The DeKalb County Commission has made it easier for some businesses in the county to get a beer license.
Even though the issue was not on the agenda, the commissioners Monday night by a vote of seven to five adopted a motion to reduce the minimum distance requirement from 2,000 feet to 800 feet between stores seeking to sell beer and places of public gathering such as churches and schools.
The change becomes effective immediately.
Fourth District Commissioner David McDowell made the motion to rescind the measure establishing the existing 2,000 foot rule and set 800 feet as the new minimum distance requirement. Third District member Bradley Hendrix offered a second to the motion.
Those voting in favor in addition to McDowell and Hendrix were Second District Commissioner Jack Barton, Fourth District Commissioner Wayne Cantrell, Fifth District Commissioner Jerry Adcock, and Seventh District Commissioners Jimmy Poss and Larry Summers.
Members voting against the change were First District Commissioner Elmer Ellis, Jr., Second District Commissioner Bobby Joines, Third District Commissioner Jerry Scott, and Sixth District Commissioners Jeff Barnes and Marshall Ferrell.
Two members of the commission, John Green of the fifth district and Mason Carter of the first district were absent Monday night.
During last Thursday night’s all-committee’s meeting, Jewel Redmon, owner of Jewel’s Market & Pizza on the Cookeville Highway, asked the commissioners to re-visit this issue during their meeting Monday night (last night). Redmon has been trying for months to get a beer license at his store but has been denied by the county beer board because the store is too close to the new First Assembly of God Church.
While the issue was not specifically listed on the agenda, it was brought up under other business. Fifth district member Jerry Adcock made a motion not to raise the issue again for at least six months “whether it passes or not” this time (Monday night) since it has been a matter of discussion for several months. But his motion failed to receive a second.
County Attorney Hilton Conger said the commission could not take action to limit a member from “putting a motion on the floor”.
First District member Elmer Ellis, Jr. suggested that more notice be given so that the public has a better opportunity to express their opinions on a matter that is so controversial
Seventh District member Larry Summers said that the public was given an opportunity to share their views two months ago, and some people did address the commission, when the issue was put to a vote the first time.
In December, some members of the commission tried to change the distance requirement from 2,000 feet to 400 feet but that proposal died on a seven to seven tie vote. Eight votes were needed for passage that night and County Mayor Mike Foster refused to break the tie.
The 2,000 foot distance regulation is the maximum allowed under state law and it has not been changed since the county adopted it in October 1939. The county has the authority to make the minimum distance something less than 2,000 feet but it cannot be greater than 2,000 feet.
With the change, any business owner who meets all other requirements may now apply for a permit to sell beer as long as his or her establishment is within 800 feet of a church, school, or place of public gathering measuring in a direct line, the nearest point to the nearest point. From the building to the building.

Smithville Volunteer Firefighters responded to a fire Monday afternoon at a work shed at 815 Dry Creek Road.
Fire Chief Charlie Parker said the property belongs to Dwight Mathis but that Forrest “Frosty” Byrd has it rented. Chief Parker said according to Byrd, some sparks ignited the fire while workers were cutting and grinding some metal.
The shed received fire and smoke damage but firefighters were able to bring it under control. No one was hurt.

In his weekly update on crime news, Sheriff Patrick Ray reports that 54 year old Melanie Chaffin Herrod of Murfreesboro is charged with driving under the influence, simple possession of a schedule III controlled substance, and simple possession of a schedule IV drug. She was also issued a citation for violation of the implied consent law. Her bond totals $4,500 and she will be in court March 1.
Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, February 21, Herrod was pulled over by an officer in the Stop and Buy parking lot on Highway 70 in response to a complaint of a reckless driver. Herrod’s vehicle matched the description. Herrod told the officer that she had just stopped to ask for directions.. Herrod had very slurred speech and she was unsteady on her feet. She performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks and appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicant. Herrod refused to submit to a blood test. During the investigation, the arresting officer observed in plain site, half a pill believed to be a Vicodine. A further search revealed three other half pills and one whole pill of Vicodine. A metal box was also found containing eight oval orange pills believed to be Alprazolem.
28 year old Gustavo Garcia Sanchez of Morgan Drive, Smithville is charged with a second offense of driving on a revoked license. He was also issued a citation for failure to exercise due care and violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance). Sanchez is under a $3,000 bond and he will be in court on March 1. Sheriff Ray reports that on Monday, February 20 Sanchez was operating a motor vehicle north on New Home Road when he turned in front of a southbound vehicle, causing it to run off the roadway and into a fence. Sanchez said he did not see the oncoming vehicle. Sanchez could not provide proof of insurance. A computer check revealed that his license were revoked for a DUI and that he was arrested for his first offense of driving on a revoked license in Warren County in September 2006.
39 year old Kristie Renea Waggoner of New Home Road is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $2,500 and she will be in court March 15. Sheriff Ray reports that on Wednesday, February 22 Waggoner assaulted her boyfriend on New Home Road by slapping him in the face, leaving bleeding scratch marks.
28 year old Brian Paul Wyer of Long Branch Road, Lancaster is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,000 and he will be in court March 1. According to Sheriff Ray, officers responded to a call of an intoxicated person at the condos on Dale Ridge Road last Wednesday, February 22. Upon arrival, the deputies found Wyer passed out in the passenger seat of his pickup truck. He had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. Officers awakened Wyer but he could not walk so they carried him to the patrol car. Wyer was brought to the jail for his safety.
42 year old Morris Edward Knowles of Anthony Avenue, Smithville was issued citations on Saturday, February 25 for no drivers license, violation of the open container law, violation of the financial responsibility law, roadway lane for traffic (for weaving), and possession of drug paraphernalia. He will be in court on March 8. Knowles was stopped on South College Street for failure to maintain lane of travel. The officer found that Knowles had an open beer in the vehicle and he could not provide proof of insurance. During a search of the vehicle, the deputy found two needles under the passenger seat. A computer check revealed that Knowles had no drivers license.

Several people appeared in criminal court for sentencing Friday after entering pleas under negotiated settlements.
Judge David Patterson presided.
23 year old Emily Fare pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and received a three year sentence on probation. She must complete anger management classes. Fare is also under a restraining order to keep away from the victim.
33 year old Amy Ford pleaded guilty to initiation of a process to manufacture meth and received an eight year sentence to be served at 30%. She must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment. Ford was fined $2,000 and given jail credit of 169 days. The sentence is to run concurrently with a probation violation against her.
24 year old Travis D. Rich pleaded guilty to promotion of the manufacture of meth. He received a two year sentence but was given credit for 170 days of time served. He must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the recommendations. Rich was fined $2,000. The sentence is to run concurrently with a violation of probation case against him.
39 year old Michael Shane Wilcher pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense of unlawful photographing and was granted judicial diversion supervised probation for a period of 11 months and 29 days. He must perform eight hours of community service.
40 year old Amy Rachel Vanatta pleaded guilty to unlawful photographing and was granted judicial diversion supervised probation for a period of 11 months and 29 days. She must perform eight hours of community service
28 year old Steven Bly pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal trespassing and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended to supervised probation. He must make restitution of $1,000 and is under a restraining order to keep away from the victim.
40 year old William Ray Roller, Jr. pleaded guilty to promotion of meth. He received a two year sentence and was fined $2,000. He was given jail credit of 305 days.
47 year old Scott Ferrell pleaded guilty to theft over $500 and received a two year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. The sentence is to run consecutively to a violation of probation case against him.
31 year old Chris M. Pack pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated burglary and received a two year sentence. He must make restitution in an amount yet to be determined. Pack was given jail credit of 114 days.
26 year old Brandon Thomas pleaded guilty to initiation of a process to manufacture methamphetamine. He received an eight year sentence on community corrections. Thomas was fined $2,000 and assessed a cost for cleanup.
32 year old Paul A. Willingham pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal trespassing and received a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days. He will be on supervised probation and he must make restitution to the victims in the amount of $10,800.
27 year old Jessica Dyal pleaded guilty to theft under $500 and was given ten days to serve. She will then be on supervised probation. Dyal must make a $75 contribution to the economic crime fund
27 year old Shannon Anderson pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and theft over $1,000. He received a five year sentence for the burglary and four years in the theft case all suspended to supervised probation by community corrections. The two sentences are to run concurrently. Anderson must pay $150 to the economic crime fund and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment. He was given jail credit of 34 days. Anderson must also pay restitution in an amount yet to be determined.
30 year old Kenneth Adam Wright pleaded guilty to a second offense of driving under the influence. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to CPS probation, except for 45 days to serve. Wright must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the recommended treatment. He must also participate in an alcohol safety education program and pay a fine of $615. He will lose his license for two years.
30 year old Tiffany Greer pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and received a three year sentence in the community corrections program. She must make a $150 contribution to the economic crime fund and pay $925 in restitution. Greer was given jail credit from August 28 to December 22, 2011.
41 year old Daniel Mayo pleaded guilty to possession of a schedule II controlled substance for resale and driving under the influence. He received a three year sentence in the drug case and 11 months and 29 days for the DUI all suspended to supervised probation except for time served. The sentences are to run concurrently. Mayo was fined $2,000 and he will lose his license for a period of time. Mayo was given jail credit of 246 days.
50 year old Kenny Herman pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended to community corrections supervised probation except for 48 hours to serve. He will lose his license for a period of time. The sentence is to run concurrently with his current probation. He is to report to jail when medically able.
26 year old Jessica R. Bogle pleaded guilty to promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine and received a three year sentence suspended to 29 days of time served with the balance to be served on community corrections. She was fined $2,000. Bogle was given jail credit of 29 days.
29 year old Bradley Shane Redman pleaded guilty to assault and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on probation to run concurrently with state probation.
40 year old Wanda Mathis pleaded guilty to delivery of a schedule II controlled substance and received a three year sentence on TDOC probation. She must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment. Mathis was fined $2,000 and she must make restitution of $50 to the Smithville Police Department.
31 year old Jessie Adcock pleaded guilty to auto burglary and theft over $1,000. He received a two year sentence in each case to run concurrently with each other all suspended to supervised probation except for 90 days to serve. Adcock was given jail credit for 90 days.
23 year old Matthew Wilbur pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule VI controlled substance and received a two year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000.
27 year old William Corey Dickens pleaded guilty to two counts of theft over $1,000 and received a two year sentence in each case to run concurrently all suspended to supervised probation except for 250 days to serve. He must make restitution of $7,500 to one victim and $6,000 to the other. Dickens was given jail credit of 170 days.
29 year old Elizabeth Chalfant pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended except for time served. She will lose her license for a period of time and must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment.
36 year old Juan Adam Valdivia pleaded guilty to a second offense of driving on a revoked license and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on supervised probation. He will lose his license for a period of time.
37 year old James W. Goodman pleaded guilty to manufacture of methamphetamine and received a three year sentence to serve supervised by community corrections. He was fined $2,000.
24 year old Coty Lynn McCormick pleaded guilty to simple assault and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on probation to run consecutive to a probation violation against him. He must pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $43,506 receiving credit for any amount paid by the Tennessee Victims Compensation Fund.
42 year old Kathy Roller pleaded guilty to promotion of the manufacture of meth and possession of a schedule II controlled substance for resale and received a three year sentence to serve in each case to run concurrently. She was fined $2,000. Roller was given jail credit of 224 days.
42 year old David Anderson pleaded guilty to promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine and received a two year sentence suspended to state probation. He must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow recommendations. Anderson was fined $2,000 and given 170 days of jail credit.

Three people charged in the robbery of Liberty State Bank at Liberty in August 2010 pleaded guilty under negotiated settlements in criminal court Friday
40 year old Craig Hill, 46 year old Ricky Estes, and 27 year old Roxanna Landis all of Smithville were each indicted on the charge of aggravated robbery in April, 2011.
Standing before Judge David Patterson Friday, Hill pleaded guilty to robbery and received a ten year sentence to serve in the Tennessee Department of Corrections as a range III offender. The term is to run concurrently with any other sentence against him. He was given jail credit of 559 days.
Hill, who is accused of actually committing the robbery in which $6,000 was taken, turned himself in at the DeKalb County Jail on Saturday, August 14th, 2010 eleven days after the robbery on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010.
Estes and Landis were arrested on August 20th, 2010.
Estes pleaded guilty to facilitation of aggravated robbery. He received a six year sentence in special needs as a range one offender. The sentence is to run concurrently with a violation of probation case against him. Estes was given jail credit of 553 days
Landis pleaded guilty to facilitation of attempted aggravated robbery. She received a five year TDOC sentence suspended upon time served. Her probation will be supervised by community corrections. Landis was given jail credit of 123 days.
After Hill’s arrest, Sheriff Patrick Ray said that “On August 3rd, 2010 through an investigation into the robbery, Hill was identified through (bank surveillance) video tapes and other investigative tools to be the person responsible for the robbery. Lawmen had been searching for Hill ever since. Hill, who had been living out of town since this incident, came to the DeKalb County Jail to turn himself in on a violation of probation warrant. While there, he was questioned by Sheriff’s Department Detectives about the robbery and admitted his involvement in the robbery of Liberty State Bank”.
The warrant for his arrest alleged that “On or about the 3rd day of August 2010, Craig Anthony Hill did enter the Liberty State Bank in Liberty Tennessee presenting the teller with a note stating “Give me the money in 20’s and 100’s, I have a gun” thus putting the teller in fear of her life. The teller at that point took the cash from her drawer and gave it to Craig Hill as instructed. The amount of money taken during the robbery was in excess of $6,000.”
According to Sheriff Ray, Estes “aided in the robbery of Liberty State Bank by being involved in the planning of the robbery and driving the get away car. He also shared in the proceeds from the robbery.”
Sheriff Ray added that Landis “aided by being involved in the planning of the robbery, freely leaving in the get away vehicle, and sharing in the proceeds of the robbery”.

In an emergency meeting held Friday morning in Cookeville, the board of directors of the Upper Cumberland Development District voted 16 to 5 to place Executive Director Wendy Askins on administrative leave for 30 days along with her deputy director, Larry Webb of DeKalb County, pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
The action comes as the result of a NewsChannel 5 investigation over recent allegations regarding the Living the Dream project and alleged mismanagement of UCDD funds.
Neither Askins nor Webb were present at the meeting
The five members voting against administrative leave preferred an immediate dismissal of Askins.
Both Askins and Webb will be paid for two weeks of the 30-day leave. As part of the motion, the board also voted to take their credit and gas cards, along with keys and vehicles and they will not be able to sign any checks while the investigation is underway.
Earl Carwile was appointed as interim director and Ashley Pealer was named as interim deputy.
Meanwhile, the board voted to rescind a vote in a previous meeting adopting language from bogus minutes approving a transfer of $300,000 to Living the Dream and asked attorneys to get the $300,000 back by whatever legal means is necessary.
The board also voted to seek new auditors while requesting a state investigation of the man who has been their auditor for several years, Tom Jones. In light of the revelations by NewsChannel 5’s investigation, board members question why Jones has never turned up any findings during his audits of agency finances.