Police Foil Man’s Attempts to Avoid Arrest

August 22, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A man arrested in a part of town known for heavy drug activity is facing several charges including assaulting an officer with a bike, resisting arrest and tampering with evidence (eating suspected drugs) found on him.

21 year old Adam Michael Whitecotton of 451 Oak Street is under a $35,000 bond. In addition to charges of assaulting an officer, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest, Whitecotton is also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication.

While patrolling Highland Street on August 2, Smithville Police spotted Whitecotton sitting on a bike talking with a group of others. Whitecotton also had a backpack. Because this area is known for drug activity, the officers stopped to investigate. One of them asked Whitecotton if he had anything that might be considered illegal in his backpack and after receiving consent to search it found a meth pipe inside a red bandanna. Police then asked Whitecotton if he had anything in his pockets that might be illegal. Whitecotton then jumped off the bike, pushed it into the officer’s legs, and began to run. Police chased him through the neighborhood and onto Restview Street and then to Crestlawn Avenue where Whitecotton tried to hide by crawling under a car. After opening what sounded to police like a plastic bag, Whitecotton then crawled out from under the car when he saw the officers approaching. Police ordered Whitecotton to get on the ground. As he was being cuffed, officers noticed some type of white powder around Whitecotton’s mouth and suspected he had had eaten some type of drug.

49 year old Clarence Edward Sexton Jr. of 1222 South College Street was cited August 3 for a driver’s license violation and simple possession. While on a traffic stop, police confronted Sexton and discovered that he had in his possession a Gabapentin capsule and a Hydrocodone pill for which he had no prescription. His court date is August 22.

53 year old Donna Darlene Hutson of Sparta was cited on August 4 for shoplifting. Hutson was observed by Wal-Mart employees taking items from the store and leaving the building without paying for the merchandise. Her court date is August 22.

30 year old Michael Allen Dowell of Cookeville was arrested August 6 for aggravated assault. Police responded to a physical domestic call at 627 Armory Street and upon arrival spoke with the victim whose mouth was bloody. She had red marks on her throat, a bruise on the left side of her face, and a cut on her arm. Police learned that Dowell had punched her in the face, held a knife to her chest, and tried to strangle her. Witnesses reported seeing Dowell on top of the woman and punching her in the face after hearing screams for help. Bond for Dowell is $20, 000 and his court date is August 22.

44 year old Mark Wayne Hay of Smyrna was cited for shoplifting on August 8 after he was caught on camera taking a bottle of Crown Royal from the Discount Wine & Spirits store and leaving without paying for it. His court date is August 22.

44 year old Randall Mitchell Tittle of 1105 Earl Avenue was cited August 9 for simple possession. Police were called to Wal-Mart in reference to a suspicious person and upon arrival learned that Tittle had taken several items from the store and concealed them in his pants. Police confronted Tittle and retrieved from his left front pocket a clear bag containing 22 yellow tubular capsules believed to be Gabapentin. Tittle was cited for simple possession and Wal-Mart plans to prosecute him for shoplifting. His court date is August 29.

63 year old Johnny Wayne Trapp of 8264 Holmes Creek Road was arrested August 13 for public intoxication. Police were called to McDonald’s to check on a suspicious person spotted laying in the grass. Upon arrival, the officer found the man, Trapp asleep in the grass with a smell of an alcoholic beverage on him. Trapp was awakened and ordered to stand but he was unsteady on his feet. He was then taken into custody due to his being a danger to himself and an annoyance to the employees at McDonald’s. Bond for Trapp is $2,500 and his court date is August 29.

August 22, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Each school in DeKalb County received bags of free school supplies for teachers Monday and Tuesday thanks to Wilson Bank & Trust.

Over the summer, WB&T conducted its annual Teacher Supply Drive bringing back a successful initiative started last year to help teachers spend less money out of their own pockets. Pre-packaged bags of supplies were made available to purchase for teachers at all WBT locations across Middle Tennessee including DeKalb County. Visitors were allowed to donate any amount, but the cost to buy a full bag of supplies was $20 that included:

• Copy paper
• Dry erase markers
• Hand sanitizer
• Clorox wipes
• Tissues
• Cap erasers
• Glue sticks
• Pencils

With funds from the bank and individual donations, WB& T was able to deliver to each individual school on Monday and Tuesday more than 220 bags filled with school supplies for each teacher here in DeKalb County. The bank is appreciative to the community for its support.

“This supply drive gives us another opportunity to give back to our local community, and to help educators who often pay for supplies out of their own pocket,” Wilson Bank & Trust President John McDearman said. “It’s a small but mighty way to show our support for all they do, and we’re excited about making it even easier to participate this year for those who don’t have time to do extra shopping.”

Those who did wish to shop rather than give a monetary donation were allowed to bring supplies to Wilson Bank as well. Crayons, colored markers and colored pencils are specialty items that the bank especially sought to collect.

During last year’s campaign, Wilson Bank & Trust collected about $12,000 in items and donations, and provided classroom supplies for about 400 teachers across the region.

August 22, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A woman apparently high on drugs told officers she was looking for a snake in her car when recently confronted by Smithville Police during a welfare check. No snake was found.

44 year old Angela Renee Rhea of McMinnville was arrested on August 3 for a 2nd offense of driving under the influence. Police observed a white vehicle sitting at the ATM on South Congress Boulevard and stopped to do a welfare check about 45 minutes later when the officer noticed that the car was still sitting there. The driver, Rhea, said she was looking for a snake in her car. Rhea’s pupils were dilated and wouldn’t restrict. The officer learned that she had taken Gabapentin earlier. Rhea submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and was then taken into custody. Her bond is $5,000.

36 year old Jessie Anne Davis of Liberty was cited on July 19 for possession of drug paraphernalia. During a traffic stop, police found Davis with a black marijuana grinder, a red grinder, and a pink & blue marijuana pipe.

23 year old Robert Alan Norrod of Dowelltown was arrested on July 19 for a 2nd offense of driving on a suspended license, misuse of registration, and he was cited for financial responsibility.
Police spotted a white van pull into a residence on Anthony Avenue and stopped to investigate due to reports of recent burglaries in the area. The officer spoke with the driver, Norrod, asking to see his license, registration, and proof of insurance. After checking with Central Dispatch the officer learned that Norrod’s license has been suspended and his license plate expired since October 2018 even though the plate had a 2019 decal on it. Police learned that the license plate belonged to someone in Nashville. Norrod also could not provide proof of insurance. His bond is $4,500.

28 year old Ricardo Loaiza Gonzalez of North Carolina was arrested for public intoxication on July 20. Police were called to McDonalds and found Gonzalez to be unsteady on his feet and his eyes were glossy. The officer also smelled an alcoholic beverage about Gonzalez and saw that he was unaware of his surroundings. Gonzalez was taken into custody. His bond is $1,500.

43 year old Jimmy Layne Estes was arrested for theft on July 24. While visiting a residence on Crest Avenue, police say Estes reached into a purse and took his victim’s money and identification before running out the front door. Officers located him later and placed him in custody. His bond is $3,500.

36 year old Jaquantez Shermont Pearson of 318 Bell Street was arrested on July 31 for violation of an order of protection. Police were called to Bell Street Apartments due to a possible domestic incident and upon arrival spoke with a woman who reported that everything was okay. After she gave him permission to search the apartment, the officer found Pearson in the back bedroom and took him into custody knowing that he was under an active order of protection to keep away from this woman. His bond is $2,500.

24 year old Matthew Allen White of 408 Kendra Drive was cited July 31 for simple possession. Police were informed that White, who had an active warrant against him for failure to appear, was spotted at Mapco Express. Upon arrival the officer found White inside the store near the restrooms. During a search incident to arrest, police found 3 pills believed to be Xanax for which White had no prescription.