Hernandez Accused of trying to strangle his daughter
A man who allegedly pointed a handgun and then tried to strangle his daughter is facing charges of unlawful possession of a weapon and aggravated assault.
62-year-old Lorenzo Hernandez of Dowelltown is under a $40,000 bond and he will make a court appearance January 9.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on December 28 Hernandez allegedly tried to strangle his daughter and pointed a firearm at her. A handgun, believed to have been used in the incident, was recovered from the lint compartment of a dryer. A background check revealed that Hernandez is a convicted felon in Florida on burglary, 3rd degree felony and larceny charges. His conviction date was March 12, 1993.
41-year-old Amber Nicole Macleod of Springhill is charged with aggravated assault. Her bond is $10,000
Sheriff Ray said that on January 1 a deputy was summoned to Mullican Lane due to a burglary in progress. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a man who had been stabbed. The man said Macleod had stabbed him over an argument regarding a cell phone. The man had a cut to his upper right arm near his shoulder and a cut to his left-hand ring finger.
58-year-old Howard Robert Mayo, Jr. of Liberty is charged with simple possession of a schedule VI drug and possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. His bond is $56,500 and he will be in court January 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 21 a deputy pulled over a silver Ford F150, spoke with the driver, Mayo; and smelled marijuana in the vehicle. The officer asked Mayo to step out of the automobile and a search turned up from the driver door panel 3.76 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. Knowing that Mayo often kept narcotics in his wallet, the deputy asked to see the billfold and inside was 1.12 grams of a crystal-like substance thought to be methamphetamine. When asked for his driver license, Mayo only had an ID license. A background check through central dispatch revealed that Mayo’s driver license was revoked due to a Cannon County DUI on September 21, 2001.
55-year-old Jeffery Lee Bates of Old West Point Road is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $3,000 and he will be in court January 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 21 a deputy was dispatched to the intersection of Old West Point Road and Maynard Road where a man was reported to be lying in a ditch. Upon arrival the officer found the man, Bates passed out. Bates smelled of alcohol and when awakened became unsteady on his feet.
22-year-old Peyton Eugene Hollingsworth of Dowelltown is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court January 16.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 22 a deputy spotted a Toyota pickup fail to maintain its lane of travel. He conducted a traffic stop and spoke to the driver, Hollingsworth who smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet. His eyes were bloodshot and watery. Hollingsworth submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He admitted to having consumed a few beers.
27-year-old Brandon Ezequiel Cotuc of Cookeville is charged with driving under the influence and no driver license. His court date is January 16.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 22 at 3:32 a.m. a deputy was patrolling Sparta Highway when he spotted a gray Honda Accord fail to maintain its lane of travel. The officer pulled over the vehicle and spoke to the driver, Cotuc whose eyes were watery and bloodshot. Cotuc was asked to step out of the automobile. He submitted to a field sobriety task but after performing poorly, he refused to undergo any further tasks.
43-year-old Shane Curtis Gardner of Sparta Highway is charged with aggravated assault and interfering with an emergency call. He is under a $12,500 bond and his court date is January 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 23 a deputy was summoned to Sparta Highway to investigate an aggravated assault complaint from the day before, December 22 in which a woman claimed that Gardner allegedly tried to strangle her. The woman was found to have red marks on her face and the side of her neck, bite marks on her body, and she had bruising to both of her eyes. Gardner had also allegedly taken the woman’s phone to keep her from calling 911.
41-year-old Thomas Jacob Sims is charged with being a fugitive from justice. He is under a $50,000 bond and his court date is January 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 26 a deputy went to E.H. Haas Road to serve an active Georgia parole warrant on Sims. Georgia authorities confirmed they would extradite Sims.
21-year-old John Isaac Brinkley of Lewisburg is charged with aggravated assault. He is under a $5,000 bond and his court date is January 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 26 a deputy went to Toad Road due to a report of an assault involving a gun. The officer spoke with a man who said he and Brinkley had gotten into an argument and that Brinkley had spat in his face. Brinkley then allegedly picked up a chainsaw and came toward him with it.
48-year-old James Walter Stringer of Dowelltown is charged with aggravated assault. His bond is $20,000.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 28 a deputy was summoned to a residence on West Main Street in Dowelltown due to an unwanted guest. The officer spoke with a woman who said that Stringer had rammed his truck into the back of her car to keep her from leaving. There was damage to the driver side rear bumper. Before the officer arrived, Stringer had gone back to his house and later told the deputy that he had been there asleep the whole time.
Stringer was again arrested on December 30 for violation of the sex offender registry. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court on this charge January 16. The warrant against Stringer was obtained on December 30.
Sheriff Ray said that on October 4 a detective was notified that Stringer had been operating a social media account that he had not listed in the sex offender registry. After reviewing the account, the detective was able to positively identify Stringer by the tattoos he had noted in the booking system at the jail and through prior law enforcement encounters with Stringer.
43-year-old Randy Mark Hawkins, Jr. of Cecil Hale Road, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court January 16.
Sheriff Ray said that on January 1 a deputy spotted a gray Ford F150 fail to maintain its lane of travel heading outbound on South Mountain Street, Smithville. The officer activated his blue lights but the vehicle continued a slow roll and swerved side to side in the lane. The deputy subsequently pulled over the automobile and spoke with the driver, Hawkins who smelled of alcohol and he had bloodshot watery eyes. His speech was also slow and slurred. Hawkins admitted to having been drinking. After getting out of the truck, Hawkins became unsteady on his feet. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.
37-year-old Landon Craig Wyatt, Jr. of Crestlawn Avenue Smithville is charged with bringing contraband into a penal institution. His bond is $7,500 and he will be in court January 16.
Sheriff Ray said that on December 31 Wyatt brought a pair of white thermals to the jail dropping them off for an inmate currently incarcerated. Correctional officer found inside the waistband of the thermals behind the tag what was believed to be buprenorphine strips.
Tigers Avenge Earlier Loss to Owls
The DCHS Tigers avenged a 61 to 60 loss a month ago at Carthage to the Smith County Owls with a 50 to 43 victory over the Owls Tuesday night in Smithville. The Owlettes completed a season sweep of the Lady Tigers winning 60 to 45 after knocking off DC 76 to 53 on December 2.
The Tigers are now 8-9 while the Lady Tigers drop to 5-12. DeKalb County will be in action at White County Thursday night, January 9 starting with the girls game at 6 p.m. followed by the boys contest. WJLE will have LIVE coverage. The games were originally scheduled for Friday night, January 10 but were moved up because of the threat of wintry weather on Friday.
In the girls game Tuesday night, Smith County opened up a 20 to 9 lead by the end of the 1st period and led 36 to 22 by halftime and 53 to 28 after the 3rd period enroute to a 60 to 45 win.
Chloe VanVranken scored 16 followed by Avery Agee with 12, Lillie Young 6, Allie Melton 5, Jordyn Agee 4, and Brooklyn Fuson with 2.
The Tigers and Owls played to a 13-13 tie by the end of the 1st period. Smith County led 22 to 19 at halftime but the game was tied at 28-28 at the close of the 3rd period. DC outscored the Owls in the 4th period and claimed a 50 to 43 victory.
Jordan Parker scored 19, Jon Hendrix 13, Dallas Kirby 10, Seth Fuson 5, Logan Duke 2, and Elliot Barnes 1.
Not Guilty Plea Entered in Criminal Court on Behalf of Warren County DA
Less than a month after being indicted, Warren County District Attorney General 43-year-old Christopher Robert Stanford of McMinnville was due in DeKalb County Criminal Court for arraignment Tuesday, January 7 but his attorney, Jeff Cherry of Lebanon entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Stanford himself did not make an appearance before Judge Wesley Bray. Cherry had filed and was granted a waiver of appearance and arraignment on behalf of his client.
Stanford’s next scheduled court date is April 7
The DeKalb County Grand Jury met Monday, December 16 in a special session and returned a sealed indictment against Stanford charging him with reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm into an occupied habitation stemming from a shots fired incident near Bell Street Apartments in Smithville during the apprehension of three suspects in a Warren County triple homicide in November.
In earlier media reports, Cherry said Stanford acted in the moment after witnessing a triple murder suspect injuring an officer with a vehicle while trying to evade arrest.
Prosecutors said there was no imminent threat, and that Stanford put other lives at risk.
Downtown Businessman Asks Mayor and Aldermen to Revisit City Beer Ordinance (View Video Here)
Reconsider?
Four months ago the Smithville Aldermen narrowly defeated (3-2) a proposal to amend the city beer ordinance to eliminate the 400-foot distance requirement between a church or school and businesses seeking an on-premises consumption permit. Had it been approved the ordinance amendment would have only applied to the C-2 zone which is the downtown business district and none of the other existing regulations in the ordinance would have been changed.
During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, Bert Driver, owner of the Harvester Event Center downtown, addressed the mayor and aldermen during the public comments period asking them to reconsider the issue. Driver, who already has a city issued beer permit, said changing the ordinance regarding the distance restrictions would not only level the playing field for downtown businesses who might otherwise qualify for a permit but it would bring in more tax revenue at a time when the county is needing more funding with plans to build a new school.
The mayor and aldermen listened to Driver but took no action since it was not on the agenda, nor did they discuss it during the meeting.
Driver also provided budgeted city tax revenues from the sales of wholesale liquor, beer, and mixed drinks over a seven-year period from the fiscal year ending in 2018 to 2024 which showed a jump from total collections of $297,025 in 2018 to $363,996 in 2024. The seven-year total came to more than $2.3 million in tax revenue.
In 2014, Smithville voters approved a referendum allowing retail package stores to sell liquor within the city limits. Two years later in 2016, city voters said yes to a referendum for the legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in City of Smithville (Liquor By the Drink).
“I am here to request this board to reconsider the motion put forth on September 9, 2024 to amend the city beer ordinance and eliminate the 400 foot distance requirement between a church and businesses seeking an on-premises consumption permit for local beer sales, which would only apply to the C-2 Central Business District and none of the other existing regulations in the ordinance,” said Driver.
“That motion failed 3-2 but new information has emerged I would like to share. On October 15, 2024, the DeKalb County Budget Committee voted 5-0 to recommend the county commission approve a $55 million 30 year bond resolution for a new school”.
“Its contingent on Smithville, Liberty, Alexandria, and Dowelltown extending their existing sales tax agreements for the life of the bond. Smithville will provide 2/3 of its sales tax revenue for that school,” Driver explained.
“I have an issue with this council’s decision to shoot down the proposal to allow sales of beer by the drink in downtown; there are two establishments already serving beer and alcohol in the district”.
“Beer is an important source of sales tax. In 2024 alone, roughtly $364,000 was collected in Smithville from beer and alcohol sales”.
“That figure will grow if you do what the people want. You represent all of Smithville, not just those who are opposed to beer sales downtown. At present, the situation is unfair. Businesses on the west side of the square, Walnut, Market, and Main cannot sell beer while those on the east side can because of the location of churches”.
“All the business owners have invested time and money to revitalize downtown but they don’t all enjoy the same opportunity to prosper. Beer sales by the drink will help all businesses and it will even the playing field”.
“I am a man of faith and fully support our churches in all their efforts. I am also protective of our community and want to see it thrive. Beer is legal and there is a process and procedure to obtain a license,” Driver continued.
“Most establishments that sell beer are family friendly. In fact, I own two of them. We are all in business together and we want to see Smithville prosper. A thriving downtown with restaurants that attract people is important to downtown revitalization. Beer sales are one part of that and an important source of tax revenue”.
“I urge you to reconsider the ordinance you defeated in September and pass it so the community can move forward with commerce and success. When one boat rises, we’ll all rise together,” said Driver.
Fire Related Death Remains Under Investigation
As family plan a memorial service yet to be scheduled for a man, James Brian Storie, believed to have perished in a fire last Thursday in DeKalb County, investigators are still officially withholding a name pending positive identification.
“This is still ongoing,” said Sheriff Patrick Ray. “We have not made a positive identification yet. There are steps that TBI and the sheriff’s department have to take to identify a body that is unrecognizable and that will be done by DNA testing. We have not got the results back so we are still not releasing a name with that fire death,” said Sheriff Ray.
The DeKalb County Fire Department was summoned to a mobile home fire at approximately 1:34 a.m. Thursday morning at 1419 Poss Road. The initial report to 911 dispatch was that the structure was fully involved. Upon arrival, firefighters did find the structure fully involved and collapsed.
Upon investigation, fire crews located a deceased victim inside the mobile home. The Four Seasons, Midway, Johnson’s Chapel, and Short Mountain stations responded along with DeKalb Emergency Medical Services, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s (TBI) fire investigators.