Three More Petitions Issued for March GOP Primary

October 31, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Three more people have obtained qualifying petitions for the March 5th DeKalb County Republican Primary including Danny Adamson for Constable-District 2, and Travis Bryant-Incumbent Constable-District 3.

Recently governor appointed judge Shawn Fry of Cookeville has also filed his petition in the six counties including DeKalb that make up the 13th Judicial District to seek a full eight-year term to the newly created criminal court judgeship.

Four others had already obtained petitions for the GOP Primary. Two of them plan to be in the race for Property Assessor including incumbent Shannon Cantrell and challenger Amy Clare Lockhart. Fourth district constable Lane Ball will be seeking a full four-year term as Constable in District 4 and Incumbent fifth district constable Mark Milam has picked up and returned his petition for re-election with the required number of signatures and he is now a qualified constable candidate for the primary.

Both the DeKalb County Republican and Democratic Parties will be holding primaries simultaneously on Tuesday, March 5th for the offices of Property Assessor, Constable (districts 1-7), and Board of Education (5th & 6th) districts along with the newly created position of criminal court judge-Part III in the 13th judicial district. The primaries will be held in conjunction with the Tennessee Presidential Preference Primary.

The qualifying deadline is Thursday, December 14 at 12 noon. The voter registration deadline for the March 5th primaries is February 5 and the early voting period will be Wednesday, February 14 through Tuesday, February 27. The Absentee ballot request deadline is Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

Independents wishing to run for Assessor of Property or Constable (districts 1-7), Board of Education (5th & 6th) districts, or for criminal court judge-Part III in the August 2024 County General Elections must also qualify by noon on Thursday, December 14.

Party nominees and independents for these offices will run in the DeKalb County General Election on Thursday, August 1, 2024 and those elected will take office September 1, 2024.

The incumbents in these offices are Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell and Constables- 1st District: Waylon Kyle, 2nd District: Darrell Johnson, 3rd District: Travis Bryant, 4th District: Lane Ball, 5th District: Mark Milam, 6th District: Jason Brown, and 7th District: Johnny King.

The school board seats up for election in 2024 are currently held by Jamie Cripps in the 5th district and Jason Miller in the 6th district.

October 31, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Parents and kids looking to trick or treat on Halloween will find plenty of opportunities downtown Smithville, at the County Complex on South Congress Boulevard, and other places in the county.

It’s the annual “Smithville Boo Bash” Tuesday, October 31 from noon until 5:00 p.m. Participating businesses downtown will have candy and special treats for the children. The offices at the Community Complex will also be participating in the Boo Bash again this year.

The public square will be blocked off around 11:30 to make it safer for everyone participating in this event.

“Look for businesses with an orange pumpkin displayed in their windows. Several people will also have tents set up handing out candy. We are excited to see the trick or treaters again this year and the themes and decorations the businesses come up with,” said spokesperson Beth Adcock.

“Bring your children to town and trick or treat in a safe and friendly environment and don’t forget to stop by City Hall and get a slice of pizza, hotdog from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and candy from an officer and all our other businesses,” added Adcock.

The Chamber will be sponsoring the Best Costume Contest for the businesses and offices awarding 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winners.

October 31, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

An attack on a fellow inmate at the jail has resulted in aggravated assault charges against two prisoners.

24-year-old Gabriel James Hesson of Oak Drive, Smithville and 22-year-old Christopher Edward Spoon, Jr. are each under a $15,000 bond and will appear in General Sessions Court November 9.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on October 20 both Hesson and Spoon assaulted another male inmate at the jail by hitting him in the face several times with a closed fist. The fight was caught on video surveillance and officers responded to the cell to stop it. The video showed both Hesson and Spoon delivering the blows causing the victim to suffer broken bones, abrasions and facial swelling.

18-year-old Jackson Riley Arnold of Dale Ridge Road, Dowelltown is charged in a separate case of aggravated assault. His bond is $1,000 and he will make a court appearance November 2. Sheriff Ray said that on October 17 a deputy was summoned to a domestic assault call and upon arrival spoke with the caller who said his son, Arnold had struck him with a bat in the left hand. There were no apparent injuries, but Arnold allegedly admitted to committing the assault.

22-year-old Alexis Renee Harville of Austin Lake Road, Baxter is charged with domestic assault. Sheriff Ray said that on October 22 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Austin Lake Road due to a physical domestic complaint. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a man who reported that his girlfriend, Harville had struck him in the back and face as he was trying to leave the home in his truck. The man had a handprint on his back and a scratch under his left eye.

37-year-old Jennifer Dawn Johnson of Old Highway 53, Liberty is charged with domestic assault. She is under a $2,500 bond and her court date is November 9. Sheriff Ray said that on October 23 a deputy was summoned to Springside Lane due to a physical domestic complaint. Upon arrival he spoke with Johnson and a man, who had a bloody nose and a scratch on his left ear. The man reported that Johnson forced her way into a room with a board and that she struck him in the face with it.

40-year-old Krista Shaynae Hodges of Sandstone Court, McMinnville is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver and fabricating or tampering with evidence. She is under a $10,000 bond and her court date is November 9. Sheriff Ray said that on October 18 detectives pulled over a black Chrysler 300 near Briarwood Subdivision on Cookeville Highway due to an obstructed registration plate. The vehicle was registered to Hodges, and she was the driver and sole occupant of the automobile. Hodges gave consent for deputies search the vehicle and they found three baggies of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine and another baggie with residue, a glass pipe with residue, and a black digital scale. The baggies with the substances weighed 0.51 grams, 1.23 grams, and 0.81 grams. Meanwhile, on the evidence tampering charge, Sheriff Ray said that in September a detective obtained a search warrant for a residence and two phones resulting in charges for illegal possession of drugs and weapons. While looking through the evidence on the Samsung Galaxy A03s the phone shut down and then remotely reset but all information that had been on the phone was lost. Later, an inmate at the jail had a video visit with Hodges which was recorded. On the video, Hodges admitted to having remotely reset the phone. According to Sheriff Ray, Hodges’ act of deleting evidence from the phone effectively hindered the drug investigation.

25-year-old Dimitri Bless of Blueberry Lane, Liberty is charged with driving under the influence. He is under a $1,500 bond and his court date is November 9. Sheriff Ray said that on October 27 a deputy responded to the area of Nashville Highway due to a report of a reckless driver traveling toward oncoming traffic. The officer spotted the vehicle, a Ford Explorer which was parked in the slow lane of Nashville Highway near Short Street. The vehicle had extensive damage from having hit a curb and a mailbox. After stopping to investigate, the deputy spoke with the driver, Bless and found that his pupils were constricted, and he was unsteady on his feet. Bless submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.