A man charged in an armed robbery at the Dollar General Store on South Congress Boulevard on September 15th, 2009 was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Monday.
29 year old Jacob Gadberry pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery under a negotiated settlement and received an eight year sentence to serve. The term is to run consecutive to another sentence he is now serving in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Other charges against him including criminal impersonation were dismissed. Gadberry was given jail credit from September 15th, 2009 to April 12th, 2010.
Judge David Patterson presided in court on Monday.
Gadberry’s partner in the crime, 20 year old Nina Natasha Sullivan pleaded guilty in March to criminal responsibility for facilitation. She received a six year sentence in the community corrections program. She was given jail credit from September 15th to March 22nd.
According to Smithville Police Officer Scott Davis’ report, Sullivan entered the Dollar General store in Smithville around 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15th and asked to use the restroom. After she left, Gadberry came in the store, opened an office door where the manager was counting money, and ordered her at knife point to open the safe where he took more than three thousand dollars and left the store. No one was injured.
Shortly after the robbery, county deputies Chris McMillen and Steven Barrett stopped a 1991 Nissan at Walnut and North Mountain Street, where the two suspects were taken into custody.
Officer Davis’ actual report states as follows:” I was dispatched to 513 South Congress (Dollar General Store) in reference to a robbery. Upon my arrival, I made contact with the witness who advised that the suspects were a white male wearing an orange Tennessee shirt, and a white female who was driving an older model red Nissan.”
The defendant (Sullivan) opened the door where management was counting money and asked if she could use the bathroom. The witness, Dawn Allen, stated “yes” and the defendant (Sullivan) went to the bathroom. Ms. Allen stated that a few minutes later the male suspect (Gadberry) yanked open the door and had an open utility tool knife and stated ” open the safe, don’t hit the alarm or be stupid, get back into the chair”. The suspect then took a blue and red money bag from the safe and fled the store.”
County deputies McMillen and Barrett, who were apparently at the jail at the time, heard the radio traffic and saw a vehicle fitting the description driving around the public square the wrong way. They pulled the car over at the intersection of Walnut and North Mountain Street
Officer Davis’ report states that “the suspects vehicle had money thrown inside the floor board and some of it was stuffed under the passengers seat. Once both suspects were removed from the vehicle, Sullivan was placed into Sergeant Joey Jones’ patrol car where she attempted to hide money taken from the robbery. The amount of the money taken in the robbery is estimated at $3,011. The money was recovered in the suspects’ vehicle and placed into the evidence room. At 11:59 p.m., I was attempting to locate the money bags that were taken during the robbery. I located the money bags at 201 South Third Street. These items were placed into evidence. ”
Meanwhile, in other cases Monday, 25 year old Wallace Rackley pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and received a three year sentence, all suspended to supervised probation except for 180 days to serve. He was given credit for time served. Rackley must make restitution for the cost of a door damaged during the incident. A vandalism charge against him was dismissed.
Rhonda Perez, charged with worthless check over $1,000, was granted pre-trial diversion. She must perform 30 hours of community service work and abide by all other terms of her probation.
Toby L. Young pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and received a three year sentence. He was given credit for 320 days of time served.
26 year old Jessica Barrett pleaded guilty to promoting the manufacture of methamphetamine. She received a two year sentence all suspended to supervised probation except for time served. She must pay a fine of $2,000. Barrett was given jail credit of 170 days.
44 year old Teresa Beasley pleaded guilty to facilitation to sell a schedule II controlled substance. She received a two year sentence, all suspended to TDOC probation. She is to be considered as a candidate for judicial diversion. Beasley must pay a $2,000 fine and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment.
36 year old Freddy S. Stringer, Jr. pleaded guilty to driving while suspended. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days. The term is to run concurrent with a violation of probation against him
42 year old Melissa Kay Walther pleaded guilty by information to violation of the implied consent law. Her license will be suspended for two years. She may apply for a restricted license to help meet her child’s medical needs.
36 year old Sharon C. Groshon pleaded guilty to theft under $500 and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on supervised probation. She was fined $50 and must perform 25 hours of community service work.
31 year old Jason K. Cline pleaded guilty to a second offense of driving under the influence. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days with 45 days to serve. The last 28 days of the sentence may be served in an inpatient rehab program. He will then be on supervised probation. Cline will lose his license for two years and he must pay a fine of $610. He was given jail credit of 48 hours.
35 year old Brad Elliott Johnson pleaded guilty to simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days in each case, all suspended to supervised probation. The sentences are to run consecutively. He was also fined $900.
35 year old Christopher Bush pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $500, three counts of theft under $500, and one count of burglary of a boat. He received a total sentence of four years, suspended to supervised probation after serving 90 days. Bush must pay over $3,000 in restitution to the victims and $375 to the economic crime fund.

A total of 170 students at DeKalb County High School will receive their diplomas during graduation exercises Friday, May 21st at 7:00 p.m. on the high school football field.
The program will feature remarks by the Valedictorian, Hunter Tramel, the Class President, Amanda Ours and Guest speaker Michael Burt, a championship coach, motivational speaker, leadership expert, author, and culture builder.
The prestigious White Rose and Citizenship Awards will also be presented to three outstanding members of the class. Diplomas will be presented to each graduate by Director of Schools Mark Willoughby. The DCHS Chorus is also expected to perform.
The honor students will be recognized including the 2010 Valedictorian Hunter Tramel and the Salutatorian Wesley Blair.
Students among the top twenty five senior academic ranking from numbers one to twenty five are as follows: Hunter Tramel, Wesley Blair, Grant James, Caleb Spencer, Meagan Sullivan, Hunter Poteete, Seth Willoughby, Amanda Ours, Reddy Munagala, Cynthia Woodward, Tyler Harbaugh, Tiffany Young, Haley Snyder, Erica Neely, Jared Adams, Dakota Dexter, Payne Denman, Nicholas Goff, Caroline Carter, Kendra Foutch, Kyle Hogue, Jessica Fox, Lindsey Harden, Austin Garrett, and Gabrielle Byford.
Students earning “Highest Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.8 to 4.0 include
Hunter Tramel-Valedictorian 4.0, Wesley Blair- Salutatorian 4.0, Grant James 4.0, Erica Neely 4.0, Hunter Poteete 4.0, Caleb Spencer 4.0, Meagan Sullivan 4.0, Seth Willoughby 4.0, Cynthia Woodward 4.0, Jared Adams, Caroline Carter, Payne Denman, Dakota Dexter, Kendra Foutch, Jessica Fox, Austin Garrett, Nicholas Goff, Tyler Harbaugh, Kyle Hogue, Reddy Munagala, Amanda Ours, Haley Snyder, and Tiffany Young
Students earning “High Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.6 to 3.79 include Gabrielle Byford, Axyl Chalfant, Tyler Dunaway, Kayla Ellis, Sabrina Griffin, Lindsey Harden, Katie Nixon, and Katelyn Stutts.
Those earning “Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.2 to 3.59 include Paulina Alfaro, Matthew Antoniak, Reeves Beller, Elicia Cantrell, Samantha Coe, Rachel Cunningham, Brandon Dyer, Abram Edwards, Whitney Gann, Jaylen Garrett, Jessica Goldstein, April Hale, Ethan Hale, Stephanie Hobbs, Conner Jones, Sasha Knowles, Abigail Laprad, Layne Mathis, Tyler McCloud, Brad Michaels, Travis Neal, Zachary Odom, Morgan Page, Micah Prichard, Kristian Puckett, Myra Tramel, and Joseph Vickers.
Members of the DCHS Class of 2010 are as follows:
Jared Adams, Angela Alfaro, Paulina Alfaro, Schuylar Allen, Taylor Allen, Matthew Antoniak, Nathan Armour, Brandon Atnip, and Corey Atnip,
Autumn Banks, Reeves Beller, Lance Bennett, Wesley Blair, Hillary Bowman, Michael Briley, Brittany Brown, Natasha Burrage, Gabrielle Byford,
Jade Cade, Ashly Caldwell, Elicia Cantrell, Macey Cantrell, Caroline Carter, Axyl Chalfant, Mindy Chrisman, Holly Cikalo, Dakota Clark, Samantha Coe, Britany Collier, Matthew Collier, John D. Crutcher, Jordan Crutcher, Rachel Cunningham, Jodi Curtis,
Kandi Davenport, Michael Davenport, Ethan Davis, Payne Denman, Dakota Dexter, Ryan Dodd, Tyler Dunaway, Brandon Dyer,
Abram Edwards, Kayla Ellis,
Allen Faux, Kendra Foutch, Jessica Fox, Cody Fults,
Whitney Gann, Austin Garrett, Jaylen Garrett, Juan Godinez, Nicholas Goff, Jessica Goldstein, Sabrina Griffin,
Brandon Haas, Megan Hackett, Travis Hagan, April Hale, Ethan Hale, Tavisha Hall, Tyler William Harbaugh, Lindsey JoAnn Harden, Kirsten Nichole Hardison, Rebecca Lee Haynes, Ashley Breanna Hendrixson, Mizael Hernandez, Michael Austen Highers, Aaron E. Hines, Stephanie Hobbs, Daryl Lindsay Hobby, Kyle Patrick Hogue, Christopher Garrett Hoke, Chelsea Lee Holden, Kayla Dawn Hubbard,
Grant James, Bethany Nichol Johnson, Cody A. Johnson, Travon Aki Johnson, Conner Jones,
Colby Mason Kelnhofer, Tyler Kemp, Sasha Suzanne Knowles, Daniel Kosirog,
Kimberly Ann Lanier, Abigail Laprad, Heather Nicole Lee, John W. Licht, Chelsye Janae Linder,
Ryan Macy, Mark Mason, Jessica Lauren Matthews, Layne Thomas Mathis, Talisha Mathis, Ethan Matthews, Tyler McCloud, Shaun McGinnis, Heather Melton, Brad Michaels, Lyndsey Miller, Joseph Miller, Ross Moore, Kane Morgan, Frank Morris, Veronica Mullins, Tejaswi Munagala,
Jesus Narvaez, Kayla Neal, Travis Neal, Zachary Neal, Erica Neely, Katie Nixon, Jenna Norris,
William Odom, Zachary Odom, Lizabeth Oliva, Andrea Ottinger, Amanda Ours, Ashley Owen,
Brian Pack, Morgan Page, Piyush Patel, Carlos Perez, Jonathan Plattenburg, Hunter Poteete, Sarah Price, Micah Prichard, Brandon Puckett, Kristian Puckett, Salvador Puentes, Brandon Pyles,
Raul Ramirez, Chandler Robinson, Casey Rowland,
Joi Satterfield, Anthony Schellingburger, Tiffani Scott, Jason Singleton, Eddie Lee Smith, Haley Snyder, Hilda Soto, Caleb Spencer, Kristina Stephens, Britta Strayn, John Strayn, Andrea Stringer, Katelyn Stutts, Meagan Sullivan, Dustin Summers, Jesse Sutton,
Corey Tate, Nicole Taylor, Vanessa Taylor, Kyle Thomas, Nathaniel Tippens, Jaime Torres, Hunter Tramel, Myra Tramel, Joshua Tyree,
Justin Vandergriff, Katelyn Vanwinkle, Joseph Vickers,
Ashley Waggoner, Jessica Walden, Daniel Watts, Tyler Weatherby, Tiffany Wheeler, Seth Willoughby, Cynthia Woodward,
Tiffany Young.

Two small children were airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital Saturday afternoon after they allegedly swallowed lamp oil at their home.
Dorothy Kifer called 911 from a cell phone at 12:53 p.m. to report the incident. She said that her 2 year old and 3 year old had swallowed some lamp oil.
DeKalb EMS was sent to the residence at 1190 Smith Fork Road. The children were later airlifted by Air Evac and a Life Force helicopter ambulance and flown to Vanderbilt Hospital.
Information on the present condition of the children was unavailable to WJLE as of Monday afternoon

The 13th annual Relay for Life in DeKalb County will be held starting Friday, June 4th at Greenbrook Park, going all night until early Saturday morning, June 5th.
The Relay for Life is usually held on Mother’s Day weekend in May, but Casey Midgett, the DeKalb County Chairman for Relay, says the committee decided to change the date, hoping for a little dryer weather. “We just met as a group late last year and decided that maybe moving it to June would be something that might benefit everybody. We’re at least going to try it this year so on Friday, June 4th we’ll have our Relay for Life and we’re looking forward to it. We’re going to start praying that it doesn’t rain.”
“Relay is a 12 hour event. You know, cancer never sleeps so we’re going to be there all night in support of those who have cancer, who have won the battle against it, or who have lost their lives to it.”
“Our goal is $100,000 this year but we’d like to do even better than that. We raised $80,000 last year but we’d like to get back to that point ($100,000) because this money comes back to us here. We send a lot of it to research to try and find a cure so we don’t even have to do this (fund raising) anymore. But a lot of people don’t realize that people who suffer from cancer in DeKalb County can have access to some of the money that is raised, not simply through ours but all the relays that are done, when they’re battling cancer. When they’re going to the hospitals in Nashville and having to deal with this, we have programs out there that will help these people with transportation or if they have to stay down there we’ll help them with lodging. We call it a HOPE lodge. It’s basically a house/hotel type place where they can stay for free. They just have to go through the channels to get that. So it’s not all going just for research, it’s also going for practical purposes to try to help someone who is suffering from this. You don’t want to have to worry about money when you’re having to deal with this (cancer) and if we can take that worry from you, then I think we’ve done a good job.”
Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society’s signature event, is a fun-filled overnight experience designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer. At Relay, people from within the community gather to celebrate survivors, remember those lost to cancer, and to fight back against this disease. Relay participants help raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society in its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health issue. During Relay For Life events, teams of people gather and take turns walking or running laps. The events are held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Through the survivors’ lap and the luminaria ceremony, the people who have faced cancer first hand are honored, and those who have been lost to this disease are remembered.
But, Relay isn’t about taking laps — it’s about coming together in the fight against cancer. It’s a time to remember those lost to this disease and celebrate those who have survived. It’s a place where people connect with others, share the cancer experience, and find comfort and solace. And it’s an opportunity to build hope for a future where cancer no longer threatens the lives of the people we love.
As volunteers and donors, your efforts support research, education, advocacy, and services that allow the American Cancer Society to offer help and hope to people across the country when they need it most. By joining together at Relay, we celebrate life, friendship, and an opportunity to work to defeat cancer for future generations.
On June 4th, the community will gather together as one group to help in the battle against cancer. At Greenbrook Park in Smithville, dozens of teams, volunteers, community leaders, and citizens will enjoy the annual Relay for Life event. Plans are to have lots of entertainment and food available that evening, starting at around 6:00 pm. Planning for the Relay is a year round event and the organizers hope that you will enjoy what they have in store for you. Relay is the largest community event held in DeKalb County. Please join in for this special night and have lots of fun helping raise money.
For more information about participating in Relay for Life, contact Casey Midgett, Lynn Miller, or Iva dell Randolph
Meanwhile, on the second weekend in June, a 5K and One Mile Fun Run will be held to benefit Relay for Life. “It’s the Relay 5K and it’ll be held on Saturday, June 12th, the weekend after Relay for Life”, said Lynn Miller. ” It’s a 5K and a one mile Fun Run. All the money from that event will go to Relay for Life. If you’re interested in participating in the 5K and Fun Run, you can come by and see me at Regions Bank to pick up a form or you may contact Casey Midget. Forms are also available at other locations.”

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department arrested a woman for child abuse and neglect on Saturday after finding the residence in an unsanitary condition.
Jamie Lee Beising will be in court on the charges April 22nd. Her bond is set at $10,000.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says on Saturday a deputy was dispatched to the residence of Beising, who lives on Old Snow Hill Road in Dowelltown, in answer to a complaint of an unattended child who was left in the home.
Upon arrival, the officer talked with the father of the two year old child. The father, who does not live at this residence, said he heard his child screaming when he approached the home and found the youngster there alone. The mother returned about fifteen minutes after the deputy arrived.
According to Sheriff Ray, the officer entered the residence and was horrified to find loose trash, piles of dirty diapers, rat waste on uneaten food, mold in the refrigerator, flies and maggots throughout the home and in a bedroom where the child slept was loose trash piled up even with the bed.
The Department of Children’s Service was called to assist in the case and the child was removed from the mother’s care.
In other crime news, 37 year old Gary Edward Matthews of Four Seasons Road Smithville is charged with simple possession of a schedule III drug (Hydrocodone). His bond is $2,500 and he will appear in General Sessions Court on April 29th.
Sheriff Ray says on Monday, April 5th, a deputy responded to a call at the Puckett’s Point boat ramp and spotted Matthews who he knew had an active state warrant against him for failure to appear at the DeKalb County Jail to serve weekends. Matthews was arrested and during a pat down search, the officer found five pills believed to be Hydrocodone in his pants pocket.
31 year old James “Freddy” Summers of Hodges Road, Smithville and 25 year old Stephanie Jean Perry of Sparta Highway Smithville were charged Wednesday, April 7th with manufacture of methamphetamine. According to Sheriff Ray, a deputy stopped their vehicle for a traffic violation at the intersection of College Street and McMinnville Highway. After receiving consent to search, the officer found components used to manufacture methamphetamine. Found in the trunk of the vehicle were a plastic container wrapped in electrical tape that contained 30 pseudoephedrine pills, a gallon of muratic acid, lye, alcohol, charcoal lighter fluid, 2 packs of cold pack wraps, 2 mason jars, a glass measuring cup, black tape, duct tape, 10 lithium batteries, 3 knives, pipe cutter, screw driver, plastic funnel, aluminum foil, 28 feet of tubing, rubber gloves, a gas can, and a one liter bottle all packed in a duffel bag. Bond for Summers and Perry is $10,000 each and they will appear in court on April 22nd.
29 year old Nieka “Nikki” Patton of South College Street, Smithville was arrested on Friday, April 9th after she was stopped for a traffic offense at the intersection of Bright Hill Road and Sparta Highway. A driver’s license check was conducted and Patton was found to be driving on a suspended license for failure to satisfy a citation on April 24th in DeKalb County. Her bond was set at $1,000 and she will appear in court on April 21st.
22 year old Brittney Danielle Barnes of West Church Street Smithville was arrested on Friday, April 9th and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, simple possession of a controlled substance (Xanax), and resisting arrest. Her bond is set at $4,500 and she will appear in court on April 15th. Sheriff Ray says a deputy spotted Barnes in a vehicle at the intersection of Allen Ferry Road and Cookeville Highway and had knowledge of an active warrant against her to serve a jail sentence for violation of probation. As the officer walked to the door of the vehicle he saw Barnes shoving something down her pants. Barnes said it was cigarettes. When the officer tried to remove her from the vehicle Barnes became combative. Before placing her in the back of the patrol car, the deputy conducted a search to make sure that there was nothing there. After arriving at the jail, the officer checked the back seat again after Barnes was removed and found cigarettes and a pill believed to be Xanax. Barnes also had two hypodermic needles in her purse.
23 year old Kenny Dyal Jr of Floyd Drive, Smithville was charged on Saturday, April 10th with two counts of theft of property and one count of aggravated burglary. Officers from the Sheriff’s Department were dispatched that day to investigate a burglary on Oak Drive Smithville. They also had information about another break-in. Upon arrival at Dyal’s home, deputies saw Dyal running through his residence and trying to hide a television. They obtained consent to search and found items in the home believed to be stolen. Dyal was taken to the Sheriff’s Department for questioning and admitted to detectives that he broke into a residence on Lakeview Circle and that he also bought property which he had knowledge was stolen. Bond for Dyal was set at $7,000 and will appear in court on April 15th.. More arrests are pending.
22 year old Andres Loradeo Martinez of West Avenue, Crossville and 20 year old Juan Carlos Valencia of Joe Tabor Road, Crossville were arrested on Sunday, April 11th for public intoxication Sheriff Ray says officers received a call to break up a fight at a bar on Sparta Highway. These two men were found to be intoxicated having blood shot eyes. They were unsteady on their feet and had and an odor of an alcoholic beverage on them. Bond for both was set at $1,000 and they will they appear in court on April 22nd.
Meanwhile on Monday, April 5th the DeKalb County Grand Jury toured and inspected the DeKalb County Jail and Annex. The following is a statement from the Grand Jury.
“We the Grand Jury of April 5, 2010 visited the DeKalb County Sheriff’s facility. We found the Sheriff to be cooperative and open with the running of his department. The facility was very clean. Sheriff Ray gave us a financial report that informed the group of his being well within his budget.”
Signed by members of the Grand Jury and the Grand Jury Foreman.