The Motlow College McMinnville Center recently named Mr. and Miss Motlow for the 2013-14 academic year.
Miss Motlow is Katie Haggard, an elementary education major from Smithville.
Mr. Motlow is J.T. Morgan from McMinnville, who is majoring in history.
Mr. and Miss Motlow are chosen for each of Motlow’s four campuses, with those selected representing the college at social and educational functions throughout the academic year.

The Treasurer for the DeKalb Foster Children’s Fund is making an urgent plea for help during the holidays.
“We’re needing to get money for their Christmas gifts,” said Annette Greek.
Some nine thousand dollars is needed to serve the sixty children in foster care this Christmas and only two thousand dollars has been collected. “We’ve got sixty kids right now that have been removed from our county. DeKalb County is responsible for their Christmas needs. The state does not pay for this. We try to collect money each year for this project. I have collected not hardly two thousand dollars yet and it’s going to take nine thousand dollars to do the one hundred and fifty dollars per child that we have been trying to do the last few years,” said Greek.
“If anybody has it in their heart to help with this, please bring your donation to me at F.Z. Webb & Sons Gifts. I can take five dollars or whatever amount but if you can give five hundred or a thousand dollars that would be great. It takes all of us to make this happen for these children. There’s always a possibility we may have even more foster kids in December. It can happen,” said Greek.
The sooner you can make your donation, the better. “I try to have this done by the first week in December so I can get the money to the foster parents or to the children so they can do their shopping before Christmas. We send cash instead of gifts because the children are in so many different locations. If it’s not the right gift, it could be hard to exchange it so it’s easier to do cash,” she said.
You may send your donation to: Annette Greek, in care of F.Z. Webb & Sons Gifts, 400 West Public Square, Smithville TN 37166. For more information call 615-597-4186.

Donny Green, County Executive Director of the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency (FSA), says that a printing/mailing contractor, hired to print and mail ballots nationwide for the Farm Service Agency, erroneously formatted the 2013 Farm Service Agency County Committee Election Ballots that were mailed out last week. As a result, the following notice was issued by the Farm Service Agency National Office:
“Recently you should have received a ballot for FSA County Committee election. As you may have noticed, your ballot was incorrectly printed with your name and address shown on the back of the actual ballot. This was a misprint, and these ballots cannot be used. Please destroy or recycle the ballot dated 07-03-13. If you have already voted, your ballot will be destroyed unopened. You will be receiving a new one by mid-December with a corrected election date. Please watch your mail for the new ballot and vote for the COC candidate of your choice. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Green wants all of DeKalb and Cannon counties eligible voters to be aware of this printing mistake and that they should not purchase postage or travel to the county office to return these invalid ballots that were erroneously printed by the private contractor. “We want our eligible voters to have confidence in our County Committee Election process that has been the model of integrity allowing local farmers and ranchers to have a voice in local FSA program delivery and office administration. FSA’s County Committee is uniquely designed to allow farmers and ranchers to elect their peers who make decisions at the grassroots level,” says Green.
The DeKalb and Cannon County FSA Committees want to encourage voters in the Local Administrative Areas (LAA’s) up for election this year to be watching for the corrected ballots that will be mailed out by mid-December. It is vitally important that voters take the time to vote when these corrected ballots are received. As the Farm Service Agency gets more information on this matter and the corrective actions, additional news releases will be publicized.

Two people charged in a March burglary and theft in Alexandria were sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Wednesday.
Judge David Patterson presided.
30 year old Clayton Green pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and received a sentence of five years to serve at 30% before his release eligibility date. He was given jail credit from March 1, 2013 to June 16, 2013.
29 year old Rachel Green received a four year sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and theft over $1,000. She got four years for the burglary and two years in the theft case. The sentences are to run concurrently as one four year term to serve at 30%. She was given 256 days of jail credit. The terms will also run concurrently to charges against her in Smith, Wilson, and Franklin counties. She must make restitution.
Sheriff Patrick Ray told WJLE that after receiving information of a planned break-in at a residence on Lower Helton Road in Alexandria, his department conducted an undercover investigation, placing the home under surveillance. One of detectives saw Clayton and Rachel Green enter the house. When they came out, the two were detained for questioning. They were subsequently arrested.
According to Sheriff Ray, both Clayton and Rachel Green allegedly entered the residence through a garage door. The two allegedly took a camera, bag of assorted change, knife collection, 38 special Rossie revolver, a 22 Heritage pistol, a chain saw, nail guns, jig saw, 410 shotgun, a 12 gauge bolt action shotgun, several items of gold jewelry, and other things, all valued at over $1,000. Rachel also allegedly entered a pickup truck on the property and took a 22 caliber pistol valued at under $500. While under investigation for the burglary, Clayton Green, a convicted felon, was found to be in reach of two loaded handguns, a 38 and a 22 caliber. He told the officers that he was a convicted felon and was not allowed to have guns.
21 year old Shelly Renae Newby pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of property over $1,000. She received a two year sentence suspended to supervised probation in each case to run concurrently with each other and with sentences against her in Rutherford and Wilson counties.
Sheriff Ray told WJLE that on Saturday, January 19 Newby and a co-defendant, 29 year old Brandon Lynn Tallent allegedly took three tractor trailer starters and a cast iron intake from property on the Old Snow Hill Road. The items are valued at more than $1,000. Newby admitted to an officer that she and Tallent had taken items from this property on several occasions.
The next day on Sunday, January 20, Newby and Tallent allegedly took two trailers and small gasoline engines from the same property on the Old Snow Hill Road. These items are valued at more than $1,000. Newby admitted to an officer that she and Tallent had taken these items.
Meanwhile on Friday, January 25, Newby and Tallent went back to the same location and allegedly took val covers, a gas tank, an intake, and struts. These items are valued at less than $500. They were found in the back of Tallent’s vehicle after an officer pulled him over on a traffic stop. Newby admitted to the officer that she and Tallent had taken these items.
Tallent pleaded guilty by information in June to two counts of theft over $1,000 and received a four year sentence in each case to run concurrently with each other all suspended to supervised probation. He was ordered to make restitution to the victim.

Methamphetamine is a problem in DeKalb County and local law enforcement officers have been busy trying to put those who make meth out of business and behind bars.
Statistics released Monday by Sheriff Patrick Ray reveal that in DeKalb County the number of meth lab seizures is up compared to last year. “For the reporting year September 2011 to September 2012, DeKalb County law enforcement reported eight meth labs that were seized. From September 2012 to September 2013, there were fifteen reported meth labs, an increase of 87.5%,” said Sheriff Ray. “These are traced by the Tennessee Methamphetamine and Pharmaceutical Task Force. We send all of our reports in to the Task Force who keeps up with the statistics,” he said.
Statistics show that the meth problem is not just in DeKalb County. Others have also found more meth labs this past year. “Cannon County reported having eight more meth labs. DeKalb had seven more than the previous year. Smith County had six more. Wilson County had eight more and Putnam County had sixteen more,” said Sheriff Ray. “Putnam is one of the top five counties in the state and second highest in meth lab seizures for the year. Putnam had a total of 52 meth lab seizures reported this last year,” he said.
“Out of those 15 DeKalb County meth labs seized in 2012-2013, the Tennessee Highway Patrol reported getting one meth lab out of a vehicle. The Smithville Police Department reported two meth labs. One was at a trash or dump site. One was out of a vehicle. The sheriff’s department had twelve meth labs. Six of those were out of a dwelling. Three of them were out of a car. Three of them were at trash or dump sites. Out of the six meth labs found in a home, officers quarantined those dwellings. They put stickers on the front doors and back doors and filed with the meth task force that the residences had been quarantined,” said Sheriff Ray.
Once a home is quarantined, no one is allowed to enter other than authorized personnel, until that home is free of toxic hazards. “The owner of the property is required to have a hygienist come in and check to see if meth shows up there. It can be in the carpet or it might be on the walls and or ceilings. It’s just an examination to see if meth has ever been produced there in the home. The hygienist will come in and draw samples. It’s very expensive for a hygienist to do that. The samples they pull are very expensive. They will send off those samples to a lab which will then report back with the results on whether any methamphetamine has been cooked there. If so, the property is set up on a tier system. The lowest tier involves a cleanup, maybe washing the walls down or painting, etc. . If the home is on the high tier, it may have to be completely gutted. That could mean all the carpets, baseboards, walls, insulation, and ceiling would have to be replaced with new material. It’s very expensive and it’s all the land owner’s responsibility,” said Sheriff Ray.
Civil penalties may be assessed to renters who caused the damage but landowners would have to take them to court. “If the landowner is renting to somebody and this happens, they can sue the person for all the expense they are out to get the quarantine took off the home,” said Sheriff Ray.
If the landowner chooses to do nothing with the home under quarantine, the dwelling can’t be used for any purpose until its cleaned up. “Under that quarantine no one can enter the home, regardless of what it has in there. They can’t go in and get clothes or anything else like that. The only ones who are certified to go in are the hygienist who draws the samples, the contractors that go in and do the work, and anyone who has had the training in meth labs, but they all have to wear the protective clothing to go back in there to do whatever they need,” he said.
Once a meth lab is found, Sheriff Ray said reports must be completed and sent in to the Meth Task Force. “When we finish with a meth lab we’re required to fill out and send in paper work. There are usually three categories on the report to note where we found the meth lab. One is in a dwelling, whether it be a family dwelling, apartment etc. One is in a vehicle. If we find a meth lab in a vehicle in what we call a rolling meth lab, we will check that box on the report. The other one is a trash site or a dump site. That’s where the meth maker has finished up a cook and they have a lot of waste that is left over from that. They will pitch it beside of the road or maybe sneak up into a wooded area and dump it out of the back of their vehicle so as not to get caught. They don’t want anybody to see them doing it so they will sometimes try to hide it in a wooded area,” he said.
Pseudoephrine is a key ingredient in making meth and new laws have been passed in recent years placing limits on the sale of some over the counter cold and allergy medicines. “If you buy pseudoephedrine or any kind of cold medicine that has pseudoephedrine in it, you can only buy so much at a time. That’s why you have to show them your driver’s license and sign for it,” said Sheriff Ray. “Any individual is only allowed 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine per day and not to exceed nine grams per month. There is a restriction on how much you can buy per day and per month. From September 2012 to September 2013, a total of 159 people were blocked which means they tried to buy more than 3.6 grams a day or more than nine grams per month. Of course not all of them were cooking meth,” said Sheriff Ray. “Some may have tried to buy it too quickly and the system rejected them where they couldn’t buy it. There were 659 who either made or attempted to make purchases of pseudoephedrine and there were 3,383 purchases of pseudoephedrine for DeKalb County from September 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013.,” he said.
If you suspect someone of making meth or committing any other crime in your community, Sheriff Ray urges you to call the crime tip line to report it. “I want to encourage the public to take advantage of our crime tip line to call in tips. It is 464- 6400. You may call and remain anonymous or call the Sheriff’s Department. The number is 597-4935. You may call and talk to me about crime going on in your community. We try our best to check every tip that we get. We want you to call those in. We appreciate you being our eyes and ears out in your communities. We ask you to keep calling in tips to us,” Sheriff Ray concluded.

Deputy District Attorney General Gary McKenzie, who supervises DeKalb, Cumberland, and White Counties, has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Criminal Judge Part I in the 13th Judicial District. The GOP primary is to be held on May 6, 2014.
The position is currently held by Democratic Judge Leon C. Burns, Jr. of Putnam County who has held the position since 1975. Burns has decided not to seek another term.
Born and raised in Meigs County Tennessee, McKenzie is the son of Freda McKenzie and the late Danny McKenzie. His father was a land surveyor. He married Amy in 1998 and they have 3 children. They attend Life Church in Cookeville.
McKenzie graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 1997 with a degree in Criminal Justice. He was named an All American Collegiate Scholar by the USAA. He was also awarded the Upper Cumberland Trial Lawyers Association Scholarship. Gary decided to move to Memphis and attend the Cecil C. Humphrey’s School of Law at the University of Memphis. He graduated in 2000. He sat for and passed the Bar Exam that same year. Gary immediately went to work for the 13th Judicial District, District Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney.
In 2001 Gary was assigned to be the Lead Prosecutor for Cumberland County, the second largest county in the 13th Judicial District. Gary was the youngest attorney to be given this responsibility.
In 2004 Gary was selected to be the Special Meth Prosecutor, a position that was created in response to the Upper Cumberland region’s serious problems with the drug Methamphetamine. Gary worked closely with the Drug Task Force and the State Attorney’s Office. He also advised State legislators on the creation of laws to combat Methamphetamine.
In 2007 Gary was promoted to Deputy District Attorney General and supervises Cumberland, White, and DeKalb counties. He is Lead Prosecutor of all homicide and violent major crimes in these counties.
The district includes Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and White Counties.