A convicted sex offender is back in custody.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says 36 year old Freddy Sylvester Stringer of Church Street Liberty, was found at a residence in Smith County on Friday, December 18th. According to Sheriff Ray, Stringer, who pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated sexual assault on a child in July of this year, violated his probation after being arrested for a seventh offense of driving on a revoked license. Sheriff Ray also obtained a warrant against Stringer for violation of the sexual offender law after learning that Stringer participated in Halloween activities by having his porch light on and allowing children to come the residence to trick or treat. Stringer also had his residence decorated for the Halloween season, which is a violation of state law for sex offenders. Sheriff Ray says Stringer had been on the run until he was captured on Friday. Bond for Stringer was set at $10,000 on the sexual offender law violation but a hold without bond was placed on him for violation of the community corrections warrant. He will appear in court on January 7th.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Ray says on Monday, December 14th a deputy, while on patrol on New Home Road, Dowelltown, spotted 27 year old Jessica French Hale of Walker Drive Smithville driving an automobile. The officer having prior knowledge of Hale’s driver’s license being suspended stopped her and placed her under arrest for driving on a suspended license. Hale’s bond was set at $1,500 and she will appear in court on December 30th.
On Tuesday, December 15th, a deputy responded to an accident on High Street in Alexandria where a vehicle had struck a utility pole. Before the officer arrived, the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash left the scene. Deputies later located the driver, 25 year old Kevin Matthew Bly of South Church Street in Alexandria. A check of Bly’s drivers license revealed they were suspended. Bly was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a suspended license. Bly’s bond was set at $4,000 and his court date is January 14th.
Also on Tuesday a DeKalb County High School student was arrested on a drug charge. The school resource officer was notified by an assistant principal that he smelled burnt marijuana coming from the boy’s bathroom at the school. After investigating, the assistant principal and the resource officer learned that 18 year old Michael Anthony Leichtfuss of Old Eagle Creek Road Smithville had been in possession of a burning marijuana cigarette that had been thrown into the boy’s bathroom area. The school resource officer seized more marijuana from the student’s home. Leichtfuss was charged with simple possession of marijuana and his bond was set at $1,000. He will appear in court on January 7th.
46 year old Stevie Lane Holder of Rolling Hills Road, McMinnville was charged Wednesday, December 16th with driving under the influence of an intoxicant after a deputy stopped him for speeding and weaving in the roadway. Holder was operating a motor vehicle on Highway 70 East when an officer paced him at 70 miles per hour in a 40 mile an hour speed zone. The deputy also noticed Holder weaving in the roadway. After Holder was stopped, he submitted to field sobriety tasks which he failed. Holder had slurred speech and poor motor skills. Holder did admit to consuming two mixed drinks and two beers earlier. Bond for Holder was set at $1,000 and he will appear in court on January 7th.
46 year old Ricky Lynn Cantrell of Eckels Heights Liberty was arrested Wednesday after being involved in a two automobile accident and then leaving the scene. The deputy investigating learned that Cantrell left the scene of the accident and then drove to his residence. The officer also discovered that Cantrell’s drivers license was revoked for a prior conviction of driving under the influence. Cantrell’s bond was set at $3,000 and he will appear in court on January 20th.
Also on Friday deputies received a call to”Be on the lookout” for a reckless driver in Smithville who was driving at a high rate of speed and passing vehicles. They were also dispatched to an automobile accident on Tramel Lane in Smithville. Upon arrival at the scene of the accident, officers found the same vehicle identified in the “Be on the lookout” call chained to the automobile that was involved in the accident. The driver of the “BOLO” vehicle was trying to pull the other automobile from the ditch line. 32 year old John L. Atnip Jr. of Jacobs Pillar Road Smithville was arrested for a third offense of driving on a revoked license. Atnip admitted that he passed an ambulance and two other cars to get to the accident scene. Atnip was also issued citations for violation of the driver’s license change of address law, driving without vehicle insurance, and violation of vehicle registration law. Bond for Atnip was set at $3,000 and he will appear in court on January 14th.
32 year old Stephanie Lee Vanatta of Old Snow Hill Road Dowelltown was arrested Sunday for a first offense of driving under the influence. While on patrol on Short Mountain Highway, a deputy spotted Vanatta’s vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane of traffic and almost hit a bridge. After making the traffic stop, the officer noticed that Vanatta had slurred speech, that her eyelids were heavy, and she was unsteady on her feet. She submitted to field sobriety tasks which she failed. Vanatta’s bond was set at $1,000 and she will appear in court on January 14th.
24 year old Jonathan David Thomas of Nashville Highway Liberty was charged Sunday with attempted escape. Thomas, an inmate at the jail, ran out of the cell when correctional officers opened the door to deliver the inmate’s food trays. Thomas was quickly caught in the visitation area of the jail annex. Bond for Thomas was set at $10,000 and he will appear in court on January 14th.
Also on Sunday deputies were called to Sims Street in Dowelltown in answer to a domestic complaint where they talked with a female who had been assaulted. The woman had a cut above her eye and her eye was swollen. The victim told the officers that 22 year old Trinity J. Anderson of Sims Street Dowelltown had assaulted her, that he had fired a gun in the house, and had shot the tires on her vehicle in the driveway. Deputies located Anderson at the residence but he became belligerent, uncooperative and wanted to fight the officers.. After Anderson was cuffed and placed in the patrol car, he then kicked the back window out of the patrol car. Deputies found in the home seven bullet holes as well as holes in the tires of the victims vehicle where Anderson had allegedly fired shots. Anderson was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, vandalism to county property, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. Bond for Anderson was set at $66,500 and he will appear in court on January 14th
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