Sutton Charged with Theft of Farm Equipment

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has arrested a 42 year old man for the theft of farm equipment from a location on McMinnville Highway last Friday, March 4th
Sheriff Patrick Ray said Roger Matthew Sutton of Cookeville Highway is charged with theft of property. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court on March 17th.
According to Sheriff Ray, Sutton allegedly took two sets of cultivator arms, two sets of cultivators, two sets of cultivator bars, a three point hitch, a fertilizer distributor, ten hard land plows, and a gooseneck plate, all valued at over $1,000.
Meanwhile, 49 year old Danny Ray Ponder of Old Mill Hill Road, Dowelltown is charged with driving under the influence, possession of a schedule II drug (dilaudid) and a schedule IV controlled substance (xanax) for resale. His bond totals $52,500 and his court date is April 7th
Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, March 4th a deputy stopped to check out a vehicle which was parked in the roadway at a stop sign on Game Ridge Road. The motor was running and Ponder, who was passed out behind the steering wheel, still had his foot on the brake pedal. The deputy awoke Ponder and got him out of the vehicle. Ponder was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. He submitted to and performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and he had trouble staying awake. Ponder also submitted to a blood test.
During the DUI arrest of Ponder, the officer received consent to search his vehicle and found two bottles under the seat, one containing 83 xanax pills and another containing nine pills, believed to be dilaudid.
40 year old Royce Virgel Ashford, Jr. of Warren Road, Woodbury was recently issued a citation for driving on a suspended license and for failure to maintain his lane of travel. Ashford will appear in General Sessions Court on April 6th.
Sheriff Ray said that Ashford was operating a vehicle on Highway 56 north, heading south when he failed to maintain his lane of travel. After pulling over the automobile, the officer asked Ashford for his drivers license. Ashford produced it and a computer check revealed that the license was suspended for failure to satisfy a citation in Putnam County.