Local News Articles

Early Voting dates and times are set for the February 5th DeKalb County Democratic Primary and Tennessee Presidential Preference Primary.

Early voting will be held January 16th through January 31st from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays.

Meanwhile the last date to register to vote in time for the primary is January 7th.

DeKalb County voters will select Democratic nominees for Constable and Assessor of Property on February 5th.

The candidates are Incumbent Timothy (Fud) Banks and challengers Roy Merriman and Willie Thomas. The winner will face Republican nominee John David Foutch and Independent candidate Sandy C. Brown in the DeKalb County General Election on August 7th.

Democratic candidates for constable are Incumbent Wayne Vanderpool in the third district, Paul Cantrell in the fourth district, Incumbent Mark Milam in the fifth district, Cantrell Jones in the sixth district and Mary Ann Thomason and Johnny King in the seventh district.

The nominees for constable chosen on February 5th will be unopposed in the August 7th General Election. No candidate from either party qualified to run for constable in the first district and Second District Republican Incumbent Reed Edge will be unopposed in August.

Voters will also be voting for their favorite candidates for President in the Tennessee Democratic and Republican Presidential Preference Primaries on February 5th. The Presidential Election will be in November.

Voters must declare in which primary they will be voting, either Democratic or Republican. You cannot vote in both.

The candidates for President in the Democratic Primary are Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson.

Candidates for President in the Republican Primary are Rudy Giuliana, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, and Fred Thompson. Tancredo has already dropped out of the race.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Department and the Smithville and Alexandria Police Department conducted recent road blocks to keep travel as safe as possible to start 2008.

Sheriff Patrick Ray says a total 293 vehicles were stopped during the road blocks including 72 vehicles on Highway 56 south; 53 on Highway 70 east; 47 on Highway 53 in Alexandria; 62 on Highway 70 west in Alexandria; and 59 automobiles were stopped on Highway 146

During the roadblocks, sheriff's department deputies made three arrests.

31 year old Ramon Hernandez of College Street, Smithville was arrested for no drivers license. His bond was set at $1,500 and his court date is January 9th..

51 Year old Danny Certain of Blue Springs Road, Smithville was arrested for a second offense of driving under the influence and was issued a citation for violation of the open container law. Bond for Certain was set at $3,000 and his court date is January 31st.

22 year old Thomas Thompson of Manners Road, Lebanon was arrested for a first offense of driving under the influence. His bond is set at $1,500 and his court date is January 31st.

The Smithville Police Department arrested 30 year old Alfredo Bazaldua of Atnip Street, Smithville. He was charged with a first offense of driving under the influence. His bond was set at $1,500 and his court date is January 31st.

The Smithville Police Department also issued two citations to one person for driving without a driver's license and littering, after the individual threw a bottle out of his vehicle.

Two more pharmacies have been burglarized in recent days.

F.Z. Webb and Sons Pharmacy and Gifts in downtown Smithville was broken into early Saturday morning.

Owner Alan Webb says he received a call from his security company of an alarm around 2:00 a.m. Saturday.

Upon arrival, Webb found that someone had broken into the building through a rear door. Motion sensors apparently triggered the burglar alarm, after the intruder or intruders made entry.

Webb says he could find nothing missing, only an open bottle of cough syrup.

No arrests have been made.

Meanwhile on Christmas night, someone broke into Caldwell's Drug Store on West Main Street. Entry was believed to have been made through the roof. Police say a small vent on the roof appeared to have been kicked in and inside, the ceiling in the lobby appeared to have been pushed in from above.

Police say according to the owner, nothing was taken in that break-in. No arrests have been made.

These pharmacy burglaries come just a month after someone broke into F.Z. Webb and Sons Pharmacy in Alexandria.

Alexandria Police have charged three people in that case. 22 year old Bryon Ray (Bud) Gibbs and 25 year old Candice B. Vickers both of Liberty and 31 year old Jeffery A. Willet of Lebanon are charged with one count each of burglary and theft over $500.

Chief Mark Collins says officers discovered that entry had been made through the roof and that 6,500 Lortab pills and liquid morphine were stolen. The break-in is believed to have occurred sometime between November 24th and November 26th.

All three are currently incarcerated in other jails on unrelated charges.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Department recently arrested an Alexandria woman in a theft and forgery case.

Sheriff Patrick Ray says 37 year old Dana McKinney of Tramel Branch Road allegedly entered a home in Alexandria on November 1st and took numerous checks without the consent of the owner. McKinney then went to several stores in DeKalb County during the period of November 1st through November 13th, forged four checks, and cashed them. McKinney's bond was set at $12,500 and her court date is January10th.

McKinney was charged on Tuesday, December 18th with theft of property under $500 and four counts of forgery.

Meanwhile, 20 year old Amanda Brook Washer of McMinnville Highway, Smithville was charged on Saturday, December 22nd with Public Intoxication, Simple Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Sheriff Ray says deputies were on a traffic stop on Roy Womack Road when Washer came walking up to them in an intoxicated manner. Washer was unsteady on her feet and her speech was slurred. Washer was placed under arrest and after a search of her person, she was found to have a marijuana roach, rolling papers and a marijuana cigarette in her pocketbook. Washer's bond was set at $5,000 and she will appear in court on February 7th.

Deputies responded to a disturbance call on Highway 70 East at the Lake Motel on Monday, December 24th. The officers knocked on the door and were invited into the room. One of the persons who was there was 30 year old Andy Certain of The Loop Road, Smithville. Deputies learned that Certain was wanted in Wilson County for failure to appear to court. Deputies also noticed a bag of marijuana on a table. Certain admitted that the marijuana was his. Certain was charged with simple possession and his bond was set at $2,500. His court date is January 3rd. Certain will be transported to Wilson County later.