Two persons want to become the newest member of the school board in the sixth district.
Boyd Trapp and Doug Stephens have met the deadline for submitting a letter to the county mayor’s office expressing their interest in filling the position, which was left vacant by the recent resignation of Bruce Parsley.
The county commission, on January 23, voted to accept applications through noon on Monday, February 6.
Parsley, who was elected in August 2008, resigned as of December 31 to pursue a career as a certified teacher. His term expires August 31.
The person selected by the commission will serve until August 31.
The county commission will conduct interviews of both Trapp and Stephens during an all-committees meeting on the evening of Thursday, February 23 and then choose one of them to fill the unexpired term during the next regular meeting on Monday night, February 27.
Both Trapp and Stephens have also picked up qualifying petitions at the election commission office and plan to run for a full four year term in the August 2 DeKalb County General Election.
In the August DeKalb County General Election, school board members from both the fifth and sixth districts will be elected, each to serve a four year term. The qualifying deadline to get your name on the ballot in the school board races is April 5.

A former Alexandria apartment complex manager is going to jail after pleading guilty to theft Monday in DeKalb County Criminal Court.
36 year old Sharon Morton of Readyville, charged with theft over $1,000, received a three year sentence to serve beginning March 1 at 6:00 p.m. She must also make restitution of $3,413.47. Judge Leon Burns, Jr. presided.
Chief Mark Collins of the Alexandria Police Department told WJLE at the time she was indicted that Morton was working as a property manager for the Maplewood and Parkview apartment complexes in Alexandria which is owned by MACO Management Co, Inc . Chief Collins states that between November 2009 and September 2010 Morton took approximately $9,873 from approximately 10 tenants living at the properties . Chief Collins states that the money came from security deposits and rent which never got deposited to Maco. The case was investigated by Sergeant Chris Russell. Morton was booked in the DeKalb County Jail on April 15th, 2011.
Meanwhile, 29 year old Terry Collins pleaded guilty on Monday to theft of property over $1,000 and received a two year sentence to serve. He must also make restitution in an amount to be determined later.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Collins allegedly took a 1990 Dodge pickup valued at over $1,000 from a location on Holmes Creek Road and sold it to a local recycling center in July, 2011. He was arrested on Monday, August 8 after an investigation by a Sheriff’s Department detective assigned to the case.
Collins was given jail credit of 184 days.

The rehabilitation of the Smithville Water Treatment plant is finished.
Secretary-Treasurer Hunter Hendrixson and Mayor Taft Hendrixson made the announcement Monday night during the city council meeting.
With completion of the makeover, city officials say the water plant is now a much more state of the art facility which will continue to provide its customers with a clean, safe, reliable water supply for many years to come. Mayor Hendrixson said an open house will be scheduled soon.
Work began in August, 2010 by the W&O Construction Company of Livingston, who was awarded the construction bid in February 2010 by the board of aldermen at a cost of $2,542,000. The city was awarded a $500,000 community development block grant administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to help fund the project. But the bulk of the funding, $2,342,000 was appropriated from the city’s water and sewer fund surplus. The city has spent a total of $2,610,000 on the project, including grant funds, according to Hunter Hendrixson.
The project at the water plant included the installation of new high service pumps; new electrical breaker boxes, new storage tanks, new automated water filter control panel, new chlorinator, new liquid fluoride feeder system, the addition of a new standby generator, among many other renovations and improvements.
Mayor Hendrixson said the city did not have to borrow the money because there were sufficient funds in the city’s water and sewer fund reserves to support the project.
The water treatment plant was originally constructed in 1966. The last major update to the facility was in 1978 when work was done at both the plant and the pumps at the intake on the lake.
The aldermen Monday night approved on first reading, an ordinance to update the city’s cross connection regulations.
What is cross connection? Simply put, cross connection occurs when contaminated water gains entrance to and pollutes a safe water supply. Through the careful monitoring of the City water supply system and the installation of backflow prevention assemblies, the risk of cross connection can dramatically be reduced.
A backflow prevention assembly prevents potentially dangerous substances or contaminated water from entering the public water supply. This assembly consists of a valve that allows water to enter a building but prevents the water from returning to the supply line. Cross connection contamination usually occurs if there is a loss of pressure in the water supply system. The loss of pressure can create a siphonage situation that will actually pull the water from a building back into the system.
The State Division of Water Quality requires that all public water systems maintain an active program to identify and control cross connections. This ordinance is the basis for the City’s program. Everyone that installs or repairs these assemblies is required to be certified by the State of Tennessee.
Mayor Hendrixson said the city has someone certified to deal with cross connection and backflow prevention installation and repair.
The objectives of the ordinance are to:
“Protect the public potable water system from the possibility of contamination or pollution by isolating within the customer’s internal distribution system, such contaminants or pollutants that could backflow or backsiphon into the public water system;
To promote the elimination or control of existing cross connections, actual or potential between the customer’s in house potable water system and non-potable water systems, plumbing fixtures and industrial piping systems;
To provide for the maintaintence of a continuing program of cross connection control that will systematically and effectively prevent the contamination or pollution of all potable water systems.”
Second and final reading will be held following a public hearing at the next meeting on Monday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. at city hall.
In other business, the aldermen voted to hire Shawn Thomas full time at the water treatment plant. He has completed his 60 day probationary period.
First reading action was postponed on proposed ordinance #438 until the February 20 meeting. This is an ordinance amending the City of Smithville’s zoning ordinance in the B-3 (downtown business) district allowing the conversion of commercial buildings to residential dwellings

The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department has been denied FEMA grant funding to help pay for the purchase of an aerial truck and the necessary equipment to go on it.
Fire Chief Charlie Parker reported to the Mayor and Aldermen Monday night that he has been informed that the department’s applications for FEMA grant funds have been turned down.
Last June, the aldermen voted to hire a grant writer, Johnny Robertson, at the request of Chief Parker to assist the city in seeking federal funding. “The ladder truck is actually on one grant through FEMA and the equipment that goes on it (ladder truck) is on a second grant,” said Chief Parker at the meeting last June. Both can be applied for at the same time. He (Robertson) has agreed to do both of these grants for $3,000. Its $1,500 per grant. He’ll do all the narratives and get it in. If we are awarded the grant, the $3,000 cost is recoverable from the grant so the grant would actually pay for that money. In the event that we didn’t get the grant, we would still have to pay him the $3,000,” said Chief Parker.
Had the grants been funded, the city would have been responsible for a five percent local match for each.
Smithville firefighters have long wanted an aerial (ladder) truck, which they say the city needs to reach taller buildings and hard to get to structures and roof tops.
Last month, city firefighters had the opportunity to test run a 75 foot ladder demo truck from the EVS Mid South Company for a few days.
Alderman Shawn Jacobs, the city’s police and fire commissioner, is convinced that Smithville needs a ladder truck, saying Monday night during the council meeting that the city could have used one during an apartment fire at City Walk Apartments last month. Jacobs said he was concerned for the safety of the firefighters watching them have to use a bucket truck in battling that blaze.
No word yet on whether the fire fighters will ask the city to fund a ladder truck in next year’s budget.
Meanwhile, the aldermen Monday night approved the list of city volunteer firefighters and officers elected by the department for the calendar year.
Those officers include Chief Charlie Parker, Deputy Chief Hoyte Hale, Captain Jeff Wright, and Lieutenants Danny Poss, Jon Poss, Anthony Wright, and Donnie Cantrell.
Chief Parker also mentioned the number of years each city fighter has been a member of the department including the following:
Kevin Adcock ,one year
Corey Killian, in his first year
Ronald Whitaker, three years
Glenn Lattimore, four years
Stephanie Wright, six years
Gary Johnson and Randall Hunt, seven years
Wallace Caldwell, eight years
Charles Young, thirteen years,
Wink Brown, fourteen years
Greg Bess, seventeen years as photographer
Anthony Wright, twenty years
Jon Poss, twenty one years
Jeff Wright, twenty six years
Hoyte Hale, twenty seven years
Danny Poss, Donnie Cantrell, and Charlie Parker, thirty two years
Chief Parker reported that the city fire department responded to two fire calls in January and one hazmat call due to a gas spill.
The city has $10,000 budgeted this year under capital outlay to purchase a vehicle, possibly a pickup truck, to transport firefighters to training or to run errands for the department so that they don’t have to use the other emergency vehicles or their own automobiles. Chief Parker said Monday night the department has not had any success so far in finding a good used truck through government surplus. He asked if the department could buy a used truck from a dealership instead. City officials said such a purchase would have to be within 10% of market value and meet any other purchasing requirements. No action was taken.

Four more defendants were arrested over the weekend, charged in sealed indictments returned last week by the grand jury as a result of an undercover drug investigation by the sheriff’s department.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said the latest to be picked up and their charges include the following:
27 year old Anthony Joe Hamilton of Smithville- Sale and delivery of a schedule II drug in a drug free zone (2 counts) ($80,000 bond)
43 year old Kimberly Ann Patterson of Smithville- Sale and delivery of a schedule II drug (2 counts) ($60,000 bond)
30 year old David Glenn Sparks of Quebeck – Theft of property over $1,000 ($20,000 bond)
35 year old Bobby Wayne Pinegar, Jr.- Sale and delivery of a schedule II drug in a drug free zone (2 counts) ($80,000 bond)
Hamilton, Patterson, Sparks, and Pinegar along with the thirty nine others who were indicted and arrested last week will appear for arraignment in criminal court on Friday, February 24. Twelve more who were indicted in this investigation have yet to be arrested.
Meanwhile in his regular weekly crime report Sheriff Ray said that 50 year old Sabra Maurine Bussell of Halls Hollow Road, Smithville is charged with DUI and introduction of drugs into a penal institution. She was further issued a citation for failure to carry a drivers license and registration for her vehicle, hit and run, and failure of due care. Her bond totals $6,500 and she will be in court March 8.
Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday February 2, Bussell was involved in a hit and run accident. After stopping Bussell’s vehicle, the arresting officer noticed that she had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her person. Her speech was slurred and she was unsteady on her feet. Bussell performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. She submitted to a blood test.
Bussell could not provide a valid drivers license or registration. She also had a 1.75 liter open container of rum and failed to show due care.
Later, as correctional officers were removing her from the cell into the booking area of the jail, Bussell dropped a plastic bag containing marijuana, two pills believed to be soma, and three pills believed to be Valium.
26 year old Stephen Hunter Pugh of Woodbury Highway, Liberty is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence and driving on a revoked license. He was issued citations for not wearing a seatbelt, violation of the registration law, violation of the financial responsibility law, simple possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and violation of the open container law. Pugh will be in court on February 9 and his bond totals $4,500.
Sheriff Ray reports that on Thursday, February 2 a deputy stopped to perform a welfare check on a vehicle parked in the roadway on L. Hendrixson Road. The driver, Pugh had apparently passed out. The deputy awoke Pugh, who had very slurred speech and an alcoholic beverage in his hand. Pugh was very unsteady on his feet and had trouble staying awake. He performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. He submitted to a blood test. A computer check revealed his license to be revoked for driving under the influence on May 14, 2009 in DeKalb County. Pugh could not show proof of insurance or registration and he was not wearing a seatbelt. He also had a small amount of marijuana on his person. Two syringes were found in the floorboard of the vehicle, which Pugh admitted belonged to him.
26 year old Melinda Beth Murphy is charged with theft of property under $500. Her bond totals $2,500 and she will be in court on February 16. According to Sheriff Ray, Murphy allegedly took three blank checks valued at less than $500 from a residence on Evergreen Circle. She was arrested on Friday, February 3.
21 year old Craig Randall Whitaker of Lost Creek Lane, Carthage is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on February 16.
Sheriff Ray reports that on Saturday, February 4 a deputy stopped to do a welfare check on a vehicle parked on the side of the road on Highway 70. The door on the driver’s side was open. Whitaker, the driver, was passed out under the steering wheel. The arresting officer initially could not wake him up. DeKalb EMS was called to the scene to check on him. Whitaker had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was unsteady on his feet. He performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. He submitted to a blood test and admitted to the deputy that he had consumed too much alcohol. Whitaker was believed to be under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.
44 year old Andy Butch May of Midway Road, Smithville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on February 16. Sheriff Ray reports that on Sunday, February 5 the sheriff’s office received a call about someone walking in the roadway on Highway 70. Upon arrival, the deputy found May beside the road. May had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was very unsteady on his feet. May admitted to the officer that he had too much to drink. For his safety, May was arrested to get him off the roadway.
Meanwhile, two DUI arrests were made last week by Trooper Allen England of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
63 year old Jerry Hutchings, Sr. is charged with driving under the influence, and possession of a schedule III and IV drug. His bond totals $4,500 and he will be in court on April 19.
According to the warrant, Trooper England stopped Hutchings on Wednesday, February 1 on Highway 56 south near South College Street for failure to maintain lanes. “Upon contact with the driver, Mr. Hutchings stated he had taken a xanax at lunch. He had drank a 24 ounce Coors lite on the drive home. He also stated that he took a hydrocodone at bedtime last night (Tuesday) with a restoril sleeping pill. Mr Hutchings failed field sobriety tasks and was placed under arrest”, according to the warrant. Investigator Jeremy Taylor and Deputy Houston Cantrell of the Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene by Trooper England to witness the field sobriety tasks.
The arrest warrants on the drug charges state that “Mr Hutchings was in possession of three and a half hydrocodone pills in an unmarked pill bottle and does not have his prescription in possession and that he was in possession of three blue xanax pills in an unmarked pill bottle and did not have his prescription in possession.”
Meanwhile on Thursday February 2, Trooper England stopped 66 year old Willie J. Thomas on Highway 56 near Jewel’s Market for no seatbelt. Thomas was charged with driving under the influence and possession of a schedule IV drug. His bond is $3,000 and he will be in court on April 19.
According to the arrest warrant, “Upon contact with the driver, Mr. Thomas admitted that he had taken a 10 milligram diazepam earlier in the day. Mr. Thomas failed all field sobriety tasks and was placed under arrest for DUI. The city police department witnessed the test. Officer (James) Cornelius.”
The arrest warrant on the drug charge states that “On February 2, Thomas was in possession of one yellow pill identified as a five milligram diazepam. He did not have it in a proper prescription bottle. It was mixed with other pills.”

Four people were involved in a one car wreck Saturday morning on the Cookeville Highway.
Central dispatch received the call at 9:48 a.m.
Trooper Dewaine Jennings of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that 45 year old Clay Allan Binkley of Smithville was driving south on Highway 56 in a 2003 Chevy Cavalier when he failed to properly negotiate a curve to the right. The car crossed the center line. Binkley overcorrected and the vehicle spun around, left the roadway to the right, and entered a ditchline, making an angle impact with an earthen embankment and metal culvert.
Others in the car with Binkley were his wife, 43 year old Georgetta Lynn Binkley; a son, 15 year old Troy Allan Binkley; and another relative, 35 year old Rebecca Faye Ross.
Ross was taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital. Mrs. Binkley, who suffered minor scrapes and cuts, rode in the ambulance with Ross to the hospital, but Binkley was not seriously injured. No one else was hurt.
Mr. Binkley was issued a citation for failure to maintain his lane of travel and for not wearing a seatbelt.
In addition to Trooper Jennings and DeKalb EMS, deputies from the Sheriff’s Department and members of the Cookeville Highway station of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department were also on the scene.