A man serving a twenty five year prison sentence in a 2002 DeKalb County murder case is now a free man.
According to Melissa McDonald, Communications Director for the Tennessee Board of Parole, 43 year old Melvin Eugene Turnbill has met the conditions for parole and was released from prison on Monday, March 9. He was incarcerated at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville
Almost a year ago, members of the Tennessee Board of Parole voted to release Turnbill to parole supervision provided he complete a nine to twelve month substance abuse program called “Therapeutic Community”, and get a release plan approved. The board also voted that Turnbill receive a substance abuse after-care referral upon leaving prison, and that he be assessed for substance abuse treatment once he is under parole supervision. The assessment is to be completed by TDOC staff.
After a hearing on Thursday morning May 1, 2014, parole board member Tim Gobble voted to parole Turnbill with the aforementioned conditions. The hearing was held at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville, where Turnbill was incarcerated. Gobble was not at the prison. He presided by video conference from another location. After the hearing, the file was sent to other parole board members, who reviewed it and cast their votes. Three matching votes were required for a final decision in the case.
In September 2003, Turnbill received a twenty five year sentence after pleading guilty in DeKalb County Criminal Court to facilitating the first degree murder of Joshua Murphy, who was shot and killed in a secluded area in the Laurel Hill Community at the end of Old Eagle Creek Road on Sunday, September 15, 2002. His body was discovered three days later.
Officials said Turnbill and a co-defendant, Christopher Nicholas Orlando suspected Murphy of stealing methamphetamine. Orlando, the triggerman in the killing, was tried and convicted of the crime by a DeKalb County Criminal Court Jury in April, 2004. Orlando, serving a 45 year prison sentence for facilitation of first degree murder, is incarcerated at the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City, Tennessee. Orlando was denied parole following a hearing in March, 2013. He will be up for parole again in 2016.
Turnbill’s sentence is due to expire on April 28, 2022. He has served twelve years and six months of the term. Last May’s parole hearing was the second for Turnbill. He was denied release three years ago following his first hearing due to the seriousness of the offense.
In making his plea for parole, Turnbill told Gobble that he has a new outlook on life. “I believe I have changed. I believe my attitude has changed. I know for sure that I’m not going back in any kind of drug activity. I know I can honestly say that. I just wish I could be given a second chance,” said Turnbill.

A 63 year old man was sentenced Monday, March 23 in DeKalb County Criminal Court after entering a plea to growing marijuana.
Judge David Patterson presided.
Donald Wayne Cantrell received a two year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to manufacturing a schedule VI drug. He was fined $2,000.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 a sheriff’s department drug detective went to Cantrell’s residence on Ferrell Road and spoke with him about some marijuana plants. Cantrell was mirandized (read his rights). Cantrell admitted to growing marijuana plants and showed them to the drug detective. Approximately 42 marijuana plants were recovered from Cantrell’s back yard. He was arrested and taken to the sheriff’s department for booking.
Meanwhile in other cases Monday, 35 year old Jessie Harris pled guilty to attempted initiation to manufacture meth and tampering with evidence. He received a four year sentence in each case to run concurrently with each other but consecutive to another TDOC sentence against him. In this case, he must serve at least 30% of the term before his release eligibility date. He has been given jail credit of 816 days.
36 year old Amy Craig pled guilty to sale of a schedule II drug and received a three year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. She was given jail credit of 51 days. Craig was fined $2,000 and must make $150 restitution to the Smithville Police Department.
33 year old Shane Miller pled guilty to two counts of sale of a schedule II drug and received a four year sentence in each case all suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000. The sentences are to run concurrently with each other.
39 year old Desiree Ferrell pled guilty to sale and delivery of a schedule II drug and received a four year sentence, all suspended but 53 days in the DeKalb County Jail. She was fined $2,000 and given jail credit of 53 days.
34 year old Christopher E. Pack pled guilty to manufacture, sale, and delivery of a schedule II drug and received a four year TDOC sentence all suspended to probation. He was fined $2,000. The sentence is to run concurrently with a theft case against him in Smith County.
28 year old Dustin Burgess pled guilty to vandalism over $1,000 and received a sentence of three years to serve. The term is to run concurrently with other sentences against him being served. Any restitution amount to be paid will be determined later.
30 year old Karey Lynn Benson received a one year sentence for worthless check but the term has been suspended to judicial diversion state probation.
39 year old Robert Dean Bumbalough pled by information to reckless driving and received a six month sentence, all suspended upon payment of costs.
Meanwhile, in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Wednesday, March 11, 43 year old Terry Lynn Johnson pled guilty to sale of a schedule IV drug and TennCare fraud.
Judge Gary McKenzie presided.
Johnson was granted judicial diversion probation for a total of two years and was fined $2,000. Johnson must make restitution of $104.90 to TennCare and $20 to the Smithville Police Department and he will lose his TennCare benefits.
56 year old Judy Johnson pled guilty to sale of a schedule IV drug and TennCare fraud. She was sentenced to two years in each case to run concurrently and all suspended to supervised probation. Johnson was fined $2,000 and must make restitution of $104.90 to TennCare and $20 to the Smithville Police Department.
40 year old Shawn Renee Gibson pled guilty to promotion of methamphetamine and received a four year sentence suspended to probation. She was fined $2,000 and was given 24 days jail credit.
36 year old Kevin Smith pled guilty to evading arrest and reckless endangerment. He received a two year sentence in each case to run consecutively for a total of four years but concurrently with a 12 year sentence in a Warren County case against him. Smith was given jail credit from January 5, 2014 to March 11, 2015.
50 year old Jerry Haas pled guilty by information to a second offense of driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to supervised probation except for 45 days. He will lose his license per Department of Safety regulations and he was fined $610. Haas was given credit for 27 days jail time and 28 days of rehab.

Springtime is beginning to bud, and amid all the colorful flowers that are shooting through the ground is a few patches of blue pinwheels that have taken root. It’s part of the county’s involvement with a grassroots campaign across the state to call attention to child abuse and neglect.
During the month of April, child abuse prevention month, communities across Tennessee are participating in Pinwheels for Prevention. In our county, Cindy McCann is leading the effort.
“Each pinwheel represents one case of child abuse in Tennessee,” McCann, a foster parent out of Camelot’s Cookeville office explained. “I shared with my foster child what they meant, and he wanted to plant a garden. This is kind of his story, so this means a lot to me,” she added.
McCann and her friends and family planted a couple hundred pinwheels in the ground at all of the county schools, the courthouse, school board, and head start.
“This group is putting out 1,800 here in DeKalb County,” she said.
Across Tennessee, 50,000 pinwheels will be planted at local businesses, schools, community centers, and churches. The campaign kicks off this year with a free event at Farmer’s Market in Nashville on April 4.
According to Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, the pinwheel garden demonstrates commitment to building a healthy community and investing in the lives of children. The pinwheel reminds us of childlike notions and symbolizes the healthy, happy, carefree childhood that all children deserve.
(TOP PHOTO: Foster mom Cindy McCann and a group of children pose in their Pinwheel Garden at DeKalb West School. The group planted 200 blue pinwheels Saturday afternoon (March 28) by the school’s marque’ to call attention to child abuse prevention month in April)
(BOTTOM PHOTO: Cindy McCann and Friends Planting Pinwheels at the Courthouse)

The DeKalb County Clerk’s Office will soon be implementing ‘Print-on-Demand’ registration decals. A new service which will print a customized decal displaying a vehicle’s license plate number.
The technology, already being used in 86 other counties, removes the need for standard pre-printed decals with randomized numbers. Instead, residents will be issued a sticker showing their license plate number. Registration cards will also look different. Rather than the usual 8-1/2-by-11 inch sheet of paper, residents will receive a smaller document, about the size of an envelope, printed by the machines. The decals are directly printed onto the cards. Having the registrant’s plate number on the decal will help prevent and stop the theft of renewal decals.
The county commission last week approved a line item budget transfer to start up the service. County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss, who made the request, said that while he already has the money in his budget, he would need to move funds from one category to another within the budget to account for the expenditure.
“Based on registration and renewal statistics provided from the Tennessee Department of Revenue Vehicles Services, DeKalb County will receive $1,500 from the state which will assist with the start up costs of acquiring the equipment needed for the service,” said Poss.
“Our equipment provider, Business Information System” or “BIS” has provided a quote of $1,640 to implement the “Print on Demand” program, after reimbursement. Four new printers are to be installed at the County Clerk’s office as part of the system. As an addendum to the contract, an annual $800 expense will be required to cover any maintenance or replacement of any of the four printers for up to five years.
“Print on Demand” is expected to help the office save money by no longer having to issue the standard registrations. And the state is furnishing the new specialized paper and assisting in the expense of the printers. ” This will combine vehicle registrations and tag decals into a single document. We will no longer staple the decal sticker to paperwork. This process eliminates the need for controlled stock decals, since license plate numbers are printed on the decal. Our Office should see increased efficiency by eliminating the log of decal numbers. The Department of Revenue will supply the plain thermal form stock paper,” said Poss.
The new system may also cut down on decal thefts, assist law enforcement, and help the clerk’s office turn away non-residents who attempt to register their vehicles in the county. “The printing of the registrant’s plate number on the decal is an added security feature and will curb theft of decals. For someone who wants to steal your decal all they would have to do is peel yours off and put it on their plate. With “Print on Demand” if they try to take them it won’t work because the decal number has to match the license plate number. This system works a lot better for us, because we won’t have to worry about keeping up with all the decal numbers. Their decal will be tied to their plate,” Poss said.
“Print on Demand” began in December 2013 and is expected be in operation statewide by the end of 2015.

The President and Founder of Remote Area Medical arrived in Smithville Saturday morning to tour the clinic set up at DeKalb County High School and to speak with the volunteers.
Stan Brock established RAM, a non-profit clinic, in 1985 to provide medical care through mobile events in underserved, isolated, or impoverished communities across the United States and throughout the world. Most clinics provide general medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and education.
The clinic is in DeKalb County Saturday and Sunday, March 28 & 29 to treat patients who cannot afford to pay for the services. Several hundred patients took advantage of the clinic on Saturday. Operating on a “first-come, first-served basis”, the clinic will open for registration at 6:00 a.m. Sunday. Patients may show up as early as 3:00 a.m. to obtain a ticket. Be prepared for a long wait.
Brock spoke with WJLE while at DCHS Saturday morning. (PLAY VIDEO TO VIEW THE INTERVIEW)

“My vision for Remote Area Medical developed when I suffered a personal injury while living among the Wapishana Indians in Guyana, South America. I was isolated from medical care, which was about a 26 day journey away. I witnessed the near devastation of whole tribes by what would have been simple or minor illnesses to more advanced cultures. When I left Guyana, I vowed to find a way to deliver basic medical aid to people in the world’s inaccessible regions. So, in 1985 I established the non-profit, Remote Area Medical or as most people know us – RAM and RAM is the way I have kept that promise, not only to the Wapishana Indians, but to thousands around the world in similar conditions,” he said.
Brock pioneered television programming focusing on nature and wildlife when he starred on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.
Stan was born in Lancashire, England and at age 17 moved to Guyana where he lived at and eventually became manager of The Dadanawa Ranch, which, at the time, was one of the world’s largest working cattle ranches. It was his experience in Guyana that led to Stan’s work with the animals of Wild Kingdom and numerous other television and movie projects beginning in 1963.
The Emmy Award Winning Brock took viewers, for the first time, to the far corners of the world to study wild animals in their natural habitats. Millions of families gathered around their televisions every week to watch Stan travel the world to wrestle giant anacondas in the Amazon and corral wildebeests in the Serengeti. Stan helped pioneer nature-centric television programming, which typically builds a suspenseful story around the challenges faced by wildlife biologists and the organisms they study. With Stan as a co-host, Wild Kingdom reached the largest audience in the program’s history and was only one of five syndicated shows nominated for an Emmy in 1972.
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom was heavily recognized, receiving 41 major awards, including four Emmys. Stan created, directed, and starred in the TV series Stan Brock’s Expedition Danger. He has also starred in several films including: Escape from Angola (1976) and The Forgotten Wilderness (1977). Most were productions of legendary Hollywood producer Ivan Tors who created Flipper, Sea Hunt, Daktari, and more.
Stan is the author of three books on his experiences in the Amazon, including: Leemo, A True Story of a Man’s Friendship with a Mountain Lion (London, 1967), More About Leemo (London, 1967) and Jungle Cowboy (USA, 1969), republished in 1999 as All the Cowboys were Indians.
Along the way he became a pioneer Amazon bush pilot, a noted authority on wildlife management and conservation, an expert on rain forests and their inhabitants, a TV wildlife adventurer, guest speaker, film actor, fitness enthusiast, author, naturalist, and black belt in Taekwon Do Karate. Stan has written numerous articles for national magazines, including Readers Digest and Outdoor Life, and has been featured in global media coverage such as TIME Magazine.
In 1985 Stan Brock founded Remote Area Medical® (RAM®), a non-profit organization addressing the needless pain and suffering caused by the lack of healthcare in impoverished, underserved, and isolated areas.
Stan has received, among many other honors, invitations to address United States Congressional Sub-committees regarding RAM’s® mission. Since Remote Area Medical® was founded, Stan Brock has mobilized over thousands of volunteers and health care professionals to deliver millions of dollars worth of free quality medical services.