Johnson Sentenced for Solicitation of Minor

September 8, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

A man who allegedly tried to solicit sex with a minor in 2017 was sentenced Tuesday in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

43 year old Jason Dwayne Johnson entered a plea to solicitation of a minor and received a two year suspended sentence and his name will be on the state’s sex offender registry.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that from April, 2017 to November 27, 2017 “Johnson did by electronic communication intentionally request, persuade, invite, or attempt to induce a person (female) whom he knows or should know is less than 18 years of age to engage in conduct that if completed would constitute a violation by the soliciting adult of the offense of statutory rape”.

September 7, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Only four districts and 264 people in DeKalb County would be affected by a proposed redistricting plan which is being recommended to the county commission for approval

The DeKalb County Redistricting Committee met Tuesday night at the courthouse and adopted the plan as prepared and proposed by John Thomas, GIS specialist with the Tennessee Comptroller’s office.

The law requires that counties undergo redistricting every ten years following the US census count to ensure that each district is equally populated or as close to equal as possible. The overall deviation from the optimum population cannot be more than 10%. In DeKalb County’s case, the overall deviation based on the 2020 Census was 11% so minor shifts in population were made to comply with the law. By simply moving 158 people from District 3 to District 2 and shifting 106 residents from District 5 to District 6, the redistricting committee achieved its goal and brought the overall deviation down to 7.5%.

DeKalb County’s total population based on the 2020 Census is 20,080.

The following is a breakdown of the total population in each of the seven districts in the county and the deviation from the optimum in each. The optimum is the total population of 20,080 divided by 7 or almost 2,869 people per district:

District 1: Total Population- 2,860 (-9 people or 0% deviation from optimum)
District 2: Total Population- 2,691 (-178 people or -6% deviation)
District 3: Total Population- 2,992 (+123 people or 4% deviation)
District 4: Total Population- 2,948 (+79 people or 3% deviation)
District 5: Total Population- 2,945 (+76 people or 3% deviation)
District 6: Total Population-2,663 (-206 people or -7% deviation)
District 7: Total Population 2,981 (+112 people or 4% deviation)

During Tuesday night’s meeting Thomas explained that by law population shifts under redistricting must be done in census blocks which are statistical areas bounded by visible features such as roads and streams. Thomas further defined the boundaries in the districts where the population shifts would be made under this plan.

“We propose to move 158 people from District 3 to District 2. This area is bounded on the northeast by State Route 83; on the north by Vickers Hollow Road; on the southeast by Short Mountain Road; and on the southwest by Lee Braswell Road,” said Thomas.

“We also propose moving 106 people from District 5 to District 6. This area is bounded on the north by Turner Road; on the west by Jacobs Pillar Road; on the south by Cappy Springs Branch; and on the east by McMinnville Highway,” Thomas added.

All members of the Redistricting Committee in attendance voted in favor of the plan which will now go to the full county commission for final approval at its next regular meeting on Monday, September 27. Before the meeting the state will prepare a map showing the new realigned districts which will be published for the full county commission and public to view.

Once the county commission adopts a redistricting plan, the election commission will go to work setting voting precincts and updating voter rolls in time for the 2022 elections.

In addition to Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley, who serves as Chairman, members of the Redistricting committee are County Mayor Tim Stribling and County Commissioners Shaee Flatt from the 1st district, Myron Rhody- 2nd district, Susannah Cripps Daughtry- 3rd district, Janice Fish-Stewart- 4th district, Anita Puckett – 5th district, Matt Adcock – 6th district, and Bruce Malone from the 7th district. The two school board members appointed are Jim Beshearse of the 3rd district and Shaun Tubbs of the 7th district. All were present Tuesday night except Rhody.

September 7, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County will join communities across the country this week in remembering the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The local 9/11 Memorial Ceremony will be Thursday, September 9 at 6 p.m. on the east side of the Courthouse in remembrance of the people who lost their lives during the attacks. Darrin Vincent will be singing and prayers will be offered. The Marine Corp League will also perform the three-volley salute and play taps.

The first community tribute was held just days after the attacks in 2001 and a ten year observance was held in 2011