News

A fatal shooting in August 2024 has resulted in a second-degree murder indictment against one man.

66-year-old William Anthony McKenzie of Streamer Drive, Smithville was indicted by the new term of the DeKalb County Grand Jury Tuesday, March 11 in the death of 39-year-old Earl Craig Asbury, Jr. at McKenzie’s residence.

Chief Deputy Brian Williams of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department issued the following prepared statement at the time of the incident. “On Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 6:54 p.m. Central Dispatch received a call of a possible shooting at 163 Streamer Drive. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene at 7:05 p.m. and made contact with William McKenzie and then with a deceased male laying in the yard. The deceased male was 39-year-old Earl Craig Asberry Jr. of Smithville”.

“McKenzie, the suspect, was booked into the DeKalb County Jail and charged with TCA 39-13-210 Second Degree Murder.

Upon the request of Sheriff Patrick Ray, the 13th Judicial District Attorney’ Generals Office summoned the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to the scene.

On scene were Sheriff Patrick Ray, Chief Deputy Williams, DeKalb County Sheriff Deputies, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Detectives, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office and Assistant District Attorney General Greg Strong.

The arrest warrant stated at the time that “The investigation revealed that McKenzie, by his own admission, did intentionally and knowingly discharge a firearm striking the victim, Earl Craig Asberry, Jr. multiple times in the Turso area resulting in his death. Prior to the arrival of law enforcement, the investigation revealed that McKenzie made several attempts to conceal the body and made comments of intentions to remove the body from the scene”.

McKenzie was among 20 people indicted by the grand jury Tuesday, March 11

All those indicted and their charges are as follows:

Shane Curtis Gardner: aggravated assault

Matthew Dewayne Griffith: false reports

Jill Henderson: disrupting a meeting and/or procession

Markus Jay Majka: evading arrest and resisting arrest

Howard Robert Mayo, Jr.: possession of a schedule II drug (meth) over 0.5 grams with intent to sell or deliver

William Anthony McKenzie: second degree murder

Martha Renee Kirby Norris: possession of a schedule II drug (meth) over 0.5 grams with intent to sell or deliver and possession of a schedule I drug (heroin) with intent to sell or deliver

Hani Mohammad Sirhan Ittayem: possession of a schedule II drug (meth) over 0.5 grams with intent to sell or deliver; possession of a schedule II drug cocaine over 0.5 grams with intent to sell/deliver; and evading arrest

Jay Lee Mullican: possession of a schedule II drug (amphetamine) with intent to sell or deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia

Willie Ray Murphy: possession of a schedule II drug ( meth) over 0.5 grams with intent to sell or deliver

Amanda Lanette Knowles: filing a false report

Keith Clifford Lafreniere: violation community supervision of life (3 counts) and violation of the sex offender registry

Timothy Ryan Lawson: especially aggravated kidnapping; aggravated rape (2 counts); rape (2 counts); aggravated assault; and interference  with emergency calls

Jeremy Trent Sanders: DUI and DUI per se

William Joseph Scott: DUI; DUI per se; possession of a handgun while under the influence

Jason Richard Skaroupka: sale and delivery of a schedule II drug (meth) over 0.5 grams (2 counts); felony possession of a handgun; and possession of drug paraphernalia

Carlos Edward Lopez Stiff: aggravated assault

Michael Lynn Vance: simple possession of a schedule II drug (meth) and possession of drug paraphernalia

Destry Jordan Wiggins: DUI and DUI per se

John Brent Williams: especially aggravated kidnapping; aggravated robbery; and aggravated assault (2 counts)

Annexation!

The owners of Hollingshead Materials, LLC (Smyrna Ready Mix) concrete batching company at 746 East Broad Street 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 is situated between East Broad Street, Midway Road, and Terrell Road.

During Monday night’s meeting, the Smithville Planning Commission recommended approval of a plan of services for the proposed annexation. The recommendation will now go the Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen for consideration in the form of a resolution at its monthly meeting Monday, April 7. Public hearings would then be scheduled after another review by the planning commission and before final action by the city council.

According to City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson and Public Works Director Kevin Robinson, the city already has most services accessible to the proposed site.

“We have to do a plan of services to show that we can provide everything (services) the city provides. Of course, providing police service is not a problem and city fire services would be available. The closest city fire hydrants are located across the street. They (SRM) already have city water. It (property) does not have sewer service. They are currently on a septic system,” said Hendrixson.

Should the adjoining property be developed in the future after annexation, city officials said the plan of services would require the developer to put in the sewer.

“If its zoned industrial and they do something in the future like housing then that would go before the Board of Zoning Appeals to get approval for a variance exception to put that (housing) in there but that could be years down the road if they even consider it but he (owner) has mentioned it but not as of right now,” said Hendrixson.

In other action, the planning commission voted to approve a preliminary plat for a proposed 36 lot subdivision in an R-1 (low density) residential zone located near Morgan Drive and O’Connor Street (Sullivan Walter Homes Division).

One adult and five juveniles have been charged with mailbox vandalism by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.

18-year-old Aidan Michael Malone of Smithville is under a $1,500 bond and his court date is March 13. The other teens are all minors including a 15- and 16-year-old and three 17-year-olds. Because they are juveniles, Sheriff Patrick Ray is not releasing their names.

The charge against Malone alleges that “between February 17 and 27 he did knowingly and intentionally commit the act of vandalism by damaging mailboxes throughout DeKalb County using various items including a baseball bat, wood, rocks, etc. The combined damage was $4,003,” said Sheriff Ray.

“The juvenile petitions allege that between the dates of February 17 and 27 the juveniles did intentionally vandalize multiple mailboxes throughout DeKalb County using various items including baseball bats, concrete bags, rocks, etc. The combined damage investigated by the sheriff’s department is $4,003,” said Sheriff Ray.

The mailbox vandalism occurred on Ike Adcock Road, Old Bildad Road, Turner Road, Patterson Road, McMinnville Highway, Creek Road, Old Blue Springs Road, Antioch Road, Jacobs Pillar Road, Students Home Road, Keltonburg Road, Medlen Lane, Short Mountain Highway, Green Hill Road, and Joines Road.

Paxton Media Group, which owns Cookeville Herald-Citizen, has purchased the Southern Standard and Smithville Review from Morris Multimedia.

The Southern Standard was established in 1879 and will continue to be published three times per week. The Smithville Review started in 1892 and is published weekly.

Paxton Media is a family-owned company headquartered in Paducah, Ky. The company publishes daily and weekly newspapers in more than 120 communities in the Midwest and South and operates an NBC-affiliated television station. The company is currently managed by fourth- and fifth-generation family members.

The Southern Standard and Smithville Review will join the ten other Paxton-owned newspapers in Tennessee managed by Group Publisher, Jana Thomasson.

Three people were sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Wednesday, March 5.

42-year-old Krista Shaynae Hodges entered a plea by criminal information to tampering with evidence and received a three-year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. After two years of probation if she is in compliance with probation, she can be moved to good behavior probation.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that in September 2023 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.

In other cases, 46-year-old Zeb Donovan Pololu entered a plea to simple possession of a schedule II drug and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $750 and granted judicial diversion.

Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, November 26, 2021 a deputy stopped a red Chevrolet mini van for the traffic offense of crossing the highway’s middle white dotted lines several times. He then spoke with the driver, Pololu who had no insurance. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, the officer found in a baggie inside a pocketbook 2.13 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine. Also recovered were other baggies and two scales, one of which had a white substance on it.

23-year-old Christopher Edward Spoon-Murphy, Jr. entered a plea by criminal information to possession of a schedule II drug (methamphetamine) under 0.5 grams and was sentenced to six years to serve at 30% before his release eligibility date. He was fined $2,000. The sentence is to run concurrently with two violation of probation cases against him. Spoon was given 305 days jail credit.

The Joey Reeder Baseball Field!

Seven months after the Board of Education voted to name the high school baseball field in honor of the legendary coach, a formal dedication ceremony was held Friday evening at DCHS.

Family, friends, former players, and others gathered for the tribute which took place prior to the Tigers game against Macon County. Surrounding him on the field during the ceremony were Reeder’s mother Faye, his wife Shelby, daughter and son-in-law, Paige and Byron Adcock, and granddaughters Stella and Lakelyn. Coach Reeder also threw the game’s ceremonial first pitch.

After falling behind 5 to 0 in the first inning, the Tigers rallied later in the game but lost to the visiting Macon County Tigers 20 to 14.

Coach Reeder guided the Tiger baseball team from 1982 to 1997.

WJLE’s Voice of the Tigers John Pryor emceed the following tribute.

“On August 8, 2024 the Board of Education voted to name the Tiger baseball field as the Joey Reeder Field due to his 16 years of dedication to the program, the players, and outstanding accomplishments”.

“From the years 1982 to 1997 he led his teams to an overall record of 387 wins and 146 losses for a winning percentage of 73%. His district record was 179 wins and only 15 losses for a district winning percentage of 92% and a post season record of 55 wins and 23 losses for a winning percentage of 71%”.

“During his baseball tenure Coach Reeder won 13 district regular season championships, 13 district tournament championships, 2 district runners-up, 1 district 3rd place, 2 regional championships, and 2 state quarterfinals. Two of his teams ranked in the Johnson City News High School Baseball poll top 25 for the Tennessee Classification”.

“Joey Reeder was a 12-time District Coach of the Year, the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association District Coach of the Year 4 times. The Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year, Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year, and he was named as Coach of the Tennessee High School All Star Game for the East Squad 2 years”.

“During his tenure coaching DeKalb County High School Tiger baseball, his impact on players consisted of 17 players who played college baseball and two players who were selected in the major league draft”.

“We would like to thank the school board for commemorating Joey Reeder, his former player’s accomplishments, and his family for their unwavering support”.

“Finally, on behalf of the former students, your colleagues, and especially your former players, we would all like to thank you for making our lives better and congratulations to you for this well deserved honor Coach Joey Reeder”.

Bryan College, known for its award-winning fishing teams, has landed another big catch from DeKalb County High School.

Senior Mason Taylor signed a letter of intent Thursday to further his education career at Bryan in Dayton, Tennessee on a fishing scholarship for the Lions after he graduates in May from DCHS. This is the second ever fishing scholarship awarded to a DCHS student. The first was to Jaxon Humphrey in 2023.

Mason was accompanied at the signing by members of his family including parents Jeff and Kim Taylor, sisters Elicia Puckett and Olivia Taylor, brother Casey Taylor, brother-in-law Johnathon Puckett, and Bryan College Coach Dustin Henderson. Mason’s father is the DCHS fishing coach.

“Bryan is located in Dayton, Tennessee close to Chattanooga and right on Lake Chickamauga. I really like the school, and they have all the accommodations for fishermen,” said Mason when asked why he chose Bryan College.

A member of the DCHS fishing team, Mason said fishing is his passion. “We fish just about every other weekend. It’s a year around sport. The biggest largemouth bass I have caught was actually about two weeks ago on Lake Nickajack. It weighed 9.33 pounds. We count the total weight of the best five fish caught and that was our biggest bag so far. We had a little over 25 pounds for our best five fish. I fish all the time. Whenever I am not working or not in school I am on the water. I think we have maybe a little less than 10 tournaments left and after I graduate the only tournament left for me will be the high school national championship tournament. After August I’ll be fishing on the college circuit,” said Taylor.

Mason said he plans to study criminal justice or business at Bryan.

Coach Taylor said he and his wife are proud of their son Mason and excited for him.

“My wife and I are really excited about Mason signing today and we look forward to seeing how his future turns out. We have been looking forward to this moment for the last five years for him to be able to go to college and fish. As his father and coach, I have enjoyed being out on the water with him. They call me coach but by the time a kid gets to high school they pretty much know how to fish. Sometimes we have meetings to show them some things that maybe they haven’t already learned and we stress safety. The organization that we usually follow is Tennessee Bass Nation and they have real strict safety rules so we make sure everybody has and makes use of all the safety gear for their boats and they always have an adult captain with them. A lot of people don’t consider fishing a sport but these kids are up at 3:30 or 4 o’clock in the morning and they are out there on the lake in the heat, cold, rain, and wind trying to find the productive areas. Mason and his partner have been out on the water no telling how many hours during their high school years,” said Coach Taylor.

Coach Henderson said when it came to signing Mason, it was a no brainer because he checked all the boxes.

“I am pretty picky about the guys I’m looking at to sign. In order to represent Bryan well, not only do they have to be good fishermen but they have to be good guys who don’t get into trouble, maintain good grades and do what they are supposed to do. Most tournaments they go to our anglers weigh in their five best bass fish for the day. To go to different lakes and different times of the year, it takes a good fisherman to be able to do that. We compete all over the country from Florida to Oklahoma, Virginia, etc,” said Coach Henderson.

Bryan College is a regionally accredited, liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee dedicated to educational excellence with a foundation in biblical principles. With both on-campus and online programs, more than 50 areas of study are offered for Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees, as well as professional certificates. Founded in 1930, Bryan College has a rich legacy of educating students to become servants of Christ and make a difference in today’s world. Bryan College is also a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) which includes sixteen full members in seven southeastern states, making it the largest NAIA-affiliated conference.

Three people were arrested in a Monday drug bust by the Smithville Police Department at the Rama Inn on East Broad Street.

25-year-old Robert Stephen Ryan Derrick of East Broad Street (The Rama Inn), 36-year-old Savannah Elizabeth Mae Derrick of Crestlawn Avenue, and 37-year-old Landon Craig Wyatt of Toad Road will be in court on March 30.

Chief Mark Collins said that on Monday, March 3 the Smithville Police Department executed a search warrant at 600 East Broad Street (The Rama Inn) and during the search found one a half pounds of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine along with scales, plastic baggies, and other drug paraphernalia items. He said both Robert and Savannah Derrick were out on parole.

Robert Derrick is charged with sale and delivery of a schedule II drug; Savannah Derrick was arrested for simple possession of Fentanyl; and Landon Wyatt is charged with simple possession of methamphetamine.

Bond for Robert Derrick is $150,000; $25,000 for Savannah Derrick; and $50,000 for Landon Wyatt.

A kick-off fundraiser for the restoration and beautification of the Smithville Town Cemetery is only two weeks away.

The event is set for Thursday, March 20 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Harvester Event Center downtown. Proceeds from the event will go toward the campaign to revitalize the cemetery. The fundraiser will include an auction, food and LIVE entertainment. You can make donations now to benefit the cemetery. For more information and to donate visit www.fb.com/SmithvilleTCA or call 615-597-2000.

Founded in 1838, this historic cemetery, located directly east of the public square, has primarily undergone only basic maintenance in recent years. The late Tommy Webb, county historian, had overseen the cemetery. Before his death in October 2019, Mr. Webb asked Bethel Thomas, Jr. to lead a campaign to restore some of the original beauty to the cemetery. Initial funds raised allowed for the beginning of the restoration of the iron fence. Then came Covid.

Thomas, in a recent interview with WJLE, said a renewed effort has now begun with a larger group of community volunteers taking an interest in the historic cemetery.

“Tommy Webb had overseen the cemetery for several years, but the cemetery association itself had been inactive for some time. I went to Tommy and said I wanted to do something to honor my parents and other people who are buried there. He asked me to lead a campaign to help restore the cemetery and I agreed but then Covid came along but now there is a group of people that are getting together and are really engaged,” said Thomas.

Trees donated by Bert Driver Nursery (Yoshino Cherry) and Pine Creek Nursery (Sweet Bay Magnolias) were planted last month lining the cemetery along North Congress Boulevard. The effort was supported by the city and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Thomas gave his vision of what the historic cemetery needs most.

“The thing Tommy was most concerned about was the condition of the original wrought iron fence around the cemetery. We were able to get a welder to gradually restore some of the original fence on the Congress Boulevard side. Most of the fence on that side can be restored but we will probably have to get new wrought iron fence to put across the north end. The fence on the back side may have to be taken down because it has deteriorated so badly. If so, we have thought about putting up a stone fence to replace it on the Bright Hill Road side,” said Thomas.

“Another concern is the driveway through the cemetery. We want to make a beautiful entrance and instead of having an asphalt drive use brick and or gravel. Then the retaining wall at the corner of the cemetery near the highway 56 & 70 intersection is cracked and broken. It basically needs a new retaining wall which may be the most expensive item but that has to be redone. This project is much bigger than I first imagined with the fencing, drive through, fixing that retaining wall, and then adding some park benches, and maybe a walkway through the cemetery. Thanks to the Diver family with the support of the city and TDOT we have been able to line the cemetery on Congress Boulevard with some trees and we hope to eventually convince people who own property on the other side to allow us to put some trees there also. But its going to be beautiful,” said Thomas.

Anyone who has family or friends buried in the cemetery, as well as any civic-minded person interested is invited to join the Smithville Town Cemetery Association.