A 60 year old Liberty man was injured around 3:00 p.m. Monday afternoon after he wrecked his truck on Highway 53 at Liberty.
Trooper Mike Phillips of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says Roy Myatt was driving a 1996 Chevy pickup truck south on Highway 53 when he went off the right side of the road, up an embankment, and struck a rock.
Myatt was airlifted from the scene by a helicopter ambulance and flown to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga.
Members of DeKalb EMS and the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department were also on the scene.
(Photo by Callie Matthews)

Four people were injured in a one car crash at around 10:45 p.m. Sunday night on South College Street.
Smithville Police Officer David Phillips says 39 year old Jenna Sue Murphy of Smithville was driving a Mercury Topaz north on South College Street when she went off the road and struck a utility pole.
Murphy and three other passengers of the car, 51 year old Ricky Reece, 51 year old Dorene Pedigo, and 51 year old Raymond Serrano all of Smithville, were injured.
All were taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital. Reece was later airlifted by a Life Force helicopter ambulance and flown to another hospital.

The phrase, “I just got nailed by the cops,” is taking on a whole new meaning thanks to the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the “Drive Drunk, Get Nailed” message.
GHSO has already spread the message to many in Middle Tennessee in a unique and surprising way. Vehicles with 10 foot nails driven through the hoods and trunks are appearing in high visibility locations across Middle Tennessee in an effort to spread the word.
One of those vehicles is now in Smithville, currently located at City Hall.
“There is never a good reason for getting behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “Unfortunately, many people are still not getting the message, so we hope this new campaign will help draw attention to the problem of drunk driving in Tennessee.”
The nailed vehicles are part of a campaign to make drivers aware that Tennessee’s law enforcement agencies will be stepping up enforcement on the roads this summer and watching for anyone speeding, riding without a safety belt, or driving while under the influence.
“Impaired driving will not be tolerated on the roadways of Smithville this summer, or at any other time throughout the year,” said Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger. “If you are driving aggressively, impaired, or without a safety belt, you will get ‘nailed.'”
“Our goal is to generate buzz in Tennessee communities with this campaign, and continue to save lives on Tennessee’s roadways at an unprecedented rate,” said GHSO Director Kendell Poole. “Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for every age group in the United States, and it is particularly disturbing that most of these crashes are preventable.”

Smithville Police recently arrested a 27 year old DeKalb County man for possession of drugs after he was found with sixty two pills during a traffic stop, for which he had no prescription.
27 year old Nathan Joe Trapp of 379 Magness Road is charged with possession of a schedule III & IV controlled substance for resale and simple possession. K-9 Officer Bradley Tatrow pulled over Trapp during a traffic stop, after noticing his vehicle weaving in the roadway. Trapp said the reason he was weaving was because he was checking his text messages. Upon issuing Trapp a citation for failure to maintain proper lane of travel, Officer Tatrow deployed K-9 Leo and the dog indicated on the passenger side door of Trapp’s vehicle. Officer Tatrow, during a search, recovered a black bag from the passenger floor board with 62 assorted pills. Trapp did not have a prescription for the pills.
43 year old Miguel Pascual Lopez of Monterey and 54 year old Carmello Cortez Garcia of Smith Road were arrested on Saturday, May 29th for driving under the influence and public intoxication. Officers were called to Kwik N Ezy to check out a possible intoxicated driver. They followed the vehicle a short distance and witnessed it swerving and almost wreck onto the sidewalk. Corporal Travis Bryant and Officer David Phillips initiated a traffic stop and found Lopez to be the driver. Lopez had a strong odor of alcohol on his person. He was asked to exit the vehicle. Lopez submitted to field sobriety tasks and performed poorly. Officer Phillips arrested Lopez for DUI. Garcia, a passenger of the vehicle, had a very strong odor of alcohol on his person. His speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet. Garcia was charged with public intoxication. Bond for Lopez is $1,500. Garcia’s bond is $1,000. Their court date is June 24th.
51 year old Susan Pirtle Green of 700 Rolling Acres Road was arrested on Saturday, May 29th for driving on a revoked license. K-9 Officer Bradley Tatrow observed Green fail to maintain proper lane of travel. She was stopped by police and a computer check revealed her license to be suspended from Warren County. Green produced a restricted license authorizing her to drive Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Green’s bond is $1,500 and her court date is June 24th.
42 year old David Howard Dixon of 624 Crestlawn Avenue was arrested on Monday, May 31st for domestic assault. Dixon allegedly assaulted his girlfriend by hitting her in the face and about the body with his fist causing her to require emergency treatment. Officer David Phillips made the arrest. Bond for Dixon is $5,000 and his court date is July 8th.
On Tuesday, June 1st, Officer Scott Davis arrested 34 year old Sharon Skinner of 308 Bell Street on warrants taken by Officer Jerry Hutchins April 29th for theft. On April 6th, Sergeant Randy King took a report for Mike Jennings stating that Skinner had taken his vehicle without his permission. The vehicle was later discovered by Officer Hutchins to have been sold by Ms. Skinner to Ivy Bluff Salvage yard. Bond for Skinner is $7,500 and her court date is June 10th.
22 year old Priscilla Leann Roberts of 2323 Students Home Road was cited for shoplifting on Tuesday, June 1st. Ms. Roberts allegedly attempted to leave the Dollar Tree with 14 items without paying for them. The citation was issued by Officer Jerry Hutchins. Her court date is June 10th.
24 year old Julian Hernandez Lopez of 620 South Mountain Street is charged with driving under the influence and Angel Figueroa Hernandez of Highway 70 West faces a public intoxication charge after being arrested by K-9 Officer Bradley Tatrow and Sergeant Joey Jones on Thursday, June 3rd. Police received a call stating that a black car occupied by two males was running people off the road. Central dispatch reported that the vehicle went through the four way stop at Webb Street and was going toward the public square. Officer Tatrow saw the vehicle pull up onto the side walk in front of the DeKalb County Board of Education and almost hit the building. The vehicle was pulled over. According to K-9 Officer Tatrow, Lopez, the driver, had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he could not stand without assistance. Due to the language barrier and his intoxicated state, no field sobriety tasks were administered and he was arrested for DUI. Sergeant Jones noticed that Hernandez, a passenger of the vehicle, had blood shot eyes. He was unsteady on his feet and he had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. Hernandez was arrested for public intoxication. Bond for each was set at $1,000 and their court date is June 24th.
Meanwhile, anyone having information on the following offenses is asked to please contact the Smithville Police Department at 597-8210 or the Tip Line at 464-6046.
On Friday, May 28th, William Snipes of 518 Miller Road reported that a 2008 Poulan Self Propelled 22″ push mower was taken from his patio sometime between May 26th and May 28th.
On Tuesday, June 1st Sheila Hunter, an employee of the Discount Tobacco Store, reported that someone had cut the phone lines of the business either during the late night hours of May 31st or early morning hours of June 1st.
Any information received that will help the Smithville Police solve any criminal offense will be greatly appreciated. All information is confidential.

A total of 367 people have cast ballots in the Smithville Municipal Election with one day left of early voting.
Twenty eight people voted on Wednesday, June 9th.
Voting this week will be Thursday from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on the first floor of the courthouse. Election day is Tuesday, June 15th. Voting hours that day will be from eight a.m. until seven p.m., also at the courthouse.
A mayor and two aldermen will be elected, each to serve a two year term.
Here’s how the vote breaks down each day during the early voting period:
May 26th 23
May 27th: 27
May 28th: 32
May 29th: 40
June 1st: 30
June 2nd: 36
June 3rd: 53
June 4th: 25
June 5th: 38
June 7th: 23
June 8th: 40
June 9th: 28

Sounds of music and celebration filled the air at Greenbrook Park Friday evening as caring neighbors from throughout our community gathered to rally support for cancer survivors and to help raise money in the search for a cure during the 13th annual Relay for Life
The theme of this year’s Relay was “Imagine a world with more birthdays” and featured lots of food, entertainment, and fun things for kids.
Casey Midgett, 2010 Chair of Relay for Life in DeKalb County, says so far the event has brought in around $46,000. “As far as the atmosphere, the people who were there, and the weather we had, I don’t think I have been part of a Relay that went better than this one. We’re going to be down this year but anything that we raise is very much appreciated. Right now, it looks like we’re going to have somewhere around $46,000 to this point (as of Saturday morning). We have some more money still to come in and we have a couple more events we’re going to have this year to hopefully increase that total. One of those events is the Relay 5K and One Mile Fun Run which we will have Saturday, June 12th at Greenbrook Park. We’ll also have a booth at the Fiddler’s Jamboree again this year. I look for us to have somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000 before it’s over but whether we reach it or not, I am so proud of what we’ve done. It’s not all about money, it’s about touching people’s lives and I know we did that this year and I know we do that every year.”
Cancer survivors took center stage during the opening ceremony to give a personal testimony as to just how long they’ve been a survivor and then they took the first lap around the track as the evening’s activities got underway.
The walking track was lined with luminaria in honor or remembrance of those who have battled cancer, and those people were given special recognition later in the evening.

Click here to listen to the luminaria ceremony
Frances Hedge, who has been a cancer survivor since October 2009, shared her story with the audience. “I learned on October 13th, 2009 that the lump removed from my breast the week before was malignant. The next week I had a second surgery and this was followed by chemo treatments. And last month, I finished my six weeks of radiation. I’ve been out here to many Relays, but this is the first time I’ve been on this side. On the receiving side. Cancer is no respector of persons. It happens to infants and it happens to the elderly. And until there is a cure, these Relays are needed to raise money for research, for treatments, and for many other things. I got this beautiful wig (I’m wearing) at no cost to me. And when I went to Cookeville for my radiation treatments, I met with a dietitian who gave me a packet of information, very good information. And I met with a social service worker who gave me two, twenty five dollar cards for gas. Everyone I came in contact with was so kind and caring and I never felt like I was going through this alone. There’s a test that can be done now in some situations to determine a recurring level and if this level is low enough, then chemo treatments aren’t necessary. This test was made possible through research and was not available as little as three years ago. We’re here tonight to celebrate and to honor cancer survivors and to remember our loved ones who have lost the battle. Thank you to Tim, our sponsor. To Casey, Ms Iva dell and to everyone who work tirelessly to make Relay possible. Thank you to everyone who has supported Relay with your donations. And I want to say a special thank you to my family. They have been my support and given me the strength that I have needed to get through this. Thank you to my church family and to everyone who has prayed for me. My prayer is that I can stand here next year and say, “My name is Frances Hedge and I’ve been a breast cancer survivor since October, 2009. Thank you.”
Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society’s signature event, is a fun-filled overnight experience designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer. At Relay, people from within the community gather to celebrate survivors, remember those lost to cancer, and to fight back against this disease. Relay participants help raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society in its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health issue. During Relay For Life events, teams of people gather and take turns walking or running laps. The events are held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Through the survivors’ lap and the luminaria ceremony, the people who have faced cancer first hand are honored, and those who have been lost to this disease are remembered.