Three people have been charged with filing a false report concerning a break-in which never occurred.
36 year old Carlos Lynn Godsey, 29 year old Lois Nicole Godsey, and their neighbor 40 year old Rickey Allen Sweeney all of Big Hurricane Road are each under a $5,000 bond and they will be in court March 10.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Wednesday, February 24 the Godsey’s and Sweeney prepared a written statement claiming that someone had broken into the Godsey’s home. The deputy investigating later learned that the person falsely accused actually lives there and that the statements given by the Godsey’s and Sweeney were false.
49 year old Richard Alvie Herman of Nashville Highway, Liberty is charged with Domestic Assault. His bond is $5,000 and he will make a court appearance on March 3. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, February 22 Herman allegedly intentionally pushed his father and said that he would cut his throat causing his father to fear for his life.
38 year old James Allen Hesson of Big Hurricane Road is charged with violation of the sex offender registry. His bond is $5,000 and he will make a court appearance March 3.
Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, February 25 two deputies responded to a residence on Big Hurricane Road to do a welfare check on two children who were staying at this home. Upon arrival the officers observed a 13 year old boy coming out of a room where Hesson was sleeping. A two year old and a 14 year old were also staying at this residence. Hesson, a convicted sex offender is not to have minor children living with him. That’s a violation of the sex offender registry.
54 year old Sabra Maurine Bussell of Halls Hollow Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated burglary and theft of property under $500. Her bond is $6,500 and she will make a court appearance March 17.
Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, February 4 Bussell allegedly entered a home on Halls Hollow Road by breaking a window in a side door and stole property valued at $46.75 including a pair of blue jeans, a bag of rice, a bag of beans, laundry detergent, and a pair of Crocs. The case was investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.
24 year old Ryan Adam Kutrich of Lovell Road, Cookeville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court March 17. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, February 28 a deputy responded to Heritage Trail on a complaint of an intoxicated person passed out in the yard. Upon arrival the officer made contact with the man, Kutrich who had a strong odor of alcohol on his person. His eyes were bloodshot. Kutrich said he did not know how he got onto the property, which does not belong to him. He was placed under arrest.

A DeKalb County High School student who allegedly placed a female classmate in a choke hold and grabbed her breasts at school Monday, February 22 has been charged with sexual battery and aggravated assault.
18 year old Benjamin Franklin Brooks, III of Dale Ridge Road, Smithville is under a $40,000 bond and he will make a court appearance on March 17.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Monday, February 22 the female student, a juvenile, had just returned to her seat in the lunchroom after disposing of some trash when Brooks kicked her bag. When she asked him who he thought he was, Brooks placed her in a choke hold and grabbed her breasts. The girl repeatedly called for Brooks to get his hands off her but he continued the assault. He grabbed her by the neck with his left hand and started to choke her while continuing to grab her breasts with his right hand.
The School Resource Officer placed the charges against Brooks after reviewing the school’s surveillance video to verify the girl’s story.

The DeKalb County Republican Party will be hosting a County Convention on Saturday, March 12, 2016, at 10AM for the purpose of selecting a Republican nominee for the vacancy on the DeKalb County Commission, District 1. The Convention will be held in the County Commission Room at the DeKalb County Courthouse. The vacancy was created when Commissioner Elmer Ellis, Jr. recently resigned. The remainder of this term will be filled by election at the August 4, 2016, County General Election.
Interested candidates can contact Republican Party Chair Mingy Bryant at 615-597-2600 or Vice Chair Clint Hall at 931-201-6962. For more information, go to our Facebook Page at Dekalb County Republican Party.

The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department was summoned to Foutch Industries in the Industrial Park beside Tenneco early this morning (Monday).
Central dispatch received the call at 3:06 a.m.
Fire Chief Charlie Parker said a large machine caught fire causing smoke to spread throughout the building. Employees on duty were evacuated and no one was injured.
According to Chief Parker, the fire was contained to the one piece of equipment and did not cause any damage to the building.
Smithville Police were also on the scene.

A Dowelltown woman escaped injury in a Sunday morning crash on Dale Ridge Road.
Trooper T.J. Withers of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said 46 year old Laura Hughes was traveling north on Highway 96 in a 2008 Nissan Rogue when she ran off an embankment and crashed into a tree.
Hughes was not seriously injured and did not have to be transported to the hospital.
DeKalb EMS, Constable Mark Milam, the Liberty Station of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department, and an officer of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department were also on the scene.

The DeKalb County Jail and Jail Annex have again met minimum standards for certification by the Tennessee Corrections Institute.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said the TCI recently performed an inspection of the Jail and the Annex.
In a letter to Sheriff Ray, TCI Executive Director Beth Ashe, wrote ” the TCI recently inspected the facilities. The inspection revealed that this facility meets all applicable minimum standards. This status shall be reported to the board of control at its next meeting. After approval from the board of control, you will receive a certificate of certification. You are to be congratulated for attaining this degree of professionalism in your organization,” wrote Ashe.
Detention Facility Specialist Joe Ferguson, in the report wrote that ” On February 10, 2016 I inspected the DeKalb County Jail and Annex. Sheriff Ray and Staff appear to be operating well within standards. Finding no deficiencies, I recommend continued certification for the year 2016,” he wrote.
The DeKalb County Jail and Annex have a certified capacity of 102 beds including 78 for men and 24 for women. The average daily population is 79. There were 75 inmates incarcerated on the day of the inspection.
Sheriff Ray says the jail has maintained certification each year of his terms as sheriff and he gives credit to members of his staff for helping him achieve this accomplishment.

With over 200 more votes cast during the early voting period compared to four years ago, a heavy turnout could be the case Tuesday in DeKalb County.
Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley said 956 votes were cast through Friday for Tuesday’s Presidential Preference Primaries and DeKalb Democratic Primary compared to only 719 for the same elections four years ago.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW SAMPLE BALLOT)
MARCH SAMPLE BALLOT MASTER.pdf (41.39 KB)
“Based on those numbers and the results statewide during the early voting period, I expect the turnout could be heavy Tuesday,” Stanley said.
To better help the process move more quickly on election day, Stanley encourages voters to study the ballot in advance. The Democratic Primary ballot has only 2 pages, but the Republican ballot has 9 pages due to the delegate selection process. “Be prepared, know who you want to vote for and know the location of those candidates on the ballot,” he said. Sample ballots will be posted at all voting locations and can also be found at www.dekalbelections.com or wjle.com.
Also, voters need to be aware of where they cast their ballots on election day. “You can look at your voter registration card to find your precinct location,” Stanley said, “or you can call our office for more information.”
The election day voting locations are as follows:
•1-1 Sandlin Building,102 Fairgrounds Rd, Alexandria –
•1-2 Temperance Hall Community Center, 2760 Temperence Hall Rd., Liberty –
•1-3 Edgar Evins State Park, 1630 Edgar Evins Park Rd., Silver Point –
•2-1 Liberty Community Center, 140 W. Main St., Liberty –
•2-2 Dowelltown Community Center, 141 Church St., Dowelltown –
•2-3 Snow Hill Community Centers, 821 Snow Hill Rd., Dowelltown –
•3-1 Smithville Church of God, 801 W. Broad St., Smithville –
•4-2 Rock Castle, Austin Bottom Fire Hall, 9430 Goff Ridge Rd., Baxter TN –
•4-3 Courthouse, 1 Public Square, Basement Courtroom, Smithville –
•5-1 Johnson Chapel Community Center, 1143 Johnson Chapel Rd., Sparta –
•5-2 County Complex, 732 S. Congress Blvd., Smithville, TN 37166 –
•6-1 Belk Community Center, 483 Wright Bend Rd., Smithville –
•6-2 Keltonburg Community Center, 3561 Keltonburg Rd., Smithville –
•6-3 Blue Springs Community Center, 3059 Blue Springs Rd., Smithville –
•7-1 Church of Christ Annex, 520 Dry Creek Rd., Smithville –
A map of each location can be found at www.dekalbelections.com
Polls open in DeKalb County at 8 a.m. Tuesday and will close at 7 p.m.
WJLE WILL HAVE LIVE LOCAL ELECTION RETURN COVERAGE STARTING AT 7:00 P.M. TUESDAY NIGHT, MARCH 1

Two persons were injured Friday afternoon after their vehicles collided near the Walmart parking lot.
A 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by 26 year old Brian Bowman of Smithville, was heading up the entrance street toward Walmart from the traffic light on West Broad when he made a left turn into the path of a 2002 Chevy S-10, driven by 25 year old Barrett Holubek. Both drivers received injuries. Bowman was taken by DeKalb EMS to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital.
Patrolman Andy Snow of the Smithville Police Department investigated the crash. Members of the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department were also on the scene

DeKalb County High School has released the names of Honor students in the Class of 2016 including the Valedictorian Ashli Chew and the Salutatorian Max Pafford.
Chew is the daughter of George and Lori Chew. Pafford’s parents are Mark and Beth Pafford.
The following students have met requirements to be considered for top Rank:
Ashli Chew, Maxwell Pafford, Frank Oliver, Mariah Lynch, Kirkland Smallwood, Noah Parsley, Morgan Vickers, Mackenzie Keaton, Caitlin Turner, Alexander Rhody, Hailey Walker, Seth Wright, Hannah James, Christopher Bryant, Hannah Leach, Kyra Slager, Tyra Graham, Hannah Walker, Anna Malone, Jaidyn L. Huggins, Harley Johnson, Chloe White, Carlee White, Hannah Lasser, Carl Mooneyham, Jr., Caitlin Jacobs, Matthew Wright, Amber Montgomery, Hayden Plymel, Gabriella Nokes, Katherine Parker, Delaney Johnson, Haden Cripps, Elijah Hendrixson, Nicklas Patterson, Katelynn Hall, Roberto Mata, Noah Byford, and Carly Moss.
To be considered for top Rank, students must take at least 10 honors, dual enrollment, and AP courses and students must have a 21 or higher ACT composite score.
The following students are being recognized as having met the requirement for Tennessee State Distinction:
Jailyn Bolding, Jerica Braswell, Chase Bryant, Kaylene Ferguson, Tyra Graham, Elijah Hendrixson, Jaydin Huggins, Caitlin Jacobs, Hannah James, Delaney Johnson, Mackenzie Keaton, Hannah Lasser, Hannah Leach, Mariah Lynch, Anna Malone, Taylor Marshall, Keeley McKay, Carly Moss, Alexis Nokes, Eli Oliver, Max Pafford, Katie Parker, Noah Parsley, Hayden Plymel, Austin Poss, Alex Rhody, Kyra Slager, Kirkland Smallwood, Caitlin Turner, Christian Turner, Morgan Vickers, Hailey Walker, Hannah Walker, Carlee White, Chloe White, Matthew Wright, and Seth Wright.
Students with Distinction have met at least one of the following:
*Earned a nationally recognized industry certification
*Participated in at least one year of the Governor’s Schools
*Participated in one of the state’s All State Musical Organizations
*Been selected as a National Merit Finalist or Semi-Finalist
*Attained a composite score of 31 or higher on the ACT
*Attained a score of 3 or higher on at least two Advanced Placement (AP) exams
*Earned 12 or more semester hours of postsecondary (dual enrollment credit)
The following students have met the requirements for graduating with Tennessee State Honors:
Chase Bryant, Ashli Chew, Elijah Hendrixson, Mackenzie Keaton, Mariah Lynch, Anna Malone, Roberto Mata, Eli Oliver, Max Pafford, Hayden Plymel, Alex Rhody, Kyra Slager, Kirkland Smallwood, Caitlin Turner, and Seth Wright.
Tennessee State Honors students have met all of the ACT subject area readiness benchmarks. The benchmarks are: English-18, Reading-22, Math-22, and Science 23.

The annual state audit of the DeKalb County government has resulted in four findings with apparently no major deficiencies or problem areas being identified.
(CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW DEKALB COUNTY AUDIT REPORT. READ FINDINGS ON PAGES 186-191)
FY15DekalbAFR.pdf (1.72 MB)
The Tennessee Department of Treasury’s Division of Local Government Audit today (Friday, February 26) released the Annual Financial Report of DeKalb County for the year ended June 30, 2015.
The findings in the audit are recurring and have been cited in previous years audit reports. Detailed findings, recommendations, and management’s response are included in the Single Audit section of this report
“Overall DeKalb County had a good clean audit. You never know what unfunded mandates might be coming down from the state and federal government. As of now DeKalb County is financially stable and we want to stay that way in the future. We always want to look ahead to make sure we maintain financial security. In 2015 the anticipated revenues were on target and we did a good job at holding down our expenditures,” County Mayor Tim Stribling told WJLE.
The following are summaries of the audit findings and recommendations:
*Office of County Mayor:
The Solid Waste Disposal Fund had a deficit in unrestricted net position.
The Solid Waste Disposal Fund had a deficit of $3.7 million in unrestricted net position. This resulted from the recognition of a liability totaling $6.7 million in the financial statements for costs associated with closing the county’s landfill and monitoring the landfill for 30 years after its closure. The county intends to fund this liability on a pay-as-you-go basis. Generally accepted accounting principles and state statutes require that such costs be reflected in the financial statements. This deficiency exists due to the failure of management to correct the finding noted in the prior-year audit report. County officials should develop and implement a plan that would fund the deficit in unrestricted net position.
It is not the first time the county has been “written up” for this. It has become an annual finding of the state. The county is expected to provide financial assurance of a funding mechanism for performing post-closure corrective action at a closed solid waste landfill that may cause some type of contamination in the future. According to the state, the county is $3.7 million short of meeting that obligation, which could come to as much as $6.7 million over the next 30 years.
“As far as the solid waste disposal fund that had a deficit of $3.7 million, the state would like for us to fund that each year in our budget even though we wouldn’t be using it during that year the state wants us (county) to set that money aside for the closing of the landfill and the monitoring of the landfill for 30 years after its closure. But the county funds this liability on a pay as you go basis. The solid waste disposal fund is a proprietary fund that has a liability for the closure and post closure costs for the life of the landfill. DeKalb County does some of the closure and post closure work ourselves to cut down on the costs and the closure and post closure costs will be spread out over several years as each cell has needs,” said County Mayor Stribling.
*Office of Circuit, General Sessions, and Juvenile Courts Clerk:
Execution docket trial balances for Circuit and General Sessions Courts did not reconcile with general ledger accounts
Execution of docket trial balances for Circuit and General Sessions Courts did not reconcile with general ledger accounts by $6,725 and $2,937, respectively. Therefore we were unable to determine if the clerk had complied with provisions of the Unclaimed Property Act. The statute provides that any funds held by the courts for more than one year and unclaimed by the owner are considered abandoned and should be reported and paid to the State Treasurer’s Office in Compliance with state statutes. TCA (state law) further requires these funds to be reported and paid to the state Treasurer’s Office. This deficiency exists due to the failure of management to correct the finding noted in the prior-year audit report
*Offices of Circuit, General Sessions, and Juvenile Courts Clerk and Register of Deeds:
Multiple employees operated from the same cash drawer
Good internal controls dictate that each employee have their own cash drawer, start the day with a standard fixed amount of cash, and remove all but that beginning amount at the end of the day. This amount should be verified to the employee’s receipts at the end of each day. Failure to adhere to this control regimen greatly increases the risk that a cash shortage may not be detected in a timely manner. Furthermore, in the event of a cash shortage, the official would not be able to determine who was responsible for the shortage because multiple employees were working from one cash drawer. This deficiency has been a management decision by the officials resulting in a loss of control over assets and is the result of management’s failure to correct the finding noted in the prior year audit report. Officials should assign each employee their own cash drawer.
*Offices of Road Supervisor, Trustee, Register of Deeds, and Sheriff
Duties were not segregated adequately. Officials and employees responsible for maintaining the accounting records in these offices were also involved in receipting, depositing, and/or disbursing funds. Sound business practices dictate that management is responsible for designing internal controls to give reasonable assurance of the reliability of financial reporting and of the effectiveness and efficiency of operations. This lack of segregation of duties is the result of management’s decisions based on the availability of financial resources and is a significant deficiency in internal controls that increases the risk of unauthorized transaction. Also, this deficiency is the result of management’s failure to correct the finding noted in the prior-year audit report. Officials should segregate duties to the extent possible using available resources