A Liberty woman arrested in Smith County last month on drug charges found herself back behind bars along with two other individuals following a traffic stop for speeding that led to the discovery of more drugs Tuesday, February 7.
(The following is the report on the story and pictures from the Smith County Insider)
29 year old Kari Carter was given a drug screen by DCS on January 28, which showed positive for several types of narcotics. A search of her vehicle revealed a black bag containing a syringe, a spoon with residue, a pill bottle containing a baggie of two tamadol tablets, a baggie containing .2 mg of methamphetamine, and two empty pill bottles filled on January 25. One pill bottle was prescribed alprazolam and the other was prescribed buprenorphine — both of which were empty.
Carter was charged with simple possession of schedule IV, prescription drug fraud, possession of methamphetamine, and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.
On February 7, Trooper Brandon Jackson of the Tennessee Highway Patrol stopped a vehicle on I-40 westbound near mile marker 262 for speeding (90 mph in a 70 mph zone).
Upon contact, the driver, Kari Carter, appeared to be very nervous, according to the arrest warrant.
Two passengers were with Carter: Mark Green (36, Carthage) and Steven Willhite (27, Carthage).
The K-9 unit was called to the scene and indicated drugs in the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle revealed .5 grams of a crystal-like substance appearing to be methamphetamine in the front passenger seat where Willhite was sitting and a spoon with burn marks on the bottom of it in a McDonald’s cup located in the center console cup holder between Willhite and Carter.
During a pat down, a lump was felt in Green’s crotch area which was found to be a black case containing two needles, a case of pH test strips and two baggies of a crystal-like substance appearing to be methamphetamine, which later weighed in at 1.2 grams.
All three were arrested and transported to the Smith County Jail Facility for booking.
After arriving at the jail facility, Carter was asked if she had any drugs, paraphernalia or weapons on her person and was informed it would be an additional charge. A needle was then located in Carter’s bra containing a dark purple liquid later identified as methamphetamine, weighing less than .5 grams.
Carter is charged with possession of controlled substances, felony possession of drug paraphernalia, introduction of contraband into the jail and violation of probation.
Green and Willhite are charged with simple possession of narcotics and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.

The county’s solid waste transfer station is now up and running.
Southern Central Waste Services, LLC of McMinnville began operating the new transfer station last Wednesday, February 15.
Although the county’s landfill remains open it is close to capacity and except for commercial solid waste all other county garbage is now coming to the transfer station. The facility is currently accepting waste from the county’s convenience sites, schools, and City of Smithville, etc and will begin taking waste next month from commercial services like Waste Management which picks up garbage from local businesses and factories and pays tipping fees to the county. The county wanted to give prior notice to those services because there will be a change in the rates they pay for dumping garbage at the transfer station versus the landfill.

“The transfer station is running right now through the end of February for county trash. That’s trash which is picked up at the convenience sites, City of Smithville, schools, etc. March 1 we will begin with commercial tipping. That’s for those who pay such as Waste Management. We wanted to send them a letter ahead of time. The commercial accounts are still being dumped at the landfill until March 1. They will then go to the transfer station,” said County Mayor Tim Stribling.
The county commission last month voted to enter into a three year contract with Southern Central Waste Services to operate the transfer station which is located behind Tenneco Automotive.
Under terms of the agreement, SCWS will provide operation of the transfer station, hauling, and disposal of DeKalb County’s household garbage at the Rhea County Landfill in Dayton, Tennessee, which is operated by Santec Environmental Inc.
“The bid was for SCWS to operate the transfer station; to provide two employees; a scale operator; an equipment operator; to furnish the equipment to load the trucks; to pay all utilities at the transfer station; and to do the transfer station billing. The county will receive all proceeds from tipping fees of other vendors who use the transfer station,” said County Mayor Stribling.
“The only thing DeKalb County does is we dump it and they operate the machinery, scoop it, load it into a truck, and its hauled to a different landfill. All trucks are weighed when they come in and they are weighed when they go out so we know what tons are dumped. They are taking it to Rhea County. They are supplying two people, a scale operator and equipment operator,” County Mayor Stribling continued.
The county is paying the following rates to SCWS based on incoming weights:
*Up to 1,000 tons per month: $55 per ton
*1001 to 1250 tons per month: $54 per ton
*1251 to 1500 tons per month: $53 per ton
*1501 or more tons per month: $51 per ton.
Original plans were for the county to operate the transfer station itself and to ship the garbage to Smith County for disposal at $29 per ton but County Mayor Stribling said he and others found that it was cheaper to contract the service to a private company.
Until the landfill is filled to capacity, County Mayor Stribling said it will remain open for dumping of construction debris and other Class III waste.
“The engineer says we need to fill it (landfill) up a little more. This cell is pretty much at its maximum, but we need to fill it up and what we will be doing is taking construction debris and that type material to the landfill,” Stribling concluded.

Aiden Whitman is the recipient of this week’s “Classroom Champion” award presented by Smithville Attorney Jim Judkins and WJLE.
Whitman, son of Joy and Trent Whitman of Smithville, is a 7th grader at DeKalb Middle School. Aiden recently received the honor and a special gift card from Judkins.
He is a member of the DeKalb Middle School Junior BETA Club and is a manager for the Saints basketball team. Whitman is also a member of the Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church.
“Aiden is one of the most polite students I have ever had. He is always willing to do anything asked of him without hesitation,” said Nancy Cowan, Aiden’s 7th grade teacher.
In an effort to recognize achievements of students in the DeKalb County School System, WJLE has partnered with attorney Judkins in featuring a “Classroom Champion” each week for the next several months.
The name of the student selected each week will be announced on WJLE and will be featured on the WJLE website. Each student winning will receive a plaque and a gift certificate.
“This is our way of recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the future citizens and leaders of the community. It can benefit their learning and overall school atmosphere and climate. The students’ selection is based on academic performance, responsibility and work ethic, leadership abilities, and citizenship

DeKalb County Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell reminds you that March 1 is an important date for business owners and applicants of the Greenbelt Program.
“March 1 is the deadline for two different things coming out of the Assessor’s Office. One is the Greenbelt application. If you don’t have your form turned in by March 1 then you won’t be able to qualify for the savings for the 2017 tax year,” said Cantrell.
“Basic requirements for the Greenbelt application are that you must own a minimum of fifteen acres and are able to produce some kind of agriculture product to the gross amount of $1,500 per year. Also if you own fifteen acres and you don’t have an agriculture product and its all forestry you can get a forestry plan and qualify that way”.
“March 1 is also the deadline for personal property schedules. Anyone who owns a business needs to have those turned in by March 1. If you don’t turn one in at all or its not turned in by March 1 there are penalties after March 1. We want you to avoid those penalties if possible,” said Assessor Cantrell.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has released the apparent low bidders for projects affecting DeKalb County from the bid letting on Friday, February 3.
Hudson Construction Company was the lowest bidder at $1,892,187 for the resurfacing (microsurfacing) on State Route 26 from east of State Route 96 to the Dowelltown City Limits and on State Route 96 from the Wilson County line to Center Hill Dam
Superior Traffic Control, Inc. at $99,648 and Highway Markings, Inc. at $111,528 were the lowest bidders on the miscellaneous safety improvements on U.S. 70 (State Route 96) from west of the DeKalb County line in Wilson County to near State Route 96 in DeKalb County.
Three contractors had bids for the mowing on various state routes in DeKalb and other counties including Salazar Contracting, LLC at $297,732, Dillard Farms at $305,994, and Swartz Mowing, Inc at $313,888.
The contract to repair the Veterans Memorial Bridge on South College Street over Highway 70 may go to Mid-State Construction Company, Inc. Mid-State had the apparent lowest bid at $238,600.58.

Three female prisoners were sent to the hospital Friday night and two of them were admitted after swallowing drugs that had been smuggled into the jail. One of the two inmates hospitalized had to be airlifted. All are now back in jail.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW MUG SHOTS OF PERSONS RECENTLY BOOKED AT THE DEKALB COUNTY JAIL- Intakes & Releases From: 2/13/2017 Thru: 2/20/2017)
Seagate Crystal Reports – REPOR_11.pdf (3.73 MB)
The women, who had apparently hidden the narcotics in their body cavities, consumed the drugs fearing they would be caught with them.
As a result of the investigation, a total of four prisoners have been charged with possession of contraband in a penal institution including 25 year old Trinity Kystrina Wildbur of Vine Street, Chattanooga; 39 year old Amy Jeannette Lawson of Haley Road, Smithville; 24 year old Natalie Gail Barrett of Miller Road, Smithville; and 20 year old Olivia Hope Barber of Forrest Avenue, Smithville.
Sheriff Patrick Ray told WJLE that the story began Friday night when the sheriff’s department received a tip that a female prisoner had drugs concealed in her when she entered the jail.
Acting on that information, Sheriff Ray said he ordered a surprise shakedown of the women’s main cell and the side cell where all the female inmates are kept. Their bunks and personal belongings were searched. Some drugs were found there. All the female prisoners were then removed from the main and side cells for women one at a time and taken to a bathroom where they were individually strip searched by a female correctional officer before being taken to a holding cell.
Apparently fearing they would be subject to a warrant for a body cavity search, three of the female inmates swallowed the drugs they had hidden in their bodies. All three were taken to the hospital after one of them began showing signs of intoxication. Two were hospitalized through Monday and the other was examined and sent back to the jail Friday night.
Sheriff Ray said that Wildbur was found to have meth in personal belongings on her jail cell bunk.
A glass looking substance believed to be meth was found in Lawson’s personal belongings along with a blue pill thought to be morphine and other unidentified pills.
In addition to the contraband offense, Barrett and Barber were charged with simple possession of a schedule II and V drug. According to Sheriff Ray, Barrett and Barber had on them a blue pill believed to be morphine and a white capsule pill thought to be Lyrica.
Bond for Wildbur and Lawson is $3,000 each and $4,500 for Barrett and Barber. All will appear in court on the charges March 2.
27 year old Kimberly Dawn Hunter of Short Mountain Highway is charged with filing a false report. Her bond is $5,000 and her court date is March 9. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, February 18 a deputy and other sheriff’s department officers and the Tennessee Highway Patrol went to the residence to serve an arrest warrant on Bobby J. Wilson but no one came to the door. Knowing that Wilson was there, officers forced their way in and found Hunter hiding in the bathroom. The officers asked Hunter several times where Wilson was hiding. She replied that he was not there. Wilson was subsequently found in the bathroom hiding under the sink in a cabinet. Hunter was placed under arrest for filing a false report.
26 year old Bobby Jewell Wilson of Evins Mill Road, Smithville is charged with failure to appear in General Sessions Court; illegal possession or carrying or possession of a weapon by a felon; and resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. His bond on the charges totals $58,000 except for the failure to appear which is $40,000. His court date is March 9. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, February 18 officers went to a residence on Short Mountain Highway and took Wilson into custody on active failure to appear warrants. He was found hiding in a bathroom under a cabinet sink. While placing him under arrest, Wilson resisted by pulling his hands away from the deputy. As officers were conducting a protective sweep of the home, they found a Savage Sun City 12 gauge semi automatic shotgun under the bathtub in the space of a bedroom where Wilson was known to be staying. Wilson is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a weapon.
38 year old Stephen Anthony Patterson of Sparta Highway, Smithville is charged with a third offense of driving under the influence, driving while in possession of methamphetamine, sale or process of methamphetamine, possession of a schedule IV controlled substance, and possession of contraband in a penal institution. He was further cited for failure to maintain his lane of travel and for stopping, standing or parking in a prohibited place. His bond is $21,000 and his court date is March 9. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, February 19 a deputy responded to the intersection of Curtis Road and Sparta Highway due to a vehicle which was found setting at a stop sign for a long period of time. The deputy came upon the scene and saw the driver pulling out on Sparta Highway heading east before crossing over into the oncoming lane of travel. The vehicle eventually stopped at a residence on Sparta Highway. The officer approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, Patterson who was slumped over in the vehicle . His eyes were bloodshot and he appeared to be under the influence. Patterson performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and was placed under arrest. While conducting a search of Patterson, the deputy found in his right front pocket a baggie in a metal container which held 0.93 grams of methamphetamine which field tested positive. The container also held 43 ½ xanax pills. The officer also found and recovered $467 in cash on Patterson’s person. After Patterson was transported to the jail for booking, a correctional officer found a black baggie in Patterson’s hoodie pocket which held 99 plus two halves more of xanax pills.

The driver of a UCHRA van was injured in a rear end collision today (Tuesday) on Highway 56 south (McMinnville Highway).
Trooper Bobby Johnson of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said that 61 year old Jay Young of Smithville was driving the Ford van traveling north when he slowed for another automobile in front of him which was preparing to make a left turn onto Whorton Springs Road. The van was rear ended by a Chevy Silverado pickup truck, driven by 54 year old Jeffery Cantrell of Smithville who was following behind and failed to stop in time.
According to Trooper Johnson, Young was taken by DeKalb EMS to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. Cantrell was not injured. There were no passengers aboard the van at the time of the accident. Cantrell was cited for failure to exercise due care.