Two inmates at the DeKalb County Jail are facing more charges after engaging in a fight at the jail with one of them also assaulting correctional officers trying to break up the scuffle.
33 year old Ryan Lee Walden of Dale Ridge Road, Dowelltown is charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal exposure and 40 year old Andy Joe Certain of Bright Hill Road, Smithville is charged with one count of aggravated assault. Bond for Walden is $20,000. Certain’s bond is $10,000. Both will make a court appearance on July 6.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Friday, June 16 Walden and Certain got into an argument at the jail and assaulted each other. Certain grabbed Walden by the throat and tried to strangle him. He then grabbed a broom handle and hit Walden twice causing him to have red marks. Certain further placed Walden in a choke hold again. Walden struck Certain several times causing swelling, bruising and a laceration above his left eye. As correctional officers were trying to break up the fight, Walden turned and shoved one of them and grabbed the other by the finger breaking the skin and causing it to bleed. Walden, who is believed to be infected with Hepatitis C, also spat in the face of a correctional officer. Walden was subdued and escorted away. Certain was taken to the emergency room of the hospital for evaluation and treatment.
43 year old Michael Shayne Reeder of Adcock Cemetery Road, Smithville is charged with theft of property over $1,000. His bond is $5,000 and his court date is July 6. Sheriff Ray said that Friday June 2 Reeder stole two firearms , including a Smith & Wesson M&P AR-15 and a .22 caliber Ruger. The total value of the weapons is $2,000. The case was investigated by a sheriff’s department detective.
47 year old David Dwight Caperton of Fox Hill Road, Baxter (DeKalb County) is charged with vandalism and aggravated criminal trespassing. His bond is $3,000 and his court date is July 6. Sheriff Ray said that on March 18 Caperton entered a residence on Fox Hill Road, Baxter by destroying the door locks. The total value of the door lock set is $60.00. The case was investigated by a sheriff’s department detective.

A woman found drunk and naked near McMinnville Highway last week will make a court appearance next month for public intoxication and indecent exposure.
37 year old Amanda Lynette Davis of Lee Homer Road, Smithville is under a $3,000 bond and her court date is July 6.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, June 15 a deputy responded to McMinnville Highway to do a welfare check on a woman standing near the road. Upon arrival he learned that the woman was Davis. She was standing in the front yard naked and picking grass. While speaking with her, the officer noticed that Davis was unsteady on her feet and that her speech was slurred and her pupils were watery and dilated. She submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Davis was arrested for her safety and that of the public.
42 year old Jeremy Arron Bilbrey of Winter Drive, Dowelltown is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is June 29. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, June 6 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Winter Drive due to a possible domestic assault. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a woman who said that she and her boyfriend, Bilbrey got into an argument over her leaving with the children due to his being under the influence. The woman said as she tried to leave, Bilbrey wouldn’t let her go. He grabbed her, trying to get her car keys causing injuries to her elbows, hands and knees.
26 year old Eddie Lee Smith of Old Mill Hill Road, Dowelltown is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is June 29. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, June 13 a deputy observed a Honda Civic traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 56 south. The officer stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Smith. He noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle. Smith told the officer that he had just purchased a beer and had thrown it out the window before he was pulled over. His eyes were bloodshot and he was unsteady on his feet. While submitting to field sobriety tasks, Smith told the deputy that he was too drunk to complete the exercise because he had consumed more alcohol than he had previously stated.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has picked up two more people who were named in sealed indictments returned during a special session of the Grand Jury last month.
51 year old Mark Alan Goodson and 46 year old Jamie Renee Ashford both of Short Mountain Highway, Smithville are each indicted for sale and delivery of a schedule II drug (methamphetamine). They were arrested on Monday, June 12. Bond for each is $50,000 and they will be arraigned on June 20.
A total of 37 people have now been rounded up as a result of the grand jury sealed indictments stemming from an undercover investigation by the Sheriff’s Department mostly involving the sale of illegal narcotics.

DeKalb County High School will be under new leadership as of July 1.
Randy Jennings, who has been Principal at DeKalb Middle School for 13 years, has been named by Director of Schools Patrick Cripps to succeed Dr. Kathy Bryant as DCHS Principal. Dr. Bryant has transferred to the position of Supervisor of Instruction for grades 6-12.
“I am excited about the move to the high school. First I’d like to thank Mr. Cripps for having the confidence in me to be the leader of DeKalb County High School. I want to get settled in and get with the assistant principals. There will be a lot of things similar at the high school compared to the middle school but a lot of things will be different too. The CTE (Career Technical Education) I have never had to deal with at the middle school level so that will be a new venture for me. There’s just a lot of things I’ll have to get in there and look at and become familiar with before going too much further,” Jennings told WJLE.
“Randy has done a good job and we’re excited about where he can take the high school. It’s a big challenge he is facing but he has a good staff who will support and work with him to do whatever needs to be done to make sure our kids are being educated,” Director Cripps told WJLE.
Jennings said he enjoyed his years at DeKalb Middle School and will miss working with the students and teachers there. “I have really enjoyed my time at the Middle School. I have had a wonderful faculty and staff over those 13 years. I am going to miss working with those people. I’ll also miss working with the kids at that age. We’ve always tried to provide a good academic foundation but even as important, I hope that I have made a positive impact on the kids’ lives. Now I will get a chance to continue doing that but at a little later time in their lives,” he said.
Jennings began his teaching career at DeKalb West School in 1995. “I was there for 2 years as an 8th grade math, science and social studies teacher and I also coached both the boys and girls basketball teams,” said Jennings.
“ In the fall of 1997, I accepted a teaching position at Watertown High School and was the head baseball coach and assistant boys basketball coach. The following year I was named the head girls basketball coach and remained in that capacity for 2 years,” he continued.
“In the fall of 2000, I came back home to DeKalb County as the principal of Smithville Elementary School. I served in that capacity for 5 years from 2000 to 2005. In 2005, I was transferred to DeKalb Middle School as principal where I have served for the past 13 years,” said Jennings.
A 1989 graduate of DeKalb County High School, Jennings earned an Associate of Science degree at Motlow State Community College in 1991. Three years later Jennings earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Middle Tennessee State University. In 1998, Jennings furthered his education obtaining a Master of Arts degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Technological University followed by a Specialist in Education degree in Instructional Leadership from TTU in 2005.
Randy and his wife Jill are the parents of 21 year old Cori and 18 year old Steven Jennings.
Jennings is the 12th principal at DCHS since 1963. His predecessors are Amon Snyder, Jim Butler, Tucker Hendrix, Ernest Ray, Dr. Charles Collier, Larry Johnson, Dr. Barry Roberts, Weldon Parkinson, Kathy Hendrix, Patrick Cripps, and Dr. Kathy Bryant.
DCHS Assistant Principals are David Gash and Jenny Norris.
“We’re really going to push the ACT at the high school. I know the state tests are important but the ACT is where kids get money to go to school. The state has set an ACT goal and we plan to meet and exceed it. We have already made great strides in the last couple of years on the ACT as well as the 90% reading goal. We’re catching up. The elementary level has done a wonderful job and the high school has done a wonderful job in the RTI. That is something we will keep working on. We want to challenge our top students and we want to get those students who are struggling to get them up toward reading on grade level”, said Cripps.
Director Cripps has not yet named a new principal at DeKalb Middle School to succeed Jennings. Applications are currently being taken for the position and interviews will follow.

Cookeville Blood Assurance and DeKalb County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss are teaming up again for another “DeKalb County Neighbors Helping Neighbors” blood drive and several elected and appointed county officials are joining the effort in support of local senior citizens centers.
The blood drive is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21 from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the county complex senior citizens center inside the bloodmobile and for every blood donation collected, these county officials will donate $2.00 to the senior citizens centers to be divided equally between the Smithville and Alexandria Centers.
“I have received commitments from Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell, Trustee Sean Driver, Register of Deeds Jeff McMillen, Road Supervisor Butch Agee, Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack, County Mayor Tim Stribling, Sheriff Patrick Ray, and General Sessions Judge Bratten Cook, II along with Clerk and Master Deborah Malone and Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley,” said County Clerk Poss.
“All blood collected from the Cookeville Blood Assurance Center will supply the needs of hospitals in our communities first including DeKalb, Cannon, Smith, Wilson, White, Putnam, Warren, Jackson, and Overton Counties,” Poss continued.
Those who wish to schedule an appointment may go online at www.bloodassurance.org/dekalb or contact County Clerk Poss or Blood Assurance Coordinator Trudy Cody at 931-239-9411 or TrudyCody@bloodassurance.org.
Please remember to eat a good meal, drink additional water and bring a photo ID.
All donors will be given a FREE “Life Saving Journey” t-shirt and all donors will be entered for a chance to win a Recliner and a Vacation Giveaway valued at $1,500.

Donny Green, DeKalb/Cannon County FSA County Executive Director, announces that the nomination period for the 2017 Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee Election is underway. The nomination period continues through August 1, 2016.
“I encourage all producers to participate in the county committee election process by nominating candidates by the August 1 deadline,” said Green. “We are counting on as much participation as possible, because county committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We have seen a trend in recent years of increased nominations of minority, beginning farmers, and women producers and we hope that will continue.”
Committees apply their judgment and knowledge to make decisions on county commodity price-support loan eligibility, establishment of allotments and yields, conservation programs, disaster programs, employment and other farm program-related issues. Nationwide, there are more than 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to five members who are elected by eligible local producers.
To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.
Nominees must reside in Local Administrative Area (LAA) for which they are seeking to be elected. For the 2017 Election, the DeKalb/Cannon County FSA County Committee Election will conduct elections in LAA-2 (DeKalb County) and LAA-4 (Cannon County). Below is the description of the LAA’s that will be conducting elections this year:
Local Administrative Area # 2, the portions of DeKalb County described as following:
West of a line where Hwy. 146 crosses the Cannon County line following Hwy. 146 north to Hodges Rd.; thence north to Tabernacle Rd.; following a line from Tabernacle Rd. to Dry Creek Rd.; west of Dry Creek Rd. to Hwy. 70 West; north of Hwy. 70 to Hwy. 96 North (Dale Ridge Rd.); west of Hwy. 96 North to Hwy. 141 (Wolf Creek Rd.);West of Hwy. 141 to Center Hill Dam; thence following the Caney Fork River north/northwest to the Smith County line; thence south of the Smith County line; thence east of the Wilson County line to the Cannon County line; northwest of the Cannon County line back to the intersection of Hwy. 146 and the DeKalb/Cannon County line.
Local Administrative Area # 4, the portions of Cannon County described as following:
That portion of Cannon County that lies east of Highway 53 (a state highway that runs south from the DeKalb County line and north from the Coffee County Line).
Individuals may nominate themselves, or others, as a candidate. In addition, eligible candidates can be nominated by community-based and other organizations in the county where the election is being held before the close of the nomination period, especially groups representing socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. Nominations and elections are open to all eligible candidates and voters without regard to race, color, religion, nation origin, age, sex, marital status or disability. The nomination form (FSA-669A) is available at USDA Service Centers and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/elections
Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters in LAA’s # 2 and # 4 on November 6, 2017. Completed ballots must be returned, either in person or postmarked, no later December 4, 2017. For more information about FSA county committees, visit the DeKalb/Cannon County USDA Service Center or call 615-597-8225, extension 2.

The 161st edition of the Grandpa Fair of the South is set for Monday through Saturday, July 17-22 and this year a tribute is being paid to all veterans. It’s even included in the theme, “Celebrating 161 years of the DeKalb County Fair as a Veterans Affair.
A special recognition program will be Monday night, July 17 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lions Club Pavilion and a special Veterans Exhibit on “Memory Lane” at the fairgrounds will showcase photos, names, and other military information to honor local veterans. Liberty State Bank is helping the fair with this new exhibit which will be open each night of the fair from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Meanwhile, if you would like to include photos or other information about a veteran in this exhibit contact Ria Baker at 615-529-2840.

The Upper Cumberland Area Agency on Aging and Disability (UCAAAD) was awarded the Community Foundation’s Serving Tennessee’s Seniors grant in January in the amount of $23,964 for the Aging Nutrition Program – a program that provides healthy meals for seniors in need across the fourteen-county Upper Cumberland region.
The grant funds were used to purchase equipment for the nutrition program, including: 55 jumbo electric thermal delivery bags, a 4-well hot table and 8 Cambro pan carriers. The additional equipment is being used to ensure meals are delivered to seniors at a safe temperature and has allowed the program to expand to meet the growing demand of seniors in need.
UCAAAD contracts with the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) to provide home-delivered and congregate meals through the Aging Nutrition Program. In fiscal year 2016, 495 homebound clients received 89,497 home-delivered meals. In the same year, 82,600 congregate meals were served to 1,643 seniors from 17 meal site locations in the Upper Cumberland.
UCHRA currently has more than 70 home-delivered meal routes across the Upper Cumberland. With the jumbo electric high efficiency thermal bags, each delivery vehicle is equipped to maintain the proper food temperature to the most outlying areas of the district.
In addition to home-delivered meals, food is also transported to nutrition sites in bulk. The 8 Cambro portable pan carriers assist in maintaining food temperature through transport and until the meal is served.
The nutrition program is already seeing improvements from the new equipment. UCAAAD Quality Assurance monitoring reports show that the use of the electric thermal bags in combination with the new Cambro bulk food transporters have helped to hold the hot food temperatures at a higher level than before, even for the last stops on the delivery routes.
The grant not only provided improvements to the existing service area but allowed the program to expand to serve more seniors in Smithville. With the purchase of the new 4-well hot table, congregate meals are being served at the Smithville Senior Center four days per week. From April 3 to May 31, this addition has allowed UCHRA to serve 709 meals to 70 seniors in Smithville.
Funding of Serving Tennessee’s Seniors was provided by the Chancery Court and administered by The Community Foundation through the settlement of a lawsuit initiated by Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper against both SeniorTrust and ElderTrust.
The Area Agency on Aging and Disability(AAAD), a division of the Upper Cumberland Development District, connects older adults and adults with disabilities in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region with services and resources to improve their quality of life. Find AAAD on the web at www.ucdd.org and at facebook.com/UCDDconnect. For more information about the Aging Nutrition Program, contact UCAAAD at 1-866-836-6678.

A “Meet & Greet” for former DCHS Tiger and Middle Tennessee Blue Raider pitching star Cody Puckett will be held today (Friday, June 16) from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at Northside Elementary School.
Selected by the Oakland Athletics in the Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday, Cody is expected to be leaving for Arizona this weekend and later to the A’s rookie camp in Vermont. Family and friends invite you to stop by during today’s “Meet & Greet” for photos with Cody and to wish him well as be begins this new venture in his baseball career.
Puckett has spent the last two years as a Middle Tennessee Blue Raider after transferring from Columbia State Community College. Cody was also a standout for the DCHS Tigers during his high school years.
In an interview with WJLE Thursday, Puckett said MLB scouts first began taking notice of him last summer during the Northwoods competition, a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of the top college players from North America and beyond.
“Scouts were there to watch another player but then they saw me pitch. Later there was another summer showcase of the top 100 prospects in the Northwoods and I got invited to that. But it really started to pick up around the pro day in the fall. After that I started getting interest from a lot of different teams. Toward the beginning of the spring, several scouts came out to watch me and then I knew I had a pretty good shot at the draft,” said Puckett.
Becoming a major league player has been a dream of Cody’s since he was a child. “I remember watching the Little League World Series and Major Leaguers play. Its always something I told myself I’m going to do one day. I have always dreamed about it since I was probably five years old or ever since I could walk and know what baseball is,” Cody continued.
Puckett said as the draft began this week, a couple of teams contacted him but he became a bit discouraged as nothing panned out right away. “I was kind of thinking of being drafted in the 15th to 25th rounds but on Tuesday I got a call from the Phillies in the 8th round saying they were going to take me in the 9th or 10th round. I was kind of disappointed though when they never called back. On Wednesday I got a call from the Royals and they made me an offer but right after I got off the phone with the Royals, the Oakland A’s called me and congratulated me on being drafted,” said Puckett.
The left hander, was selected by the A’s in the 30th round with the 861st pick on Wednesday.
While his goal is to make the majors, Cody said it would be nice to get some playing time in his home state with the Nashville Sounds, a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
“I know the Nashville Sounds are their Triple-A team so that would be pretty cool If I made it to that level in my home state. That would be nice,” he said.
Although he would have liked to have been taken higher in the draft, Cody said he is pleased with this opportunity. “It would have been nice to have been a top ten rounder but really I just want the opportunity to prove myself and make the most of it and hopefully I can advance to the minor league system and make it to the majors,” Puckett said.
“I appreciate all the support from the people back home and hopefully I can make you proud,” he concluded.

Caitlyn Lawrence of DeKalb County High School recently received a $250 Scholarship from the 3.21 Run for Down Syndrome Awareness fund. The award was presented by Clark Oakley
The 3.21 Run 4 DS 5K and Fun Run was started in the Spring of 2015 by Addison Oakley, who at the time was an 8th grade student at DeKalb West Elementary in Liberty.
Addison and her family have been blessed with connections to Down Syndrome children, who are close friends and family members and wanted to bring awareness in rural areas to the need to provide resources to children with Down Syndrome and other special needs that are often missed by not living in a larger metropolitan area. They have worked with support in DeKalb & Smith County as well as the support of Down Syndrome Association of Middle TN (DSAMT).
Through the help of friends, family, and strangers, the event has grown with over 150 participants and strong sponsorship each year. “We have been able to give $1500 in scholarships to DeKalb, Gordonsville, and Smith County High Schools, as well as over $10,000 to assist individuals, communities and school systems’ special needs programs with games, tools, and other educational supplies to benefit children with Down Syndrome and special needs,” said Clark Oakley
If you are interested in helping this cause, or would like to donate or become a sponsor, please contact 321Run4DS@gmail.com or Clark Oakley @ 615-548-4624. The 2017 5K and Fun Run will be October 7th taking place at DeKalb West Elementary, 101 Bulldog Ln, Liberty, TN. Mark your calendars and look for more info to come!