News
Budget Committee to Consider Annual Funding Requests from Non-Profit Organizations
April 27, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
The county budget committee has been asked to include in the 2025-26 budget contributions to non-profit and charitable organizations totaling $366,892, down from $411,746 in the 2024-25 budget. The committee has not yet taken action on the requests.
Organizations and the requested amounts are as follows:
Upper Cumberland Development District: $ 2,000
Tennessee Forestry Division: $ 1,500
Plateau Mental Health Center: $ 7,180
Senior Program: $ 93,318, up from $88, 919 in 2024-25
DeKalb County Soil Conservation District: $ 100,651, up from $96,968 in 2024-25
DeKalb Animal Coalition: $36,805
Chamber of Commerce: $ 35,000
DeKalb County Rescue Squad: $ 51,321, down from $104,256 in 2024-25
Upper Cumberland Human Resources: $ 5,500
Imagination Library: $ 12,000
Veterans Honor Guard: $ 1,500
DeKalb County Fair: $ 5,000
Fiddlers Jamboree: $ 5,000
Civil War Trails: $400
UCHRA Assessment – Homemaker Aide, etc. $ 9,717
TOTAL NON-PROFITS $ 366,892
Taking Orders from the President?
April 27, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
A man found talking out of his head about martial law, making threats against police, and saying he was taking his orders from the President was arrested earlier this month.
32-year-old Dustin Paul Summers of Smithville is charged with public intoxication, two counts of possession of a controlled substance (Fentanyl & Marijuana) with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver; possession of Methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver; and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is under a $106,500 bond and will appear in court on May 8.
Chief Deputy Brian Williams of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department said that on April 19 a deputy responded to 1071 Midway Road to conduct a welfare check on someone heard screaming. Upon arrival the officer found Summers in his vehicle at Faith Baptist Church on Midway Road and he was yelling out his window. According to the deputy, Summers appeared to be under the influence. He was talking out of his head about martial law, not making sense, and further stated that he was going to kill police and that he was getting his orders from President Trump. Summers was asked but refused to roll down his window so that officers could determine if he was under the influence or having a medical emergency. While deputies were talking to Summers, other officers were able to open the passenger door and remove him from the vehicle. During a search of his person, deputies found in his pocket a container which held a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine. A further search of the vehicle turned up a bag containing drug paraphernalia, marijuana, and more crystal-like substances.
29-year-old Zackery Alexander Walker of Green Hill Road, Smithville, is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is under a bond of $11,500 and his court date is May 1.
Chief Deputy Williams said that on April 16 a deputy was dispatched to the area of Big Rock Road, to investigate a report of two suspicious men on bicycles. Upon arrival, the officer observed Walker and another man. As Walker rode past the patrol car on his bike, the deputy noticed him reach into his left cargo pocket and drop something out. He checked the spot and found a glass pipe with residue. A further search of Walker’s person and bicycle yielded another pipe with residue in a black bag as well as a clear baggy that held a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine that weighed 0.66 grams.
44-year-old Nathan Todd Cooke of Sparta is charged with aggravated assault and violation of an order of protection. He is under a $10,000 total bond and he will be in court on May 1.
Chief Deputy Williams said that on April 18 a deputy was summoned to the Johnsons Chapel Recreation Area due to a domestic complaint in which a man was observed assaulting a woman.
Upon arrival, the officer confronted Cooke and his wife. The woman said she and Cooke had been arguing when he pulled her out of the truck by the hair of her head. A background check through central dispatch revealed that Cooke was under a temporary modified order of protection from White County to keep away from his wife except for peaceful sober contact and that Cooke was prohibited from having possession of or consuming alcohol. Cooke smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred. He admitted to having consumed four beers and he was placed in custody.
77-year-old Sharon Lois Moody of Smithville is charged with domestic assault. She is under a $2,500 bond and will be in court on May 1.
According to Chief Deputy Williams, an officer responded to Jacobs Pillar Road on April 19 due to a physical domestic compliant. Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with Moody and two others. One of them, Moody’s granddaughter alleged that Moody had struck her in the face and pinched her during an argument. Moody admitted to the assault saying she did not like the way her granddaughter was talking to her.
31-year-old Gerardo Morales of Smithville is charged with domestic assault. He is under a $3,500 bond and will be in court on May 8.
Chief Deputy Williams said that on April 20 a deputy was summoned to Blue Springs Road on a domestic abuse complaint. Upon arrival the officer spoke with two women who claimed that Morales, a husband to one of them, had gotten into an argument with one of the parties there and that when she slapped his arms to get him away from her daughter, Morales slapped her across the left side of the face, causing swelling and bruising. He was then taken into custody.
22-year-old Lucas Diaz Ruiz of Watertown is charged with DUI and driving without a license. He is under a $5,000 bond and he will make a court appearance on May 8.
According to Chief Deputy Williams, an officer was dispatched to Nashville Highway on April 20 due to multiple reports of a reckless driver. Callers reported a motorist driving on the wrong side of the road, almost striking other vehicles. The deputy spotted the suspect vehicle, a maroon Honda Civic in Liberty driving in the wrong lane. After making a traffic stop, the deputy spoke with the driver, Ruiz and learned from a background check through central dispatch that Ruiz did not have a valid driver’s license. Ruiz smelled of alcohol and his eyes were red and bloodshot. According to the officer, Ruiz was chugging a container of water, and he noticed extensive damage to Ruiz’s vehicle. A passerby reported to having followed Ruiz’s automobile and witnessed it hit another vehicle on Nashville Highway although officers were not able to locate the car he struck. Ruiz admitted to consuming two to four beers two hours prior to his arrest. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.
DCHS Boys Tennis Concludes Regular Season with Four Straight Wins
April 27, 2025
By: Brian Cadle
The DCHS boys’ tennis team ended regular season play on Tuesday with home victories over district rival Warren County, 8-1, and Watertown, 7-0. The Tigers finished the regular season with a 12-3 overall record and 5-1 in the district. Lance Duke and Ian Barnes were undefeated in singles and doubles, while Jackson Mathis, Luke Midgett, and Ethan Brown won both singles matches to lead the Tigers. The team clinched 2nd place in the district regular season behind Cookeville, which qualifies them for the team tournament. White County returns to Smithville for a semifinal team match on Friday. The Tigers pulled out a 5-4 victory earlier in the season, playing in a 6 singles, 3 doubles format. The TSSAA requires a 5 singles and 2 doubles tournament format, which poses a challenge for the boys. “Our boys and girls teams have both shown excellent depth throughout the season, especially in the district. We have won several matches, including White County, by clinching victories in the lower seeds, particularly 6 singles and 3 doubles. We will not have those positions in the tournament, meaning that our top seeds in singles and doubles need to step it up,” said DeKalb Head Tennis Coach Brian Cadle. “White County has some excellent players in their top positions. We are just as talented in those spots, but lost to them in the regular season. I am confident that our guys will be more ready this time around.”
The Lady Tigers lost on Tuesday to Warren County and Watertown, finishing their regular season with a 9-7 record and 3-4 in the district. While falling short of qualifying in the team tournament, Coach Cadle praised the girls for their substantial improvement this season. “I am so proud of this team and how the girls have improved since last season. We won six matches last year and almost reached ten wins this year. We are losing only one player from this year’s roster and returning everyone else. I know this group of girls will make the off-season commitments during the summer and fall continue to improve even more.”
Monday was senior day for the tennis program, with four players recognized: Charlotte Paladino, Ian Barnes, Jackson Mathis, and Luke Midgett. Each player has served an important role in helping the DCHS tennis team grow and improve into a competitive and successful program in the district and region. Paladino played in the #1 singles spot for the Lady Tigers for three seasons, a position that faces very stiff competition. “Charlotte has been the steady force on our girls’ team during her career. She assumed the #1 seed as a sophomore during a massive rebuilding year when we lost all of our matches in 2023. I am thankful for her commitment to sticking out those early challenges to lead our team to a 9-win season in 2025.” Barnes, Mathis, and Midgett joined the program as sophomores and helped the team emerge that year as a district contender, earning 2nd place in 2023. “I am thankful to Ian, Jackson, and Luke for helping our team rise to the top of our district behind Cookeville and alongside White County. They have partnered together to establish a foundation of success, a position we will strive to hold going forward.” Besides the team tournament match on Friday, the boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in the individual singles and doubles rounds on Thursday, May 1st, and Friday, May 2nd.
