The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has made several arrests recently involving persons allegedly stealing items made of metals and then selling them at a local scrap yard
Among the latest cases is 27 year old William Corey Dickens of Forrest Avenue, Smithville, charged with two counts of theft of property over $1,000. His bond is $15,000 and he will be in court on October 13
Sheriff Patrick Ray reports that on Sunday, August 21, Dickens allegedly took a van from a location on New Home Road, Dowelltown and sold it to a local scrap yard. The estimated cost of the van was $3,000.
Three days later on Wednesday, August 24, Dickens allegedly took items from property on Bluhmtown Road, including one tractor engine, tractor radiator, washer, stove, clothing racks, double bottom plow, and a 1,500 piece Craftsman tool set, valued at $4,650. He allegedly sold those items to a local scrap yard and kept the money.
39 year old Gary Edward Matthews of Four Seasons Road, Smithville and 40 year old David Eugene Driver of Arrowhead Drive, Smithville are each charged with theft of property under $500. Bond for each is $2,500 and they will be in court on September 22.
Sheriff Ray reports that the two men allegedly went to a location at Shady Drive on Wednesday, September 7 and took an antennae, valued at less than $500
While these two men were being charged at the sheriff’s department on September 7, Sheriff Ray said that officers were called to return to the same Shady Drive property, where another burglary was reported to be in progress. Upon arrival a deputy arrested 37 year old Jeffery Lynn Sanders of Lincoln Street, who had a vehicle jacked up and was allegedly attempting to remove a part from underneath the automobile.
Sanders was also charged in a separate theft case which occurred on Saturday, September 3. Sheriff Ray said that Sanders allegedly took a catalytic converter from a vehicle on Potts Camp Road and sold it to a local scrap yard. Sanders is charged with one count of theft over $500 and one count of theft under $500. Bond for Sanders is $10,000 and he will be in court on September 22.
Meanwhile, in other cases 28 year old Michael Ryan Sullivan of Old Snow Hill Road, Dowelltown is charged with driving under the influence. He was also issued citations for a violation of the light law (tail light out), failure to maintain proper lane of traffic, and violation of the implied consent law. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on September 29
Sheriff Ray reports that on Thursday, September 8 Sullivan was operating a vehicle on Highway 70 when he was pulled over for failure to maintain the proper lane of travel, driving in the turning lane. Sullivan had very slurred speech, his eyes were glossy, and a blue powdery residue was in his nostrils. He submitted to but performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. He refused to submit to a blood test.
32 year old Amy Ford of Chumley Hollow Road, Watertown was issued a citation for simple possession. She will be in court on October 6.
According to Sheriff Ray, on Thursday, September 8 a deputy pulled over Ford on a traffic stop at Smith Road. The officer learned that Ford had an active warrant against her. During the investigation, the officer found four hydrocodone pills on Ford.
42 year old James Lee Adcock of Jefferson Road, Smithville is charged with theft of property under $500. Adcock is under a $2,500 bond..
Sheriff Ray reports that on Monday, August 1 Adcock allegedly took a debit card from a residence on Jefferson Road. He allegedly used the card several times in DeKalb and other surrounding counties.

Ten years after that fateful day for America, members of our community gathered Sunday afternoon on the public square to pray, lift their voices in song, and to remember the events of September 1, 2001.
The Smithville Community 911 Memorial Service was presented by several local church groups.
The program began with a welcome and invocation by Anthony Rosolowski of the First Baptist Church.
Susan Hinton, on piano, and Colton Rhody on guitar performed accompaniment as the crowd joined in singing “O God Our Help In Ages Past” and “God of Our Fathers”
Members of the First United Methodist Preschool Choir performed “God Bless America ” under the direction of Emily Bass
The program also featured Thea Tippin, who performed a song of praise and worship. Later, her husband, country music entertainer Aaron Tippin sang “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly”, the same song he performed for the first time in public ten years ago at the first memorial service on the town square, held just days after the 911 tragedy.

Three local ministers quoted scripture and offered prayers during the service including, Mark Bass of the Smithville First Baptist Church, Larry Green of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and Dr. John Carpenter of the Smithville First United Methodist Church.
To close out the service, the crowd joined in singing “America, the Beautiful”

Award winning entertainers Dailey & Vincent are proud to announce their second annual homecoming charity concert to raise money for the Dailey & Vincent Fund to benefit disadvantaged children in DeKalb and Jackson County. The concert will be Saturday, September 24 at 5:00 p.m. at the Jackson County High School Football Field in Gainesboro
Funds raised will be distributed through the Cookeville Regional Foundation, an affiliate of Cookeville Regional Medical Center, The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that is exclusively charitable. The Foundation is an independent corporation with its own Board of Directors. The purpose of The Foundation is to solicit and receive gifts of money and real or personal property to aid Cookeville Regional Medical Center Authority in fulfilling its obligation to the community and to make contributions and grants in the furtherance of this purpose.
The Dailey & Vincent Fund exists to provide financial assistance to disadvantaged children of Jackson and DeKalb Counties to meet immediate medical, nutritional and educational needs not covered by insurance or other means, while acknowledging the God-given gifts, potential and dignity of each child.
Concert tickets are $15 and are available in Smithville at Cantrell Furniture or by calling Julie Vincent (615-418-5759). Tickets are also available online at www.daileyvincent.com.
Fans of award-winning bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent know that they take their music seriously. It’s also obvious that they believe strongly in giving back—to their community, their industry and their fans, as first seen with the release of Singing From the Heart, a CD that helped raise fund for Tennessee Bible College. Now, Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent are taking it a step further with the formation of their own charitable fund and an annual homecoming charity concert.
Dailey & Vincent signed with Rounder Records in 2007 and released their self-titled debut in 2008. They are the reigning International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainers of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year, taking home the coveted trophies in 2008 and 2009. They are the only bluegrass act ever to win IBMA’s Emerging Artist and Entertainer of the Year awards in the same year (2008). More information on Dailey & Vincent, including tour dates, is available at www.daileyvincent.com.

Students at DeKalb County High School were already in high spirits with a week of homecoming activities but the football team gave them even more to celebrate with a 20-10 victory over the visiting White County Warriors on Friday night.
Earlier in the day, the annual homecoming parade was held with the caravan traveling from the school to downtown
With the Tiger’s homecoming opponent being the Warriors, the floats in the parade had a Tiger versus Warriors theme.
The parade featured Homecoming Queen Kidman Puckett and her court, the DCHS Fighting Tiger Band, lots of decorated cars and trucks, county and city law enforcement officers, and fire fighters, among others. The event concluded with a pep rally on the square led by DCHS Football cheerleaders.
The Senior Class took first place with their float
Second place went to the Sophomore Class
The Junior Class received third place
Fourth place went to the Freshman Class
The FCCLA Club took fifth place
Meanwhile in the game Friday night, neither team got on the scoreboard in the first period. But the Tigers would score on the first play of the second period as Quarterback Lucas Phillips rambled 49 yards for a touchdown. The P.A.T. by Zach Taylor was good and DeKalb County led 7-0 with 11:47 left in the half.
White County scored with six minutes left in the second period on a two yard touchdown run by Devin Davidson. The P.A.T. by Austin Hall was good and the Warriors tied the game at 7-7.
Austin Hall gave the Warriors a 10-7 lead with 3:12 to go before halftime on a 33 yard field goal..
The Tigers answered on the ensuing kick-off as Will Molander raced 80 yards for a Tiger touchdown with 2:55 left in the half. The P.A.T by Zach Taylor was good and DeKalb County led 14-10
Taylor tacked on a 33 yard field goal on the last play of the second period and the Tigers led at halftime 17-10
The only score of the second half came on another 33 yard field goal by Zach Taylor with 9:46 left in the third period and DeKalb County went on to win 20-10
The Tigers, now 4-0, will travel to Carthage next Friday night to take on the Smith County Owls in an important district showdown. WJLE will have LIVE coverage.

A 33 year old pedestrian lost her life after being accidentally struck by a motorist Friday night on Highway 70 near DeKalb Market.
Dead is Christina Adams of Hodges Road, Smithville
Central dispatch received the call at 8:07 p.m.
According to Trooper Dewaine Jennings of the Tennessee Highway Patrol a 17 year old female was traveling west on Highway 70 in a 2005 Ford Mustang and accidentally hit Adams, who was standing in the lanes of traffic on the highway.
Adams died at the scene. The driver of the car was not believed to have been seriously hurt but was taken to DeKalb Community Hospital where she was examined, treated, and released.
Trooper Jennings told WJLE that Adams, who had been at Maggie’s Landing, apparently walked to DeKalb Market and was returning to Maggie’s Landing when the accident occurred.
Trooper Jennings was assisted at the scene by THP Sergeant Billy Prater and Trooper Donnie Clark. Others on the scene were members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, the Main Station of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department, DeKalb EMS, and Deputy Coroner Terry Martin.

Second district school board member Charles Robinson was re-elected Chairman of the DeKalb County Board of Education Thursday night. The vote, however, was not unanimous.
Third district member Kenny Rhody nominated Robinson for re-election as chairman but Fourth district member Billy Miller nominated Sixth district member Bruce Parsley for chairman. The board voted on Robinson’s nomination first and he received five votes to be elected chairman. Board members Miller and Parsley voted against him. All other board members voted for Robinson including Rhody, First district member John David Foutch, Fifth district member W.J. (Dub) Evins, III, and Seventh district member Johnny Lattimore. Robinson also voted for himself..
The school board reorganizes each September, naming a chairman, vice-chairman, and an assistant secretary.
In addition to Chairman Robinson, the board re-elected Third district member Kenny Rhody as Vice-Chairman and First district member John David Foutch was named assistant secretary without opposition.
In other business, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby presented his monthly personnel report to the board.
Those employed since the last meeting are:
Kelly Burgess, Special Education Teacher at DCHS
Bonnie Rigsby, English as a Second Language Assistant at Smithville Elementary School
Doris Grah, English as a Second Language Assistant at DeKalb Middle School/ DCHS
Cynthia Dias, Pre-K Assistant at Smithville Elementary School
Mollie Hendrixson, teacher at Northside Elementary School replacing Kathy Bryant
Ashley Smith, teacher at Northside Elementary School replacing Julie Vincent
Those named to the approved substitute teacher list are:
Ellen Ammons, Guylene Atnip, Brenda Bandy, Lacey Beshearse, Jennifer Braswell, Carolyn Caldwell, Shannon Cantrell, Brenda Colwell, Julie Cook, Bethany Davis, Donna Davis, Linda Dean, Sally Exum, Debbie France, Ann Frazier, Holly Frazier, Kelly Frazier, Wayne Fuson, Leigh Fuson, Sherrie Giles, Johnna Goff, Natalie Green, Chelsea Grissom, Susan Guerin, Vicki Haggard, Judith Hale, Amber Hawkins, Letitia Henry, Betty Hickey, Ester Holder, Michelle Hoyle, Shirley Ingram, Milinda League, Linda Luna, Kelly Merriman, Sharon Moffett, Diana Moon, Chris Moore, Joel Moore, Stephen Moore, Eden Nokes, Carl Northcutt, Angela Osment, Elaine Perricone, Justin Poteete, Ivadell Randolph, Virginia Rose, Michael Shaw, Mary Nell Summers, Jessica Sims, Wanda Vickers, and Kim Young
Transfers:
Kathy Bryant, transferred to Assistant Principal at DeKalb Middle School
Sabrina Farler, transferred to Assistant Principal at DeKalb West School
Karen Knowles, transferred to Assistant Principal at Smithville Elementary School
Julie Vincent, transferred to Assistant Principal at Northside Elementary School
Sherree Macemon, transferred to teacher at Smithville Elementary School replacing Karen Knowles
The board adopted a resolution of appreciation honoring bus drivers.
The resolutions states “Whereas, bus drivers must transport students to and from a variety of school sites and assure their safety while passengers are on the school bus; and
Whereas, bus drivers deal with many challenging situations each day including bad weather, traffic and sometimes unruly students; and
Whereas, bus drivers have many more responsibilities than just transporting students, including properly greeting and encouraging students, handling sick children, reporting disciplinary cases, reporting the need for bus maintenace, and much more; and
Whereas, school bus drivers continuously dedicate time to learning and increasing their knowledge about new rules, regulations and safety procedures in order to keep our transportation system among the best in the state; and
Whereas, the superintendent and school board greatly appreciate the commitment and dedication of our school bus drivers and wish to honor them for their service to our school system
Therefore, be it resolved that the DeKalb County Board of Education hereby establishes September 15, 2011 as Bus Driver Appreciation Day in DeKalb County Schools; and
Be it further resolved that the Board encourages students, parents, and staff to join us in expressing appreciation to the bus drivers for all they do.

Where were you?
As the 10th anniversary of 911 approaches, Americans are pausing to reflect on where they were and what they were doing on that day, September 11th, 2001.
Bert Driver of Smithville was in Washington, D.C. that morning attending a Nursery Conference. Driver said he was only a few miles from the Pentagon, which of course was one of the targets of the 911 attacks. “I had traveled to Washington D.C. to attend a nursery conference. The American Nursery and Landscape Association was hosting a conference that week. We had attended a series of seminars on that Monday. Tuesday morning we were beginning the day with Senator Larry Craig, who at that time was a senator from Idaho. (During the program) someone came to the podium to inform him of what had happened (in New York) and he was quickly escorted out of the room. So it took a few minutes to figure out what was going on. They rolled in a few TV monitors so that we could witness what everybody else was witnessing. It was relatively calm for the moment. After a few hours, people started to leave the hotel and tried to leave the city. By that time, the other plane had hit the Pentagon. I wanted to see what was going on so I made my way up to the top of the hotel. There were some maintenance guys who had opened a hatch there on the roof. They were curious as well so I had a pretty good line of sight across the Potomac over to the Pentagon. We were probably three or four miles away but we could see it (Pentagon) smoldering and the emergency vehicles. By this time, it had gotten into the afternoon hours on Tuesday. I later walked about a block away from the hotel and found it to be eerily quiet. Everybody was obviously stunned at what had happened and still processing what had happened. That was the most impressive thing to me at that moment, how quiet it had become,” said Driver
Driver said although he was near the pentagon he did not see the crash or hear the explosion. “What we thought was an explosion turned out to be fighter planes. They had scrambled fighters and they had broken the sound barrier near the hotel. This was moments after the Pentagon had been hit so what we thought might have been an explosion we figured out later was actually F16s that had come down the Potomac to patrol the area,” said Driver.
Anxious to return home, Driver said he had to find other means of transportation after all flights were grounded. “I wanted to leave as quickly as possible because no one knew what the next turn of events might be throughout the day and into the evening and next morning. I had gone so far as to try and get a train ticket to get out of town. I figured I could at least get down the coast to North Carolina and find my way back into Tennessee. That really was ultimately my goal. But by the morning hours one of our group, one of the other nurserymen had come up with a rental car. He had gotten a van so seven of us piled into the van and left that next morning and we drove straight through the day and into the next down through the Shenandoah Valley and made it back. We were fortunate because most people had to sit tight for a few days before they could leave,” he said.
Driver said it felt good to get back home and it was also touching the way this community rallied in a special ceremony on the public square, downtown Smithville a few days after the tragedy. “I think it was a little bit of solidarity for us all to be together there in town on the square to recognize what had happened. It was moving to say the least and a great warming of the heart to be with our fellow citizens. That was a mementos day. I remember the flag they had brought down from Nashville and draped across the courthouse. It was a beautiful sunset. The bagpiper, the firemen, policemen, and all the emergency workers came in to the town square. There was patriotic music by the community chorus and the fantastic song that was unveiled by Aaron Tippin on that day “Where the Stars and Stripes the and Eagle Flies”. It was a touchstone in my life and I’m sure everyone else’s life. Its hard to believe a decade has come and gone and so much as happened in the world since. I can’t get past those words in the song by Alan Jackson “Where were you when the world stopped turning”. That really kind of sums it up. The circle of smoke and the helicopters around that Pentagon will be etched in my mind as long as I live. Those images are burned into my memory,” said Driver.