A 31 year old DeKalb County man has been named in a grand jury sealed indictment for vehicular homicide in an SUV crash at Dowelltown last December that claimed the life of another man.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says Dwayne Allen Reeder of McMinnville Highway, Smithville was arrested on Friday evening after being served with the indictment. His bond is $50,000 and he will appear for arraignment on Monday, August 16th in DeKalb County Criminal Court.
According to information released at the time by Lieutenant Randy Maynard of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Reeder, 39 year old Walter Redmon, 27 year old Courtney Paris and 41 year old Troy Edward Bain were traveling east on Highway 70 in a 1997 Ford Expedition. Reeder was operating the vehicle when he apparently fell asleep. The SUV went off the left side of the road and embankment. The vehicle overturned and plunged almost straight down to the creek below.
Among those responding were members of the DeKalb County Fire Department Extrication and Rescue Team, the Liberty Fire Station, DeKalb County Rescue Squad, DeKalb EMS, and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.
Reeder, Redmon, and Paris were injured and transported by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital. Bain died in the crash. According to Lieutenant Maynard, Bain and Redmon, back seat passengers, were ejected. They were not wearing their seatbelts. Reeder and Paris, in the front seat, were apparently wearing their seatbelts.
The indictment alleges that on or about December 22nd, 2009, Dwayne Reeder did kill Troy Edward Bain, by the operation of an automobile, the killing of Bain being the proximate result of Dwayne Reeder’s conduct which created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to a person, constituting the offense of Vehicular Homicide.

A Liberty man, accused of stealing from Wal-mart, has been arrested by the Smithville Police Department.
26 year old Andrew Duane Maynard of Maynard Road, Liberty was picked up on Tuesday, August 10th for felony theft. Detective Matt Holmes made the arrest. On Monday, August 9th, Officer Matt Farmer took a report of a theft from Wal-Mart. A Loss Prevention associate at the store had still pictures and video of the suspect taking items out of the store on three different occasions through the Garden Center. The pictures showed the suspect sliding the items under the gate. He then drove his truck around and picked them up. After identifying Maynard as a suspect, Detective Holmes and Deputy Jodie Johnson of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department went to Maynard’s home but the officers were told that he was not there, that he had gone to town. Maynard was later seen pulling away from a dumpster site on Hwy 70 West. Deputy Johnson spotted Maynard and initiated a traffic stop. Maynard was questioned about the thefts and he admitted to taking the items. He said that the items were at his house. Stolen merchandise from Wal-Mart valued at approximately $3600 was recovered at Maynard’s residence by Chief Randy Caplinger, Detective Holmes and Deputy Johnson. Bond for Maynard is $5,000 and his court date is August 19th.
62 year old Helen Faye Self of Wade Street was named in a grand jury sealed indictment on August 2nd charging her with two counts of sale and delivery of a schedule III controlled substance. She was arrested by Officer Matt Farmer. Bond for Self is $20,000 and she will appear for arraignment on Monday August 16th in DeKalb County Criminal Court.
22 year old John David Anderson of Cookeville Highway was arrested on Tuesday, August 10th for DUI. According to the warrant, Officer James Cornelius observed a vehicle on North Congress Boulevard that appeared to be traveling faster than the posted limit. Upon getting behind the vehicle he noticed it swerve over the dividing lines several times. After stopping the vehicle and speaking with the driver, Anderson, Officer Cornelius noticed his speech to be slurred and he had poor motor skills. He submitted to several field sobriety tasks but he performed poorly. Anderson was unsteady on his feet. He submitted to a blood alcohol test. Bond for Anderson is $1,500 and his court date is August 26th.
47 year old Lou Ann Self Cantrell of West Main Street was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia on Tuesday, August 10th Officer Randy King received a tip about drug paraphernalia and illegal narcotics at 215 West Main Street. He was invited into the residence and Ms. Cantrell admitted to having paraphernalia there. Four syringes were found. Cantrell will appear in court on August 26th.
26 year old Jeffrey Edward Dawes of Miller Road was arrested on Friday, August 13th for driving on a suspended license. Officer David Phillips saw Edwards speeding on Foster Road and initiated a traffic stop where he was cited for speeding. A check of his license through Central Dispatch revealed them to be suspended for failure to satisfy a citation. Bond for Dawes is $1,000 and his court date is October 13th.
27 year old April Lynn Anderson of Tramel Branch Road was arrested on Friday, August 13th for driving on a suspended license Officer David Phillips saw Anderson speeding on East Broad Street and initiated a traffic stop where she was cited for speeding. A check of her license through Central Dispatch revealed them to be suspended for failure to satisfy a citation. Bond for Anderson is $1,000 and her court date is September 8th.
Anyone having any information on a crime is asked to please contact the Smithville Police Department at 597-8210 or the Tip Line at 464-6046.
Any information received that will help the Smithville Police solve any criminal offense will be greatly appreciated. All information is confidential.

The DeKalb County High School graduation rate continues to improve.
Jonathan Fontanez, Supervisor of Instruction for grades 7-12, told members of the board of education Thursday night that according to the state, the preliminary graduation rate is 90.6%. “The state has released our preliminary graduation rate and I want to put the emphasis on the term ‘preliminary’ as the state is conducting last minute calculations of appeals on our students. The preliminary graduation rate that we have received at this time is 90.6%, which indicates that 90.6% of our students are graduating from high school. That is well above the track that we are mandated by the federal government to be on and compared with other school districts across the state, we are fairing very well additionally. I look for this preliminary graduation rate to actually be adjusted just a bit to the better as a result of some additional appeals that we submitted based on requirements, etc.”
Fontanez adds “We have some wonderful programs in place that our teachers are utilizing that are being quite effective with our students. Our students are working very diligently. They’re working very hard on their academics and our teachers are doing a fantastic job of teaching new and more rigorous contact standards that are assessed by new and more rigorous assessments. The curriculum is not a slouch curriculum. It is one of the top curricula in the nation, so our students are fairing very well and we want to commend all of our teachers and students and we know our parents are playing a huge role in that as well with the community support that we have. We appreciate the support of the school board as well.”
Meanwhile, DCHS Principal Kathy Hendrix is urging students needing credit recovery to take care of that as soon as possible. ” I’d like to encourage all parents to talk to their daughters and sons and if they need credit recovery, any after school help, we have this available for them.”
” We had a lot of students who waited until the spring semester last year and we were overflowing with students out there trying to get everything done. They need to get started on it right away so they can get this completed and go on with the rest of their schedule without having to re-take some classes because after so long if they haven’t gotten their credits made up, we’ll put them back in the class even though they should have gotten their credit recovery done in a certain period of time. If they fool around and don’t get that done, we have no choice but to put them back in those classes. So we want the parents to talk to them and if you can, get them out there. We have transportation available. Ms. Crook will be there starting Monday in the morning at seven o’clock so we have after school help in the morning and afternoon. We have people there til five o’clock everyday and Mr. Ferrell is there until six p.m.”
‘We also have on-line classes and some distance learning classes. If your child’s ACT test results haven’t been up to where it needs to be, we actually probably could get them enrolled in an ACT prep class, which we don’t currently have there but we could do that through our distance learning program. We have all kinds of things out there for them if they will take advantage of it.”

The DeKalb County Board of Education reluctantly adopted the 2010-11 budget for schools Thursday night, as approved by the county commission Tuesday night.
Even though the budget includes $10,768 more local money than the board of education had requested, school board members were upset that the county commission had reduced the property tax rate for schools from 49 cents to 48 cents per $100 of assessed value. And since one cent of the tax rate generates $47,023 in local money or $44,320 with a 5.75% delinquency rate figured into the equation, board members say that’s how much more the school system would have had this year, had the one cent reduction not been made. That extra money, they say, could have been used to hire another teacher.
For that reason, the school board initially voted 5 to 1 to reject the school budget. Seventh district board member Johnny Lattimore made a motion to pass it and first district member John David Foutch offered a second to the motion. But during the roll call vote, Foutch voted no along with fellow board members W.J. (Dub) Evins, III, Kenny Rhody, Bruce Parsley, and Board Chairman Charles Robinson. Lattimore voted yes and fourth district member Joan Draper was absent.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby then asked that the board members to take a recess apparently to explain to them that they had little choice but to adopt the spending plan, since schools can’t operate without a budget. After the break, another vote was taken. Lattimore again made the motion to pass the budget and Foutch again offered a second to the motion. This time Foutch voted yes along with Lattimore, Rhody, and Robinson. But Evins and Parsley again voted no. So the budget was adopted 4-2.
Evins says this is not the first year that the county commission has cut the property tax rate for schools and re-allocated it to other departments of county government. According to Evins, several years ago, about two thirds of the county property tax rate was allocated for schools and the sinking fund (local option sales tax fund) which is also for schools, was used only for capital outlay expenditures, the way it was meant to be. Today, he says only about a third of the property tax rate goes to schools, and the county commission is using $1.5 million of the sinking fund for school operation plus over $500,000 for debt service. And while the tax rate for schools is decreasing, Evins says the tax rate for the county general fund has increased by twenty cents within the last two years, going from 55 cents to 75 cents.
When the sales tax referendum was approved by the voters in May 2007 raising the local option sales tax rate in DeKalb County from 1.5% to 2.75%, Evins says the public was told by county officials that the extra money derived from the increase would go to schools. And while the school system did receive the extra sales tax funds, the property tax rate for schools was cut by an equal amount, essentially putting schools right back where they were. “The sales tax referendum was passed with the understanding that the money was going to schools, but an equal or greater amount of money was taken away from the schools by reducing our property tax rate sixteen and a half cents and debt service by two cents, which makes eighteen and a half cents.”
County Mayor Mike Foster insists that before the sales tax referendum was passed it was explained to the public that property tax payers would be getting an overall 19 or 20 cent property tax break, if the referendum were approved ” That was the intent. It was the design that the sales tax would take the place of part of the property tax rate for schools. We made that clear in the (public) meetings and when it (referendum) was voted on and that’s exactly what has been done.”
Evins also pointed out that even though the school budget is more than $18 million, the 48 cent tax rate generates $2,127,365. The rest is from state and federal sources.
In order to balance the budget this year, the school board is expected to appropriate $712,000 of the local school system’s share of state Basic Education Program (BEP) reserves as one-time expenditures and $58,476 of Technology Reserves.
Last year, the school board used federal stimulus funds to fund several positions that might have been eliminated due to insufficient funds. But since stimulus funds were only guaranteed for two years, board members are concerned about what might happen next year, if those funds are gone.
In other business the board of education approved a request for the DeKalb County Little League to make some improvements of their facilities.
In a letter to Director Mark Willoughby, Jonathan Norris, President of the DeKalb County Little League, explained why the improvements were needed. “We have nearly 300 kids in our program and we are severely limited on playing fields for them. We are wanting to build another game field in an existing area that we are currently using as a practice field. This would, of course, be at no cost to the DeKalb County Board of Education and would be fully funded by the DeKalb County Little League, board members, and donors to our program. The only actual addition to the existing property required would be a new fence to regulate the boundaries of our field and possibly lights in the future, as our funds allow.”
The board voted 5-1 to grant approval for DeKalb County High School to charge student fees in certain courses. Board member Bruce Parsley voted no.
The requests were made by teachers in the Nutrition and Foods and the Science, Family and Consumer Science classes as well as PACE (a transition class for the Freshman Academy) and the E4TN on-line class which benefits students seeking to earn dual credit for high school and college. (To read more about this issue click the following link to read last month’s school board story http://www.wjle.com/news/2010/school-board-consider-request-student-fees…)
The board approved a request by DCHS Principal Kathy Hendrix to allow the football, basketball, softball, and baseball teams to practice during the fourth block of school each day. The football team will practice during the fall semester only. The basketball teams will practice during the second and third nine week periods. The baseball and softball teams will practice during the spring semester only. This is the same schedule that the high school has been following for the last several years.
Approval was granted for the DCHS girls soccer team to attend a tournament at Franklin County High School in Winchester September 18th-19th.
In his monthly written update on personnel, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby reports that the following personnel have been granted a leave of absence as requested:
Amanda Brown, DCHS teacher
Dorothy Duggin, DeKalb West School custodian
Sabrina Kirksey, Northside Elementary School teacher
LeVaughnda Midgett, Smithville Elementary School teacher
Amanda Mullinax, DeKalb West School teacher
Penny Smitty, DeKalb Middle School teacher
Amy Tobitt, DCHS teacher
Betsey Walker, Northside Elementary Special Education teacher
Retired:
Jan Alexander, DeKalb Middle School teacher
Pat Allen, DeKalb West School teacher
Betty Boss, DeKalb West Educational Assistant
Betty Hickey, Smithville Elementary teacher
Eddie Judkins, Maintenance
Kathy Lawrence, DeKalb West teacher
Larry Steffee, DCHS teacher
Mary Summers, Food Service Supervisor, as of August 31st
Resignations:
Betty Cooper, Northside Elementary cafeteria employee
Tonya Dickens, Smithville Elementary School Special Education teacher
Megan Hardin, DeKalb West School teacher
Rebecca Oliver, DCHS English as a Second Language teacher
Lori Page, DCHS teacher
Jennifer Peek, Smithville Elementary Pre-K teacher
Diane Trapp, Northside Elementary Bookkeeper
New Hires:
Shawn Baker, DeKalb West School teacher
Jenny Cantrell, DeKalb West School teacher
Karen Caplinger, Northside Elementary Bookkeeper
Jennifer Cowan, Smithville Elementary School Special Education Educational Assistant
Andrew Dixon, DCHS teacher
Jason Farley, DeKalb Middle School teacher
Denise Graham, DeKalb West School teacher
Melissa Hale, Northside Elementary teacher
Lisa Hull, Northside Elementary teacher
Cathleen Humphreys, DeKalb West School teacher
Ben Johnson, DCHS Special Education teacher
Angela Johnson, Smithville Elementary teacher
Jennifer Judkins, Smithville Elementary English as a Second Language teacher
Ginda Kilgore, DCHS Special Education Educational Assistant
Leah Magness, DeKalb Middle School teacher
Jennifer Martin, Northside Elementary Educational Assistant
Shayln Morgan, DCHS teacher
Holly Owen, Smithville Elementary Special Education Educational Assistant
Sara Parker, DCHS Counselor
Mary Ann Puckett, DCHS teacher
Allison Rigsby, Smithville Elementary School Pre-K teacher
Judy Rose, Northside Elementary Educational Assistant
Kristen Strickland, Smithville Elementary teacher
David Turner, Substitute bus driver
Vicky Walker, DeKalb Middle School Educational Assistant
Elizabeth Wiegele, DCHS Special Education teacher
Kathryn Wisinger, DCHS English as a Second Language teacher
Aaron Young, Maintenance
Transfers:
Lisa Bell, data analysis to new position
Heather Blankenship, Northside Elementary Special Education Educational Assistant to replace an employee who transferred
James Carroll, DCHS Custodian to a full time position
Wendy Colvert, Smithville Elementary teacher to Special Education Pre-School
Christie Driver, School Nurse (Funding Source Change Only)
Jason Farley, Northside Elementary Educational Assistant, employed as a teacher
Beverly Ferrell, DCHS Educational Assistant (Funding Source Change Only)
Amy Fox, half time Special Education Compliance Monitor and half time Instructional Leader (Funding Source Change Only)
Lori Isabell, Northside Elementary teacher
Anna Johnson, Smithville Elementary teacher, from Title IIA to TitleI (Funding Source Change Only)
Dwight Knowles, bus driver, now a full time driver
Mike Lambert, DeKalb Middle School Custodian, to a full time position
Penelope Mason, Site Coordinator from a 12 month to an 11 month position
Adrianne McCormick, Smithville Elementary teacher, to K position
Rebecca Moss, Northside Elementary Educational Assistant (Funding Source Change Only)
Pam Sanders, DeKalb West Special Educational teacher
Linda Sorrell, DCHS Educational Special Educational Assistant (Funding Source Change Only)
Teresa Spencer, Smithville Elementary Special Educational Assistant (Funding Source Change Only)
Suzanne Williams, DCHS Educational Assistant (Funding Source Change Only)

The public libraries in DeKalb County are upgrading to a web-based automation system
Kathy Hendrixson, Director of DeKalb County Libraries at Justin Potter, says this new system will give patrons and staff the best access to library resources while keeping costs down. “We’re updating our automation system, upgrading to a web based system. This is going to be a great asset, not only to the library, but to the patrons who will be using it. We hope to utilize today’s technology so that patrons and staff have the best access to library resources while keeping costs down.”
“The switch to this new system will require a change over a period of time. The staff will also have to be trained so on Friday and Saturday, August 13th & 14th the only thing the three libraries will be doing will be checking books in and out. That’s the only thing we will be able to do because we’re going to be actually changing over probably next week. We will be closed next Monday through Thursday, August 16th-19th for training and to start the implementation of this new system. Like anything else, you have to be trained and learn the system before you can put it to the public, so that’s what we’ll be doing next week. We’re going to ask the public to bear with us but it will be a great asset to them once it gets up and running.”
“A lot of things are coming with this new system. It will tie all three libraries together, Alexandria, Liberty, and Justin Potter in Smithville. Once we get the website up and running, patrons can log on and see what we have in each library.”
” We’re also going to have new library cards. That will be implemented within a few weeks. Patrons will get a new library card with a bar code and it will be on a key chain to make it easier to carry.
Hendrixson adds that the patron ID cards may be used at all three library locations but you must register at each library. As always, books checked out at a library must be returned to that same library.
Tentative timeline: Friday, Aug. 13th thru Saturday Aug. 14th – Librarians will only be able to check items in and out. Patrons must bring library card to check out items.
·Monday, Aug. 16th thru Thursday, Aug. 19th – Libraries will be closed.
·Friday, August 20th – Libraries will re-open with new system.
Alexandria Library News
Alexandria Library will have new hours effective August 9th: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 12 – 5 pm, and Saturday 9 am – 2 pm .
Meanwhile Justin Potter Library’s Book Sale continues through August 27th. There are books, movies, and magazines available at a very low price. Come by and see what they have. For additional information, please call the library at 615-597-4359.
The Alexandria Library, 109 Public Square, will have a book sale beginning Monday August 23 – Friday September 17. The library hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 12 – 5, and Saturday 9 – 2. Everything 25 cents and under.
(Pictured front row left to right are: Cheryl Runyon, Alexandria Branch Manager, Kathy Hendrixson, Director DeKalb County Libraries, Helga Thompson, New Liberty Library Branch Manager, Back row: Larry Bean, retiring Liberty Library Branch Manager, and Rochelle Turner, Librarian at Justin Potter Library.)

A “Happy Days Celebration” to benefit Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County will be held on Saturday, August 21st from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. downtown Smithville.
Debi and the Doo-Wops from Lebanon will open the Sock Hop at 7:00 p.m. inside the 303 Building. The Doo-Wops will perform the classic songs of the 1950s which followed by dance contests, cake walks, hula hoop competition, and prizes for the best dressed couples along with a live auction and concessions. All proceeds will go to Habitat. Admission will be $5 per person.
Earlier in the day, a classic car show will be featured from 2:00 until 6:00 p.m. on the public square downtown. Live entertainment will be performed on two venues during the same time; on an outside stage and inside the 303 Building. Those attending will be treated to Country, Rock, Bluegrass, Jazz, Blues, tribute artists such as Frank Sinatra and Garth Brooks, and the DeKalb County Community Chorus.
The DeKalb County High School Band will begin the Happy Days Celebration at 2 p.m. with a performance on the Courthouse Square. Additionally, inflatable toys and games will be available for children.
For more information, call 597-2082.
(Featured in the above photo: Debi & the Doo-Wops….Debi Lancaster, Lynn Winfree, Kay Parker, Anita VanHook, Prissy Deffendall)

Middle Tennessee Electric’s Annual Meeting will be held Aug. 21 at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro – Hotel and Conference Center located next to The Avenue shopping center.
“This year’s theme is built around energy efficiency and conservation,” MTEMC Vice President of Communications and Member Services Chris Jones said. “We can’t change the increasing costs of fuels used to produce power and purchased power costs, but we can use less energy and be more wise in our energy usage decisions.”
The meeting, which will begin at 7:30 a.m., will feature the crowning of a new Miss MTEMC and include a used truck giveaway.
Two candidates, Ken Griffith and R. Dan Smith, are in the running to fill a vacant seat on the board of directors in District 4B (Wilson County)
Griffith is the owner and a photographer at Griffith’s Studio and Frame Gallery in Lebanon. He and his wife, Jeanie, live in Liberty. He’s a deacon at Salem Baptist Church, a Salem Cemetery Fund board member, past secretary of Music City Professional Photographers and a member of Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, Burrell’s Presidential Circle and Tennessee Southeast Professional Photographers.
Smith is a farmer and 48-year member. He and his wife, Vondie, live in Lebanon. He’s an Agriculture Hall of Fame member since 2009. The MTEMC Director has formerly served as secretary for four years and has served as secretary, vice president and president of Wilson Farmers Co-op, past president of Tennessee Farmers Co-op and on the Advisory Committee for Bank for Cooperatives in Louisville, Ky. He is president of the Wilson County Farm Bureau Board and a member of the Church of Christ.
The meeting gives members an opportunity to vote on the MTEMC Board of Directors, sit in on a business session, receive a free health screening and be eligible for a number of door prizes, including a 2006 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck.
As always, the Miss Middle Tennessee Electric beauty pageant is part of the day’s events. Twenty-seven contestants ages 16-21 will compete for the title. The winner will have her choice of $1,000 cash or a trip to Washington D.C. as part of the Rural Electric Youth Tour, valued at $1,200. The first and second runners-up also earn prizes.
As part of its bylaws, MTEMC has held a members’ meeting every year since the not-for-profit cooperative was organized in 1936 by a group of Middle Tennessee citizens. The organization has grown to become one of the largest electrical cooperatives in the country. MTEMC has a membership of approximately 185,000 residences, businesses and industries in Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson, Cannon and surrounding counties.
Members who can’t make it to the meeting but who wish to vote on the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee candidates may vote at their local offices. Voting at the Franklin, Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Mt. Juliet, Smyrna and Woodbury offices will be Aug. 16-20 from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call MTEMC’s Communications and Member Services Department at (615) 494-1545.