A DeKalb County man, charged with a December 2nd robbery at the Sonic Drive-In of Smithville was indicted by the Grand Jury Monday.
42 year old Eddie Leroy Taylor of A.B. Frazier Road will appear in criminal court on the robbery indictment Monday, April 13th.
Sheriff Patrick Ray, at the time of the arrest, said that Taylor, who was dressed in camouflage and wearing a mask, attacked a 17 year old car hop who was serving a customer. Taylor allegedly grabbed the employee’s money belt and threw the car hop to the ground. Taylor then dragged the employee across the concrete parking lot until the money belt broke lose causing bodily injury to the car hop. Taylor then fled with the money belt which contained approximately $75 in cash.
In addition to the robbery indictment, Taylor was also indicted on charges of burglary and theft under $500 in a separate case.
According to detectives, Taylor took a drill on December 12th belonging to a work crew doing electrical work on the First Baptist Church recreation building on Church Street in Smithville. At last report, the drill had not been recovered.

The April term of the DeKalb County Grand Jury convened Monday and indicted 39 people on various charges including three people who were named in sealed indictments.
All those indicted will appear for arraignment in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, April 13th at 9:00 a.m.
Those indicted and their charges are as follows:
Alfaro Linares-Alejandro- no drivers license, violation of the seatbelt law, and violation of the financial responsibility law
Joshua L. Batey- possession of a schedule VI controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia
William A. Cantrell- possession of drug paraphernalia
Clinton L. Cope- driving under the influence, DUI per se over .08%, failure to maintain lane, and underage consumption
Donna Sue Estes- possession of drug paraphernalia
Robert Ewing Ferguson- driving under the influence, DUI per se over .20%, DUI with a child passenger, reckless endangerment, and violation of the open container law
Mark Anthony Graham- initiation of a process to manufacture meth, manufacture of a schedule II controlled substance-meth, possession of a schedule II controlled substance for sale and delivery, possession of a schedule III controlled substance for sale and delivery, simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia
Jason Thomas Harris- driving under the influence, violation of the implied consent law, violation of the open container law, violation of the light law, and violation of the registration law
Shannon Ray Herman- criminal littering
Craig A. Hill- burglary and theft over $1,000
Johnny Michael Howard- driving under the influence (2nd offense), violation of the implied consent law, and failure to exercise due care
Eric Zachary Jarvis- forgery, criminal impersonation, obtaining drugs by fraud, and theft of services over $1,000
Brad Elliott Johnson- possession of a schedule II controlled substance
Clessie Jones- 4 counts of harassment
Edward L. Judkins, Jr.- burglary, theft over $10,000, and theft over $500
James LeDuc- 2 counts of worthless checks
Jeremy D. Loader- aggravated assault, theft over $1,000, and evading arrest with a motor vehicle
Robert Howard Mattox-aggravated burglary and theft over $1,000
Mitchell Merriman- 3 counts of worthless checks
Steve R. Merriman- driving under the influence and violation of the implied consent law
Billy Paul Mooneyham- shoplifting
Johnny D. Murphy- assault and theft under $500
Willie R. Murphy- 2 counts of assault
James Edward Pack II- domestic assault (2 counts), assault (2 counts), especially aggravated burglary, and aggravated assault
Phillip G. Parker- driving under the influence (2nd offense), DUI per se over .08%, DUI with a child passenger, underage consumption, violation of the no passing zone, and violation of the stop sign law
Kimberly A. Patterson- forgery and theft under $500
Timothy W. Patrick- possession of a schedule II controlled substance
David L. Pirtle- possession of a schedule VI controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver
Nichole M. Reynolds- possession of a schedule IV controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia
Amanda M. Riley- initiation of a process to manufacture meth, manufacture of a schedule II controlled substance-meth, possession of a schedule II controlled substance for sale and delivery (2 counts), possession of a schedule III controlled substance for sale and delivery, and possession of drug paraphernalia
Scott Lynn Sykes- aggravated burglary, theft over $1,000, and possession of burglary tools
Eddie LeRoy Taylor- burglary, theft under $500, and robbery
Jack D. Taylor, Jr.- aggravated sexual battery
Billy Ray Thomas- attempted aggravated burglary and unlawful carrying of a weapon
Richard B. Turner- public intoxication
Jonathon R. Young- forgery (2 counts) and theft under $500 (2 counts)
Sandy Deone Wheeler- public intoxication

Several people were involved in a two vehicle accident Saturday night at the intersection of Blue Springs Road and the Old Blue Springs Road.
Trooper Darrell Knowles of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says 16 year old Michael Barnes of McMinnville was driving a 1990 Ford Bronco south on the Old Blue Springs Road when he crossed the path of a 2003 Honda driven by 24 year old Jennifer Caldwell of Smithville, who was westbound on Blue Springs Road.
According to Trooper Knowles, Barnes claims he initially didn’t see the stop sign at the intersection and when he tried to apply his brakes when he saw the approaching car, he accidentally accelerated instead. and went through the intersection which caused the Caldwell car to crash into the driver’s side of Barnes’ Bronco.
Passengers in the car with Jennifer Caldwell were her husband, 26 year old Chris Caldwell, and their 4 year old daughter Gracie. Jennifer Caldwell was airlifted from the scene by a Life Force helicopter ambulance to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga. Mr. Caldwell was apparently not injured but the child was transported by EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital.
Passengers in the Bronco with Barnes were 16 year old Hector LaBrada and Zack Wanamaker both of McMinnville. Barnes was taken by private vehicle to Riverpark Hospital in McMinnville. LaBrada and Wanamaker were apparently not transported to the hospital

With the unemployment rate at 11.5% in DeKalb County, creating jobs immediately is imperative. Congressman Bart Gordon announced that the Smithville Housing Authority has been awarded a $355,594 grant for the express purpose of modernizing public housing units and in turn creating construction jobs.
“When we passed the Economic Recovery package in February, we designed it to create jobs in the short term,” said Congressman Gordon. “This grant will do that – the Smithville Housing Authority is required to give priority to projects that are ‘ready to begin construction rapidly’.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the grant to the Smithville Housing Authority through the Public Housing Capital Fund – a HUD program that provides annual funding to public housing authorities to develop, finance, and modernize public housing facilities. The Public Housing Capital Fund received additional grant money when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into law on February 17, 2009, which enabled it to provide the Smithville Housing Authority with the $355,594 grant.
“This grant will not only create jobs in Smithville area,” added Gordon, “it will also help keep the energy bills of public housing residents as low as possible.”
In allocating the HUD grant, the Smithville Housing Authority is required to prioritize ready-to-go projects and give special consideration to projects that will increase energy efficiency and lower the long term operating costs of public housing facilities.
For more information on the HUD grant, contact the Smithville Housing Authority at (931) 684-1341

Tennessee Education Commissioner Dr. Timothy Webb today announced $6,000 in dropout prevention funding for DeKalb County Schools to improve public awareness and combat student dropouts through the Model Dropout Prevention grant.
Nine school districts, including DeKalb County, will receive $6,000 for improvement or expansion of dropout prevention services, outreach or program evaluation. Each district submitted a detailed grant proposal and plan for use of these funds.
“If children are not in school, it’s impossible for them to learn the skills they will need to be successful college students and members of the workforce,” Commissioner Webb said. “These grants allow districts to customize a program that works for their community, in turn supporting students who need a boost to stay in school.”
The Tennessee Model Dropout Prevention program was created by state statute to encourage and support locally-based, interdisciplinary initiatives to combat the many complex problems that lead Tennessee children and youth to drop out of school. Examples of initiatives encouraged under the Model Dropout Prevention program are after-school tutoring programs and school/community partnerships focused on student academic success.

Director of Schools Mark Willoughby, concerned about two recent traffic accidents involving school buses, is urging motorists to be extra cautious.
Willoughby says about two weeks ago, a motorist ran into the rear of a school bus near the intersection of Broad Street and Congress Boulevard and in the other accident, on Wednesday of this week, another vehicle pulled from a side street and struck a bus near the intersection of Broad Street and LeFever Street in Smithville.
Children were apparently on board the buses at the time of the accidents but no one was injured.

The THP and other local law enforcement officers often monitor school zones and watch for violators of speeding laws, as well as aggressive drivers and anyone who passes a stopped school bus.
Officials say it’s important that children learn school bus safety tips. They include:
Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early.
Stand at least five giant steps (10 feet) away from the edge of the road.
Wait until the bus stops, the door opens and the driver says it’s okay before stepping onto the bus.
Be careful that clothing with drawstrings and book bags with straps or dangling objects do not get caught in the handrail or door when exiting the bus.
Check both ways before stepping off the bus. Walk in front of the bus-never behind it.
Be alert to traffic. When you get on or off the bus, look left, right, then left again before exiting the bus or crossing the street.
The bus driver and others cannot see you if you are standing closer than 10 feet to the bus. Stay out of the danger zone
There are also important safety tips for drivers to remember, including:
Always stop for a stopped school bus.
Never pass a school bus.
Never speed in school zones, or in residential areas where children may be present.
The “Danger Zone” is the area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of not being seen by drivers.
Pedestrian fatalities (while loading and unloading school buses) account for approximately three times as many school bus-related fatalities when compared to school bus occupant fatalities.
The most dangerous part of the school bus ride is getting on and off the bus.