Dump Truck Driver Airlifted After Rollover Crash Saturday

July 29, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A Sparta man was airlifted Saturday after his dump truck loaded with top soil overturned on Cookeville Boat Dock Road in the Austin Bottom Community.

Sergeant Tracy White of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said 53 year old Johnny Jones was driving down a steep grade in his 1982 Ford dump truck for the Top Soil Company of Cookeville, when he went off the left side of the road and struck an embankment causing the truck to rollover onto its top in the roadway. Of course, the load of top soil spilled out as well.

The DeKalb County Fire Department’s Extrication and Rescue Team was called to the scene because Jones was entrapped in the truck and the Putnam County Rescue Squad was also summoned to render mutual aid support. They were able to gain access to Jones with their extrication equipment and removed him from the truck. He was treated at the scene by EMS and airlifted by helicopter ambulance to Skyline Medical Center in Nashville. The DeKalb County Fire Department set up the landing zone for the airlift. Jones claimed his brakes failed, causing him to lose control of the truck.

July 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A suspect in a domestic assault in Cannon County was apprehended today (Sunday morning) in DeKalb County. He was reportedly in a stolen pickup truck out of Rutherford County.

Michael Holden Thomas was found with the help from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, said Keith Lowery, Rutherford County Chief Deputy.

According to local reports, Thomas was in a pickup truck approaching DeKalb County on Short Mountain Highway in Cannon County when THP troopers lost sight of him during a pursuit.

Later, Rutherford County officers were able to ping Thomas’ cell phone to a location near the Four Star Loop off Poss Road in DeKalb County.

Local deputies responded to the area and saw the truck Thomas was driving on Four Seasons Road and followed it onto Hendrixson Road and then to Evins Mill Road. Meanwhile a THP helicopter conducting an aerial search spotted the truck as it approached Highway 70 and while officers on the ground put down spike strips to disable it, Thomas drove the truck across the highway from Evins Mill to Midway Road before coming to a stop in a bean field. THP officers then converged on the truck and took Thomas into custody at around 9 a.m. Members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Smithville Police Department were also on the scene to offer assistance.

According to a press release from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department, Cannon County Sheriff Darrell Young requested Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office to help search for Thomas Wednesday after the domestic case and after he allegedly broke into a house while carrying a machete.

Deputies located Thomas at about 1 a.m. Sunday at the Handlebar on East Main Street near Murfreesboro, the statement said.

“Thomas was accused of attempting to strike a deputy, as he fled early this morning, and subsequently striking a Rutherford County Sheriff’s vehicle while fleeing the bar,” Lowery said.
Thomas was apprehended in a stolen truck from Goochie Ford Road in Rutherford County, the chief deputy said.

THP’s Aviation helicopter joined the search for Thomas along with Rutherford and Cannon county deputies throughout Saturday night into Sunday morning, the press release said.

July 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant from DeKalb County has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the THP Nashville District Special Programs Unit.

Charlie Caplinger of Smithville was recognized for a promotion by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security in a special ceremony last Monday at the Tennessee Highway Patrol Training Center in Nashville. Tennessee Department of Safety Commissioner Jeff Long, THP Captain Anthony Griffin, Colonel Dereck Stewart, Lieutenant Colonel James Hutcherson, and Major Terrell Johnson were part of the ceremony.

Lieutenant Caplinger has served as a Trooper in the Nashville District since he was commissioned in 2002 starting his THP career in Robertson County as a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer.

Caplinger was transferred to Wilson County as a road trooper in 2004 and remained in that position until 2008 when he joined the ACES (Alternative Commercial Enforcement Strategies) program under the Special Programs section and served as a Supervisor on the Nashville district STRIKE team for 6 years. Caplinger holds numerous commercial motor vehicle certifications including Level 1, Haz-Mat, Cargo Tanker, and Compliance Review and in 2012 was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in Robertson County. Caplinger transferred to Wilson County as Sergeant in April 2013 and remained there until June 2017 when he became Sergeant of the Special Programs Unit serving as the PIO (Public Information Officer) for the Nashville district.

Lieutenant Caplinger is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Personnel and was named Trooper of the year in 2010. He is now attending the Commissioners Leadership Academy and set to graduate in January 2020.

Caplinger and his wife Rhonda have two children, Michael and Jennifer.