Restoration Effort Begins with Tree Planting at Historic Town Cemetery
by: Dwayne PageFeb 05, 2025
A restoration project is underway at the historic Smithville Town Cemetery established in 1838.
Trees donated by Bert Driver Nursery (Yoshino Cherry) and Pine Creek Nursery (Sweet Bay Magnolias) are being planted this week at the cemetery along South Congress Boulevard. This first step in the rehabilitation of the cemetery received approval by the city and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Town Cemetery has been located directly east of the public square for nearly 200 years. It is in need of attention and restoration. A kick-off fundraiser campaign to enhance and restore the historic town cemetery is set for March 20 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Harvester Event Center. For more information and to donate visit www.fb.com/SmithvilleTCA or call 615-597-2000.
Tense Exchange between Alexandria Police Chief and Members of Town Council (Listen Here)
by: Dwayne PageFeb 05, 2025
A tense exchange occurred during Friday night’s regular monthly meeting of the Alexandria Mayor and Aldermen between Police Chief K.D. Smith and Aldermen Bobby Simpson and Luke Prichard.
Listen to audio from meeting
It all began when Chief Smith, at the end of his monthly report to the mayor and aldermen, asked if there was any validity to talk he has heard that the police department could be defunded or that he might lose his job.
Alexandria city leaders include Mayor Beth Tripp and Aldermen Jeff Ford, Sherry Tubbs, Luke Prichard, Bobby Simpson, Tiffany Robinson, and Jonathan Tripp.
The following conversation ensued:
K.D. Smith: “Its come to my knowledge that there are some board members that are looking to defund or get rid of the police department or get rid of me. I would like to know if there is any validity to that. Not for my sake but for the officer’s sake. We have one (officer) in particular, this is her job and her livelihood”
Bobby Simpson: “Whenever we hired that young lady (from White County) I told her specifically not to be driving the (city patrol) car back and forth to White County. Is she driving it?”
K.D. Smith: “No”
Luke Prichard: “Yes she is. That’s a lie. She has been driving it to Smithville”.
K.D. Smith: “She drives it to Smithville”
Luke Prichard: “That’s not what you told us”
Bobby Simpson: “And the other boy (police officer) is telling that he is driving his to Dunlap
K.D. Smith: “No”
Bobby Simpson: “Where is it at?”
K.D. Smith: “Setting right outside”.
Bobby Simpson: “ Both of them?”
K.D. Smith: “Hers is setting in Smithville right now”
Luke Prichard: “That ain’t got nothing to do with Alexandria. You told us they were not going to drive them. That’s exactly what you said”.
K.D. Smith: “No they didn’t drive them because we didn’t have enough vehicles”.
Luke Prichard: “No you had them”
K.D. Smith: “We have enough now”
Luke Prichard: “Well we don’t want them driving them”
Bobby Simpson: “ Right”
K.D. Smith: “Well, if they are going to park theirs, I’ll park mine because its not fair for them”
Luke Prichard: “That’s fine with me”
K.D. Smith: “But here’s the thing and I want everybody to understand this and I addressed this with the mayor, I have been in this situation before. If there is an emergency where we have to call officers out from their residence. If they get in their personal car and they are responding here, they are trying to get here as quick as they can. If they get in an accident they are under the city’s insurance at that time”.
Bobby Simpson: “Wouldn’t it be closer to call the DeKalb County Sherriff’s Department?”
Luke Prichard: “That’s what happens at 10 o’clock anyway”
K.D. Smith: “Right because I don’t have enough officers to cover 24/7”.
Bobby Simpson: “There ain’t never been nobody here after 10 o’clock”.
K.D. Smith: “ I’m just asking if there is any validity?”
Bobby Simpson: “Yes there is”
K.D. Smith: “Is it the department in whole or is it me? Because if its me don’t punish the officers”
Bobby Simpson: “ Its mostly you”
K.D. Smith: “ We could sit down and have a chat Bobby. Anytime you like”
Bobby Simpson: “KD you have treated me like I am a stepchild. You won’t even wave at me. I have been up here working at this house and you drive by and don’t wave or nothing. I’ve known you for 30 years. K.D. I recommended you for the (police chief) job”
K.D. Smith: “Don’t accuse me of something I haven’t done. I spoke with you at your house the other day and asked how close you were to getting done with it”
Bobby Simpson: “ Its me K.D.”
K.D. Smith: “ My door is always open. We can sit down and discuss”.
Bobby Simpson: “The second meeting you were here you came in and said you were embarrassed”. (referring to the current small, confined space of offices at city hall police department)
Luke Prichard: “You knew the way it was to begin with”
Bobby Simpson: “It would be like me coming to your house and saying I’m ashamed to be here”
K.D. Smith: “I am ashamed of the way the police department looked, the building back there”
Bobby Simpson: “That ain’t got nothing to do with policing. What’s that got to do with policing”
K.D. Smith: “Morale”
Bobby Simpson: “Morale?”
K.D. Smith: “Morale of the officers. I’m sorry Bobby but if you can do my job better than I can do it you can have it”
Luke Prichard: “We don’t want it”
K.D. Smith: “Then let me do my job”
Bobby Simpson: “Who did you (police chief) have to call to come and help you (make arrest) over there at the apartments?”
Luke Prichard: “The county”
K.D. Smith: “The county was already there when I got there, and I got two broken ribs for it”
Bobby Simpson: “You should have let the county handle it”
K.D. Smith: “We both had to fight her. I am going to stand my ground and for what I think is right for the police department. That is what you hired me to do. I am not going to sit here and argue. I asked for some validity to it. You have answered it. Thank you.”
Mayor Beth Tripp: “We are going to go past. I had already talked to you about that anyway. You believe in rumors but that ain’t going to work with me”
Sherry Tubbs: “All he asked for was validity and he has been treated disrespectfully just as much as you guys believe you are. You all walked out on a meeting with him”
Luke Prichard: “Yeah when he is yelling, hooping, hollering, bitching and griping the whole time. That’s all we’ve listened to”.
Sherry Tubbs: “You are too. You’re loud and rude”
Luke Prichard: “Yeah I am too because he started in”
Mayor Beth Tripp: “I am in charge of this meeting and we are going to take control. Enough is enough. We have moved past it. No more talking about it”.
Dr. Denise Dingle resigns as DeKalb County Medical Examiner
by: Dwayne PageFeb 02, 2025
Dr. Denise Dingle has stepped down as the DeKalb County Medical Examiner.
The resignation, effective January 31, comes just as a new county policy went into effect February 1 regarding how the medical examiner and medical investigator are to be paid per death call.
Dr. Dingle issued the following statement to WJLE Saturday through her attorney Jon Slager
“Dr. Denise Dingle, MD, did, in fact tender her resignation as DeKalb County Medical Examiner. The most recent adoption of new policies and procedures for the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, over the objection of Dr. Dingle, is the most recent example of an untenable work environment which began last year with the County Mayor’s failed attempt to suspend and ultimately fire Dr. Dingle as medical examiner,” the statement concluded.
As a contracted service, Dr. Dingle was paid $5,000 a year by the county as medical director and $100 per body as medical examiner. However, County Mayor Matt Adcock reported to the county commission in November that an invoice from July, when Dingle was on suspension and not the ME, charged a $200 fee for one decedent.
During December’s regular monthly meeting, the county commission adopted the following written policy as recommended by the government services committee to become effective February 1, 2025.
Under the policy, “$200 will be paid to the Medical Examiner per decedent. The $200 will be $100 for the Medical Examiner and $100 for the Medical Investigator. 911 will notify the Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner will be responsible for contacting a Medical Investigator on each body. The Medical Examiner will be responsible for paying the Medical Investigator within 30 days of receiving the money from the county. A DeKalb County employee can be the Medical Investigator as long as they are not on the DeKalb County clock during the investigation”.
County Mayor Adcock said members of the DeKalb Ambulance Service trained in medical death investigations may be called upon during their off times to perform this duty but not while they are on the clock because that amounts to double dipping according to the state comptroller.