Students from DeKalb Middle School won a third place award at the recent Tennessee History Day competition.
In the category of “Junior Group Performance” a third place award went to Lauren Craig, Josh Davidson, Laura Reed, and Ashley Barnes of DeKalb Middle School in Smithville for their project on “Advancements in Telecommunication.” Teacher: Tonya Sullivan.
First place winners are eligible to represent Tennessee at the National History Day competition, which will be held in College Park, Maryland June 13-17.
Tennessee History Day, which was held at the Legislative Plaza, the Tennessee State Museum and the Nashville Public Library, attracted more than 200 students from across the state. The participants were all award winners from district competitions held in Memphis, Murfreesboro, Knoxville and Chattanooga.
The competition was coordinated by the Tennessee Historical Society with sponsorship provided by Humanities Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of State. Additional support is provided by The Memorial Foundation, National History Day, the History Channel and the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation.
“Congratulations to all of our winners and their fellow competitors,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “I know Tennesseans will join me in applauding their accomplishments and cheering the winners to even greater success in the National History Day contest.”
In the competition, students in grades six through 12 presented history-themed projects in a variety of formats – including museum-style exhibits, research papers, web sites, documentaries and even live performances. This year’s theme was Innovation in History: Impact and Change. Students were asked to examine how different innovations have shaped the course of history.
The judges – who included university professors, graduate students, high school teachers, archivists and other public historians – picked the winners from the 118 projects submitted.
Nationwide, more than half a million students participated in some level of History Day competition this year, including about 6,000 from Tennessee.
Since 1974, National History Day has grown from a Cleveland, Ohio competition with about 100 students to a national academic program that engages 2 million people annually.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting sobriety roadside safety
checkpoints during the week of April 30 on State Highway 56 in DeKalb County
Impaired driving is a serious crime that kills more than 16,000 people and injures
305,000 others every year in the United States. Troopers will evaluate drivers for
signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Troopers will target those who operate a
vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed
while ensuring the protection of all motorists.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol recognizes that sobriety checkpoints are highly
visible and effective tools in the battle against impaired driving.

Three people, Randy Caplinger of Smithville, Larry D. Parsley of Lenoir City, and Kenneth D. Smith of Watertown have applied for the position of Smithville Police Chief.
Noon today (Friday) was the deadline for persons to apply.
Caplinger is a retired Lieutenant Colonel/Major of the Tennessee Department of Safety/Tennessee Highway Patrol. Parsley is a retired Lieutenant of the Tennessee Department of Safety/Tennessee Highway Patrol. Smith is currently serving as Chief of Police of the Lakewood Police Department at Old Hickory, Tennessee.
Smithville Police Commissioner/Alderman Aaron Meeks told WJLE Friday afternoon that the mayor and aldermen would most likely conduct a workshop soon to interview the applicants individually. No date has yet been set for such workshop.
Each of the applicants submitted resumes with their applications.
Caplinger, since October 2006, has been Transportation/Safety Director for Kitchen Craft of Smithville, where he is responsible for all safety training of approximately 190 employees.
From 2003 to 2006, Caplinger served as Lieutenant Colonel/Major for the Tennessee Department of Safety, where he was in charge of officers in all Tennessee counties including support staff. A total of 322 employees.
Caplinger, who completed officer training at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy in 1976, began his career with the Tennessee Department of Safety as a trooper/officer and served in that position for eight years followed by a seven year stint as a THP sergeant and four years as lieutenant. He later became Captain of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, in charge of all officers in 14 Tennessee counties. Caplinger held that post for eight years before becoming Lieutenant Colonel/Major.
Caplinger received administration and management training from the University of Tennessee and the University of Phoenix Academy.
Parsley, a 1966 graduate of DeKalb County High School, was in the United States Air Force from 1969 to 1973. He joined the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1973 and worked as a state trooper in the Knoxville area until 1985, when he became a THP sergeant, supervising three to four counties and ten to fifteen troopers. In 1990, Parsley was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, a position he held until 2003. During those years, he was Trooper Supervisor over three counties, supervising ten to fifteen troopers and two sergeants. Parsley was also UT Football Security Detail Supervisor and bodyguard for then coach Phil Fulmer.
For two years, from 2007 to January, 2009, Parsley was the Assistant Superintendent of Construction for EMJ Corporation in Chattanooga, in charge of time and manpower scheduling, safety and OSHA reporting, and work performance monitoring.
In 1975, Parsley attended Walters State Community College in Morristown where he earned credit hours toward his associate’s degree. In 1977, he attended East Tennessee State University at Johnson City where he earned credit hours toward a bachelor’s degree; criminal justice major.
Parsley was the Knoxville area Optimist Club Trooper of the Year in 1983 and 1984.
Smith, a certified officer and Tennessee state training instructor, is currently Chief of Police for the Lakewood Police Department in Old Hickory, Tennessee, where his duties include managing the daily functions of the department, conducting training for officers, establishing department budgets, etc.
From 1986 to 2006, Smith was employed as a lieutenant patrol officer, supervisor, and police officer for the Lebanon City Police Department, where he managed training of staff for more than 80 officers.
He joined the Mount Juliet City Police Department in 2006 as a field training officer, and police officer, positions he held until 2008 when he became chief of the Lakewood Police Department.
Smith received his high school education at Mount Juliet High School from 1978 to 1982. He completed officer training at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy in 1986.
Smith was named the 2005 Lebanon Police Department Officer of the Year. He also received the 2005 Life Saving Award for a vehicular crash on Interstate 40 and the 2009 Tuition Grant Award from the Tennessee Chief’s Association.

A total of 48 of the 64 persons named in sealed indictments returned by a special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury on Monday, April 12th have been arrested. All but three were indicted as the result of undercover drug investigations. The other three were indicted for theft of property (trailers).
(Click here to see pictures of each defendanthttp://www.wjle.com/node/10295)
Sheriff Patrick Ray says those indicted and their charges are as follows:
30 year old Amanda Gayle Cains
Wade Subdivision Lane
Gainesboro
1 count of conspiracy to sell and deliver 50 grams or more of a schedule II drug
2 counts violation of drug free zone
Bond- $70,000
20 year old Amanda Lee Keeling
South Grundy Quarles Highway
Gainesboro
1 count of conspiracy to sell and deliver 50 grams or more of a schedule II drug
2 counts violation of drug free zone
Bond- $70,000
31 year old James “Freddy” Summers
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
Bond- $20,000
22 year old Coty Lynn McCormick
Mohon Drive
McMinnville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond- $60,000
39 year old David Gerald Vanatta
Snow Street
Smithville
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
2 counts violation of a drug free zone
Bond- $30,000
24 year old Corey Robert Winchester
Bright Hill Road
Smithville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
2 counts violation of drug free zone
Bond- $50,000
42 year old Mark R. Robinson
Dry Creek Road
Smithville
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
Bond- $20,000
28 year old Garth Wayne Cantrell
Pine Grove Road
Smithville
3 counts of theft over $500
Bond $30,000
30 year old John M. Alsup
Pine Grove Road
Smithville
3 counts of theft over $500
Bond $30,000
32 year old Jason Zeen Cripps
Bethel Road
Smithville
2counts of theft over $500
Bond $20,000
32 year old Jeremy Patrick Bandy
Old Givens Hollow Road
Liberty
2 counts of sale of a schedule II drug
Bond $100,000
36 year old Steve Franklin Mabe Jr
Old Givens Hollow Road
Liberty
3 counts of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond $75,000
38 year old Rachel Lynn Mabe
Old Givens Hollow Road
Liberty
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond $50,000
62 year old Sandra Heath
Lavergne Street
Alexandria
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
4 counts violation of drug free act
Bond $70,000
24 year old Danny Ray Prater
Pumpkin Hollow Road
Liberty
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule IV drug
Bond $20,000
20 year old Randall Brett Bullard
North Washington Avenue
Cookeville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule VI drug
Bond $20,000
49 year old Nickey Reese Cantrell
Lakeview Drive
Smithville
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond $30,000
48 year old Dennis C. Ellis
Anthony Avenue
Smithville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond 60,000
43 year old Mark Alan Goodson
Midway Road
Smithville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond 50,000
51 year old James Vernon Vaughn
Gentry Avenue
Smithville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule VI drug
1 count possession of a schedule VI drug for resale
4 counts violation of drug free act
Bond $5,000
18 year old Leslie Brooke Bailey
Brush Creek Road
Alexandria
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule IV drug
Bond $60,000
28 year old Robert Lee Prater
Pumpkin Hollow Road
Liberty
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
Bond $20,000
33 year old Tracie Lyndal Godsey
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule VI drug
1 count possession of a schedule VI drug for resale
4 counts violation of drug free act
Bond $60,000
20 year old Jerry Donald Johnson
Union Ridge Road
Bloomington Springs
2 counts of conspiracy to sell and deliver 50 grams or more of a schedule II drug
2 counts violation of drug free act
Bond $70,000
34 year old John David Fagan
Bright Hill Road
Smithville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
4 counts violation of drug free act
Bond $50,000
22 year old Joshua Lynne Batey
East Main Street
Smithville
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
Bond $60,000
21 year old Caleb A. Hendrix
Old Snow Hill Road
Dowelltown
1 count of conspiracy to sell and deliver of a schedule II drug
1 count theft under $500
Bond $20,000
49 year old Marti Compton
Avant Circle
Alexandria
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule IV drug
6 counts violation of drug free act
Bond $40,000
39 year old Vickie Ann Cantrell
Adcock Cemetery Road
Smithville
2 counts of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond $50,000
Cantrell was also issued a citation for simple possession of a schedule II drug Dilaudid after a ½ of a Dilaudid pill was found
Bond $50,000
22 year old Julie Marie Prater
Pumpkin Hollow Road
Liberty
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule IV drug
Bond $20,000
21 year old Timothy “Tyler” Patrick
The Loop
Smithville
4 counts of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
4 counts of violation of the drug free act
Bond $70,000
24 year old Stephen Kennedy
Tami Kay Road
Smithville
1 count of manufacture of a schedule VI drug
Bond $20,000
27 year old Chasity Jeannine Phillips
Shady Drive
Smithville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
1 count of violation of the drug free act
Bond $70,000
Lance Edward Rollings
Earl Ave
Smithville
2 counts of sale and delivery of a schedule VI drug
Bond $20,000
45 year old Marla Adele Turner
Adcock Cemetery Road
Smithville
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
Bond $60,000
60 year old Harold Gene Blackwell
Jay Hutchins Road
Sparta
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
2 counts of violation of the drug free act
Bond $50,000
50 year old Victor W. Jones
Flemming Street
Alexandria
2 counts of sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
3 counts of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule IV drug
12 counts violation of a drug free zone
Bond $100,000
51 year old Tamara Sue Evensen
Flemming Street
Alexandria
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule IV drug 4 counts of violation of a drug free zone
Bond $70,000
34 year old Russell Allen Blackwell
Jay Hutchins Road
Sparta
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
2 counts of violation of the drug free act
Bond $50,000
52 year old Billy Joe Rigsby
Adcock Cemetery Road
Smithville
3 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
Bond $60,000
41 year old Sherry Lynn Chandler
Page Drive
Smithville
2 counts sale and delivery of schedule III drug
Bond $30,000
18 year old Lataj K. Bass
Shady Drive
Alexandria
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule VI drug
Bond $10,000
47 year old Virginia Kay Jones
Flemming Street
Alexandria
3 counts sale and delivery of a schedule II drug
6 counts violation of the drug free act
Bond $60,000
40 year old Timothy Edward Lawson
Avant Circle
Alexandria
3 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
6 counts violation of the drug free act
Bond $70,000
Lawson was also issued a citation for drug paraphernalia for being in possession of a pill crusher and 4 straws that contained a white powdery in them.
21 year old Jamie Lee Beising
Old Snow Hill Road
Dowelltown
1 count conspiracy to sell and deliver a schedule II drug
1 count theft under $500
Bond $20,000
41 year old Dana Ledbetter Firth
Midnight Sun Circle
Nashville
2 counts sale and delivery of a schedule III drug
1 count sale and delivery of a schedule IV drug
6 counts violation of the drug free act
Bond $40,000
Firth was also written a citation for simple possession of marijuana after she was found to have marijuana in her possession.
26 year old Tabitha Elaine Wilson
Huddleston Street
Cookeville
1 count of conspiracy to sell and deliver 50 grams or more of a schedule II drug
2 counts of violation of the drug free law
Bond $70,000
On Wednesday, 43 year old Christine Marie Moss of The Loop Smithville was arrested after she was found to have in her possession an unlabeled pill bottle that contained 119 and ½ pills believed to be Seroquel. Moss could not show a valid prescription for the pills. She was charged with possession of a legend drug without a prescription and her bond was set at $1,000. She will appear in court on April 29th. She was present at a drug defendant’s house on Flemming Street in Alexandria at the time of their arrest.

The following is a legislative update from State Senator Mae Beavers
A flurry of bills began to move through the State Senate this week, including legislation getting tough on crime. Meanwhile, the Senate received an update on the state’s continued declining revenue collections and growth estimates in preparation for its work on the budget.
Lawmakers act on several anti-crime bills
Armed Robbers – A bill to strengthen penalties against armed robbers was debated in the Senate Finance Committee this week. The legislation, Senate Bill 3431, would more than double the minimum amount of time served for aggravated robbery.
Presently, armed robbers convicted on a first offense can receive up to eight years in jail, but the 30 percent requirement places the actual sentence at less than three years. This legislation would increase the mandatory minimum percentage of jail time for these armed offenders from 30 percent to 74 percent.
Meth labs – In other Judiciary Committee action, members approved legislation designed to protect the public from being harmed by the ill effects of entering a house or building that has been used as a meth lab. The bill, Senate Bill 2969, makes it a Class B misdemeanor offense to knowingly inhabit a property quarantined by law enforcement due to the manufacture of methamphetamine within the structure, unless that person is part of the official police investigation.
Child Abductions – Lawmakers gave final approval to legislation that aims to reduce the risk of child abduction in Tennessee. The bill, Senate Bill 3065, would provide courts with guidelines to follow regarding potential child abductions and to provide courts with appropriate measures to prevent these crimes.
Legislation prohibiting taxpayer-funded coverage for abortion arising from federal healthcare bill wins unanimous approval in Senate Commerce Committee
The Senate Commerce Committee approved legislation that would prohibit taxpayer-funded coverage for abortion services in Tennessee associated with the federal healthcare bill passed by Congress last month. The bill, Senate Bill 2686, prohibits any health care plan established pursuant to federal health care reform legislation enacted by the 111th United States Congress from offering coverage for abortion services.
Many experts believe the Executive Order signed by President Obama was part of an agreement to gain the votes of a key block of anti-abortion Democrats as the price for the massive federal health care law. Yet, the order may not stop funding for abortions, as the federal healthcare law left open the option for state-paid abortions, and was ambiguous in terms of allowing federal taxpayer funding for abortions.
Senate passes legislation to help homeowners avoid foreclosure
The Senate has approved legislation that would provide assistance to homeowners who are about to lose their home due to non-payment. The bill, Senate Bill 3519, gives people the opportunity to contact their lender in an effort to avoid foreclosure, as well as requiring that a new simple and easy-to-understand notice be sent to homeowners when they fall behind or become delinquent in their mortgage payments. Such a bill might help them find a resolution or to see if there are any governmental programs available to avoid a foreclosure sale.
The state has consistently ranked among states with the highest number of foreclosures for the past decade. Tennessee ranked 26th in the nation in February according to some reports.
Issues In Brief
Overreaching by Congress – The State Senate gave final approval to Senate Joint Resolution 897 sponsored by Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and Senator Mae Beavers, which urges Tennessee’s Attorney General to join 19 other states in challenging the unconstitutional provisions in the federal government takeover of the nation’s health care system. The resolution states that the General Assembly shares the concern of other states that mandated insurance coverage for citizens within their boundaries violates the Commerce Clause and the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Elected Attorney General – The Senate heard two readings this week of a resolution sponsored by Senator Mae Beavers calling for an elected State Attorney General (AG). The resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 698, seeks to amend the state’s Constitution to allow a popular election every four years. Tennessee is the only state in the nation that allows the State Supreme Court to select the attorney general. The amendment process requires three readings before a vote is taken on the resolution. It must be approved by both the 106th General Assembly, currently in session, and the 107th, which will take office in 2011, before going to voters in a statewide referendum in November 2014.
English in the workplace – The Senate Commerce Committee has approved a bill to clarify that Tennessee employers have a right to institute an English-in-the-workplace policy. The bill, SB 2753, clarifies that employers can require that English be spoken on the job as long as it is posted. Many think that requiring English is often a safety precaution. Businesses where employees are continuously handling toxic products or food containers have a need to require English.
College Savings – The Senate Finance Committee has approved legislation to increase the number of college graduates by providing essential education to parents and students about how to save for college. The proposal, Senate Bill 3234, would create an 11-member Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission to establish a state clearinghouse of information, resources, and assistance for improving financial literacy in the area of college savings.
Similarly, a separate measure was approved by the full Senate that authorizes the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Baccalaureate Education System Trust (BEST) to establish an incentive plan to encourage citizens to participate in any 529 college savings program that the Board has contracted with to assist in these efforts. The proposal, Senate Bill 1142, helps citizens take advantage of the incentive plans, grants and scholarships that could be available to them through individual savings accounts established by or on behalf of residents through BEST.
Medal Program – The full Senate approved Senate Bill 2488 that would create the Veterans’ Honor Medal program to recognize and honor distinguished service by Tennessee veterans. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs, under the bill, would commission the design of a medal for the program.
Mammograms – Senator Mae Beavers pushed passage of Senate Joint Resolution 890 through the full Senate this week encouraging women to consult with their doctors and organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, when choosing to have annual mammograms. Beavers, a breast cancer survivor, credits screening and early intervention as a reason for her success in defeating the disease. The resolution takes issue with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ new guidelines increasing the age for baseline mammograms to age 50, and changing the recommendation for annual screenings to having the exams every other year. The resolution instead urges Tennessee women to use the American Cancer Society’s recommended standard for annual screenings beginning at age 40.

A 14 year old DeKalb County High School student is in trouble with the law after he was allegedly caught with a “hit list” in his possession at school on Monday.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby told WJLE Thursday that the student allegedly made written threats against seventeen other high school students along with three school employees including the principal of another local school, a supervisor, and a high school teacher. The threats were not carried out.
The School Resource Officer was informed about the “hit list” on Monday and the student was taken into custody. The “hit list” was also confiscated.
A juvenile petition was taken against the boy alleging that he committed a delinquent act. He will appear in juvenile court next week. He is currently in the juvenile detention center at Cookeville.

If you’re planning to cross Hurricane bridge anytime Monday through Friday from seven a.m. until five p.m., be prepared to stop.
Starting today (Thursday, April 15th), County Mayor Mike Foster says the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department will have a “flagger” on each end of the bridge to monitor traffic across the bridge, which has state posted weight limits. “We’re going to start escorting loaded trucks across Hurricane bridge in an effort to try and help our industries and our school buses get across. The way it will work, a loaded truck must stop at each end of the bridge whenever they approach it and it (bridge) will be cleared to where they are the only vehicle on the bridge and then they will proceed across. As soon as they get across, then normal traffic flow will resume across the bridge. If the trucks are not loaded, they will proceed across the bridge like they normally would (without having to stop). This way, instead of having to go by the weight limited posted on the bridge, which are 10 tons for a straight truck and 18 tons for a semi, they can now carry a normal load that they would normally carry across the bridge. However, only one truck at a time will be allowed on the bridge. Other than that, normal traffic flow will be as it has been.”
Sheriff Patrick Ray adds that “any vehicle (trucks, school buses, emergency vehicles, etc) above the posted weight limit now will have to stop and we will stop traffic on both ends of the bridge and allow that one truck to come across the bridge. Then we will re-open traffic.”
Sheriff Ray says he and his department are proud to be able to provide this service to help our local industries, school buses, emergency vehicles, and others. This, he says, will ease safety concerns and greatly benefit everyone, especially people living in the Silver Point and Rock Castle areas.
In January, the DeKalb County Commission approved a plan to provide the “flaggers” through at least September and to apply for a state grant to help recoup the county’s costs.
Under the proposal, County Mayor Foster says the county will appropriate around $20,000 to pay at least a couple of people, through the sheriff’s department, with experience in law enforcement or traffic control who would work several hours per week monitoring traffic across Hurricane Bridge.

A lengthy investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Alexandria Police Department, TBI and other law enforcement agencies into a drug running operation here and in other counties of the Upper Cumberland has resulted in grand jury indictments against sixty one people charged with the illegal sale or conspiracy to sell prescription drugs. Three others were indicted on unrelated charges of theft (stealing trailers).
A special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury met Monday and returned indictments against people locally and from other counties, who either allegedly sold or conspired to sell drugs to undercover operatives in DeKalb County. According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, authorities believe the drugs were being supplied from a contact in New York.
Sheriff Ray says his department presented to the grand jury cases against forty people from throughout the county on drug charges, plus an additional twelve people in Alexandria, who were indicted as the result of a joint investigation between the sheriff’s department and the Alexandria Police Department. The TBI presented cases to the grand jury against nine people, mostly from the Jackson, Overton, and Putnam County area who allegedly conspired to sell drugs in DeKalb County.
Richard Brogan, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge, says defendants in the TBI investigation were facilitating the availability of drugs locally. “The main focus of our investigation was a man by the man of Timmy Young of Gainesboro, who is known as “fat boy” on the street. He had a direct connection with the main suppliers that were bringing them in from Nashville and New York. Those pills were then distributed out to what we call “runners” that would sell to other individuals on the street level.”
Agent Brogan says prescription drug abuse is a major problem in this state. “Prescription drug abuse has probably become our fastest growing problem in the State of Tennessee such as dilaudid which is synthetic morphine and oxycontin which is also a highly addictive drug. Oxycontin, for example, is selling for $80 a pill on the streets today. You can see how expensive these pills are just to buy one so you can imagine what other crimes that leads to such as burglaries, shoplifting, robberies, and things like that to take care of their habits.”
Sheriff Ray says this was a “three phase drug operation. One of the phases was with the Alexandria Police Department, where we’ve been focusing on the housing project down there. We have been getting complaints of illegal drug sales and drug use. We’ve netted twelve defendants out of there”, said Sheriff Ray.

Alexandria Police Chief Mark Collins said he is appreciative for the cooperation of the sheriff’s department in this investigation. ” Several months back we started receiving complaints and actually most of it originated from the housing project about a lot of drug activity. Through our informants we heard that there were illegal drug sales going on at times in the housing project and other places in Alexandria. With ours being a small department, I summoned the help of the Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Patrick Ray and his detectives and I, along with my Sergeant Chris Russell, began an undercover operation to see if we could buy some of these illegal drugs in Alexandria to rid the problem. We were able to make several undercover buys of illegal narcotics in the Alexandria area and outside the Alexandria area, some of them even stemmed, from our sources, out into other counties. We were able to get a total of twelve defendants actually inside the city limits of Alexandria. Most of these people who were arrested came from the housing project. They are living there in assisted living and most of these defendants are on TennCare. The government is supplying them with their medicine and they’re bringing that medicine back and selling it to anyone who knocks on their door. I don’t agree with that and I think it’s my job and duty as a sworn police officer to try to rid that.”
In addition to facing possible jail time, Chief Collins says these defendants may also be evicted from their housing project homes. “The way I understand it and speaking with the housing authority in the past is that if someone who lives there gets arrested for violations like we’ve got, they’re subject to losing their home (evicted) and I think they should”
“When I became the police chief about three years ago, I promised the citizens of Alexandria that I would give them the best law enforcement I possibly could and I am still going to commit to that. Alexandria is a great place and we have a lot of good people.”
“I just want to extend my gratitude to all the departments who have helped, especially to Sergeant Russell and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Ray, and his detectives for making this operation a success.”
In addition to the Alexandria investigation, Sheriff Ray says his department worked with the TBI on it’s cases and conducted a probe of it’s own.”We worked probably a nine month to a year long investigation with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. It focused on our local drug dealers here. It also focused on other places within our drug task force region. The investigation led into Nashville and from there to New York, the source of the drugs.”
“Our department (sheriff’s department) also did an investigation in which we made cases leading to indictments of three defendants charged with theft over $500, where they had taken some trailers. The other forty were drug cases. Altogether, there were sixty one indictments (for drugs), including nine from the TBI, twelve from Alexandria, and forty from the sheriff’s department. Those forty came from Alexandria, Liberty, some in Dowelltown, and in the Smithville area. We tried to go all over the county and buy drugs where we could. They’ve been bought on every end of the county this time.”
“We’ve bought everything from marijuana, oxycontin, dilaudid, suboxone, among other illegal drugs. The agencies involved in this operation were the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Task Force, the District Attorney General’s Office, the Alexandria Police Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the THP Swat team, DeKalb County constables, federal marshals, and the county fire department for allowing us to use their main station on King Ridge Road (to book the prisoners), and also from concerned citizens who have called and informed us of people who they thought were in the business of selling illegal narcotics. We appreciate every call that we had. We try to check every call we get on our drug tip lines. A lot of people think that they can call in a drug dealer and by morning we’ll have them put in jail. That doesn’t work that way all the time. It takes a lot of surveillance work. It takes the buys themselves. We have to obtain informants to go in and make the buys. Then all the legal paper work has to be done after that to get our indictments.”
Sheriff Ray adds that some of the defendants were also charged with dealing drugs in what the law classifies as a “drug free zone” where children may be present. “We charged people with being in violation of the drug free zone laws, which is being near any school, library, ball parks, or anywhere children could be present. There’s a statute for that. We have numerous counts (charges) of those, where either the drug dealer lived in those areas and instructed our informants to come there to buy drugs or, in some cases, they told our informants to meet them at a certain location. Most of what we got (defendants/drugs) has been in those drug free zones where some of them lived.”
In order to make room for many of these extra prisoners, Sheriff Ray says some of the state prisoners who were already in jail have been moved to other facilities. “In the last few days, we have tried to prepare for this drug roundup because naturally some of these people are not going to be able to make bond. These sixty four people would overload the jail. Our inmate population is somewhere in the 90’s. That’s what it’s been for the last few months and on the weekends we’re running close to 100 with 103 beds in the jail. So yesterday (Tuesday) we sent some state prisoners to the Macon County Sheriff’s Department to serve the remainder of their time there to give us some room at the jail to house these inmates here. We also sent some (state prisoners) to the Tennessee Department of Corrections this morning (Wednesday) so that we can hold some of these individuals that can’t make bond. Some of them will have violations of parole or probation warrants that will be coming with no bonds on them so naturally they won’t be able to get out of jail on those.”
Sheriff Ray says he is proud of his department and the teamwork shown throughout this operation. “I want to commend my department. Every correctional officer that I have, every deputy, detective, all my administrative staff, court officers, every employee I have has played a very important role in this operation. Unity is the key to power. I want to stress this. All of our outside law enforcement agencies have come in and helped us. I don’t think any one department or any one officer wants to take all the credit for the operation. It’s not only our job, but it’s our obligation, we’re sworn to uphold the law and we want this done as a team effort.”
“As sheriff, I would like to dedicate our part of this operation to everyone who has lost friends and loved ones due to suicides or drug related deaths. This is the only way that law enforcement and the community can come together. If we’ll bond together we can make things happen, just like it’s happened today. We want to stress to everyone, keep calling in, keep working with us, and we’ll hope to have another one (roundup) real soon.”
As for it’s part of the investigation, the TBI, in a prepared news release, states that “Nine defendants were indicted on charges of conspiracy to sell and deliver over 50 grams of a schedule II controlled substance and violations of the drug free school zone act. The operation called “Yellow Dot” centered around the sale and distribution of hydromorphone, also known as Dilaudid.”
“In February of 2009, TBI and the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force received information about a string of home burglaries and shoplifting thefts by subjects who were supporting a Dilaudid habit. That information prompted the drug investigation.”
“The defendants were selling Dilaudid ranging from $20 to $30 per pill at various locations in Putnam County and Cookeville, TN. Information received during this investigation prompted the TBI to open a case into the source of the prescription drugs in Smith County and Nashville, TN. That investigation resulted in the arrest of nineteen individuals in December of 2009.”
“The following defendants from TBI cases were booked into the DeKalb County Jail. Three currently have active warrants.
Charles Dowis, Cookeville, TN
Lakrisha Willis, Livingston, TN
Ron Stewart, Gainesboro TN
Tabbie Wilson, Cookeville, TN
Ted Hooten, Gainesboro, TN
Tim Young, Gainesboro, TN