Partner law enforcement agencies from across the Upper Cumberland region have worked together to secure charges for 12 individuals including a Smithville man in connection to an eight-month investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in several counties.
Authorities from the Cookeville Police Department, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Crossville Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Overton County Sheriff’s Department, the Pickett County Sheriff’s Office, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the office of 13th District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, began investigating the operation in September 2016. During the course of the investigation, authorities developed information about 12 individuals connected to a multi-county methamphetamine distribution operation.
At the time of this release, nine of the individuals had been arrested and booked into the Putnam County Jail:
◾29 year old Ronnie Edward Argo, Jr., of Gainesboro ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $75,000 bond
◾36 year old Joseph Israel Neely, of Smithville ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $250,000 bond
◾30 year old Kristan Nicole Harville, of Baxter ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $250,000 bond
◾29 year old Darby Dee Brunson, of Cookeville ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $250,000 bond
◾22 year old Lindsey L. Goad, of Gainesboro ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $75,000 bond
◾36 year old Megan Alissa Fuller, of Gainesboro ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $75,000 bond
◾35 year old Ryan Lee Underwood, of Cookeville ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $75,000 bond
◾36 year old Nathaniel Harrison Payne, of Crossville ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $75,000 bond
◾50 year old James Preston Cumby, of Cookeville ◾Conspiracy to Distribute Over 300 Grams of Methamphetamine, $75,000 bond
At the time of this release, efforts to arrest the additional three individuals implicated in this investigation remained active and ongoing. Updates to this news release will be published online: www.tbinewsroom.com.

The DeKalb County Community Health Center/Health Department celebrated National Health Center Week Aug. 13-19. The goal of this observance was to raise awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers over the course of more than five decades.
There are 14 community health centers/health departments across the Upper Cumberland Region. These health centers provide full service adult and pediatric primary care as well as preventive health services to anyone with private insurance, TennCare or Medicare as well as those without insurance.
“I would like to recognize Merril Harris for being a valued member of the Upper Cumberland Primary Care Board for 6 years,” said DeKalb County Health Director Michael Railling. “
To learn more about the services of your local community health center, please call 615-597- 7599.
Visit the Tennessee Department of Health online at http://tn.gov/health.
Connect with TDH on Facebook and Twitter @TNDeptofHealth!

The DeKalb County Democratic Party will choose its candidates by a local primary on May 1, 2018.
The primary will be held to nominate candidates for the county-wide offices of County Mayor, Circuit Court Clerk, Road Supervisor, Sheriff, Register of Deeds, County Clerk, Trustee, and for the county commission in each of the seven districts (two per district for a total of 14).
“The Democratic Party has a long history of expanding voting rights and opening participation in the political process beginning with the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson (D) during which the long struggle for women’s right to vote culminated with the passage of 19th Amendment in 1920 and later with the leadership of Lyndon Baines Johnson (D) the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965,” said DeKalb Democratic Party Chairman Jordan Wilkins.
“Voting is the fundamental principle of a Democracy. The Democratic Party has long advocated that access to voting should be made easier not more restrictive with what amounts to voter suppression laws. The Democratic Party specifically advocates for early voting laws, automatic voter
registration, same day voter registration, ending partisan gerrymandering, and making Election Day a national holiday,” said Wilkins.
“In March, 2017, the DeKalb Democratic Party held an open meeting with all interested Democrats in the county invited to discuss whether we should select our candidates a) by convention with officers and executive committee members of the Party selecting candidates or b) by primary
during which all Democrats would have a voice by voting to select candidates. The community of people who attended the meeting voted to continue to use the primary means for selecting candidates. They value the role of the citizen voter to act in the general interests of the county,” added Wilkins.
Anyone interested in running for one of the county offices should contact Jordan Wilkins, Chair of the DeKalb County Democratic Party, at either a) jwilkins16@yahoo.com or b) 615-597-7231.

The 1972 DCHS Tiger Football Team will reunite on Friday night, September 1 at the White Possum Grille at 5:00 p.m. All members of this team regardless of class year, coaches, managers, and spouses are invited to attend. Following a Dutch-treat meal, the team will take a short walk to VanHooser Stadium to watch the Tigers compete with Stone Memorial High School.
The 1972 Tigers Football season was in jeopardy due to a school budget crisis that year. The team overcame a slow start to post the first winning season in the history of DeKalb County High School. Forty-five years later this team will break huddle one more time and wish the present team success in its first home game of the year.
The team finished the 1972 season on the field at 6-4 but actually was credited with another win to go 7-3 after one of the opponents on the schedule that year, Brentwood had to forfeit. The 1972 Tigers defeated Woodbury 28-12, Baxter 8-6, Montgomery Central 44-8, Gainesboro 42-0, Monterey 6-0, and Grundy County 16-6. The Tigers lost to Huntland 20-0, Brentwood 33-0, Gordonsville 8-0, and Watertown 26-6.
The 1972 Tigers were led by head coach Wayne Cantrell and assistants John Eaton and Donnie Elledge.
Members of the team included Mike Corley, David Colwell, Randy Prichard, Jay Whiteford, Raymond Miller, Jackie Gaither, Eddie Evans, Jimmy Knowles, Fred Dowell, Robert Rowe, Bill Owen, Robert Donaldson, David Davis, Don Page, Doug Hooper, Ronnie Hawkins, Alan Bradford, Joey Goodwin, Kirk Wills, Phil Owen, Ricky Hale, Doug Davis, John Colvert, Randy Bond, Gwynn Prater, and Bobby Turner.
If you have any questions, contact Mike Corley at Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District at 615-597-0530

A 50 year old Smithville man was airlifted Wednesday afternoon after his car crashed into a tractor trailer truck on East Broad Street near the Industrial park.
Todd Van Dyne was flown by a Life Force helicopter ambulance to Erlanger Hospital.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that Van Dyne was traveling east on US 70 in a 2004 Chevy Malibu as a 2012 Kenworth tractor (truck) pulling a trailer was attempting to turn west from Moog Boulevard onto US 70. 48 year old Jeffrey Turley of Westmoreland was driving the truck.
According to the THP, the truck pulled out into the path of Van Dyne’s car as he (Van Dyne) was passing another tractor trailer that was turning right into Moog Boulevard. Van Dyne’s car then ran underneath the left side of the trailer and came to rest.
Members of the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department were summoned to extricate Van Dyne who was pinned inside his car. DeKalb EMS and the Smithville Police Department were also on the scene.
After Van Dyne was removed from the car, he was taken to the helicopter ambulance which had landed near Tenneco Automotive.
The crash was investigated by Trooper Ronnie Smith of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. No charges have been filed pending the investigation.

Enrollment in the DeKalb County School System is up by 57 students compared to last year at this time.
Comparing the numbers for the sixth day of school, total enrollment from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade district wide is 3,071 as of today (August 16), up from 3,014 last year.
According to Attendance Supervisor Joey Reeder, the numbers are up at all five schools. “We’re up by 57 students county wide from where we were a year ago. Of course, this is an ever changing number and it will be changing daily from now until probably after Labor Day. Usually it’s the Monday after Labor Day before you get numbers firmed up about who has moved in and moved out,” Reeder told WJLE.
As of today (Wednesday, August 16), enrollment at each school is as follows compared to last year:
DCHS: 883 (up by 18 students)
DeKalb Middle School: 549 (up by 18 students)
Northside Elementary: 645 (up by 6 students)
Smithville Elementary: 585 (up by 3 students)
DeKalb West School: 408 (up by 13 students)
Enrollment at DCHS breaks down as follows:
9th grade: 226 students
10th grade: 222 students
11th grade: 235 students
12th grade: 200 students
Enrollment District-Wide by grade level is as follows:
Pre-Kindergarten: 121(SES & DWS combined)
Kindergarten: 215 (SES & DWS combined)
1st grade: 232 (SES & DWS)
2nd grade: 233 (SES, Northside, & DWS)
3rd grade: 206 (Northside & DWS)
4th grade: 239 (Northside & DWS)
5th grade: 260 (Northside & DWS)
6th grade: 227 (DMS & DWS)
7th grade: 219 (DMS & DWS)
8th grade: 234 (DMS & DWS)
Enrollment by School:
DeKalb Middle School:
6th grade: 183
7th grade: 176
8th grade: 189
Northside Elementary:
2nd grade: 54
3rd grade: 167
4th grade: 210
5th grade: 214
Smithville Elementary:
Pre-K: 99
Kindergarten: 171
1st grade: 184
2nd grade: 131
DeKalb West School:
Pre-K: 21
Kindergarten: 44
1st grade: 48
2nd grade: 48
3rd grade: 39
4th grade: 29
5th grade: 46
6th grade: 44
7th grade: 43
8th grade: 45
Reeder urges parents to make sure their children attend school on time every day classes are in session. “Students who miss 18 school days per year-regardless of the cause-will be considered chronically absent under a new regulation from the State Department of Education. The number of chronically absent students will also reflect on the overall performance score given to the school system. The state is using a new accountability measure called the Chronically Out-of-School Indicator. Students who miss more than 10 percent of the school year, for any reason, are considered chronically out of school. This would typically be students that miss 18 or more school days out of our 180-day school year calendar,” reported Reeder.
Under state law, if a student misses as few as five days of school “unexcused” he or she is considered “truant”. “We won’t take you to juvenile court for five days missed but we will send a letter to the parents to arrange a meeting with them to see what can be done to improve their child’s attendance,” said Reeder.
Tardies are also a concern, especially early in the morning. “We don’t have a lot of tardies during the day. Its like during first block in the morning when they are getting there a few minutes late. We ask parents bringing their children to school to please arrive on time by 7:45 a.m. because three tardies can equal one unexcused absence,” said Reeder“
Meanwhile, Reeder urges parents who are home schooling their children to contact the school system to let them know.”I wish you would come by and register with us. It helps us to know where they (students) are and what they are doing. Some people withdraw their kids from the school system to home school and we never hear from them again in the following years. Legally, parents are suppose to register but there is really not a penalty if they don’t. It just helps us keep up with where the students are at. Registering is not a big deal. It doesn’t take but five minutes and it would help us out some,” said Reeder.

The DeKalb County Republican Party Executive Committee recently voted to select the 2018 Republican Candidates for Local Office by County Convention. The County Convention will be held in early 2018 so as to meet the candidate qualifying deadline. The Republican candidates elected at the Convention will be placed directly onto the August 2, 2018, General Election ballot as the Republican Nominees. Republican candidates will be selected at the County Convention for the following Offices in DeKalb County: County Mayor, Sheriff, Trustee, County Court Clerk, Circuit Court Clerk, Register of Deeds, Road Superintendent, and County Commissioners in all 7 districts (2 each).
“This is a win-win for the County, as well as the DeKalb County Republican Party,” Chairman Mingy Bryant said. “We are saving county taxpayers by not having to staff and print ballots for a local primary, while also selecting the best and most qualified Republicans to represent us on the General Election ballot.Local Democrats had the same option, but unfortunately, they chose to spend more taxpayer dollars instead of saving them,” she said.
“The August 2, 2018, Ballot will be very full with many seats up for grabs. In addition to the Local Races, voters will also select the person who will likely be the next Governor, US Senator, US Congressman, State Senator, and State Representative for DeKalb County,” Bryant said.
“With DeKalb County voting solidly Republican in the last few election cycles, and with so many Republican candidates running for open seats, we should all expect a record Republican turnout in the August 2018 election,” continues Bryant. “This will also bode well for our Republican candidates for local offices. Republicans will be more motivated than ever to vote Republican all the way down the ballot.”
Interested candidates for these offices 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.

A Dowelltown man is facing multiple counts of theft after admitting involvement in several thefts of utility trailers in DeKalb County over the last six months.
19 year old Colten Gene Young of Old Mill Hill Road will make a court appearance on seven counts of theft over $1,000 on August 24. He is under a $35,500 bond.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Young has admitted to being directly responsible for three of the thefts and aiding in the others. Smithville Police also recently filed a charge against him for a utility trailer theft in the city. But Young’s crime spree was not limited to DeKalb County. He has admitted to utility trailer thefts in Sparta, Manchester, Gatlinburg, and Rockwood.
Meanwhile Sheriff Ray is urging anyone who may have purchased a utility trailer from Young or if you have information concerning someone else who has done so to contact the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office in person or call 615-597-4935. You may also contact the crime tip line at 615-464-6400 or email Sheriff Ray at sheriff21@dekalbsheriff.net
“We have been having utility trailers, mostly bumper trailers, stolen within the last six months. After we spoke with the Smithville Police detective about the person they had arrested (Young), one of our detectives and I went to the White County Sheriff’s Department and talked to Young where he was being housed on a charge by the Sparta Police Department. We considered him to be a person of interest in our theft investigation at that time. We actually spoke with him on three different occasions and gathered information. During the second interview, Young agreed to take the detective and me to places in the area where he had stolen utility trailers. After taking us to the site of a theft behind F.Z. Webb & Sons Pharmacy on South Congress Boulevard where Smithville Police had investigated, Young led us to L&M Farms, the former H.J. Judkins Nursery on Short Mountain Highway where he said he had stolen a trailer. From there we went to Turner’s Napa Auto Parts on West Broad Street where he claimed to have stolen a trailer. Young also admitted to having stolen $3,900 from a residence on Old Mill Hill Road,” said Sheriff Ray.
From the information provided by Young, investigators learned who had bought the trailer taken from the Napa Auto Parts location and they were able to recover it.
During a third interview, Sheriff Ray said Young told investigators that while he had not been directly responsible for the other thefts he had been a spotter for or with another man and spotted trailers at the Smithville Church of God on West Broad Street, at a residence off Highway 56 south, and at a home on Backbone Ridge near the White County line. The trailers from all three of those places were later reported stolen.
After confessing to his involvement in the local thefts, Sheriff Ray said Young took responsibility for thefts of fourteen trailers in Lincoln County, at least two in White County, one in Gatlinburg, one in Rockwood, and one in Manchester.
“We have been working with the Sheriff’s departments in Lincoln County and Coffee County along with the Sparta Police Department. Many of the cases against Young in those counties stemmed from our investigation on him here,” said Sheriff Ray.
Charges filed by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department against Young are as follows:
*Theft over $1,000 (March 1 Young aided and assisted taking a white 6’ x 10’ enclosed trailer which belonged to the Smithville Church of God valued at $2,000. He had spotted the trailer with or for another man)
*Theft over $1,000 (May 15 Young took a black 18 foot Lawrimore trailer from behind Turners Napa Auto Parts on West Broad Street valued at $1,500)
*Theft over $1,000 (May 23 Young took $3,900 from a residence on Old Mill Hill Road in Dowelltown)
*Theft over $1,000 (June 1 Young aided and assisted in taking a black 16 foot trailer from Magness Road valued at $2,000. He had spotted the trailer with or for another man)
*Theft over $1,000 (June 7 Young took a black 16 foot trailer from a nursery on Short Mountain Highway valued at $1,800)
*Theft over $1,000 (July 14 Young aided and assisted in taking a black 5’ x 8’ trailer from Backbone Road, Sparta in DeKalb County valued at $1,250. He had spotted the trailer with or for another man)
*Theft over $1,000 (July 14 Young aided and assisted in taking a black 7’ x 14’ trailer along with a canoe and kayak which were on the trailer all valued at $2,629. The theft occurred off Short Mountain Highway. He had spotted the trailer with or for another man)
Sheriff Ray urges anyone who has bought or who is considering buying a utility trailer or other equipment to guard against becoming a victim.
“We are more than happy to come out and look at your trailer. We will check the numbers on it if you want us to. If you are planning to buy a trailer give us the serial number and we will be glad to check that to make sure it isn’t stolen,” said Sheriff Ray.
“What we don’t want to happen is for someone to purchase one of these stolen trailers unaware but then discover that it has had an altered VIN number. We don’t want anyone to get in trouble for something like that,” he said.
Make sure you obtain a title with your purchase and not settle for just a bill of sale. “In some cases, Young provided his unsuspecting customers with a bill of sale. A title is the best way to buy a trailer, four wheeler, or vehicle because a bill of sale is not a guarantee that what you are buying isn’t stolen,” said Sheriff Ray.
Another thing to consider is that if its discovered that the trailer you bought was stolen, you could lose all the money you invested in it.

After six and a half years as the operator of the Smithville Golf Course and Swimming Pool, Tony Poss is calling it quits.
He has given notice that he is ending his lease with the City of Smithville. The nine hole golf course and pool are currently closed.
It will be up to the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen to name a successor.
Poss entered into a 10 year lease with the city in February, 2011 with an option to extend the term of the lease for an additional 10 years.

DCHS Principal Randy Jennings has come under fire in recent days from some for his position on enforcing the long-standing dress code policy at the school but he is getting support from friends in high places.
Director of Schools Patrick Cripps and the Board of Education released a joint statement Tuesday afternoon to let the community know they stand with Jennings and his staff. “We would like to inform the members of the community that we fully support Mr. Jennings, the administration and members of the faculty and staff at DeKalb County High School throughout this process”.
Some students and parents have expressed frustration with how the school administration is handling the matter which has given rise to rumors of possible protests. But in spite of the criticism by those who feel the dress code enforcement is too harsh, others have shown their support.
“We take this opportunity to thank the many students and residents of DeKalb County for their support and words of encouragement during the recent dress code controversy at DeKalb County High School. Thank you for your continued support,” the statement concluded.
In a statement released over the weekend, Principal Jennings said the high school will follow the dress code that has been in place for several years and that students are being asked to follow the rules that are in the student handbook,” he said.