricate Davis from the car.
The accident was investigated by Trooper Kevin Ballew and Sergeant Jeff Cook of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Davis was a member of the Johnson Chapel Freewill Baptist Church. The funeral was held Monday at 2:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Elmore Judd and Tim Judd officiated and burial followed in the Peeled Chestnut Cemetery.
Davis was preceded in death by his brother, Scott Lee Davis; an uncle, Bobby Rice; and his paternal grandparents, Leonna and Norman Davis.
Survivors include his parents, Jimmy “Hammer” and Connie Davis; maternal grandparents, Bob and Ruth Rice; four uncles, Jack and wife Mary Davis, Kenneth and wife Shawn Rice, Terry Rice, and Les and wife Regina Davis; and one aunt, Tootsie Taylor all of Sparta. Two nieces, Kylee Davis and Kyra Agee both of Smithville.
Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements