Sheriff Patrick Ray is asking you be beware of a telephone fund raising campaign by an out of state Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) group seeking funds using the name of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.
According to Sheriff Ray, this group is making calls to people in DeKalb County, saying that they are raising money and that donations will go to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office to buy things the department needs.
Sheriff Ray says this may be a legitimate organization, but it is misleading people by invoking the name of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. According to Sheriff Ray, this group has not been authorized to raise money for his department, and the local sheriff’s office will not receive any of this money.
If you should get a call from this group, don’t give any money. Just call the sheriff’s department to report it at 597-4935.

The date and location of the DeKalb County High School/Upperman Football game has been changed due to poor field conditions at DCHS.
Tiger Coach Steve Trapp says the game, which was set for Friday at 7:00 p.m. in Smithville, will be played on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. “The reason why we’re having to move the game to Tech is because our field conditions are not very good right now. It’s been very wet this latter half of the season and with the Middle School games, Junior Pro games, and Soccer games that have been played on it, our field is just in no condition for us to play on it Friday. It’s somewhat of a safety issue. There’s a lot of mud with all the rain we’ve had this week. It’s (field) not had a chance to dry out whatsoever. We’re going to try to give it (field) a chance to recover. We’ll have to play Saturday because Cookeville High School is going to be playing their high school game there (Tech) Friday night. Everything will work just as if we were playing here at Vanhoosier Stadium. We still want to invite everybody to make the short drive over to Tennessee Tech and help create a good atmosphere for us. It’ll be a home game for us, just in a different setting.”
WJLE’s coverage begins with Tiger Talk at 6:30 p.m. followed by the game at 7:00 p.m.

For the second year in a row, DeKalb County High School’s Payne Denman, a senior, has claimed the TSSAA Class A-AA State Golf Tournament Championship.
Denman shot a 70 on Wednesday at Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro. Denman’s score, combined with the 70 he posted on Tuesday, gave him a two-day score of 140 for the tournament.
Meanwhile, DeKalb County’s Austin Garrett tied for 6th in the state tournament with a score of 74 on Wednesday and 77 Tuesday for a two-day score of 151.
DeKalb County’s Grant James shot an 85 on Wednesday and a 78 on Tuesday for a score of 163 for the two days which placed him tied for 26th in the state tournament.
DCHS Golf Coach Chris Vance says he is very proud of all three players. “Payne, Grant, and Austin all had a tremendous state tournament experience. Everybody played exceptionally well. I couldn’t be any prouder of them. They represented their school and the county extremely well. I just can’t say enough about how much these boys have changed our program and how much they have meant to it over the past four years. Obviously they’re going to be missed next year.”

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation along with the Wilson County’s Sheriff’s Office have arrested three men for the shooting death of a Wilson County man after they were indicted by a Wilson County Grand Jury.
The three suspects have been charged with Felony First Degree Murder and Especially Aggravated Robbery. Derrick Blair (top picture), 20, of Watertown, TN, Tommy Adams (middle photo), 24, of Watertown, TN and Chris Estes (bottom picture), 24, of Auburntown, TN have all booked into the Wilson County Jail.
The victim 38-year-old Darrell Sloan, 714 Washington Drive, Lebanon, TN was found shot to death on October 4, 2009 at a friend’s residence located at 155 Knight Road, Watertown, TN. The suspects and victim were acquaintances and had attended a party at the residence

Tennessee officials announced today that DeKalb County has been awarded a highway safety grants in the amounts of $5,000 for the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and the Alexandria Police Department to support high visibility law enforcement campaigns.
The Smithville Police Department has also been awarded a highway safety grant in the amount of
$20,887 to support DUI enforcement efforts.
The Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) mission is to save lives and reduce injuries on Tennessee roadways through leadership, innovation, coordination, and program support in partnership with other public and private organizations. The grant awarded will be used to promote this mission.
“These highway safety grants reflect a continued commitment to work with local and state agencies to make our roadways even safer than they are today,” said Bredesen. “The funds made available through these grants will support the efforts of many local and state highway safety partners to reduce the number of people killed and injured in traffic crashes each year.”
Grant awards are issued to agencies that successfully applied for funding based on problem and statistical need. The GHSO notified agencies across the state that applications were being accepted for highway safety grants. Applications were reviewed and scored by the GHSO and external highway safety advocates. The agencies that met the criteria for funding received awards.
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I am proud that we are able to help fund important programs at the state and local level that help reduce the number of traffic crashes on Tennessee roadways,” stated Commissioner Gerald Nicely, Tennessee Department of Transportation. “These grants will make a difference in the effectiveness of our highway safety partners.”
There are several elements that contribute to a sound and safe roadway system. Some of those aspects are an accurate traffic safety data collection and analysis system; well-trained and equipped law enforcement personnel; and effective emergency medical and trauma systems. A major part of roadway safety is educating motorists about laws and good driving behaviors.
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Grants awarded by the GHSO are provided in areas of need,” reported GHSO Director Kendell Poole. “Statistics show our problem areas and we strive to put the funding where it will be most effective. We are dedicated to saving lives across Tennessee and pledge to work with grantees statewide to accomplish our mission.”
Senator Mae Beavers and Representative Terri Lynn Weaver worked to secure these funds for DeKalb County.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides the funding for GHSO grants.

It was a trip he had looked forward to for a long time. But unfortunately, World War II Veteran Donald Sheets was unable to make his Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial. When it came time for Donald to make his trip, he became ill. He ended up requiring hospitalization and became a patient at DeKalb Community Hospital.
As one might expect, Donald was very disappointed at not being able to travel to Washington, D.C with many of his fellow soldiers. Edward and Edsel Frazier were two other local Smithville Veterans who did get to make this journey.
When Dr J.C. Wall, a Family Practice Physician here in Smithville, heard about Donald’s story from the nurses at the hospital, he knew that he wanted to find a way to honor this hero. He had the dietary department at DeKalb Community Hospital bake a very special cake that was presented to Donald Sheets in his hospital bed.