A 48 year old man, who was found with 83 pounds of marijuana last summer by Smithville Police, pleaded guilty in DeKalb County Criminal Court Friday under a negotiated settlement with state prosecutors.
Timothy Dean Adams entered a guilty plea to one count of possession of a schedule VI controlled substance (marijuana).
Judge Lillie Ann Sells sentenced Adams to an eight year term suspended to probation after he serves six months. He was fined $2,000 and must perform 100 hours of community service work.
The marijuana, shrink-wrapped in nine large packages and in three smaller bags, was confiscated on June 21, 2005 by Smithville Police.
The bust was made after officers and TBI drug agents executed a search warrant at a residence on Meadowbrook Drive. The marijuana and two shotguns were then recovered by authorities.
The street value of the illegal weed was placed at over $100,000.
In addition to the drug and shotguns, authorities also seized $820 in cash and a 2004 Mazda car.
In other cases Friday, 49 year old Johnny Ray Ball pleaded guilty to Tenn Care Fraud and received a two year sentence on probation. He must make restitution of $160 to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and perform 100 hours of community service work.
30 year old Russell Allen Blackwell pleaded guilty to forgery, driving on a suspended license, and violation of the registration law. He received a two year sentence suspended to probation after he serves 60 days. He was fined $50 and ordered to make restitution of $847. He allegedly passed a forged check from Triple-A Enterprises at Smithville Food Store.
39 year old Howard R. Mayo, Jr. pleaded guilty to driving on a revoked license (7th offense) and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended to probation except 45 days. He was fined $50 and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service. The sentence is to run consecutive to a violation of probation case against him.
44 year old Danny Ray Ponder pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule II controlled substance and received a four year sentence suspended to probation after he serves 300 days. He must pay a fine of $2,000 and make restitution of $385 to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and TBI. Ponder must also perform 100 hours of community service work and undergo and alcohol and drug assessment. The term is to run consecutive to any other case against him. Ponder was given credit for 234 days of jail time served.
53 year old Brenda Gayle Shephard pleaded guilty to three counts of sale of a schedule II controlled substance. She received a four year sentence but will be on probation if she successfully completes eight months of rehab at the Mission Bible Training Center in Crossville. Shephard was fined $2,000 and must perform 100 hours of community service work. She was also ordered to make restitution of $320 to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.
31 year old Jackie Lee Snider pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule II controlled substance. He received a three year sentence, all suspended to probation except 120 days to serve. He was fined $2,000. The case is to run consecutive to a General Sessions Court case against him. He was given credit for seven days of jail time served.
29 year old Brandon L. Starnes pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended license (3rd offense), evading arrest, and simple possession. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days to serve. He was fined $250 and given credit for 163 days of jail time served. The sentence is to run consecutive to a case against him in Rutherford County.
47 year old Robert Eugene Zimmerman pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule III controlled substance. He received a three year sentence, suspended to probation except for 60 days to serve. He was fined $2,000 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service work.

Four women were injured in a two car crash around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday night on Highway 53 just south of Anderson Road near Liberty.
Trooper Mark Jones of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says 55 year old Beverly Moore Meszaros of Smithville was south on Highway 53 in a 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII two door sedan when she crossed the center line of the road and struck head-on a northbound 1997 Olds Cutlass four door sedan, driven by 77 year old Christine Adamson of Liberty.
83 year old Nonnie Johnson and 90 year old Mary Grizzle of Liberty were passengers of Adamson’s vehicle.
The Mesazros vehicle overturned in the roadway and the Adamson car came to a stop on the shoulder of the road.
The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department was called to the scene to perform extrication services to get Adamson out of her car.
All four women were taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital.
Members of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department and the Sheriff’s Department also provided assistance.

51 year old Alexandria Alderman Eddie Tubbs, charged with theft over $1,000 and official misconduct, appeared in DeKalb County Criminal Court Friday before Judge Lillie Ann Sells and was granted pre-trial diversion for a period of two years under a memorandum of understanding agreement.
Under terms of his probation, Tubbs must make restitution to the Alexandria city government in the amount of $1,916 and perform 100 hours of community service.
If Tubbs successfully completes all terms and conditions of the probation, his record will be expunged.
Tubbs was charged in a two count indictment by the April term of the DeKalb County Grand Jury.
The charges were apparently the result of a TBI investigation into allegations concerning misuse of the city fire department credit account, fund raising account and the city police department drug fund from January to September, 2004.
Tubbs, who was an Alexandria Alderman, Fire Chief, and part-time police officer at the time of the allegations, resigned his position as Fire Chief in October, 2004 and stepped down as Alderman in November, 2004.
During a November, 2004 meeting of the Alexandria Mayor and Board of Alderman, then city attorney Brody Kane, said the figures in question were $170 from the police department drug fund, $471.68 from the general fund, and $895.91 from the fire department’s fund raising account.
City officials, at the time of his resignation, said Tubbs was in the process of re-paying the money. Tubbs has never publically admitted any wrongdoing.
Tubbs ran for Alderman again and was elected in the Alexandria City Election in September, 2005
The first count of the indictment alleged that Tubbs “during the period of time commencing January 31, 2004 through September 3, 2004, did unlawfully and knowingly obtain or exercise control over property, including but not limited to, cash, services, and goods valued at over $1,000 belonging to the City of Alexandria”.
The second count of the indictment alleged that Tubbs, “did unlawfully and intentionally or knowingly, as a public servant with intent to obtain a benefit”, commit an act that exceeded the servant’s official power, violated the law relating to his office or employment, or received benefits not otherwise authorized by law.

32 year old Michael E. Johnson of Sparta, charged in the fatal shooting of another Sparta man in January, appeared in DeKalb County Criminal Court Friday and was set to enter a guilty plea under a negotiated settlement with state prosecutors.
However when Judge Lillie Ann Sells learned that Johnson had previously been treated for a mental condition and was no longer under a doctor’s care or taking medication, she refused to accept a plea and instead ordered Johnson to undergo a mental evaluation at Plateau Mental Health Center in Cookeville to determine his competency to stand trial or enter a plea in the case.
Johnson and a co-defendant, 26 year old Tina Rose Bain, were each indicted by a DeKalb County Grand Jury in April on charges of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, felony murder, and theft over $1,000.
The two are charged in the shooting death of 21 year old David Anthony Welch of Sparta and the wounding of 23 year old Heather Trapp of Smithville. Both Welch and Trapp were shot at Trapp’s home during the pre-dawn hours of January 6th on Webb Lane.
The indictments allege that the defendants did unlawfully, intentionally and with premeditation kill Welch during the perpetration of or an attempt to perpetrate theft and that they unlawfully and knowingly obtained or exercised control over property including, but not limited to, a necklace and ring valued at over $1,000 belonging to Trapp.
After the shooting, Johnson and Bain left the scene in their car but were arrested later that day in White County. They were brought to the DeKalb County Jail and after several hours of questioning, were charged in the shooting. Their car was also impounded.
Judge Sells, during Friday’s proceedings, asked Johnson to elaborate on his past mental health record. Johnson told her that he had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and a manic depressant with a bi-polar disorder but that he is currently not under the care of a mental health expert and is not taking medication for his condition
Judge Sells then asked Johnson if he had any prior convictions. He told her that had been convicted in White and Putnam County on charges of aggravated assault, escape, being a fugitive from justice, and reckless endangerment with a vehicle among others.
In refusing to accept Johnson’s guilty plea, Judge Sells said that ” the court has a very serious obligation in taking a guilty plea to make sure that the defendant clearly understands what he’s doing in giving up all his rights to a jury trial and all these other rights we’ve talked about. But also very important is that we have to be sure that the person before the court is competent to enter a guilty plea and I am not at all convinced of that today based on your mental health record. We’re going to have to look at that mental health record very seriously. I’m going to order that you be re-evaluated so see whether or not you are competent to go to trial or enter this guilty plea. If I took a guilty plea in a first degree murder case from someone with the serious diagnoses you have who is supposed to be on medication ordered by a mental health expert but who quit taking his medicine, it wouldn’t be worth a flip. It (sentence) would probably be set aside. If after the evaluation, they say you’re competent we’ll take your plea and go about our way. But we have to have that on the record before I can go forward.”
Johnson and Bain will be back in court on August 21st.
Bain’s case has been set for trial later this year.
Johnson is represented by attorney J. Hilton Conger. John Pryor is Bain’s lawyer.

Smithville Police Chief Gus Clemente wants the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to adopt a vehicle take-home policy for officers of the police department.
Under the proposal, each officer, who is already assigned a patrol car to drive while on duty, would get to take that cruiser home after work.
Some members of the city council have reservations about that proposal since most of the city police officers reside outside the city.
Under the proposed policy, only officers living within a 25 mile radius of the corporate city limits of the City of Smithville would be allowed to drive the police vehicles home. All other officers would park the vehicles at the police department headquarters.
Chief Clemente says the goals of this policy would be to promote the security of the citizens of Smithville by greater visibility and presence of vehicles on the streets and highways; provide quicker response time to certain types of calls and therefore increase the opportunity to apprehend criminals; reduce the yearly mileage on each vehicle, therefore increasing vehicle life; reduce maintenance cost on each vehicle in the fleet; provide quicker response of off-duty personnel when called back to duty because of an emergency; provide increased incentive and morale of officers participating in the program; and maintain vehicles in top condition through preventive maintenance and personalized assignment.
Members of the council agree that the policy could provide for quicker response time by some officers in the event of an emergency, but others argue that it will add to the city’s fuel cost and potentially increase liability.
Some also question how that there could be greater visibility and presence of patrol cars on city streets, when most of the city patrol cars would be outside the city, when driven home by officers who live outside the city.
The city board voted unanimously Monday night to defer action on the proposed policy until the next meeting on Monday, July 17th at 7:00 p.m. at city hall.
In other business Monday night, Mayor Taft Hendrixson appointed himself as the city’s representative and re-appointed Clay Farler as a citizen member to the City Planning Commission.
Steve Hays was reappointed to the City Beer Board and Lloyd Black was named as a new member of the board. Beer Board terms are for five years.
Wade Smith and Jimmy Ervin were reappointed as members of the Smithville Board of Zoning Appeals.
Mayor Hendrixson appointed himself as the city representative on the Industrial Development Board. Hendrixson, who was already on the board as a citizen member, appointed Richard Judkins to fill that position. Alan Webb was also named to the Industrial Board to fill the vacancy created by the death of his father Norval Webb.

A 25 year old man was injured in a one car crash Monday night on Blue Springs Road.
Trooper Brian Raymond of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says Terry Reeder of Bethel Road, Smithville was driving a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire when he failed to negotiate a curve, went off the road, and hit a guardrail near a bridge.
Reeder was ejected from the car.
He was taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital.
Officers of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and the Blue Springs Station of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department assisted at the scene.

A three year old girl, Autumn Hendrixson, is recovering at Vanderbilt Hospital after being bitten by a copperhead snake Saturday evening.
A call was placed to 911 from a Sparta Highway residence around 8:00 p.m. Saturday. The child, who had been bitten on her foot, was transported to DeKalb Community Hospital by EMS and later flown from the hospital to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The child is the daughter of Jayme Billotto.

Except for about an hour and a half delay because of threatening weather, the first day of the 35th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival ran non-stop from about 9:00 a.m. to 11:10 p.m. Friday.
Preliminaries were held in fifteen categories of music and dance competition followed by the finals featuring the top three acts in each event.
The following are the winners in each category:
Old Time Appalachian Folk Singing (Solo/Duet): First Place- The Greens of Ripley Mississippi. Second Place- Emily Dean of Springfield, Tennessee. Third Place- Jack Horner of Nashville..
Flat Top Guitar: First Place-Will McMeans of Lester, Alabama. Second Place- Brian Blaylock of Hixson, Tennessee. Third Place- Dr. Rob Pearcy of Smyrna, Tennessee.
Junior Clogging (Ages 13-39): First Place- Amanda Herron of Cookeville. Second Place- Lauryn Boss of Bloomington Springs. Third Place- Chris Stewart of Lebanon.
Junior Buck Dancing (Ages 13-39): First Place- Jacob Campbell of Murfreesboro. Second Place- Chris Stewart of Lebanon. Third Place- Amanda Herron of Cookeville.
Dobro Guitar: First Place-Earl Grubbs of Murfreesboro. Second Place- Tyler Collins of Allons, Tennessee. Third Place- Brian Blaylock of Hixson.
Mountain Dulcimer: First Place-Bobby Nobley of LaGrange, Georgia. Second Place- Rob Pearcy of Smyrna. Third Place- Lisa Patton of Murfreesboro.
Hammer Dulcimer: First Place- Amber Burks of Greenbrier. Second Place- Howard Friedman of Knoxville. Third Place- Beth James of Newport.
Novelty Event: First Place-Pa Fields and the Wham Bangers of Crossville. Second Place- Lucille Graham of Bryant, Alabama. Third Place- Backwards Bluegrass of Dyersburg.
Old Time Fiddle Band: First Place-DeKalb County Hilltoppers of Danville, Virginia. Second Place- Blue Creek Ramblers of Murfreesboro. Third Place- Slim Chance of Allover Tennessee.
Autoharp: First Place-Bobby Nobley of LaGrange, Georgia. Second Place- Jeremy Stephens of Danville, Virginia. Third Place- Bill Rothe of Estill Springs.
Gospel Singing (Solo): First Place- Molly Green of Ripley, Mississippi. Second Place- Amber Burks of Greenbrier. Third Place- Anna Noe of Nashville.
Country Harmonica: First Place-Isaac Vick of Lyles, Tennessee. Second Place- Ken Tenpenny of Murfreesboro. Third Place- Lewis Taylor of Ringgold, Georgia.
Old Time Banjo: First Place-Jeremy Stephens of Danville, Virginia. Second Place- Eric Vick of Lyles, Tennessee. Third Place- Rob Pearcy of Smyrna.
Gospel Singing (Duet, Trio, & Quartet): First Place- The Greens of Ripley, Mississippi. Second Place- Tomlin & Chunn of Greenbrier. Third Place- Emily & Ty of Springfield.
Mandolin: First Place- Solly Burton of Sullivan, Indiana; Second Place-Jesse Daniel of Fort Payne, Alabama. Third Place- Will McMeans of Lester, Alabama.
State Senator Mae Beavers presented a United States flag to a member of the audience from Australia and a Tennessee State flag to a visitor from Alaska.
The flags go to the persons who travel the greatest distances, both from inside and outside the country, to get here.

Cannon County Hospital, LLC and Saint Thomas Health Services have jointly announced that the sale of DeKalb Hospital, Smithville has been finalized.
Cannon County Hospital, LLC assumed ownership of the hospital at the close of business on Friday.
The sale of DeKalb Hospital to Cannon County Hospital, LLC was announced in April. The transaction was reviewed by the Tennessee Office of the Attorney General and both Saint Thomas Health Services and Cannon County, LLC were notified that the Attorney General would take no action in the proceeding clearing the way for the immediate closure of the sale.
DeKalb Hospital has been a part of Saint Thomas Health Services since 2002 when Saint Thomas Hospital acquired the Baptist Health Care System. The criteria for considering organizations interested in purchasing DeKalb Hospital included commitments to continuing health care services in DeKalb County and to the continued employment and well being of associates employed there.
The principals in Cannon County Hospital, LLC, also own Stones River Hospital,a 65 bed hospital in Woodbury. Stones River Hospital was acquired in 1999 and has grown through the addition of new physicians and services.
Saint Thomas Health Services is a faith based ministry serving Middle Tennessee. Saint Thomas Health Services consists of four hospitals: Baptist and Saint Thomas Hospitals in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, and Hickman Community Hospital in Centerville. It is a member of Ascension Health, a Catholic Organization, that is the largest not-for profit health system in the United States.

Smithville Mayor Taft Hendrixson and Aldermen Stephen White and Cecil Burger, elected on June 20th, were sworn into office to begin their new two year terms Saturday morning during a special meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at city hall.
City Attorney Sarah Cripps administered the oath of office.
After the swearing in ceremony, Mayor Hendrixson appointed each of the alderman to oversee a city department.
The appointments are as follows: Steve White-Vice Mayor and Commissioner of Finance and Taxation; W.J. (Dub) White- Commissioner of Streets and Safety; Paul Young- Commissioner of the Water and Sewer Departments; Cecil Burger-Commissioner of Sanitation; and Aaron Meeks – Commissioner of the Police and Fire Departments.