Dwayne Page

Two of a kind!

Thanks to the DeKalb Animal Shelter you can double your pleasure and fun by adopting “Johnny” and “Walker”. The WJLE/DeKalb Animal Shelter featured “Pets of the Week”

Johnny and Walker are a bonded pair of domestic shorthaired cats from the same litter. They are eight years old and have been fixed and vaccinated. They are ready to go home with you for one great deal. Adopt one at full price and adopt the other for half price. The cost for both is $180. Johnny and Walker should be adopted together.

If you are interested in meeting Johnny and Walker, fill out an application on the animal shelter website or come in. Visit https://www.dekalbanimalsheltertn.com/ or call 615-597-3647.

The shelter is open Mondays-Fridays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Transfer Station Road off Highway 70 east behind Tenneco.

The Budget Committee of the County Commission held its first meeting of the year last Tuesday night to begin preparations for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

County Mayor Matt Adcock and the committee reviewed projected revenues and expenditures for the new year compared to the current fiscal year. Sheriff Patrick Ray and Administrator of Elections Dustin Estes attended as scheduled to make budget requests for their operations.

The DeKalb County Election Office currently has one full time deputy administrator. Estes said the office needs a second full time employee and he cited statistics to back up his request.

“I am requesting to add one deputy to my staff. I operate with a staff of one,” he said. “Some statistics to back up the need for the extra support, from 2017 to 2025 we have seen a 21% growth in our voter rolls,” explained Estes. “In the last four years DeKalb County has increased 8% in its total residents and our voter rolls have increased 11%. Looking at similar counties to DeKalb County, Smith County has two deputies. I think they have operated with two deputies for some time. Adding a second deputy would potentially alleviate any comp time and it would also support our office in vacation and sick time. We have been fortunate so far but with a staff of one I feel like we run the risk during election time. Heaven forbid but if something were to happen to myself or that one person during an election, we would really have liability with such an important task,” explained Estes.

With a second employee, the budgetary line item for salary and wages would increase from $42,889 (budgeted for 2024-25) to $80,935 (2025-26) and that proposed increase would also impact line items for social security, pensions, unemployment, and employer Medicare.

With fewer elections in the 2025-26 budget year, Estes said the expense for election commission workers would be reduced by $20,000.

“This is due to the fact that we are coming out of a year with two elections into a year with one election. Also, the required notices we have to publish in the newspaper would be reduced by $1,250 because we will only have one election instead of two,” Estes explained.

However, fees for other contracted services would increase by $3,000.

“Our voting machine vendor has increased their contracted yearly maintenance fee from $12,000 to $15,000. They have not given an increase in many years and this increase will be locked in for the next four years,” said Estes.

According to Estes, the election commission has more than operated within its budget this year and he is hoping to “give back” to the county up to $30,000 by the end of the budget year.

In January, the county commission voted to relocate the election commission headquarters from the first floor of the courthouse to the unused office space at the county complex. A budget amendment in the amount of $110,000 was also adopted. The money will be appropriated from the fund balance of the capital projects fund. The project was recently advertised for bids but none have been received as yet.

Meanwhile, County Mayor Adcock said during the budget committee meeting Tuesday night that the three judicial commissioners are requesting an increase in pay. The 2024-25 budget has a total of $44,700 for their salaries which comes to $14,900 for each of the three of them. He said they want their pay to go to $20,000 each.

Last fall, the county created a new courthouse security guard position. His pay (2025-26) as a full-time employee would be $37,440 or $49,039 with benefits included (social security, retirement, health insurance, unemployment, and Medicare)

A part time courthouse security guard position, also created last fall but yet to be filled, is budgeted in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

State required 3% pay raises to county officials are to be budgeted in 2025-26 as well as expected local increases due employees based on the county’s current wage scale formulas.

Meanwhile in his budget requests, Sheriff Ray explained that he is adding two deputy positions and an additional secretary to his operation in 2025-26 but has taken steps to minimize budgetary impact.

The following is the sheriff’s written proposal to the budget committee:

Budget Request:

“We are adding 2 deputies to the sheriff’s department and the 3% salary increases plus tier jumps. I have made deductions from the sheriff’s budget to try to offset expenses for the extra 2 deputy positions. We have also lost high tier deputies and detectives, so our salaries line item is less this year than last year. With the deductions from Sheriff’s Department budget line items and the pay decreases, I feel the impact of the extra 2 deputies along with the 3% increase in pay with the employee tier jumps will have a minimal impact to the budget,” said Sheriff Ray.

“We have two deputies on a swing shift now. By adding 2 more deputies, this will give us four deputies on a shift. The extra deputy on day and night shift will help with transports for the out of county inmates being housed in another jail, inmates who are transported to the State Penitentiary, doctors’ visits, transporting mental ill patients to mental hospitals, among other transports. Our current jail cannot hold serious offenders, female inmates or sex offenders. We have multiple transports almost every day. We also have multiple male and female inmates in the same jail who have court. This may take two trips for two inmates in that county. For an example, when we have a male and a female being housed in Bedford County, it takes 2 transport officers in separate vehicles because they cannot be transported together. This also happens when the same sex inmates have a dispute with another inmate and can’t be transported together. The way it is now, if we have a deputy off for medical or vacation time, we cannot do transports on a shift. We have to call in deputies for the transports resulting in overtime pay,” said Sheriff Ray.

Adding 1 secretary:

“This secretary will be responsible for finding where an inmate is to be housed (may have to call as many as 15 jails) and set up transport for inmate with a deputy,” explained Sheriff Ray. “Once a Jail is found for the inmate to be housed in, the secretary will be responsible for creating a “packet” to go with the inmate. That packet consists of booking information and medical information”.

“The secretary will be responsible to track each inmate who is housed outside of our county. This consists of attorney appointments, recovery court appointments, doctor’s appointments and court dates”.

“If the inmate has to go outside of the housing facility to the emergency room in that county, the secretary will arrange for a correctional officer to drive to the hospital in that county and sit with the inmate. If the inmate is in the hospital longer than the correctional officer’s shift, the secretary will then arrange for another correctional officer to relieve the one that is there. If the inmate causes trouble at the facility, that Jail may make us come and pick up the inmate and the secretary will arrange re-housing somewhere else. When the inmate has a doctor’s appointment, makes bond or has a court date, the secretary will then arrange for transportation back to our jail,” said Sheriff Ray.

“The secretary will be responsible for keeping up with outstanding medical bills and working with our healthcare company to get reductions on the bills and sending the bills to the County Mayor’s Office for payment. The secretary will also be responsible for collecting our inmate housing bills from other counties”.

“I have made deductions from the Jail’s Budget to try to offset expenses with the extra secretary position. We have also lost high tier correctional officers, so our salaries line item is less this year. One of the major cuts, is with the jail’s inmate food line item. The food item line cut is where our contract for feeding 85 inmates and over has gone down to 52 inmates because of the TCI bed count cut. That food cut alone was $103,000,” said Sheriff Ray.

Litter Funding:

“I asked for a continued contract for county litter pick up on DeKalb County roads,” Sheriff Ray continued.

“I currently have a five day a week litter pick up for DeKalb County roads. I also have a State Road contract for picking up litter on State Roads in DeKalb County 4 to 5 times throughout the year. This contact provides the Sheriff’s Department with an extra correctional officer while they are not picking up trash. I also take what money is left from the contract after the pay for the officer and pay for other things. One year we used this money to purchase a new litter truck. Last year and hopefully this year, the left-over money will be spent on our new shooting range we are building. We have been able to secure numerous grants and the left-over money from the State Litter Contract to pay for everything we have spent on the new range thus far,” he said.

The budget committee has not yet acted on requests made by Sheriff Ray or Election Administrator Estes.

The next meeting of the county budget committee will be Tuesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. in the lower courtroom of the courthouse.

It’s now official!

57-year-old Chris Tatrow will spend another three years in prison.

“After independently reviewing Chris Tatrow’s parole case following his review hearing held at Northwest Correctional Complex on April 8, 2025, the Board of Parole’s final decision was to decline parole due to the seriousness of the offense. His parole case will now be reviewed again in three years (April 2028). To improve chances of parole at his next hearing, the Board recommended Mr. Tatrow maintains positive institutional behavior and complete programming as recommended by his Strong R assessment,” said Dustin Krugel, Communications Officer for the Tennessee Board of Parole in a statement to WJLE Friday morning, April 11.

“Four concurring Board member votes were needed to reach a final decision. In this particular case, after independently reviewing and voting on this case, the Board eventually adopted Board member Gary Faulcon’s recommendation following the April 8 hearing,” said Krugel.

“The Board decides whether to grant or deny parole on a case-by-case basis by evaluating each inmate across a list of many different standards and criteria, including seriousness of the offense, time served, a risk/needs assessment, the offender’s institutional record, victim input, and the statements of the offender and other interested parties,” he added.

Tatrow is serving a life sentence for first degree murder in the 1995 DeKalb County murders of 26-year-old John Harry and 18-year-old Roger Zammit. He is incarcerated at the Northwest Correctional Complex (NWCX) in Lake County at Tiptonville, Tennessee.

(Click the link below to read details about the Chris Tatrow case in this 1998 Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruling)

CHRIS TATROW STORY

Tabled!

The DeKalb County Board of Education Thursday night tabled action on a resolution to accept one-time teacher bonuses as part of Tennessee’s universal school voucher program.

The vote to table was 5 to 0 with members Jim Beshearse, Jason Miller, Alan Hayes, Danny Parkerson, and Chairman Shaun Tubbs voting together. Members Megan Moore and Eric Ervin were absent.

Tabling the measure doesn’t necessarily mean defeated. After the meeting Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said the measure could still be brought back up by the board later. He said in the meantime; the school district will run the numbers and determine if the bonuses could be funded locally in the 2025-26 budget

The state program uses public money to fund vouchers that families can spend on private education expenses. It also included a component that effectively gives educators $2,000 bonuses. While the program saw criticism from educators, advocates and some leaders across the state who said it moved money away from already-underfunded public schools, it passed the legislature during a special session in February.

As part of the program, school boards across the state need to pass a resolution effectively accepting the bonuses by June 1. The Tennessee Department of Education said the bonus payments are expected to be sent to districts in July, and for each bonus, districts will receive a total payment of $2,306.60 to cover the employer share of benefits.

The bonuses will be available to full-time teachers who spend most of their days with students and who have been employed for more than 120 days, according to the state.

During the public comment period, Beth Pafford, Assistant Principal at Northside Elementary School and County Commissioner addressed the Board of Education. She is an opponent of the “Education Freedom Act of 2025”.

“You wouldn’t be having to pass a resolution to accept money for a $2,000 teacher bonus were it not for the universal voucher law,” said Pafford “What that law does is it creates a new government funded program for private schools. No accountability financially or academically. It was passed during a special session after several failed attempts during regular session. This time they added the $2,000 teacher bonus as a way to try to get more votes. For all practical purposes Governor Bill Lee and the people who voted to support the universal voucher program have created two separate systems for education. One for the privileged with no accountability and another for everybody else with all kinds of accountability. I hope you as a school board will continue to support the idea that education is not just for privileged people. Education is for everyone no matter who you are or where you come from,” said Pafford.

The proposed resolution, which has been tabled by the local school board, states as follows:

“Whereas the DeKalb County Board of Education is responsible for governing the public school system and ensuring the wellbeing of all students under its educational directives, and

Whereas, the DeKalb County Board of Education has consistently expressed opposition to school voucher programs and the redirection of taxpayer dollars intended for public education to private institutions, and

Whereas, despite widespread opposition from local education agencies (LEAs), the Tennessee School Boards Association, and many Tennessee residents, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the “Education Freedom Act of 2025” during the first Extraordinary Session of the 114th General Assembly, and

Whereas, the Act includes a provision granting a onetime payment of no less than $2,000 to public school teachers across the state, and

Whereas Section 4 of the “Education Freedom Act of 2025”, stipulates that a local board of education must formally affirm its intention to participate in order to receive the funds allocated for these teacher payments.

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the DeKalb County Board of Education affirms its intention to participate in Section 4 of the “Education Freedom Act of 2025” for the sole purpose of securing these onetime payments for public school teachers. This resolution is strictly limited to Section 4 of the Act and should not be interpreted as endorsement or support of any other provisions within the legislation”.

Again, the DeKalb County Board of Education has tabled action on this resolution.

Meanwhile in his monthly personnel report, Director Cripps said Stephanie Turner has been granted a leave of absence as requested.

A new garbage truck!

The Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen will have a special called meeting Monday night, April 14 at 5:30 p.m. at city hall to consider adoption of a budget amendment to purchase a new rear load sanitation truck to replace an out of service 1997 Freightliner model. The meeting will be followed by a budget workshop.

The reason for making the purchase now rather than including it in the new 2025-26 budget is because the city could possibly get the new garbage truck quicker and cheaper at $215,894.

During a budget workshop Monday night, the mayor and aldermen discussed the purchase along with other budget requests from Mayor Josh Miller, Police Chief Mark Collins, City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson, and Public Works Director Kevin Robinson.

Mayor Miller said he would like to include in the new budget about $20,000 for the purchase and installation of solar powered streetlamps similar to those recently put in at the front of the city hall building. For now, the new streetlamps would be mainly for West Main, Walnut, and Market Streets but more could be added around the public square later. Mayor Miller said the lamps would have a more appealing look and make downtown more attractive.

Police Chief Collins asked for the purchase of 13 new tasers, holsters, and accessories to replace the 15-year-old x26 tasers the department currently is using. According to Chief Collins, the old tasers have become outdated making it more difficult to obtain replacement batteries, cartridges, and new software. The department bought two new tasers last year on a grant and those could be included with the 13 new ones under a five-year plan offered by a company to replace or repair them at no extra cost to the city along with an unlimited supply of batteries and cartridges. The city could make this purchase outright for $58,591 or make interest free payments of $11,718 per year over the five-year period.

Chief Collins also requested the purchase of two police vehicles to replace the one he currently drives and another for the department. The one for the chief would be a 2025 Chevy Tahoe 4-wheel drive priced under a state bid contract at $52,143 plus another $8,553 to equip it with lights, sirens, and signal box, etc. This vehicle would be unmarked. The other vehicle for the fleet would be a 2025 Dodge Durango for $45,060 with the police package plus an additional $10,924 to equip it with light bar, cages, striping, etc.

Last year the city budgeted $100,000 for street paving. Although a final number has not yet been established, the budget for paving could be more this year. City officials say because of higher costs the city can’t do much street paving or repairs for $100,000.

The mayor and aldermen may budget another 4% increase in water and sewer rates in 2025-26 to keep the city in the black and off the state’s radar for another year. Under state law, if a utility operates at a loss for more than two years and doesn’t address it, the state has the authority to force rate increases to make it solvent. The city is currently not operating at a loss in the water and sewer fund.

The public works department is requesting $5,000 to purchase a new mower trailer, a sanitation truck hot water steam cleaner for $5,000, and $5,300 to purchase a thumb kit for a backhoe bucket which could be funded equally between the general fund and water and sewer budget. Another $12,000 could be budgeted to install an automated gate system at the city water plant which could be used to slide open the gate using a key fob providing more security and easier and safer access especially for vehicles including 18-wheel rigs bringing in supplies.

The city is also considering naming a current public works employee to a new position to be the lead operator over maintenance and equipment and increasing his pay perhaps by only a dollar per hour. Further, the city may make another public works employee full time, rather than keep him at his current 29-hour per week part time status. This employee would be used more for maintenance in the park and especially during the fall to keep falling leaves off streets around the public square.

Last month Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker said the city should be making a commitment now to purchase a new fire engine to replace the oldest truck in the fleet, a 2001 model (Engine 2).

Chief Parker is asking that the city purchase a Pierce Custom Enforcer PUC Pumper currently priced at $1,248,449 with a prepayment discount of $130, 143 making the city’s actual cost $1,118,305. Delivery of the new fire truck would be within 37-38 months of order date. The cost would be only for the truck itself, and not the hoses and other apparatus to equip it.

Should the city later vote to purchase a new fire truck, the mayor and aldermen would have to decide whether the city should write a check for the full amount to save interest payments or finance it over a three-, five-, or seven-year period with interest.

No action has yet been taken by the mayor and aldermen on any budget request for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Another step toward annexation!

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen met and adopted a resolution calling for a public hearing on the proposed annexation and approval of a plan of services for property located at 746 East Broad Street by owner consent. The public hearing will be held during the next monthly meeting on Monday, May 5 at 6 p.m. at city hall. The city is to send adjoining property owners notification by letter.

The owners of Hollingshead Materials, LLC (Smyrna Ready Mix) concrete batching company bordering the city limits of Smithville are seeking annexation of two parcels including one where the SRM company now operates (Map 065, Parcel 073.04) and the adjoining vacant property (Parcel 073.05). The land (9 total acres) is situated between East Broad Street, Midway Road, and Terrell Road.

Last month, the Smithville Planning Commission recommended approval of a plan of services for the proposed annexation.

According to City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson the city already has most services accessible to the proposed site.

“Basically, what we have to do is show that city police and fire fighting services are available. He already has (city) water. The sewer is on septic already. He doesn’t need city sewer. He already has electric. He can have sanitation. It (plan of services) just shows that everything with street lighting and everything is fully covered,” said Hendrixson.

“Let me add to that the concrete plant may be on septic but the property next to it could be developed. I’m assuming they would probably need a pump station,” said Mayor Josh Miller.

During the public comment period, Steven Cantrell raised concerns.

“Concerning resolution 2025-A adopting a plan of services for an annexation request by Hollingshead Materials, LLC, what is the cost benefit ratio to the city of Smithville in approving the Hollingshead annexation request? While the immediate answer may be city tax revenue, the other answer might be so Hollingshead can build more houses on its adjoining lot because of city sewage services vice the restrictions concerning home to septic tank land requirements. Increasing the load on the aging city sewage and water systems is not without costs. In addition, if the city were to annex the property as requested, will it also adopt responsibility for the adjoining county road, and if so at what cost,” said Cantrell.

Mayor Miller said he had inquired last year with the city engineer about sewage service capacity.

“There are a lot of subdivisions going in and my question was how much (sewer service) we can handle. I talked to Daniel Tribble, Manager of Field Services for JR Wauford and Company of Nashville and he said Josh you’re good. That was probably a year ago. That is why we are doing a lot of infrastructure projects that needs to be done. I don’t think we are to that point to say we can’t build any more houses in the city,” said Mayor Miller.

The mayor gave an update on a sewer rehab project underway on South College Street in the area of Green Brook Park.

“They are still working on our sewer project. They are still about a month away from actually getting into Green Brook Park. It’s not very pretty over there right now. As nice as the weather is right now the park gets used a lot. We will have the splash pad open the first of May.  It won’t be affected. Again, it will be about a month before they get into the park and start working. They are going to put up more roping to kinda keep kids away. I know it will be an aggravation this summer,” said Mayor Miller.

Also brought up by the mayor was a request from a downtown business owner for the city to install speed bumps on West Main Street.

“There have been speed bumps before on West Main and it didn’t work out,” said City Public Works Director Kevin Robinson.

“At one time before I was on the city council, the aldermen at that time came to the conclusion that there would be no speed bumps on thru streets,” said Alderman Shawn Jacobs.

Meanwhile, Steven Cantrell spoke to another concern during the public comment period.

“Concerning the contract with Blue Line Solutions and the high-profile automated school zone photo enforcement system it is my understanding that Blue Line Solutions may not proceed with the requirements under your contract until after a traffic study has been completed at all three schools. I realize it is the city’s requirement to commission and fund the traffic study because under Tennessee law, Blue Line is not allowed to commission and fund the study. However, once the city directed study has been completed, Blue Line may/will reimburse the city for the study. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no updates to the tax paying public on the progress or lack of progress on this high-profile automated school zone photo enforcement system. I’m sure the public would appreciate an update, e.g., when will/or if the study has been completed and what the next step is,” said Cantrell.

On other matters, Cantrell said “I would like to thank Ms. (Jessica) Higgins and others who may have attended the City Cemetery fundraiser. We raised approximately $12,000 for the ongoing Restoration and Enhancement effort of the city’s Historic Cemetery”.

“I would also like to thank the mayor for the new stop sign at Walnut and North College Street that he and I had discussed. It’s in place,” added Cantrell.

The Smithville Mayor and Aldermen will have a special called meeting to discuss amending the budget and possibly taking action on a new garbage truck on Monday April 14th at 5:30pm. followed by a city budget workshop.

Friends, family, and fans of country music icon Aaron Tippin gathered downtown Tuesday for a tribute to the legendary singer.

A ribbon cutting was held for “Aaron Tippin Alley” between Main Street and Market Street. The dedication was a tribute to Tippins’ contributions to music, his connection to the local community, and his embodiment of the hardworking spirited essence of country music.

Tippin said having an alley way dedicated to him was “cool”

“I was raised on a farm in South Carolina, and I wanted to get back to the country,” said Tippin. “That’s what I wanted to do. Get out of Nashville. When Thea and I started looking the first place we ever looked was in Alexandria. We had lunch at a café there. I told her (Thea) honey there ain’t no way we are ever moving this far out of town. So along came the Bass farm for sale. They told me where it was and I said man that’s a long ways out there but I said I’ll go look at it. I got in a pickup and got out there, stuck my old 45 in my pocket and started walking out there kinda looking around and about that time an 8 point buck walked right up over the hill in front of me. And I said SOLD. Since then our two youngest children have been here their whole lives. My oldest child worked in the drug store and went to college at Tennessee Tech and a lot of her life has been here. We have had the opportunity to raise our children here. Now we have grandchildren. Its been an incredible community. You guys have been great, and we are proud to call ourselves folks from DeKalb County,” said Tippin.

About Aaron Tippin:

Aaron Dupree Tippin, born on July 3, 1958, in Pensacola Florida is a celebrated figure in American country music, known for his authentic, blue-collar anthems that resonate deeply with the working class. Raised in Greer, South Carolina, Tippin’s early life was marked by diverse experiences including working as a farm hand, welder, truck driver, and commercial pilot, which later inspired many of his songs.

Tippin’s music career began to take shape in the 1970s when he performed in local honky-tonks. His big break came in 1990 when he signed with RCA Nashville releasing his debut single “You’ve Got to Stand for Something”. This song not only became a top 10 hit but also served as an anthem for U.S. soldiers during the Gulf War, cementing his place in country music history. His signature hits include “There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong with the Radio”, “Kiss This” and post-9/11 patriotic song “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly”.

Throughout his career, Tippin has released nine studio albums, with six achieving gold status and one platinum, showcasing his ability to connect with audiences through his distinctive baritone voice characterized by a Southern twang. His songwriting talent was also recognized early on, with songs written for artists like The Kingsmen, Mark Collie, and Charley Pride before his own recording career took off.

Beyond music, after moving to DeKalb County in 1994, Aaron Tippin has shown his entrepreneurial spirit by opening Aaron Tippin Firearms stores and by founding his own record label, Nippit Records, in 2006. His personal life includes his marriage to Thea in 1995, with whom he has two children. Tippin’s commitment to his community and love for country music makes him a beloved figure in Smithville, where he has also contributed to local businesses and cultural life.

After spending more than 30 years in prison for the 1995 kidnapping and brutal killing of two people in DeKalb County, 57-year-old Chris Tatrow wants to be a free man but any hopes he had of gaining release on parole anytime soon may have been dashed at his parole hearing Tuesday.

At the conclusion of the session, hearing officer Gary Faulcon, a Parole Board member, cast his vote to decline parole for Tatrow due to the seriousness of the offense but a final decision is not anticipated for a couple of weeks.

“Its going to be my recommendation to decline you Mr. Tatrow based on the seriousness of the offense. Your release from custody at this time would depreciate the seriousness of the crime. This was a very horrific incident where two men were treated very badly and very inhumane and ended up losing their lives over something that was very minor and that just did not have to happen. My vote is to decline you until April 2028. Ways to improve your opportunities for parole in the future are to complete programming as recommended and maintaining positive institutional behavior,” said Faulcon.

“The file will go to other parole board members who will independently review and vote until there are enough concurring votes to reach a final decision. In Tatrow’s case, there needs to be four concurring votes by board members before a final decision is reached. Generally, it takes approximately a couple of weeks to finalize,” said Dustin Krugel, Communications Director for the Tennessee Board of Parole.

The parole hearing for Tatrow, who is serving a life sentence for first degree murder in the killings of 26-year-old John Harry and 18-year-old Roger Zammit, was held at the Northwest Correctional Complex (NWCX) in Lake County at Tiptonville, Tennessee where Tatrow is incarcerated. Tatrow has spent more than half of his life behind bars because of the crimes. This was Tatrow’s third appearance before members of the Tennessee Board of Parole. His first was in October 2019.

District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway and Zammit’s sister Jessica Zammit Boyer, stepfather Mark Blanchard, and son and daughter in law Christopher and Mariah King spoke out against parole for Tatrow at Tuesday’s hearing during a video conference from Cookeville. WJLE covered the story at the Cookeville location.

In addition to Tatrow himself, others speaking on his behalf were Tatrow’s mother and stepfather Diane and Ricky Taylor. If paroled, Tatrow said he would live with his mother and that he had a job waiting for him at Music City Sheet Metal in Nashville.

During Tuesday’s hearing, parole board member Faulcon cited from the court records how the case unfolded. While Tatrow was away from home in January 1995 his trailer home in the Belk Community of DeKalb County was burglarized. When Tatrow returned home, he became suspicious that the victims Zammit and Harry had stolen from him. They were picked up by Tatrow and his accomplices and held against their will and then were tortured and murdered. The victims’ bodies were wrapped in carpet and woven fence wire with concrete blocks attached before being dumped over Hurricane Bridge in Center Hill Lake.

Although Tatrow now claims he can’t recall certain specifics of the crimes and denies being the instigator, he said Tuesday that he takes full responsibility for his actions.

“My house was broken into and the victims and some of their friends had broken into my house and this is what started the whole ordeal,” said Tatrow. “The two victims were at my house. They had been coordinating a recollection of my stuff that had been stolen. It was not any money or drugs. It was my old guns, knife collection and looking back now nothing major at all. In this exchange tempers got out of hand and a lot of threats were made. This went on for like a two-week period,” said Tatrow.

“I was not at home. I had been away for about eight days, “Tatrow continued.” I hadn’t had any sleep. I was scared to death and from the time of about dark on January 14th, 1995, it was just a ball of light and flickering faces and just bad feelings. Roger Zammit came to the house on Thursday. Mr Harry came to the house on Friday night. The crimes happened on Saturday night. We had ridden into town with Zammit and a partner of mine and Zammit had gone into different apartments and houses and collected a gun here and there, tools, trying to collect some of the stuff that had been stolen. There was nothing planned for harm to be done to anybody. We were just locating the stuff and resolving the issue.” he said

“After a hard week of a dangerous situation, on Saturday night my mother came to the house,” Tatrow explained. “I met her in the front yard. Zammit was in the front cab of the truck asleep. Both doors were open. He woke up while my mother and I were talking, and he went inside. When I walked in the house the other guys had already taken Roger and Johnny up and it just went downhill from there. From there on I don’t have a clear picture of step by step. They ended up dead and I woke up in the truck passed out. I don’t know exactly how Mr. Zammit died. I shot Mr. Harry. I take full responsibility because it was my fault. If nothing else, I should have stopped it. I don’t have a clear recollection of the events,” said Tatrow.

In making his appeal for parole, Tatrow said Tuesday during the hearing that he is a better man today. “I have tried hard to be a better man every day. On the night of the crimes, the murders, it was terrible. That is not who I am. It was a bad ordeal, and it was an ordeal brought on my multiple people not just me by myself. It was instigated not by me, but I take full responsibility for it. But I am trying to be better, and I am better. I know I could do good on the outside. I try to follow my Lord and try to be led by the Lord. I was not being led by the Lord back then, but I am now. I’m sorry,” said Tatrow.

Speaking against Tatrow’s being paroled, District Attorney General Dunaway said during the hearing Tuesday that Tatrow had a better recollection of the crimes only three years ago during his last parole hearing and shortly after the murders in the statements he gave to investigators back in 1995.

“This trial occurred on July 8, 1996, in Cumberland County and Tatrow was convicted of two counts of first-degree felony murder and two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping,” said DA Dunaway. “I personally attended the last parole hearing on April 7, 2022, and I find it odd that Tatrow’s memory is very different today than it was at that April 2022 hearing. At the April 2022 hearing Tatrow clearly admitted that he strangled Mr. Zammit in the bathroom. He took Harry outside, debated over what to do. He said I should be the one to do it and I shot him. Those were Tatrow’s statements from the last parole hearing. Notably different from the statements today,” said Dunaway.

“The way these men (victims) were treated is over and above what it took to kill them,” Dunaway explained. “They were tortured over a three-day period. This was not a heat of passion killing. This was a three-day torturous situation where Tatrow stabbed his victims. He pulled guns on them. He cut them and tied them up to chairs, wrapped them in wire, tied bricks to them and threw them in the lake about a 100-foot drop from the bridge to the water’s surface,” he said.

Members of Zammit’s family also appeared at the hearing via video conference from Cookeville Tuesday to ask that parole be denied

“I lost my mom that day because she never, ever recovered from losing her son,” said Boyer. “My brother’s dad was at the lake that day when they pulled my brother out of the water. Its almost so shocking its unbelievable to hear of how many people just came and went (from Tatrow’s home) and at no time did anyone stop it or say hey maybe this has gone on a little too long. And I can’t understand how someone wouldn’t expect things to escalate the way they did looking at the horrible things that had taken place over those three days. Roger was 18 years old. He didn’t make good choices at that time but when you are a teenager you don’t make the same choices you make when you are 30 and 40 years old but he never got the chance to do anything different. He never got the chance to see his son grow up who was six months old when he was killed or his four grandchildren he will never get to meet. He didn’t get the chance to do anything different because that was taken from him,” said Boyer, Zammit’s sister.

“My husband (Christopher King) will never have his father. My children will never have their grandfather. He will never get to be part of any of their lives,” said Mariah King, Zammit’s daughter in law.

“We miss Roger all the time, birthdays, anniversaries and stuff like that. We love him and miss him much,” said Mark Blanchard, Zammit’s step father.

Three people, including Tatrow’s mother and stepfather, attended the hearing at the prison in Tiptonville to speak for Tatrow’s parole.

“Ricky and I have been married for 21 years, and Chris will have a stable home if he is granted parole, “said Diane Taylor. “My husband and I are both retired. I love my son, and I will provide him a good home and whatever he needs until he can obtain gainful employment. He is a great leather worker, a trade he learned while in prison. He makes beautiful leather works. He will be able to make money with that until he can get a permanent job. I visit with Chris at least once a month, and I call him a couple of times a week on the phone. Until I die, I will be there for him. We have a strong bond, and nothing ever will break it,” she said.

“Diane and I were not married when all this happened 30 years ago, but he will have a home and he will not do drugs or alcohol as long as he is with us and he will have a job waiting for him when he gets out,” said Ricky Taylor.

Ashley Massey, Transitional Programs Coordinator with the Tennessee Higher Education Initiative, also spoke in support of Tatrow. “THEI is the college program here at the Northwest Correctional Complex and we partner with Dyersburg State Community College and Lane College. Mr. Tatrow enrolled in Dyersburg State in the summer of 2017, and he graduated with a 3.6 GPA and was the valedictorian of his class. He then went on to enroll in Lane College which is our bachelor’s degree program. He graduated in 2024 with a 3.9 GPA and was also Summa Cum Laude of that program,” said Massey.