Smithville’s Josh Tramel Wins T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Tournament on Center Hill Lake

April 1, 2019
By:

Boater Josh Tramel of Smithville, Tennessee, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division tournament on Center Hill Lake. For his first-place finish, Tramel earned $4,384.

Tramel said he primarily worked through two mid-lake areas with gravel and rock, and caught approximately 10 keepers throughout the tournament.

“One area was a staging area – a little creek channel swing in a major creek – and one had multiple staging areas close to points where bass were spawning,” said Tramel, who earned his sixth career win in BFL competition. “I caught most of what I weighed in before lunch, until 12 [p.m.] or so. My limit was made up of all smallmouth.”

Tramel caught three that he weighed at the channel swing in 6 to 8 feet of water using a Carolina-rigged green pumpkin-colored Berkley Power Hog. The other two smallmouth were caught at the points on Crawfish-colored Rapala DT6 and a DT10 crankbaits in 6 to 10 feet of water.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 20-12, $4,384
2nd: Jesse Rigsby, Old Hickory, Tenn., five bass, 17-2, $1,467
3rd: Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 17-1, $1,127
4th: Clabion Johns, Covington, Ga., five bass, 16-15, $784
5th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $587
6th: Daniel Johnson, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-0, $538
7th: Michael Thomason, Winchester, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $489
8th: Jay Melton, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $440
9th: Dale Rowland, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $391
10th: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $342

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Matt Langley of Lebanon, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds even – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $335.

Mitchell Adams of Goodletsville’s, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $1,374 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Mitchell Adams, Goodletsville, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $1,374
2nd: Tyler Barnes, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $687
3rd: Sam Loveless, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 12-6, $459
4th: Brian Reed, Cookeville, Tenn., four bass, 11-3, $321
5th: Bryan Brinson, Hendersonville, Tenn., three bass, 8-8, $375
6th: Randall Wiggins, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 8-1, $302
7th: Todd Knois, Lewisburg, Tenn., three bass, 8-0, $229
8th: James Davis, Springfield, Tenn., three bass, 7-13, $206
9th: Donnie Rubel, Murfreesboro, Tenn., two bass, 7-8, $183
10th: Kelly Stone, Westmoreland, Tenn., two bass, 6-13, $160

Andrew Whitaker of Scottsville, Kentucky, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $152.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina, presented by Navionics. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

April 1, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A man was arrested during a traffic stop Sunday after he tried to throw away a container of marijuana to keep a deputy from finding it.

25 year old Christopher Jones of Davis Street, Smithville is charged with tampering with evidence. He is under a $25,000 bond and his court date is April 18.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Sunday, March 31 a deputy conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle for failing to maintain its lane of travel. Jones was a passenger. The deputy detected an odor of burnt marijuana coming from the automobile. Jones, the driver, and another passenger were asked to exit the vehicle. As Jones got out, the officer saw him throw a container about 20 feet into a ditch. The deputy recovered the container which held a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. Jones was placed under arrest for trying to destroy the evidence.

41 year old Gary Ray Ashford of Goodner Lane, Alexandria is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will make a court appearance on April 11.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 25 a deputy, while checking out a report of a reckless driver, spotted a vehicle on the side of the road on Nashville Highway. Ashford was standing beside the automobile. The officer stopped to talk to Ashford and noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person. Ashford was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. Ashford said his wife had been driving the car but had left him there and taken the keys with her. However another officer at the scene found the keys in a ditch beside the car.

36 year old Heather Trigg Frederick of Pine Grove Road, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. She is under a $2,500 bond and her court date is April 11.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 25 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Students Home Road due to a complaint of a domestic assault. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the complainant who said that he and Frederick (his wife) had been drinking. He said Frederick became angry after he consumed her drinks and hit him in the head with her fist. Frederick’s version of the story was that after taking a nap she awoke and got into an argument with her husband and that she hit him in the head. There were no visible injuries and the man refused to have EMS take him to the hospital.

34 year old Sebrena Michelle Tate of Lower Helton Road, Alexandria is charged with public intoxication. Her bond is $1,500 and she will make a court appearance on April 18.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 30 a deputy was called to Obie Adcock Road due to a woman with a flashlight walking in the road. The deputy and other officers spotted the woman (Tate) and stopped to speak with her. She was unsteady on her feet. Her speech was slurred and her pupils were constricted. Tate said she saw people around her but the officers concluded she was hallucinating as there was actually no one with her. She declined medical treatment and was placed under arrest.

41 year old Alton Brian Bundy of Woodbury is charged with a 4th offense of driving under the influence. Bundy’s bond is $10,000 and his court date is April 18.

Sheriff Ray said that on March 31 a deputy was called to McMinnville Highway to look for a possible intoxicated driver who was observed leaving and then coming back onto the roadway. The officer stopped the vehicle for failure to maintain lane of travel. The driver, Bundy, had a strong odor of alcohol coming his person and his eyes were red and watery. Bundy, who was unsteady on his feet, performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. After refusing to give blood for a test, a search warrant was obtained to get a blood sample from him.

April 1, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A McMinnville woman arrested for breaking into a residence in the Jefferson Community in January and stealing almost $29,000 worth of items including a truck was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court today (Monday).

25 year old Lara Cheyenne Rigsby entered a plea to aggravated burglary and theft over $10,000. She received a 6 year sentence for the burglary and 4 years in the theft case to run consecutively for a total of 10 years suspended to supervised probation after serving 90 days. Rigsby must make restitution to the victim. She was given jail credit of 42 days.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on January 13, Rigsby broke into a home on Jefferson Road and stole a Kenmore electric range, Maytag washer and dryer, a mini-fridge, a 32 inch Samsung TV, a Dell computer, a Brothers sewing machine, leather rocker recliners, vases, wood art, a John Deere riding mower, 2007 Nissan Frontier, mantle clock, 22 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, leather gun case, an electric tile saw, weedeater, leaf blower, air compressor, nail gun and other miscellaneous items totaling $28, 839 in value.

While committing the crimes, Rigsby also damaged the 2007 Nissan Frontier, an Acorn stair lift, stair rail, small vanity, picture frames, painted glass panel, door jam, and two walls. The total amount of the damages came to $5,882.

The case was investigated by Sheriff’s Department Detectives and some of the items including the truck were recovered.

Meanwhile, a Walling man who stole an ATV four wheeler in February and caused some damage in the process was sentenced today (Monday).

22 year old Timothy Tyler McWhirter entered a plea to theft of property over $2,500 and received a 4 year TDOC sentence on probation. He must make restitution of $2,500 to the victim. McWhirter was given jail credit of 35 days.

Sheriff Ray said that on February 8 McWhirter stole from a residence on Four Seasons Road a 2017 Honda Recon 680 and drove it through a fence while leaving the property. McWhirter’s actions destroyed the fence and damaged the ATV’s ignition lock. He also spray painted the frame of the ATV. Total damage came to $12,000.

The case was investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.

54 year old Vincent Rodolphus Helser entered a plea to sale of methamphetamine over 0.5 grams. He received a 9 year TDOC sentence on probation as a range II offender after serving 180 days in the county jail. He was fined $2,000. The term is to run concurrently with a General Sessions Court sentence he is currently serving. Helser was given jail credit of 153 days and he must make restitution of $770 to the sheriff’s department.