Hanging Up His Robe

August 17, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

Hanging up his robe!

After 24 years serving as DeKalb County’s General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge, Bratten Hale Cook, II will be leaving office when his term ends August 31.

“The voters of DeKalb County have honored me three different times with election as your judge, and this has been the biggest honor of my career,” said Judge Cook in an interview with WJLE.

A retirement reception honoring Judge Cook will be held on Friday, August 19 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the DeKalb County Community Complex, 712 South Congress Boulevard, Smithville and all family, friends, and supporters are invited to celebrate Judge Cook’s journey of 24 years as General Sessions/Juvenile Court Judge of DeKalb County.

Although he will be stepping down from the bench, Judge Cook stresses that he is not retiring as an attorney.

“I am still going to practice law. I love working and I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t working. I hope I can slow down some since I won’t be on the bench several days a week,” said Judge Cook.

Judge Cook was elected to his first eight-year term in 1998 and re-elected in 2006 and 2014. He made his decision not to seek a fourth term in 2020, but only shared it with a select few.

Cook has practiced law for 42 years but becoming a lawyer was not a career path he had chosen until he was already in college.

“Actually, it didn’t hit me until probably my second year at MTSU when I had a lot of liberal arts courses such as history, psychology, sociology, and various English and literature courses. I enjoy reading and I found out if you want to be a lawyer you had better enjoy reading. One thing led to another, and I thought I would take the LSAT which is the Law School Admissions Test. I scored pretty well on it and from there I applied to Memphis and UT and got accepted at both, but I wanted to go to UT instead of Memphis,” Judge Cook said.

After becoming an attorney in 1980, Cook rose through the ranks to become one of the leading lawyers in town. For sixteen years he served as attorney and prosecutor for the City of Smithville and only gave it up when he became judge because he couldn’t hold both positions.

During his time on the bench, Judge Cook started several programs through the court system to better the lives of people who came before him, but the one he is most proud of is the Recovery Court, which is a rehabilitation program for drug offenders as an alternative to incarceration.

“I am extremely proud of our Adult Recovery Court, which we implemented in 2005. It is the most important program that I started as judge. It used to be called Drug Court. We still perform the same function; the State just changed the name. I have asked a hundred times over the years “do you want to pay $20,000 a year to house each person in the DeKalb County Jail, or do you want to pay about $5,000 a year to treat them so they can become clean and sober and responsible citizens?” It’s a no brainer. The Sheriff and members of his staff have always been involved in this program as well as the Assistant Public Defender and the Assistant District Attorney General. I have also been blessed with having other good people working with me in the Recovery Court Program. Right now we have Kate Arnold who is our Coordinator, and she is doing a fabulous job along with Case Managers Rhonda Tiefenauer and Jammie Hood. This program has been a tremendous success. We have seen so many people get clean and sober, get their children back, get a job, and get their own place to live. It’s totally transformed the lives of many people, as well as their family members and friends. I believe when you change one person’s life you’re really not just changing that one, but it goes out exponentially to their spouse, children, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and friends. It’s so rewarding, and I thank the Lord that I have had this opportunity,” said Judge Cook.

Over the years Judge Cook has received his share of honors but he said it’s his wife Judy and secretary Tish Summers who deserve most of the credit for the recognition.

“I have been blessed with having a wife who has always supported me. When I first ran for the judgeship Judy got out and campaigned more than I did, and she walked about every road in DeKalb County, knocked on thousands of doors and has always been behind me in my efforts to create these different programs.

As president of the local bar association, Judge Cook said he looks forward to continuing working with his fellow attorneys as he carries on his law practice after stepping down from the bench.

Judge Cook said he believes his successor; Brandon Cox will carry on the programs he started and would be willing to fill in for Judge Cox from time to time if the need should arise.

“I hope I can be of some help to Judge Cox and show him what I have done and what the job entails. I have been blessed to have former General Sessions and Juvenile Judge Vester Parsley as well as other judges from surrounding counties fill in for me when I have had conflicts, sickness, or vacation and I would love to do the same for Judge Cox”.

Asked if he had ever during his career contemplated seeking higher office, Judge Cook was quick to respond “no” but he added that his belief is everyone has a purpose in life.

“When I first made the decision to run for judge in 1998 I did a lot of thinking, but I did a whole lot more praying. I believe I was meant to do what I have done in my life. I have been so blessed far above what I deserve in my life with the opportunities I have been given and although I have been honored many times in my 42-year career with different awards, nothing quite equals the people of your home county selecting you to be a public official. They not only did it once or twice, but three times for me and I have enjoyed almost every minute of it”.

August 16, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A suspected drug dealer was busted by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department last week after a search of his home yielded a variety of drugs, weapons, a vehicle with an altered VIN number, and a large amount of cash.

39-year-old Nathan Joe Trapp of Magness Road, Smithville is under a $181,000 bond and he will make a court appearance in the case August 25. He is charged with possession of Suboxone, Alprazolam, and Clonazepam with intent to sell or deliver; and possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver over 300 grams; unlawful possession of a weapon; possession of drug paraphernalia; violation of an order of protection; and alteration of a VIN number.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Friday, August 12, a detective and other members of the Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at Trapp’s residence and found 650 grams of a crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine, two whole orange pills and broken pills believed to be Suboxone, two Alprazolam bars, five Clonazepam pills, numerous scales, baggies, and other drug paraphernalia along with two loaded Taurus 9 mm handguns, a loaded DB 5.56 caliber AR-15, and $30,750 in cash.

In addition to the money, investigators seized from Trapp a 2003 Nissan Murano and a 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle. They also discovered that the VIN number had been removed from the dash, door jams, and frame of a black Chevy Silverado truck on the premises.

Trapp was charged with the illegal possession of the weapons after authorities learned that he is a defendant in an order of protection matter and is not allowed to have any firearms.

21-year-old Sarah Michelle Starnes of Hickman is charged with domestic assault and vandalism under $1,000. Her bond totals $3,500 and she will be in court August 18. Sheriff Ray said that on August 4 Starnes grabbed the arms of a man during an altercation and pushed him by the throat and chest leaving marks on him. She also broke the windshield of a 2017 Jeep Wrangler with a rock she had thrown at another woman at the scene.

30-year-old Anthony Wayne Hale of Midway Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault. His bond is $40,000 and he will make a court appearance August 18. Sheriff Ray said that on August 3 a deputy was summoned to the Dollar General Store on Short Mountain Highway where a man was reportedly holding a woman at gunpoint. Upon arrival the officer learned from the woman that she and Hale got into an argument in their vehicle and that when she tried to get out, he grabbed her by the arm to keep her inside and reached for a firearm from the center console which he put to her throat.  The woman further claimed that Hale grabbed her face and throat trying to choke her.

29-year-old Denys Edgardo Herrera of Sparta Highway, Smithville is charged with evading arrest and driving under the influence. His bond totals $11,500 and he will be in court September 1. Sheriff Ray said that on August 7 a deputy was patrolling Sparta Highway when he spotted a red Toyota Corolla traveling on the wrong side of the road which almost hit the cruiser. The officer then tried to pull over the vehicle deploying his blue lights and siren, but the car sped up to over 80 miles per hour trying to get away.  After a short chase, the driver, Hererra pulled over. He had a strong odor of alcohol on him, his eyes were glossy, and he was unsteady on his feet. Hererra submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and he was taken into custody.

48-year-old Randall Keith Boehm, Jr. of McMinnville is charged with domestic assault. He is under a bond of $8,500 and he will be in court September 1. Sheriff Ray said that on August 7 a deputy was summoned to a residence on Quiet Lane due to a verbal dispute. Upon arrival the officer spoke with two people who reported that Boehm, their mother’s boyfriend, had struck their sister in the face with his open hand. Boehm appeared to have been intoxicated at the time.

21-year-old Caleb Ryan Warrick of Lebanon is charged with aggravated assault and violation of bond conditions. His bond is $15,000 and he will be in court August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on August 1 a deputy was called to a residence on Moore Taylor Road due to a child custody issue involving a gun. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a man who reported that two people showed up in a vehicle for the purpose of helping move someone out of the residence. The man said when he asked them to leave, the passenger of the automobile, Warrick pulled and cocked a gun, pointing it at him before leaving. An NCIC background check revealed that Warrick was under bond conditions out of Wilson County which prohibited him from carrying a weapon and being near a woman who was at this residence on Moore Taylor Road.

43-year-old Scotty Wayne Knowles of Jacobs Pillar Road is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver; possession with intent to sell or deliver Heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond is $23,500 and he will be in court September 15. Sheriff Ray said that on August 13 Knowles was arrested on active warrants at Ragland Bottom Campground when a baggie containing a white crystal-like substance, a blue pill, and another baggie with a pink powder substance believed to be Fentanyl were all found in the area where he was sitting along with two spoons and two scales.

35-year-old Brittany Sara Ann Cossel of Nashville is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. Her bond is $15,000 and she will be in court September 8. Sheriff Ray said that on August 14 a deputy pulled over a silver Chevy Malibu and during the traffic stop the officer asked the passenger, Cossel if there were any drugs in the car and she replied “yes”. Cossel had a small amount of marijuana and ICE in a small black pouch inside her purse.  The purse held 1.23 grams of methamphetamine and 1.49 grams of marijuana.

38-year-old Vilot Mae Tucker is charged with aggravated assault and violation of an order of protection. She is under a $7,500 bond and her court date is September 8. Sheriff Ray said that on August 15 a deputy was summoned to a location on Antioch Road where he spoke with a man who reported that Tucker had cut his truck tires. When he threatened to call police, Tucker warned that she would kill him with a knife she was holding at the time. According to the order of protection, Tucker is to keep away from this man.

August 16, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A restoration of the Liberty Tennis Courts will proceed.

During a special called meeting Monday night, all members of the Liberty town council agreed to move forward with the project with the exception of Kendra Stanford, a new alderman who last week raised questions about the company doing the work. Because of Stanford’s concerns, Mayor Audrey Martin said work on the project was stopped Thursday until the aldermen could meet and resolve the issues.

In May, 2022, the former Liberty town council voted unanimously to hire Seal Rite, Inc, doing business as Sport Rite, Inc. of Tullahoma to repair the tennis courts at a bid price of $28,600. According to the minutes from the May 2, 2022 meeting, “it was decided that there would be two tennis courts. A basketball goal would also be installed on the outside of the fence facing the parking lot”. The minutes went on to reflect that the town had received a $1,000 donation from one individual and that total donations toward the project came to approximately $4,000. Last month, the county commission earmarked $18,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Liberty Tennis Court Renovation and city leaders say the project is also to be supported by a matching grant.

Alderman J.D. Bratten said the city’s decision to rehabilitate the tennis courts was the result of interest by residents of the town.

“The town of Liberty people came to us and said this is what we want. We got this bid and this is what we want to do with it. Okay, that’s what we did, and we all (aldermen) voted on it,” said Alderman Bratten.

After the city initially advertised and was unsuccessful in obtaining bids for the project, Sport Rite, Inc. was contacted by former alderman Derek Johnson on behalf of the city and the company quoted an estimate.

According to Johnson, who was at the meeting Monday night, all the aldermen later met with the owner of the company before voting to award the project based on that quote which included repairing cracks and resurfacing the tennis courts.

“The whole board met with Sal (company owner) and he gave us a price, but he had to re-evaluate it because we had delayed the process. This is the new (price) he sent back to us ($28,600). When he sent that back to us, he said if we all agreed to do it, to sign that piece of paper and send it back to him and that would be our contract between us and him,” said Johnson.

Stanford said the ownership of the company apparently changed recently and that the new owner is not a licensed contractor but is operating under the previous owner’s license.

“This guy (owner) doesn’t have a contractor license. It is under the previous owner’s name. He didn’t own this company until July 13. He has to have a contractor’s license with the state of Tennessee under his name,” said Stanford.

“Sal (owner) said to me that he is responsible for it and has the license and also has the insurance,” said Alderman Bratten.

Alderman Stanford also questioned if the city actually has a valid contract since the terms lack specifics. “I thought a contract was supposed to specify when they were going to start the job and finish the job. This is not even a contract. It is an estimate,” she said.

Because of the concerns raised, Mayor Martin said Smithville Attorney Vester Parsley was contacted. Although not on retainer, Parsley is sometimes consulted by city leaders for legal advice.

According to Mayor Martin and City Secretary Charlotte Bratten, Parsley advised the city not to take any action to change or void the existing agreement with the company.

“If Vester Parsley says that this is a binding contract, we have to go with it. He is a lawyer. He said if we wanted to do away with it (agreement) then we would be in the middle of a lawsuit and we could lose,” said Martin.

“I don’t think there would be a lawsuit if they (company) are not legitimate,” said Alderman Stanford.