Watertown Man on Probation Found with Ecstasy, Meth, Marijuana, and Hydrocodone

February 2, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

A Watertown man pulled over for a non-working tail light on his car has a lot more trouble on his hands after officers discovered that he was on probation, intoxicated, illegally in possession of a handgun, and had numerous drugs in his possession including methamphetamine and ecstasy.

27 year old Robert Jacob Hardison of Sparta Highway, Watertown is charged with driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license, possession of a handgun while under the influence, tampering with evidence, and possession of methamphetamine and schedule I, II, & VI drugs with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell. His bond is $73,000 and his court date is February 15.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, January 25 a deputy stopped a vehicle on Smith Road for a non working tail light. The officer spoke with the driver, Hardison and detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Hardison admitted to having used marijuana and hydrocodone earlier in the day. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He also submitted to implied consent (blood test). During the investigation the officer learned that Hardison is on probation for a previous offense and that his license were suspended on October 14, 2017 for failure to show proof of insurance and that he had continued to drive even after receiving a citation in Wilson County for driving on a suspended license.

A search of Hardison’s vehicle turned up a Jennings 22 caliber handgun which is illegal since Hardison had the weapon in his possession while under the influence.

Drugs were also found in the car including six green pills believed to be ecstasy and three separate baggies of a crystal like substance suspected to be methamphetamine, which were in a metal tin on the driver’s side floorboard along with scales and separate baggies.

During a search of Hardison’s person, the deputy found a white pill believed to be hydrocodone. After being placed in custody and seated in the back of the deputy’s patrol car, Hardison pulled a silver container from the area of his crotch and put several pills from that container into his mouth and into the seat of the car, trying to dispose of them.

After Hardison admitted to the officers that he had other drugs in his home, they conducted a probation search of the residence upon containing consent from Hardison and found 37.19 grams of a leafy substance believed to be marijuana along another baggie of meth and more scales and baggies.

The total weight of all four baggies of meth found during this investigation totaled 3.6 grams.

60 year old Forrest Byrd of South College Street, Smithville is cited for simple possession of a schedule VI drug (marijuana). He will make a court appearance on February 23

Sheriff Ray said that Byrd gave an officer consent to search his room and found in the top drawer of a dresser were two marijuana joints wrapped in a plastic baggie. It weighed less than one gram. Byrd admitted that the marijuana belonged to him. The citation was issued on Monday, January 22 by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.

32 year old Clint Lee Shehane of Wade Street, Smithville is cited for simple possession of a schedule II drug. He will make a court appearance on February 1.

Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, January 25 a Sheriff’s Department Detective went to a residence on Wade Street to pick up Shehane on a warrant. He was found hiding in a closet and in the area near him were two baggies of a rock like substance believed to be methamphetamine which weighed 0.37 grams and 0.71 grams.

January 31, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Burn permits will not be issued today across much of the state including counties in Middle Tennessee, the Cumberland Plateau, and parts of East and West Tennessee. A forecast for strong winds and the low relative humidity increase the risk for a controlled debris burn to become a wildfire.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry will not be issuing any burn permits online today. The Division will issue permits by phone in some counties, provided certain conditions are met. The county phone number directory is available at burnsafetn.org/phonepermit.html.

The Division of Forestry evaluates debris burning conditions daily. According to the National Weather Service in Nashville, gusty south winds exceeding 30 mph will develop today. These winds, along with low relative humidity values, will elevate fire danger conditions throughout Middle Tennessee. Rain will return to the area on Thursday, with a mix of rain and light snow possible in the Upper Cumberland Thursday evening.

A burn permit is required by law for outdoor debris burning from October 15 through May 15 and is only issued when conditions are conducive to safe burning. The permit is free. If you live inside city limits, there may be additional restrictions. Check with your municipality before you burn.

When permits are issued, the following tips should be followed to conduct a safe debris burn:

– Check with local authorities to make sure there are no local restrictions on burning, especially in cities and towns that have their own burn permit system.

– Notify your local fire department and neighbors of your plans to burn.

– Do not burn on windy days and stay abreast of changing weather conditions.

– Establish control lines down to bare mineral soil at least five feet wide around burn piles.

– Keep fire containment equipment on hand during the fire (e.g. rake, shovel, water).

– Stay with the fire until it is completely out.

Visit www.BurnSafeTN.org for additional tips to burn safely and to protect your community.

Since first employed in the early 1990s, the Division of Forestry’s burn permitting program has successfully reduced the number of escaped debris burns by effectively communicating with citizens as to where, when, and how to conduct a safe debris burn. You will find more information about the Division and its programs at www.tn.gov/agriculture/section/forests.

January 31, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Another outstanding DCHS softball player has signed a letter of intent with Cumberland University of Lebanon to play collegiate ball after she graduates here.

17 year old Kristena Bain, a senior, put pen to paper Wednesday at the DCHS library. Members of Bain’s family, coaches, and fellow players joined her for the occasion.

Cumberland is a member of the Mid-South Conference affiliated with the NAIA.

“The reason I chose Cumberland University was because the school is local and they have a good athletic program and a good nursing program and that is what I plan to major in,” said Kristena.

“I believe Kristena is our fourth or fifth athlete from DeKalb County. We have always had good players from DeKalb County High School and we expect the same from her,” said Assistant Cumberland Varsity Coach and Head JV Coach, Stephanie Theall. Heather Stanfill is the Head Coach at Cumberland.

Tigerette Coach Danny Fish said he is very happy that Kristena will have a chance to play softball at the collegiate level.

“She has been a very hard worker over her career here playing for the Tigerettes. She has come a long way. I can remember hitting with her when she was in the sixth grade and it was a goal of hers to be where she is at today. She is a very goal oriented athlete. She has been behind the plate for us the last three years and she will be back there again this year. We expect good things out of her. She is a very charismatic leader and she really puts everything she has in what she does. Offensively, she swings the bat pretty well but we’re going to ask her to step up her game this year. We want her to get a lot more at bats. Defensively behind the plate we thought we would have a problem when Dani Meadows graduated but she (Kristena) has really slipped into that (role) and been a relentless worker and teammate and because of that we are here today. I am very happy for her. This is a good moment for Kristena,” said Coach Fish.

Before she heads off to college, Kristena has one more high school season in front of her and she is looking forward to it.

“I hope to put in some big hits this season and score some runs and I hope our pitching game steps up and we all hit the way we are supposed to,” said Kristena.

Coach Fish said the DCHS Tigerette softball season begins March 12. “We open up with district play right away and then we will jump into a tournament. We have a really tough schedule this year. We’re going down to Gulf Shores during spring break. It should be an interesting year. We graduated a lot of seniors last year and all of them are playing at the college level now so we have big shoes to fill but our seniors know what it takes to win and I am hoping they will lead the team by example and that we will have a chance to be back where we normally are at the state tournament,” said Coach Fish.

Kristena was joined at the signing by her parents, Bobby Rader and Ann Rader; DCHS Tigerette head coach Danny Fish and assistants Melissa Ruch and Tim Jared, Cumberland Assistant Coach Stephanie Theall; Randy Farnsworth, Kristena’s summer travel league ball coach, along with her brothers and fellow Tigerette teammates.