The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has arrested two men believed to be responsible for several recent burglaries and thefts in DeKalb and other counties.
43 year old Martin Riley is charged with aggravated burglary and two counts of theft of property over $1,000. His brother, 49 year old Timothy Riley is charged with aggravated burglary and theft of property over $1,000. Both are residents of Poss Road, Smithville.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says the Riley brothers didn’t just allegedly steal small things, they also allegedly took large expensive household appliances. “We’ve recovered all kinds of stainless steel refrigerators, stainless steel stoves, stainless steel freezers, radios, cd players, microwaves, toaster ovens, anything they could go into a house and get.”
According to Sheriff Ray, the Riley’s favorite targets were lake homes although they allegedly burglarized other residences as well “They would make entry into the houses, mostly lake homes, where people are not there everyday, push all these appliances up next to the door or on the front porch, and then they would go, get a vehicle, come back and load it all up, and sell it right then.”
A couple of the break-ins, for which the Rileys are believed to have been responsible, were on Shady Drive and Ponder Road. “On September 9th, detectives investigated a break-in at a residence on Shady Drive where someone had stolen a lawn mower, a six foot trailer, and a generator. Another was on Ponder Road where they had broken into a cabin and stolen refrigerators and other appliances.”
Sheriff Ray says the Rileys also allegedly burglarized homes in the City of Smithville. “There have also been some cases in the City of Smithville with which we were able to help the Smithville Police Department. They (Rileys) took some of the same things they were taking out in the county such as lawn mowers. In one case they took lots of health and beauty aids that an individual had bought by the boxes, things like shampoo and toothpaste, and they (Rileys) sold that to an individual.”
The investigation also implicated the Rileys in a scheme to steal a bobcat. “A couple of weeks ago, there was a bobcat that was rented in Warren County. It was delivered here in the City of Smithville. These two individuals were involved with that. Martin Riley went up there (McMinnville) and gave the people at the rental center some fake information and when they brought the bobcat down here he and his brother Tim loaded the bobcat on a trailer and sold it to a man in Indiana. We’ve been working closely with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department on that case. The detective was also able to find the guy who still had the bobcat and they’re returning that to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department.”
After stealing the goods, Sheriff Ray says the Rileys then tried to sell them as quickly as possible. “We believe they went around the county, asking people if they wanted to buy a lawnmower or refrigerator or whatever, but the people who bought the items didn’t realize they were stolen. At one of the places where they sold some of the items, the guy (buyer) had a vehicle tag that was laying over on the ground, which was still in date. They (Rileys) took the tag, stole it from him, and put it on their vehicle.”
According to Sheriff Ray the Rileys didn’t just peddle the stolen goods locally. ” In one case, they took a lawnmower from one of the break-ins and sold it to a guy on the street in Nashville.”
He says in some cases, the Riley’s were so anxious to make a sale that it aroused the suspicion of the buyers. ” At two places in the county where they had made a sale, the people noticed something strange about the refrigerators because they were still cold. Some of them actually had ice still in the ice box.”
Sheriff Ray is asking for your help in this investigation. If you believe you may have made a purchase from the Rileys, please contact the Sheriff’s Department . “We’re posting their pictures at www.wjle.com. Look at them because even though you might not know who you bought it from, you might remember their faces. If you have bought any type of appliances, radios, lawn mowers, flat bed trailers or anything, contact us. We would like to look at it. We’re asking the community to help us get these items back to the victims.”
Sheriff Ray says you might also recognize the truck the Riley brothers were driving. “It was an early 90’s model S-10 pick up truck, long wheel base. It was gray at one time but they spray painted it a little darker color. It would look like a black truck now. We were able to find the truck and retrieve the stolen license plate and give it back to the owner.”

A Smithville Police Officer will again be directing traffic in the school zone at Northside Elementary beginning Thursday morning (September 17th)
Police Chief Richard Jennings phoned WJLE Wednesday afternoon to say that an on-duty road officer will be assigned to direct traffic each morning and afternoon in the Northside Elementary School zone in the interest of public safety. Jennings says he is making this decision himself, in his authority as Chief of Police.
The issue surfaced last month at a city council meeting and it was discussed again during a workshop Monday night.
A plan has been proposed between officials of the city and school system to address the problem without someone directing traffic, but Alderman Shawn Jacobs says many parents are not pleased with that.
The mayor and aldermen are expected to discuss it again Monday night during the regular city council meeting, but Chief Jennings says he will go ahead and start the service now.
Chief Jennings says that the police department will continue to have an officer at Northside directing traffic even after the proposal is implemented to extend the school zone, to prohibit parking on the shoulder of Highway 56 north, and to route buses entering and exiting the school via Smith Road.
He added that only when all available officers are tied up on other calls, would the service not be provided.

Smithville Police have charged a man and a woman in an armed robbery at the Dollar General Store on South Congress Boulevard Tuesday night.
28 year old Jacob Gadberry and 24 year old Nina Sullivan both of Toad Road, Dowelltown are each charged with one count of aggravated robbery.
According to Smithville Police Officer Scott Davis’ report, Sullivan entered the store around 7:20 p.m. and asked to use the restroom. After she left, Gadberry came in the store, opened an office door where the manager was counting money, and ordered her at knife point to open the safe where he took more than three thousand dollars and left the store. No one was injured.
Shortly after the robbery, county deputies Chris McMillen and Steven Barrett stopped a 1991 Nissan at Walnut and North Mountain Street, where the two suspects were taken into custody.
Officer Davis’ actual report states as follows:” I was dispatched to 513 South Congress (Dollar General Store) in reference to a robbery. Upon my arrival, I made contact with the witness who advised that the suspects were a white male wearing an orange Tennessee shirt, and a white female who was driving an older model red Nissan.”
The defendant (Sullivan) opened the door where management was counting money and asked if she could use the bathroom. The witness, Dawn Allen, stated “yes” and the defendant (Sullivan) went to the bathroom. Ms. Allen stated that a few minutes later the male suspect (Gadberry) yanked open the door and had an open utility tool knife and stated ” open the safe, don’t hit the alarm or be stupid, get back into the chair”. The suspect then took a blue and red money bag from the safe and fled the store.”
County deputies McMillen and Barrett, who were apparently at the jail at the time, heard the radio traffic and saw a vehicle fitting the description driving around the public square the wrong way. They pulled the car over at the intersection of Walnut and North Mountain Street
Officer Davis’ report states that “the suspects vehicle had money thrown inside the floor board and some of it was stuffed under the passengers seat. Once both suspects were removed from the vehicle, Sullivan was placed into Sergeant Joey Jones’ patrol car where she attempted to hide money taken from the robbery. The amount of the money taken in the robbery is estimated at $3,011. The money was recovered in the suspects’ vehicle and placed into the evidence room. At 11:59 p.m., I was attempting to locate the money bags that were taken during the robbery. I located the money bags at 201 South Third Street. These items were placed into evidence. “

The DeKalb County Health Department will offer seasonal flu vaccine on Friday, September 18th at the DeKalb County Health Department from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Seaonal flu is a preventable illness that can be serious and even deadly. Each year 5 to 20% of the country’s population gets seasonal flu. Nationwide, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year with complications from seasonal flu and more than 36,000 die from the illness. In Tennessee, an estimated 700 people die from seasonal flu each year.
The DeKalb County Health Department urges seasonal flu vaccinations to prevent illess. The vaccine is particularly recommended for the elderly, young children, and people with certain health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease since they are at high risk for complications from seasonal flu.
The cost of the flu shot is $25.00. The Health Department will bill Medicare and other third party payors as appropriate.
The DeKalb County Health Department will also offer H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. This vaccine is now being manufactured and tested in a manner similar to that of seasonal flu vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine available now is not effective against the H1N1 virus, and both kinds of flu are expected to circulate this year. The health department therefore strongly encourages everyone to get both types of flu vaccine. The public will be notified immediately when the H1N1 vaccine is available

Officials of the City of Smithville and the DeKalb County School System have come up with a plan for dealing with traffic problems in the school zone at Northside Elementary School, but Alderman Shawn Jacobs says many parents still want someone to direct traffic there.
During a workshop meeting of the mayor and aldermen Monday night, Alderman Jacobs says parents are upset and they want the city to take action. “No one is satisfied with the plan that was worked out. These mothers are mad. They’re saying it’s just playing politics and that it’s something that should have been fixed in fifteen minutes, but it’s been drawn out for a month. If nothing else, for public relations gentlemen, I think we need to put an officer directing traffic at Northside. I mean, that’s public safety and that’s what police departments do. I’m just speaking from the number of complaints I get and I’m just trying to be responsive to the people that call me. I hate to get into this blame game where everyone is saying that everybody is trying to blame everybody else and whose responsibility it is. I don’t care whose responsibility it is, I just want to address what is being perceived, at least, as a safety concern and try to be responsive to the people, especially if we can do it without costing any money.”
The aldermen are expected to discuss the issue again during the regular meeting Monday night at seven p.m. at city hall.
Concerns were raised last month during a meeting of the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen that an accident could occur in the school zone unless the problem is addressed. The issue is that parents who pick up their children in the afternoons have to line up on the shoulder of Highway 56 north which makes it difficult for motorists exiting the school parking lot from being able to see around them. And because of the heavy traffic on Highway 56 during that time, many motorists leaving the school have to wait a long time before they can get back out on the road. Some say either the city, county, or school system should have an officer or trained civilian to direct traffic there during the mornings and afternoons.
To come up with an alternative, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby met last month with Smithville Alderman and Police Commissioner Aaron Meeks, Smithville Police Chief Richard Jennings, Northside Elementary School Principal Dr. Gayle Redmon, and Transportation Supervisor Peggy Pursell.
Willoughby says the proposal they came up with is to extend the school zone at Northside Elementary to Smith Road and to have the buses enter and exit on Smith Road. Parents would no longer be permitted to park on the shoulder of the road but they would have more room to enter and exit the school from Highway 56. There are apparently no plans under this proposal to have anyone directing traffic. ” We’ll be re-directing our buses to enter and leave through the Smith Road area. Therefore, the buses will not be lined up with car traffic in the mornings or afternoons, which we’re hoping will help some. We’re not going to start this right now, we’re going to wait for a few things to happen,. We’re going to move the flashing lights down there at Smith Road, then we will move (extend) the school zone a little bit further down the road. By doing that, we’re hoping to get those buses away from the cars. And then the cars would be snaking through the parking lot, similar to what they have in the past. But we’ll be getting the buses out of the way. The cars would be entering and exiting the same place they have always have, the only difference is that the buses will not be entering or exiting in the places where they have in the past. The buses will only be entering and exiting at Smith Road..”
Again Willoughby says the plan has not yet been implemented. TDOT may have to grant permission to extend the school zone before the signs and flashing lights can be relocated and some minor work has to be done at the entrance to the school property from Smith Road in order for buses to have easier access.