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.

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.

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.