A drunk driver wasn’t seriously hurt but he caused damage for at least three property owners in a traffic accident Wednesday night on Highway 146 (Short Mountain Road).
Sergeant Eric McCormick of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that 36 year old Franklin Rigsby of Smithville has been charged with driving under the influence and cited for failure to maintain his lane of travel.
Sergeant McCormick said Rigsby was driving south on Highway 146 in a Ford Explorer and was near the intersection with Tabernacle Road when he failed to negotiate a curve and left the road.
According to Assistant DeKalb County Fire Chief David Agee, Rigsby’s SUV first tore down a fence and gate on property belonging to Eddie Taylor and then ran through the front yard of Mary Chapman at 9088 Short Mountain Highway, damaging yard furniture and demolishing her well house. Rigsby’s SUV continued through a thicket of woods, struck a fence on property belonging to Herbert Rose, and then damaged a yard swing before crashing into the front porch of Rose’s home at 9126 Short Mountain Highway, knocking the porch off its foundation.
Both Chapman and Rose said they were awakened by the noise of the crash outside their homes.
Rigsby, who suffered only minor injuries, was taken into custody.

Lebanon small business owner and Wilson County Republican Party Chairman Clark Boyd announced his candidacy for State Senate in Tennessee’s 17th district.
He is running against Incumbent State Senator Mae Beavers.
“After much discussion, prayerful consideration, and encouragement from people around the district, I have decided to seek this opportunity to serve Tennessee in the State Senate,” said Boyd. “People from all around our region have made it clear that they are looking for fresh, new, conservative leadership in Nashville. With Republican supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, we as conservatives have a historic opportunity to advance our ideals and affect meaningful change, but only if we set aside differences of the past and move forward together on the principles that unite us as a party.”
Tennessee’s 17th district includes Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Macon, Smith and Wilson Counties.
“While Washington continues to grow the size of government and chip away at our freedoms, Tennessee must continue on the right path. If given the opportunity to serve our district at the state Capitol, I will work tirelessly to grow our economy, work with local leaders to attract businesses and industry to our district, and defend our proud Tennessee values,” said Boyd.
In anticipation of his state Senate bid, Boyd contacted executive committee members of the Wilson County Republican Party (WCRP) to inform them of his plans to step down as Chairman, avoiding any potential conflict of interest.
“Clark is a natural leader,” said past WCRP chairman Kevin Foushee. “With his energy and charisma he brought new life into the Republican Party. He is very well liked and respected. During his time as chairman people easily identified with and supported his ideas”
During his time as WCRP Chairman, Clark oversaw an increase in membership, implemented precinct level organizational planning and included high school young Republicans in the annual WCRP Reagan Day Dinner held at the Capitol Theater.
Background: Clark Boyd is a small business owner and State Farm agent in Lebanon, TN. A graduate of East Tennessee State University, Clark served for 11 years in the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve before being medically discharged in 2007 at the rank of Captain. Locally, Clark has served as President of the Wilson County Habitat for Humanity, President of the Rotary Club of Lebanon, and is a member of the National Rifle Association and the Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. Clark is married to his wife of 12 years, Jada, who is a teacher and school counselor. Together they have two children: Wilson (age 5) and Blair Ellen (age 2). They are members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Lebanon, where Clark serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.

Daily operating hours of the Liberty Post Office may soon be reduced in a cost saving measure by the U.S. Postal Service.
Scott Tinsley, Post Office Operations Manager for the Tennessee District, held a community meeting at the Liberty Post Office Wednesday to explain the changes. About twenty concerned postal customers in the area showed up to learn more about the plan.
“Today we discussed the changing of hours of the Liberty Post Office, basically going from a full eight hour a day office down to six hours a day at the retail window,” said Tinsley. “The hours currently at the Liberty Post Office are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.. They close for lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and then they reopen at 1:00 p.m. and close at 4:00 p.m. Saturday hours are 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. What we have proposed is for the Liberty Post Office to be open Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. with a two hour lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.. Saturday hours would be from 7:45 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. It’s not a big change for the community. They will just see a reduced amount of time there where they can buy stamps and purchase other postal products,” he said.
The current staff will remain in place including Postal Support Employee, Sharon George along with the two postal carriers and substitute. The current mail routes will also remain unchanged. “Everybody will still see their carrier probably about the same time everyday out on the route and the carriers can still sell them stamps and pick up their packages. All those things remain the same,” said Tinsley.

Liberty postal customers recently received surveys outlining four different options for the Liberty Post Office. A total of 987 customer surveys were mailed and 219 of them were returned. Eighty eight percent of the respondents (193 customers) said given the options they preferred a realignment of the hours.
The Postal Service will make its final decision on the change soon. “The decision will be made no sooner than thirty days after today (Wednesday). Typically about sixty days out. We’ll post a notice in the lobby of the Liberty Post Office letting all the customers know the date the new hours will go into effect,” said Tinsley.
Many smaller Post Offices across the nation are being affected by cost saving initiatives being implemented by the U.S. Postal Service. “When the smaller facilities get vacated by Post Masters across the country, we’re going in and reducing the hours a little bit where we can. We’re looking to save about $500 million a year from implementing these changes nationwide. We’re doing this instead of closing Post Offices so that we can keep them in communities,” Tinsley concluded.

Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle is expected to issue a ruling within 30 days in the case involving DUD ratepayers and the City of Smithville against the DeKalb Utility District.
Chancellor Lyle conducted a Judicial Review hearing today (Wednesday) in Davidson County Chancery Court in the matter which was filed as “Ratepayers of the DeKalb Utility District, Petitioners versus the DeKalb Utility District, Respondent”.
The city sought the hearing after the state’s Utility Management Review Board ruled against the petitioners in a DUD rate review hearing held in Smithville last April. The city joined the petitioners in mounting this legal challenge in an effort to keep the DeKalb Utility District from building its own water treatment plant.
Attorneys for all sides presented their cases during today’s hearing including Nashville attorney Jason Holleman, representing the city and DUD ratepayers; Nashville lawyer Dewey Branstetter, Jr,. representing the DUD, and Jason Hale for the Utility Management Review Board.
At the conclusion of the two hour hearing, Chancellor Lyle said she would hand down her ruling within 30 days.
Last July, the aldermen voted 4-0 to hire Nashville attorneys Bill Purcell and Jason Holleman to file an appeal of the Utility Management Review Board’s dismissal of a petition brought by a group of DUD ratepayers and the city who were hoping to halt DUD plans to build the water plant.
Following a hearing held April 4th, 2013 in Smithville with an administrative law judge presiding, UMRB members voted to dismiss the petition saying they (petitioners) had failed to meet their burden of proof that DUD rates or services provided were unreasonable. The UMRB entered its final order on June 5.
“I do not believe that the petitioners presented a case for water rates,” said one member of the UMRB board at the April 4 hearing. “They presented a case for not wanting Smithville to lose DeKalb Utility District as a customer. What the petitioner proved was that Smithville didn’t want to lose a customer, not that the rates were improper,” he said.
“The hearing, I believe showed that the petition was not well founded,” said Nashville attorney Dewey Branstetter, Jr. in an interview with WJLE after the April 4 hearing. Branstetter represents the DUD in this case. “There was no evidence that the DeKalb Utility District had not established sufficient rates. The district has basically done nothing wrong. I think that came out during the course of this hearing. I think it also became apparent during this hearing that even though they may have gotten the ten percent of the ratepayers to sign the petition (a requirement for forcing the UMRB hearing) that this is all really about Smithville not wanting to lose DeKalb Utility District as a customer. Fortunately, the board found that the petitioners had not met their burden of proof,” said Branstetter.
Calling the UMRB’s ruling “arbitrary and capricious”, attorneys for DUD ratepayers and the City of Smithville filed an appeal in August, 2013 asking the Davidson County Chancery Court for a judicial review of the case.
The attorneys for the city and DUD ratepayers allege that “the UMRB acted in violation of statutory provisions and followed an unlawful procedure by failing to apply the appropriate scope of review in its deliberations and otherwise acted illegally, arbitrarily, and capriciously in the case. Further, the UMRB’s decision was unsupported by substantial and material evidence in light of the entire record.”
The court is being asked to reverse the decision of the UMRB and decree that its action was illegal, arbitrary, and/or capricious and that any such further general relief be granted as the equities of this case may require and as the Court deems necessary and appropriate.”

The DeKalb County Commission Monday night adopted a resolution making application for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant for DUD to run water line extensions to areas of the county in need.
Amanda Mainord of Grassroots Planning & Consulting, grant administrator, said the project will serve thirty eight households on Tramel Branch, Oakley Road, Carter Lane, Old Givens Hollow, and the Dismal to Alexandria Road.
“There are six houses left to complete the (existing) water line on Tramel Branch and that’s just a half mile left there. On Old Givens Hollow, there’s nine houses there in a mile and three tenths. The Alexandria to Dismal and the first part of Oakley Road, there’s actually thirteen houses there and that is in 2.6 miles. There is kind of a spot on Oakley Road where I call no man’s land because there is one house in a whole mile so we’re going to leave that. It’s not cost effective to run a water line to serve one person or one household. To start at the other end of Oakley Road and go on to Carter Lane, there are ten houses there and that’s just a mile and eight tenths,” said Mainord.
The county’s grant application will be through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, which if approved would assist the DeKalb Utility District in extending water lines into these areas of the county not already served.
The DUD would be responsible for paying the grant’s local 20% matching requirement or $96,000 plus any additional funds required to complete the project.
Several residents in the area to be served showed up for a public hearing Tuesday night, January 7 at the courthouse expressing their desire for water services.
County Mayor Mike Foster said surveys were conducted to determine which areas could benefit most from this project. The public hearing was held as part of the grant application process.
According to Foster, many of the residents in the targeted areas have to live with poor quality water or little or no water. “I think it’s a really important thing that we try to get water into some of these areas. Some of them (residents) have sulfur water and salt water. Some have no water. They are using cisterns . Some haul water and put it in a tank. Some just have seasonal water. When the spring gets dry in the summer they don’t have water. Others have no water pressure much. It’s in an area that really does need help. I’ve heard of them digging wells several hundred feet deep and not getting water,” said Foster.
A similar grant was approved two years ago to extend water lines to a portion of this area but that project did not include everyone who needs water. “We did one grant that went (extended lines) from Liberty to Dismal. One went about half way up Dismal. Another one went up Dismal to Tramel Branch and turned right. It’s just in sections that we’ve been trying to piece all this together. Now we want to come back down Dismal toward Oakley Road in that area,” said Foster
The grant application is due by the end of February.
“We will send in the application in February. We’ll probably be notified in October (if the grant is approved). If we get the money, we’ll get started on this project,” said Foster.
There are no guarantees that the grant will be approved. “There will probably be 125 applications. Last year they (state) funded 65 so we have about a 50/50 shot of being approved,” Foster concluded.

Candidates for various public offices announced their intentions during the DeKalb County Democratic Party Mass Meeting Saturday at the high school cafeteria.
The May 6th DeKalb County Democratic Primary looks to feature at least three contested races for county offices including County Clerk, General Sessions Judge, and Road Supervisor.
Three term Incumbent County Clerk Mike Clayborn will face opposition from James L “Jimmy” Poss. General Sessions Judge Bratten Cook, II is being challenged for a third eight year term by Margie Rigsby Miller. Jimmy Sprague and Shane Walker will battle for the Democratic nomination for Road Supervisor.
Smithville Alderman Tim Stribling announced his candidacy for County Mayor.
Mike Foster, the Democratic Incumbent County Mayor, did not attend the Mass Meeting and has not yet made any announcement about whether he will seek a fourth term.
Register of Deeds Jeff McMillen and Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack each announced re-election plans. McMillen will be looking for his eighth term. Pack is seeking her fourth term.
Michael Agee will be running for Sheriff.
County Commission candidates making their intentions known Saturday included :
Jerry Hutchins, Jr. and Clarence Trapp in the Second District
Jerry Scott (Incumbent), Bradley Hendrix (Incumbent), and Jack Barton in the Third District. Barton, an incumbent county commissioner in the Second District has resigned that position because he has moved his residence to the Third District.
David McDowell (Incumbent) in the Fourth District
Rick Cantrell (Incumbent) and Anita Puckett in the Fifth District
Betty Atnip in the Sixth District
Larry Summers (Incumbent) and Kevin Robinson in the Seventh District.
Other Democrats who did not attend Saturday’s Mass meeting but who have picked up petitions from the election commission office are:
Kenneth Clayborn for County Commissioner in the First District
Elmer Ellis, Jr. for County Commissioner in the First District (Incumbent),
Bennett Armstrong for County Commissioner in the First District
Bobby Taylor for County Commissioner in the Fourth District
Wayne Cantrell for County Commissioner in the Fourth District (Incumbent),
Jeff Barnes for County Commissioner in the Sixth District (Incumbent),
Marshall Ferrell for County Commissioner in the Sixth District (Incumbent)
Two county commissioner candidates can be nominated from each of the seven districts.
An announcement was made on behalf of Benjamin Chad Curtis for Constable in the First District.
(VIEW PART 1 OF THREE PART VIDEO BELOW)

Several Democratic candidates for judicial offices in the seven county 13th Judicial District also attended the Mass meeting announcing plans to seek the party’s nomination including:
(VIEW PART 2 OF THREE PART VIDEO BELOW)

William F. Roberson of Putnam County who is running for Criminal Court Judge, Part I.
(VIEW PART 3 OF THREE PART VIDEO BELOW)

Anthony Craighead of Putnam County for District Attorney General
David N. Brady of Putnam County for District Public Defender (Incumbent)
Amy Hollars of Overton County for Circuit Court Judge, Part I (Incumbent)
Randall York of Cumberland County for Circuit Court Judge, Part II
Retiring Criminal Court Judge Leon Burns, Jr. spoke on behalf of Incumbent Chancellor Ronald Thurman, who was unable to attend the meeting.
Aubrey Givens and Rachel Givens, candidates for the Democratic State Executive Committee also spoke during the Mass meeting. The guest speaker was State Representative Gloria Johnson of Knoxville.
Amos Powers of Cookeville announced that he is seeking the Democratic Nomination for U.S. Representative in the 6th Congressional District which includes DeKalb County.
Candidates were not required to make announcements Saturday. The qualifying deadline for the May 6th primary is noon on February 20th with the DeKalb County Election Commission Office.
Although city races are non-partisan, Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss announced that he would be a candidate for re-election in August. Former alderman Gayla Hendrix, who lost a bid for re-election last summer, said she would be running for alderman again this August.

A 28 year old Lebanon man was seriously injured Friday after falling from the top deck of a two story house under construction at 500 Skyline Drive off Holiday Haven Road.
David French was airlifted from near the scene by a helicopter ambulance and reportedly flown to Vanderbilt Hospital.
French was part of a crew doing work on the home being built on the side of a steep hill when the accident occurred. According to Captain Dustin Johnson of the Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad, French was on the top deck, lifting a beam from an eight foot ladder, when he fell off the house and several feet down a steep slope.
Because of the difficulty in reaching French, members of the Rescue Squad were called to the scene. They used ropes to go get to French and then brought him back up the hill in a Stokes basket assisted by members of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department and DeKalb EMS.
French was taken from the scene by ambulance to a helicopter landing zone in the Holiday Haven Road area and then airlifted.

A 64 year old McMinnville woman was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital after a two vehicle accident Friday morning at the intersection of Highway 56 and Blue Springs Road.
Patsy Inglis was flown out from a field near the scene by a Life Force helicopter ambulance.
According to Trooper Bobby Johnson of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 18 year old Victoria Brooke Cantrell of Smithville was traveling east on Blue Springs Road in a 2000 Toyota 4Runner when she failed to yield to a stop sign at the intersection. Cantrell turned south onto Highway 56 and into the path of a northbound 2006 Mercury Voyager Van, driven by Inglis resulting in a head-on crash.
Cantrell was transported by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital.
Trooper Johnson said Cantrell claims her brakes failed contributing to the accident.
Members of the Keltonburg and Blue Springs Stations of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with officers of the Sheriff’s Department.

A 34 year old man pleaded guilty Wednesday in DeKalb County Criminal Court to one count of initiation of a process to manufacture methamphetamine in a July, 2013 case. But instead of jail, Judge David Patterson furloughed Bradley Pugh to a drug treatment facility in Arkansas. He was also fined $2,000 and given over six months of jail credit.
If he doesn’t successfully complete the program, Pugh is facing an eight year sentence to serve at 30% before parole eligibility, plus an additional eight year sentence after being found in violation of his probation in another meth crime which occurred in October, 2011.
A court order signed by Judge Patterson states that, Pugh is to “be furloughed and released from the DeKalb County Jail on January 22 to be transported to Grace Mission Bible Training Center in Paragould, Arkansas by his parents. It is anticipated that Pugh will complete the program within ten months after which he will be placed on probation for the remainder of the sentence imposed in this case. However, if Pugh fails to successfully complete the intensive outpatient program at Grace Mission Bible Training Center, then he will immediately return to the DeKalb County Jail to serve the balance of his sentence.
Pugh was one of two people arrested on July 11, 2013 after a sheriff’s department detective discovered meth related items in their truck during a traffic stop and then found more incriminating evidence against him at a residence in Dowelltown.
In November 2011, Pugh pleaded by information to a separate charge of initiation of a process to manufacture meth. He received an eight year sentence in that case, suspended to probation. Pugh’s arrest in that crime came on October 10, 2011 after a deputy found items used to make meth in Pugh’s truck on Seven Springs Road.
In other court cases Wednesday, 29 year old Rhonda Joy Goff pleaded guilty to three charges of forgery. She received a total sentence of three years on these charges suspended to supervised probation but the term is to run consecutive to another sentence she is currently serving. Goff must also make restitution to the victims.
Sheriff Ray said that Goff allegedly went to Jewel’s Market on South Congress Boulevard last year and passed forged checks on May 2, May 3, and May 14. She allegedly admitted to a detective to having committed the forgeries.
43 year old Vickie Cantrell pleaded guilty to two counts of Sale of a Schedule II controlled substance. She received a sentence of four years in each case to run concurrently with each other but consecutively with another sentence she is now serving. Cantrell must serve at least 30% before parole eligibility. She was fined $2,000 and must make restitution to the Smithville Police Department. The term is to run consecutive to another sentence she is currently serving.
Cantrell is one of the sixty four people indicted by the grand jury last week in the Sheriff’s Department’s recent undercover drug investigation. She was also indicted in August 2013 as the result of a Smithville Police Department undercover drug probe in December 2012.
42 year old Donald Junior Perry pleaded guilty to delivery of a schedule VI controlled substance (marijuana) and violation of probation. The sentences are to run concurrently but he has been furloughed to the DeKalb County Drug Court. If he doesn’t successfully complete the program Perry is facing a two year sentence on the drug charge and the balance of a six year term in the previous case for which his probation was revoked. Perry was given 129 days of jail credit.
Perry was indicted in August 2013 as the result of an undercover drug investigation by the Smithville Police Department in February, 2013.
43 year old Jeffery White pleaded guilty to promotion of methamphetamine. He received a two year sentence suspended to probation. He must pay a $2,000 drug fine. White was given jail credit of forty three days.
21 year old Travis Melton pleaded guilty to introduction of contraband into a penal facility. He received a three year sentence, all suspended to supervised probation. The term is to run with his current probation. He was given jail credit from August 6 to December 22, 2013.
Sheriff Ray said that while being booked into the jail on other charges Tuesday, August 6, officers asked Melton if he had anything on him. He replied no. Before being locked down, Melton was searched by a correctional officer who found less than a half ounce of marijuana on Melton’s person.
34 year old Tammy Sue Steele pleaded guilty to theft under $500 and driving while her license was suspended. She received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days to serve on the theft charge and six months to serve on the license offense. The two sentences are to run concurrently with each other and with cases against her in White County. Her license is suspended for one year.
40 year old Gary Lane Hale pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule II drug and received a three year sentence suspended to probation. Hale was granted judicial diversion. He was fined $2,000 and must make restitution of $90. He is to undergo an alcohol and drug assessment.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce Board elected their 2014 Executive Officers during the January Chamber Board Meeting and Retreat.
Julia Cantrell of Cumberland Insurance will serve as the 2014 Chamber President. Jeff Crips of Regions Bank is the new Chamber Vice-President. Susan Young of Middle Tennessee Natural Gas is the Chamber Treasurer. Joan Barrett of Premier Realty at Center Hill Lake will serve as the Chamber Board Secretary.
Five new Chamber Board Members have begun their 3-year terms – Dwayne Cornelius, DeKalb Depot and pastor of New Life Pentecostal Church; Elaine Swicker, Smithville Computer Repair; Gail Looper, Off the Beaten Path group; Joan Barrett of Premier Realty at Center Hill Lake; and Jason Murphy, Optimus Pest Solutions.
Other Chamber Board Members serving in 2014 include Shea Colwell, NHC Healthcare; Craig Gates, DTC Communications; Charlotte Parsley, SHIROKI, North America; Sue Conley, DeKalb Community Hospital; Raul Ramirez, Federal Mogul; Sherry Harris, D&S Specialtees; and Stein Prichard, Prichard Foods.
Chamber Director Suzanne Williams is very excited about working with this wonderful group of people and is looking forward to a great 2014!
The Chamber Director and Board would like to express appreciation to Leadership Director Jen Sherwood for facilitating the January Board Retreat, to DeKalb Community Hospital for sponsoring the January Meeting/Retreat and to NHC Healthcare, sponsor of the regular monthly Chamber Board Meetings providing a great meeting space and delicious lunches.
Pictured l-r
2014 Chamber of Commerce Executive Board
Susan Young, Treasurer; Julia Cantrell, President; Jeff Crips, Vice-President; Joan Barrett, Secretary