The Christmas season has arrived and you are invited to join in the celebration Thursday evening, December 7 downtown Smithville for “Christmas on the Square”.
The event will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on the public square.
The schedule of events has yet to be finalized but the tentative plans (subject to change) is as follows:
A tree lighting ceremony is planned outside the courthouse on the west side.
The Community Chorus will perform Christmas Classics on the steps of the courthouse (weather permitting).
Courthouse officials and the Chamber of Commerce will have an Open House. You can visit county officials on the main floor (2nd floor) of the courthouse where you’ll find lots of goodies to eat!
There will be a Free Photo Booth and Holiday Music in the courthouse compliments of the City of Smithville.
The 303 building on the north side of the square will be open for holiday music, a LIVE nativity (no animals) and a festival of trees decorated by the library and participating businesses.
Santa will be making an appearance at Justin Potter Library at 6:30 p.m. so remember to bring your camera. A Santa’s Workshop will also give children a chance to make their own Christmas ornament at the library.
And don’t forget about all the great downtown shopping!
Hope you can come for this special night – Thursday, December 7 from 5 to 8 PM – Christmas on the Square!

A man believed to be responsible for a head-on crash and then leaving the scene Friday afternoon, May 12 on East Broad Street has been indicted for vehicular assault and other charges.
The Grand Jury Monday indicted 21 year old Christopher Keith Lane Derrick of 323 Jackson Street, Smithville for driving under the influence, vehicular assault, evading arrest, and violation of the implied consent law
According to police, Derrick was driving east on Broad Street in a 1996 Chevy Monte Carlo when he crossed into the westbound lane and struck an oncoming 2005 Chevy Classic driven by Alex B. Huber. Dustin Allen Sullivan and Ryan Powell were passengers with Derrick. Huber and Sullivan were taken by DeKalb EMS to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. Powell refused transport by EMS to the hospital.
Witnesses said that after the crash, Derrick fled the scene on foot carrying a green and white bag heading north into the woods between Eastside Inn and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative.
Smithville Police Officers, assisted by DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputies, set up a perimeter and conducted a foot search. Derrick was subsequently found and placed under arrest.
Derrick had suffered a large cut near his right knee and across his leg. His speech was slurred and he was very unsteady on his feet. According to police, Derrick needed help at times to maintain his balance. Field sobriety tasks were not administered due to Derrick’s injuries. He was then transported by DeKalb EMS to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. A search warrant was obtained to get a blood sample from Derrick after he refused to voluntarily submit to a blood test.
In addition to vehicular assault, Derrick was charged at the time with evading arrest, violation of the registration law and financial responsibility, driving without a license, failure to yield the right of way, and violation of the implied consent law.
Members of the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department were also on the scene.

A weekend fire has left a DeKalb County family homeless.
DeKalb County Fire Chief Donny Green said firefighters were called to a structure fire Saturday night at around 11:30 p.m. on Gene Vaughn Road.
The owner, Thelma Evans, her son and daughter-in-law Ricky and Sherry Evans and four children were in the home at the time and escaped unharmed after discovering that the back of the house was on fire. According to Chief Green, the fire appears to have started on the back porch although the exact cause is undetermined.
The home and all belongings were lost in the fire.
Members of the Short Mountain Highway, Belk, Blue Springs, and Tanker Truck of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with the Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb EMS.

The DeKalb West School Junior Pro Basketball season will be held February 6 through March 1.
Games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Practice will be held on Mondays.
Plans are to have four grade groups: (K-1), (2-3), (4-5), (6-7)
The sign up fee is $30 for the first child and then $25 for each additional sibling.
Anyone interested in being a player should fill out the form below (CLICK LINK) so plans can be made to organize teams. The form must be returned by December 8. The money is due in full by January 11.
All board members and coaches must pass background check. If you re interested in being a coach submit your name on the form below (CLICK LINK).
Jr Pro. Sign up.pdf (35.75 KB)
Please return the form to the DeKalb West School Office, Attention, DWS Jr. Pro
101 Bulldog Lane
Liberty, TN 37095

Early voting begins Today (Wednesday, November 29) for the December 19th State Senatorial District 17 Special Election.
The candidates are Mary Alice Carfi, the Democratic nominee, and Mark Pody, the Republican nominee. The winner will fill the unexpired term of former State Senator Mae Beavers.
Early Voting Hours are as follows:
Mondays 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 12 Noon
Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 12 Noon
Thursdays 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Fridays 9 a.m. to 12 Noon
Saturdays 9 a.m. to 12 Noon
Early voting begins November 29 and runs through December 14. All early voting is conducted on the first floor of the DeKalb County Courthouse.
Election Day is December 19 and polls will open that day at 8 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

The last of the three escapees from the DeKalb County Jail is back in custody, one week after the trio broke out.
Sheriff Patrick Ray told WJLE Tuesday night that 26 year old Daniel Trey Hamilton of Jacobs Pillar Road, Smithville was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida Tuesday after being involved in a traffic accident there. He was placed into custody in Lee County, Florida and is awaiting extradition back to DeKalb County. Hamilton will be charged with escape.
Last Tuesday night, Hamilton, 38 year old Jack Mullican, Jr. of Adcock Cemetery Road and 32 year old Bryon Ray Gibbs of Gin Alley, Alexandria broke out of the jail annex through a door they jimmied open.
Mullican was captured last Wednesday morning after being found in an underground water drain near Mapco Express. He became trapped there after making his escape.
Gibbs was apprehended Saturday thanks to an alert Alexandria Police Officer, Josh Arnold and a few citizen bystanders. After being confronted, Gibbs resisted and began fighting with Arnold. Citizens who witnessed the scene came to the aid of the officer to help subdue Gibbs. Deputies and detectives of the Sheriff’s Department also responded to provide assistance.
Gibbs was charged by Alexandria Police with resisting arrest and aggravated assault.
All three, Hamilton, Mullican, and Gibbs, are facing escape charges and although a bond is set in each case, all three remain incarcerated and are being housed at jails in other counties.

A Smithville man who posted offensive and blasphemous notes on the properties of several local churches from May through July has been indicted by the DeKalb County Grand Jury.
The Grand Jury Monday indicted 57 year old Laddie Bill Jerrells of Long Street, Smithville on eight counts of desecration of a place of worship. He was also indicted in separate offenses for resisting arrest and making a false report.
Jerrells was charged in a joint investigation by the Smithville Police and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Departments. He was originally charged on Wednesday, July 5th on twenty four counts including charges of vandalism, disorderly conduct, harassment, and desecration of honored places.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray and Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins, Jerrells went to churches in the City of Smithville and in the county and posted offensive notes on the church properties, either on the front doors, buildings, or signs.
According to the indictments, the incidents occurred on May 13, May 30, June 18, June 22, June 25, June 29, July 3, and July 5 at times when no church services were being held. No particular denominations were targeted.
Smithville Police charged Jerrells for the two cases in the city. The rest of the charges were brought by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department against Jerrells for the incidents at churches in the county.
Although WJLE did not file charges, a similar irreverent note bearing the name of Laddie Jerrells, was posted on the front door of the WJLE studios in July.
On the desecration charges, Jerrells is accused of treating a place of worship with great disrespect by posting irreverent notes on the churches.
In a joint statement, Sheriff Ray and Police Chief Collins said their departments will always strive to keep churches safe and secure so that congregations can worship freely and in peace.
Meanwhile in the resisting arrest case, Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, February 27 a deputy responded to a residence on Long Street to serve an ex parte order of protection on Jerrells. Upon arrival the officer spoke to Jerrells’ daughter outside the home. She was named as a protected person on the order. The deputy then entered the residence, spoke with Jerrells, and read to him the contents of the paperwork on the order of protection. According to the order, Jerrells was to immediately vacate the residence. After being told several times that he had to leave the premises Jerrells refused to cooperate by lying down with his arms behind his head. He would not allow his wrists to be handcuffed. The deputy had to forcibly place Jerrells’ hands behind his back in order to make the arrest. After arriving at the jail, Jerrells continued to be uncooperative while being booked into the facility.
Jerrells was arrested Sunday, December 11, 2016 for filing a false report. Three days before on Thursday, December 8 Jerrells reported to police that his truck was locked and that he could not find the keys. The next morning, Friday, December 9 Jerrells said his truck was missing and reported it as stolen to Central Dispatch. Upon investigation it was discovered that Jerrells had hidden the vehicle and then reported it to be stolen.

tnAchieves, the partnering organization to Governor Haslam’s TN Promise in DeKalb County, is looking for mentors to support the fourth class of TN Promise scholars. DeKalb County still needs 9 mentors by this Friday, December 1st to meet its goal and ensure each student has a local support system.
tnAchieves mentors spend about one hour per month working with a group of students to help eliminate the barriers associated with the transition from high school to college. Mentors remind students of important deadlines, serve as a trusted college resource and, most importantly, encourage students to reach their full potential. The time commitment is small, only about one hour per month, but the impact on the students can be life changing. To learn more and apply you can visitwww.tnachieves.org/mentors/apply.
If you have questions or would like more information please reach out to Graham Thomas at tnAchieves at graham@tnachieves.orgor (615) 604-1306.

A DeKalb County man has been indicted for trying to kill his wife in April after she was found by the side of the road in the Ragland Bottom area cut and bleeding from a stabbing.
The Grand Jury Monday indicted 29 year old Andrew Lafate Billings with attempted first degree murder of his wife 19 year old Adriana Billings.
The indictment alleges that “on or about the 4th day of April, 2017 Billings did unlawfully, intentionally, and with premeditation attempt to kill Adriana N. Billings”.
Andrew and Adriana Billings first made news in November, 2016 when they fled to Michigan with their 8 month old child during a wreck investigation in which a meth lab was found in their vehicle prompting a TBI Endangered Child Alert. For that incident, Andrew Billings was also indicted Monday for aggravated child abuse and initiation of a process intended to result in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Although charged with Andrew at the time in the meth and child abuse case, Adriana was not indicted by the Grand Jury Monday.
That indictment alleges that “on or about the 10th day of November, 2016 Billings did unlawfully and knowingly initiate a process intended to result in the manufacture of any amount of methamphetamine and that he did unlawfully and knowingly expose Xavier Billings, a child under the age of 8 to the initiation of a process intended to result in the manufacture of methamphetamine”.
Billings will be arraigned on the charges in DeKalb County Criminal Court December 12.
The warrant taken against Billings at the time of the stabbing stated that “on the 4th of April, 2017, Andrew Lafate Billings did intentionally and knowingly stab his wife, Adriana Nichole Billings numerous times about the upper body. Billings did commit this act with premeditation with the intent to kill Adriana Billings. Adriana was taken by helicopter with life threatening injuries. This offense did occur in DeKalb County”.
Sheriff Patrick Ray told WJLE that the victim was found Tuesday morning, April 4 on Allen Ferry Road off Backbone Ridge Road in DeKalb County.
“At 9:06 a.m. a call came in to dispatch from someone who found a woman on the side of the road bleeding from the throat and said she appeared to have been stabbed.”
“Officers arrived ten minutes later and found the woman lying in a ditch with knife wounds to the neck, face, and hands. The victim was seen by EMS and then airlifted by helicopter. She suffered life threatening injuries,” said Sheriff Ray.
“While doing inventory at the scene, detectives developed Andrew Billings as a suspect and were able to obtain a vehicle description. A BOLO (Be on the lookout) was sent to surrounding counties.”
“The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and District Attorney General’s Office were summoned to the scene by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.”
“White County authorities later received a domestic call in their county and learned that Andrew Billings had gotten into an argument with a family member. A White County detective spotted the vehicle Billings was driving and did a traffic stop at 11:19 a.m.”
“A search warrant was later obtained and executed on the vehicle Billings was driving and officers found blood and a bloody knife with hair on it inside the automobile. Billings was found to have cuts to his hands,” Sheriff Ray continued.
Billings was taken into custody. He was booked in DeKalb County on the attempted first degree murder charge but at that time was being held in White County on a failure to appear in court charge there. DeKalb County had a hold on him after he faced his White County offense.
Meanwhile in the case a year ago, Sheriff Ray said that “On Thursday November, 10th, 2016 the Tennessee Highway Patrol worked a two vehicle accident on Highway 70 east (Sparta Highway). After 3 occupants in one of the vehicles, including the child, had been examined by EMS, the adults fled the scene with the child. During the inventory of the vehicle, the Trooper found what he believed to be a methamphetamine lab. The Trooper took criminal warrants in the case on both of the adults for manufacturing meth and aggravated child abuse”.
After the accident, the Trooper obtained information that the child might have had a medical condition and notified the Department of Children Services.
Sheriff Ray said that at 11:19 p.m. Wednesday night, November 16, 2016 the Department of Children Services came to his office and filed a missing/endangered child report. The Sheriff said his department immediately entered the child into the National Crime Information System which prompted the TBI Endangered Child Alert System.
The Billings’ were found with the child at a residence in Flint, Michigan on Friday, November 18, 2016. They were arrested by the City of Flint Police Department and Xavier was placed in protective custody by the Michigan Department of Children Services.
The warrants against the Billings’ taken at the time alleged that on November 10, 2016 Trooper Sean Tramel of the Tennessee Highway Patrol was working an accident on Sparta Highway and found that Andrew and Adriana Billings knowingly initiated the process of manufacturing methamphetamine inside of their white Nissan Sentra which was involved in the accident while their 8 month old son was present in the vehicle.
While doing a post crash inventory of the car, Trooper Tramel discovered a meth lab in a black nylon bag and in a 40 millimeter ammo can in the back seat. Items discovered were a Visine bottle containing muriatic acid, spa test strips, an open container of Drano, four bottles including three with residue and one with sediment, a quart Mason jar with a clear liquid believed to be Coleman fuel and methamphetamine mix which field tested positive for meth.

Braedon Jett, a Sophomore at DCHS recently served as an independent delegate to The Model United Nations held at The Pope John Paul II Church in Hendersonville. Braedon represented the country of Zimbabwe and the impact of the Zika virus there.
“Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation and/or academic activity in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations.”