Facing a tight budget year with no tax increase, city officials are not expecting much in the way of extra spending for 2013-14. That may not be good news for the Smithville Fire Department which had hoped to add one or two new paid full time firefighters.
In their final workshop before Monday night’s council meeting, the mayor and aldermen met Tuesday evening with financial consultant, Janice Plemmons-Jackson to crunch the budget numbers. Jackson said she and secretary-treasurer Hunter Hendrixson have gone over the proposed budget in recent days cutting “fluff”. But with all the revisions that have been made, the city could still go slightly in the red or just break even by the end of the fiscal year. “The (proposed) general fund had a (projected) $200,000 deficit for the year,” said Jackson. “Hunter and I went through and talked about taking out all the fluff, or the rounding, or the cushioning. We decided to go back to a barebones (budget). We’ve got the general fund tightened down as good as we can get it without eliminating positions or hours. This is a very tight budget,” she said.
If emergency spending is required during the year, Jackson said the aldermen could approve budget amendments, taking money from the general fund surplus.
As for the fire department’s request, Jackson said with revenue streams not keeping pace with expenses, the city would have to look for new money at some point if it added another firefighter position. “We’ve weeded out a lot of fluff. If you want to do it (add firefighter position), you’ve got surpluses that will provide some money to do it. But to know that it’s a today, tomorrow, in the future and a never ending thing makes me look at revenues and other expenses and say, sometime you’re going to need more revenues or you can’t afford it. Right now today, yeah you can afford it but you may have to cut other things out. Revenues are pretty flat. They are not growing at the same rate that expenses are growing. That’s why I’m cautious about adding new kinds of recurring things when you’re not adding sources of revenue,” said Jackson.
Still, Aldermen Shawn Jacobs and Gayla Hendrix want to find a way to fund one new firefighter position this year. “We have a group of city firefighters and a majority have been with the department for a long time, fifteen, twenty, thirty years, which is almost unheard of,” said Alderman Hendrix. “You’re not going to see this coming up in the newer generation. The younger people are not going to make that kind of commitment . Full volunteer departments will eventually become a thing of the past because people have jobs that they can’t take off from and leave when there is a call. Factories are not going to let you up and leave like it was when we were an agricultural community when people worked for themselves and they could do that. These guys have been doing all this stuff volunteer on weekends and nights away from their families for years and years. I like the idea that we would have people on staff that could make a call in the middle of the day if someone else were not available. I would like to see us put in one more position. I think there’s a lot of other areas we could start cutting back on to make this work. I think that’s more necessary than a lot of things we’re putting money into right now. We know we’re never going to have a full time paid fire department. We’re still going to rely on volunteers, but if you have a couple of paid firefighters who can do so much stuff during the week, that keeps the volunteers from having to spend all their time doing the regular routine stuff that has to be done, then the volunteers can be there to do the training and be ready to go on a call when needed,” said Alderman Hendrix.
“If he gets one other firefighter, (Fire Chief) Charlie (Parker) and that firefighter could respond with a vehicle immediately. One person can’t do that. They could also do first responder calls, said Alderman Jacobs. “Sometimes we fool ourselves by saying every job is as important as the other. That’s not true. Public safety is a special breed and I think you’ve got to pay for it. If we do add this extra fireman, I would like to see the salary start at the same salary that our policemen start at,” said Alderman Jacobs.
“We projected what one person would cost, benefits and all that,” said Jackson. “I took the middle number of (Fire Chief) Charlie (Parker’s) projections $28,000 to $32,000 and said if I take $30,000 and added the payroll tax and the insurance (benefit). Its roughly $42,000. That gets you another full time person at a $30,000 salary,” she said. “Some discussion came up about, maybe that’s higher than what police people start at. So you may say we’ll budget only $25,000 for (one firefighter) salary,” said Jackson.
The other three aldermen, Jason Murphy, Tim Stribling, and Danny Washer said the city cannot afford adding a paid firefighter position right now without tapping into general fund surpluses, a practice they believe is not appropriate for meeting recurring expenses. ” I hate not to do it (fund a firefighter position). I believe in what the firefighters do. But we don’t have that much of a gap (between revenues and expenses). We’re eventually going to need a new fire truck. We’re going to need garbage trucks and other equipment. We need to build up our fund (surplus) so that we can take those capital hits. That’s what scares me about it all,” said Alderman Murphy.
“Our revenue streams are going down and there’s other equipment that’s got to be purchased and it’s going to have to come out of our surplus,” said Alderman Tim Stribling. “I’m not against having them (paid firefighters) but I want to be able to fund it every year without having to worry about kicking into our surplus. Who knows, a garbage truck might break down,” he said.
“I’d like to have two (paid firefighters) if we could afford it. But in my opinion, it’s too much too quick,” said Alderman Danny Washer. We’re leveled off right now. I’d like to stay leveled off for another year and see if we generate any more revenue and see how it looks a year from now,” he said.
In addition to the firefighter positions, Chief Parker had requested extra funding for other needs in the fire department. Jackson said some of those proposed amounts have been cut back in this budget. “Charlie had requested $55,000 for capital outlay but he said he had about $5,000 of specific costs for hoses. So we cut that back to $10,000. If something comes up, you could amend the budget,” said Jackson.
“He (Chief Parker) had asked for $50,000 for payments to volunteers. Two years ago, the city paid $32,000. This year we paid $30,000. I bumped it down to $35,000 (in new budget). If they have a lot of fires, we’ll have to amend the budget,” said Jackson.
The budget does include a 1.5% pay raise for all city employees including salaried personnel and those on the police department’s step increase plan.
The proposed budget for the water and sewer fund shows a deficit by the end of the 2013-14 fiscal year but that is expected to change when its known what the new water rate will be for the DeKalb Utility District in January, according to Jackson. “Water and sewer, we didn’t project as much increases in revenues. We’re at a (projected) loss of about $58,000 to $59,000. If you have an actual loss for two years in a row, the state makes you raise your rates to make you be profitable so we want to avoid that if possible. The big question will be what will the DUD rate be when their contract runs out?,” she said. “January 1 we will be looking at having to come up with a number. We may end up, depending on where the DUD rate goes and how other costs go, that we can be profitable in 2014. My hope and goal is that we’re not in the red and that we don’t have to be forced to change rates,” said Jackson.
The aldermen are expected to adopt on first reading Monday night, June 3 a new budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Two proposed budgets will be presented for consideration, one with a firefighter position included, and another without. Three votes are required for passage. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. at city hall. WJLE plans LIVE coverage.

Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) contract crews will close the Hurricane Bridge on SR 56 over the Caney Fork River in DeKalb County to all traffic on Friday, May 31 beginning at 8:00 p.m. for approximately 20 hours. The closure is necessary to allow the contractor to perform structural work (replacing a bearing pin on the bridge pier) that cannot be done with traffic driving on the bridge.
The work is weather dependent. Should inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances prevent this work from occurring as scheduled, it will be rescheduled to take place as soon as possible.
During the closure, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and flaggers will be present to assist with traffic control. Message boards will be in place to notify drivers of the closure. While the bridge is closed, all traffic will be redirected to the currently posted truck detour that utilizes I-40 at Exit 254 to SR 53. The bridge should be reopened to normal one-lane signal-controlled traffic by 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2013. The current weight postings of 10 tons for two-axle vehicles and 18 tons for vehicles with three or more axles will continue to remain in effect and will be strictly enforced.
The work is part of a $26.9 million rehabilitation project which is scheduled to be complete in October 2013.

Six people from the fifth district have applied to fill the unexpired term of John Green on the county commission.
Those hoping to succeed Green on the commission are James Young, Anita Puckett, Hunter Hendrixson, Steven Cantrell, Eugene LaFever, and Rick Cantrell.
County Commissioners are expected to interview the applicants soon and then name one of them to serve out Green’s term which runs through August 31, 2014.
Green turned in his resignation letter to County Mayor Mike Foster on Monday, April 8 stating that he had moved his permanent residence to White County.
The county recently advertised seeking applications from persons in the fifth district interested in filling the unexpired term. The deadline for submitting applications was Tuesday, May 28.
Green had served on the county commission for eleven years. He was first elected in 2002 and then re-elected in 2006 and 2010.

The Town of Liberty is mourning the loss of their beloved mayor.
95 year old J. Edward Hale, Jr. died Wednesday at DeKalb Community Hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Salem Baptist Church. Dr. Bill Northcott will officiate and burial will be in Salem Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Love-Cantrell Funeral Home and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the service at 2:00 p.m. at Salem Baptist Church in Liberty.
In forty two years, Mayor Hale never lost an election, having first been elected mayor in 1971. In most of those years, he didn’t even have an opponent in an election. Until his death, Mayor Hale held the distinction of being the current longest serving elected public official in DeKalb County. But rather than seek another term in the August election, Mayor Hale told WJLE earlier this month that he would not be a candidate this year.
WJLE interviewed Mayor Hale on April 4, 2013 for a feature story on his life and career that was aired on WJLE and posted on our website on April 16. You may click the following link to read the article
http://www.wjle.com/news/2013/liberty-mayor-j-edward-hale-legacy-public-….
Mr. Hale was preceded in death by his parents, John Edward Hale and Sadie Hale and two brothers, Dr. Jerre Hale and James Hale.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Gloria Hale of Liberty. Two sons, Tom Hale of Kentucky and Jamie and wife Carol Hale of Liberty. One daughter, Sally and husband Randy Baskin of Mount Juliet. Four grandchildren, Jacob Hale of Liberty, Leah Schitter of California, Anna Baskin of Mount Juliet, and Jonathan Baskin of Mount Juliet. Two great grandchildren, Lucas Hale and Livy Schitter. One sister, Betty and husband Harry Henderson of Martin, Tennessee. Five sisters-in-law, Betty Hale of Smithville, Mary Herbert of Nashville, Judy Sandlin of Alexandria, Jo Hobson and Barbara Hobson of Nashville. Several nieces and nephews survive along with a large loving church family.
Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. In addition to flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Salem Baptist Church or Cemetery.

All customers of Smithville Electric System and a large service area of Caney Fork Electric Cooperative in DeKalb County were without power for about an hour Wednesday morning after a problem developed at the sub-station on West Main Street.
“We had a fault on one of our distribution meters that came through to the backup relay and that fault caused that relay to burn up and that actually caused a little fire for a short period of time there,” said Michael E. Parker, manager of Smithville Electric System.
“It caused the power to be out. We were able to restore the power by isolating and bypassing the normal backup equipment. The backup relay. We’ve got it back going for now but we will have to do some more repairs in the future. We hope to limit any future outages to a minimum if at all,” said Parker.

Sheriff Patrick Ray has released the annual report of School Resource Officer Keneth Whitehead at DeKalb County High School.
In his report to Sheriff Ray, SRO Whitehead wrote that “It has been a busy year. I have made many arrests. Sometimes we tend to think the worst of our school system because of those arrests. Regardless of the numbers, I feel that the SRO Program is a great asset to the DeKalb County School System. We should not look at only the arrests and evaluate the success or failure of the program, but look at the overall results both good and bad. I have met with many students and dealt with all kinds of problems throughout this school year. I feel that due to this contact, I have helped these students deal with some problems that the school system just does not have time to deal with. I also feel that just my presence at the school does wonders for the student body. I hope that the school system and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department continues to see the importance of the SRO program and what benefits it can obtain from having it,” wrote SRO Whitehead.
The end of year SRO Report is as follows:
Offense reports including follow-ups: 4
Misdemeanor Arrests: 44
Drug Arrests: 3
Assists with Patrol Division (Police, Sheriff, or other): 39
Assists with Investigation Division (Police, Sheriff, or other) :48
Assists with Warrants or Petitions: 5
Advisory Sessions with Students (School): 1,024
Advisory Sessions with Students (Family): 17
Advisory Sessions with Students (Law Enforcement): 18
Advisory Sessions with Parents: 344
Advisory Sessions with Teachers or Staff: 489
Conflict Resolution: 21
Classroom Lectures: 36
Called out from Classroom: 4
Special School events attended (Ball Games, etc.):23
Meetings attended (school or community): 9
Court Appearances: 33
Medical Assists: 2
Motorists Assists: 37
Club Meetings: 1
Others (Not Categorized): 356
TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE FOR THE MONTH: 2,633
Cigarette Citations: 24
Fighting: 24
Total Value of Reported Stolen Property: $326
Total Value of Recovered Stolen Property: $211
Theft Arrests: 5
Unruly:12
SRO Whitehead, at DCHS is the county’s only School Resource Officer. Sheriff Ray has asked the county budget committee to include funding for four more SROs in the 2013-14 budget so that each school in the county will have one.

Early voting begins Wednesday, May 29 for the Smithville Municipal Election.
Three aldermen are to be elected.
Voting will be May 29 through June 13 on the following days and hours:
Mondays: Noon until 5:00 p.m.
Tuesdays: 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Thursdays: 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Fridays: 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. until Noon
Election day is Tuesday June 18. All voting will be done on the first floor of the courthouse.
Candidates for aldermen are incumbents Gayla Hendrix, Shawn Jacobs, and Danny Washer and challengers Aaron Meeks, Josh Miller, and Anthony Scott.
To further protect the integrity of the ballot, all local voters will be asked to turn off or put away their cell phones when entering the polling place.
The DeKalb County Election Commission recently adopted policies relating to activities that are prohibited inside the polling place during early voting and on election day.
“Security and privacy of the voter and the security and privacy of their votes are the overriding concerns of the Election Commission,” said Chairman Walteen Parker. “We felt it was time to update our policies, particularly in light of today’s technology.”
One policy adopted by the commission states that “upon entering the polling place, all voters are to turn off their mobile phones and/or place them securely in a belt clip, pocket or purse. Voters are strictly prohibited from talking or texting on their mobile phone while inside the voting location.”
“Not only is it a distraction, but talking or texting on a phone inside the voting location could be considered voter assistance,” said Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections. “There are laws relating to voter assistance and forms to be completed and signed by all parties involved. Someone on the other end of a telephone conversation obviously would not be here to sign the form.”
In addition, Stanley said using a cell phone could be in violation of the state’s “Campaign Free Zone” law.
“Voters using cell phones inside the polling place only raises unnecessary questions,” Stanley continued. “Who is the voter talking to? Are they talking to their spouse about what to pick up at the store on the way home or to a candidate about who to vote for? The later would be a violation of the Campaign Free Zone. ”
Another policy adopted by the Commission relates to actions inside the actual voting booth. The policy states it is “strictly prohibited to photograph, video or by any other method, record a voter’s actual ballot whether on a voting machine or a paper ballot.”
“These two measures go hand-in-hand and are designed to eliminate the possibility of a voter voting, taking a picture of their marked ballot, casting the ballot, then publishing the picture of their marked ballot to the public,” Stanley said.
“The Election Commission has a compelling interest in protecting voters from confusion and undue influence,” Parker added. “We feel like these measures address those issues and we think the public will agree.”

Donny Green, DeKalb/Cannon County FSA County Executive Director, announces that the nomination period for the 2013 Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee Election is underway. The nomination period continues through August 1, 2013.
“I encourage all producers to participate in the county committee election process by nominating candidates by the August 1 deadline,” said Green. “We are counting on as much participation as possible, because county committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We have seen a trend in recent years of increased nominations of minority, beginning farmers, and women producers and we hope that will continue.”
Committees apply their judgment and knowledge to make decisions on county commodity price-support loan eligibility, establishment of allotments and yields, conservation programs, disaster programs, employment and other farm program-related issues. Nationwide, there are more than 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to five members who are elected by eligible local producers.
To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.
The 2013 Election will be a transitional election for the DeKalb/Cannon FSA County Committee. As a result, we will have three (3) Local Administrative Areas (LAA’s) holding elections this year. Nominees must reside in Local Administrative Area for which they are seeking to be elected. Below are the descriptions of the LAA’s that will be conducting elections this year: described as the area that includes:
LAA # 3:
East of Hwy. 56 South beginning at the DeKalb/Warren county line, following Hwy. 56 in a northern direction to the intersection of Highway 56 and Highway 70; south of Highway 70 East to Center Hill Lake; following Center Hill Lake north and northwest to the Caney Fork River thence to the Smith County line; south of the Smith County line and west of the Putnam County line to the White County line; west of the White County line to the Warren County line; north of the Warren County line following the county line back to Highway 56 South at the DeKalb/Warren County line.
LAA # 4:
That portion of Cannon County that lies east of Highway 53 (a state highway that runs south from the DeKalb County line and north from the Coffee County Line).
LAA # 5:
That portion of Cannon County that lies west of Highway 53 (a state highway that runs south from the DeKalb County line and north from the Coffee County Line).
Individuals may nominate themselves, or others, as a candidate. In addition, eligible candidates can be nominated by community-based and other organizations in the county where the election is being held before the close of the nomination period, especially groups representing socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. Nominations and elections are open to all eligible candidates and voters without regard to race, color, religion, nation origin, age, sex, marital status or disability. The nomination form (FSA-669A) is available at USDA Service Centers and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/elections.
Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters in LAA’s 3, 4, and 5 on November 4, 2013. Completed ballots must be returned, either in person or postmarked, no later December 2, 2013. For more information about FSA county committees, visit the DeKalb/Cannon County USDA Service Center or call 615-597-8225, extension 2.

A man was arrested Sunday after allegedly shooting a neighbor in the buttocks and arm with a bb gun.
51 year old Del Ray Hanna of Old Snow Hill Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court June 27.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Sunday, May 26, Hannah allegedly shot a victim twice with a bb gun. The victim was shot once in the buttocks and once in the right arm, causing it (arm) to bleed. He was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
37 year old David Wayne Dowell of McMinnville is charged with theft of property under $500, vandalism, and burglary. His bond is $4,500 and he will be in court on June 6.
Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, May 16 Dowell allegedly vandalized a lock on a garage and broke into a residence on Echols Heights in Liberty. Upon talking with the owner, it was determined the following items were stolen: a weedeater and string, boat oars, tool box, tools, orange extension cord, and a yellow five gallon gas can all totaling less than $500. After an investigation, it was determined that Dowell had committed the crimes. He was arrested on Saturday, May 18.
28 year old Joshua Cripps of Hodges Road, Smithville is charged with evading arrest. He was also charged with a violation of probation out of General Sessions Court. His bond on the evading arrest charge is $2,500. He has a $250 cash bond on the violation of probation. Cripps will be in court June 6.
Sheriff Ray said that on or about Wednesday, March 27, deputies went to Cripps’ home to serve a warrant on him. He was beside a garage when the officers pulled up into the driveway. When he saw the deputies, Cripps ran into the woods. He was subsequently arrested. Cripps’ girlfriend told the officers that Cripps had known about the warrant.
28 year old Rhonda Joy Goff of Students Home Road, Smithville is charged with five counts of forgery. Her bond is $25,000 and she will be in court on July 17. Sheriff Ray said that Goff allegedly went to Jewel’s Market on South Congress Boulevard and passed forged checks in the following amounts on these dates: $45 on May 2, $45 on May 3, $30 and $60 on May 14, and $45 on May 15. She allegedly admitted to a detective to having committed the forgeries.
18 year old Robert Wayne Davidson, Jr. of Short Mountain Street, Smithville is charged with theft of property under $500. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court June 6. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, May 21 Davidson allegedly took a Kenwood CD player out of a vehicle on Love Colony Road. It was valued under $500. Davidson allegedly admitted to taking the CD player.
23 year old Ivan Perez Guzman of Smithville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court June 6. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, May 24, Guzman, holding a beer, was found walking in the middle of Highway 146 (Short Mountain Highway). An officer made contact with him. Guzman was apparently so intoxicated he did not know his name or where he lived. Guzman had previously dialed 911 because he was confused and did not know his whereabouts. Guzman had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was unsteady on his feet. For his safety, Guzman was brought to the jail for booking.
39 year old Tabitha Gay Tidwell of Woodbury Highway, Liberty is charged with driving under the influence. She was also issued a citation for violation of the implied consent law for refusing to submit to a blood test and for simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance (oxycontin). Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court on June 6. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, May 25, a deputy responded to a 911 call about a vehicle sitting in the roadway on Woodbury Highway. The officer spotted the vehicle and stopped to check on the welfare of the driver, Tidwell. He found her passed out under the steering wheel. The engine was running. The deputy had trouble waking her up. After she awoke, Tidwell told the officer that she had taken oxycontin earlier in the day and that she still had some of the drugs in her purse. A silver pill container was found. Inside were one and a half oxycontin pills Tidwell was very unsteady on her feet. She submitted to but performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. Tidwell refused to submit to a blood test. For her safety and that of the public, Tidwell was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
48 year old Jakob Michael Torsten was arrested on Saturday, May 25 for domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court June 6. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, May 24 Torsten allegedly assaulted his girlfriend on Highland Avenue by striking her in the back and pushing her down. The woman claimed she suffered a cigarette burn on her right arm. Torsten was arrested and brought to the jail for booking. The woman said the reason she did not call for help until the day after the assault was because Torsten was intoxicated.
54 year old Larry Eugene Rhoady of West Greenhill Road, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. He was also issued citations for failure to maintain lane of travel and for violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance). His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court June 6. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, May 25, Rhoady was operating a vehicle on Highway 70 when he was stopped by an officer for failing to maintain his lane of travel. Rhoady had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was unsteady on his feet. Rhoady performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. He submitted to a blood test. Rhoady was arrested and brought to the jail for booking. He allegedly admitted to the officer that he had been drinking beer.
34 year old Gregory Wayne Roberts of Midway Road, Smithville and 42 year old Chad Everette Knowles of the Loop, Smithville were arrested Sunday, May 26 after a pursuit from Highway 70 to Old Mill Hill Road.
Roberts is charged with resisting arrest, felony evading arrest, driving under the influence, and a fourth offense of driving on a suspended license. His bond is $14,000 and he will be in court on June 6. He was also issued citations for violation of the implied consent law and for failure to maintain his lane of travel.
Knowles is charged with driving under the influence by allowance for letting Roberts drive his (Knowles’ vehicle). His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court June 6.
Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, May 26 an officer tried to pull Roberts over on Highway 70 for failing to maintain his lane of travel. When Roberts refused to stop, the officer initiated his patrol car’s emergency equipment and began a pursuit. From Highway 70, Roberts turned onto the Old Snow Hill Road, to New Home Road, and finally to Old Mill Hill Road where he turned onto a driveway and into a front yard. Because he evaded arrest, Roberts was taken out of the vehicle at gunpoint. Roberts made an attempt to put his hands in his pockets, but the officer grabbed his arm and put him on the ground. While on the ground, Roberts continued trying to resist arrest, pushing against the officer. It took two officers to place handcuffs on him. Roberts, who had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person, told the officers he had been drinking. No sobriety tasks were given because Roberts had resisted arrest. He also refused to submit to a blood test. Roberts was in possession of an ID only license. A computer check revealed that his license were suspended. He was taken into custody and brought to the jail for booking.
Knowles admitted to drinking alcohol and said that was the reason he allowed Roberts to drive his automobile. Knowles is an habitual motor offender.

14 year old Jacob Davis Billings of Smithville died Sunday at DeKalb Community Hospital after being involved in a bicycle accident. He had just graduated from the eighth grade at DeKalb West School. He played football for the DeKalb Saints and had made the DCHS Tiger Football Team.
The funeral will be Thursday at 1:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Michael Hale will officiate and burial will be in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Wednesday from noon until 8:00 p.m. and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until the service at 1:00 p.m.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Ammon Billings, Jr.
Survivors include his parents, Trey and Heather Billings of Smithville. Two sisters, Jessica and Tori Billings of Smithville. His maternal grandparents, Eugene and Linda Waggoner of Alexandria. His paternal grandmother, Teresa Billings of Smithville. His maternal great grandmother, Delores Murphy of Liberty. His paternal great grandmother, Willadine Guy of Sparta. Aunts and uncles, Tonya and Kevin Roberts of Alexandria, Scarlett Adcock of Murfreesboro, Tonya Evans of Smithville, Aleisha Fuson of Smithville. Cousins, Brandon, Megan, Zackary, Noah, Emily, Madison, Olivia, and Skylar.
The family asks that donations be made to DeKalb Funeral Chapel to help with funeral expenses, in lieu of flowers. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.