A 17 year old Smithville boy has been missing for two weeks and authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating him.
Jacob Linder is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. His hair is light brown and he has blue eyes. He was last seen on Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Anyone with information should contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or the Smithville Police Department at 615-597-8210.

The Trustee’s Office will be a busy place for the next month as taxpayers rush to beat the February 28 deadline to pay their 2016 county property taxes.
The $8.8 million in 2016 DeKalb County property taxes to be collected by February 28, 2017 includes property, residential, commercial, personal, and public utility taxes.
Penalties will start accruing March 1 on 2016 taxes not paid by the deadline.
Trustee Sean Driver reminds taxpayers that you may:
1. Come in person to pay at the office.
2. Mail in your payment.
3. Pay online at tennesseetrustee.com- select, DeKalb.
*There is a fee to use debit/credit card-2.75% of your total tax bill or submit an e-check for $2.75 on any total
*Online accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover, or American Express.
*Business Information Systems collects the fees, not DeKalb County
4. A Dropbox is also located on the outside wall of the county offices section at the county complex building (where the Trustee’s Office is located) for your convenience after hours or on weekends. If you choose to use the drop box on February 28, the mail will be gathered on Wednesday morning, March 1 and no penalties will be applied to the 2016 tax bill.
5. Partial Payments are accepted in any amount.
*Remember: Whatever portion of taxes are unpaid for 2016, using the partial payment plan; only the portion left unpaid will accrue 1.5% penalty and interest per month starting March 1, 2017.
You may also qualify for the State of Tennessee Property Tax Relief Program. If you would like to check on a possible tax relief for 2016, visit the Trustee’s Office at 732 South Congress Boulevard, Room 103, or call 615-597-5176. The last day to sign up for tax relief is April 5.
The Trustee’s Office is open regular hours from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday.
Any 2015 unpaid property taxes may be paid with interest and penalty through March 31. However any 2015 unpaid taxes will be turned over to the Chancery Court on April 1 for collection. The Trustee’s Office will soon be sending out a notice to those still delinquent.

DeKalb County recently hosted the 4-H sub-regional public speaking contest at DeKalb County High School. This event brought in over 80 4-H members and their families from 11 surrounding counties. The youth won the contest in their individual counties and earned a spot to compete at this level.
Included in this group were six 4-H members from DeKalb County who represented us very well and were faced with some fierce competition. In 4th grade, Andrew Dakas and Dare Collins competed. Dare received 3rd place. Tess Barton and Peyton Norris received 3rd and 4th place respectively in 5th grade. Cooper Brown and Jacklyn Kleparek both participated in the 6th grade division.
It takes lots of practice and courage to participate in public speaking but it is a skill that will forever benefit these youth. All 4-H members who gave a speech this year, whether at the classroom, county, or regional level, should feel proud of their accomplishments. For more information about the 4-H program, please contact the UT-TSU Extension Office at 615-597-4945. 4-H is a proud part of UT and TSU Extension. UT-TSU Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment through the cooperation of county, state, and federal governments.
Photo Captions:
Sub-region:
Dare Collins, Andrew Dakas, Peyton Norris, Tess Barton, Cooper Brown, and Jacklyn Kleparek all represented DeKalb County 4-H well at the sub-regional public speaking contest.
Dare:
Dare Collins received 3rd place in the 4th grade sub-region public speaking contest.
Peyton & Tess:
Peyton Norris placed 4th and Tess Barton 3rd in the 5th grade sub-region public speaking contest.

A convicted felon was arrested last week after being found with a weapon during a traffic stop and a small bag of marijuana while being booked into the jail.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW MUG SHOTS OF PERSONS RECENTLY BOOKED AT THE DEKALB COUNTY JAIL. INTAKES AND RELEASES FROM: 1/23/2017 Thru: 1/30/2017)Seagate Crystal Reports – REPOR_7.pdf (2.4 MB)
24 year old Natalie Gail Barrett of Miller Road, Smithville is charged with illegal carrying or possession of a weapon and bringing contraband into a penal institution. She was further issued a citation for driving on roadways laned for travel. Her bond is $10,000 and her court date is February 16.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, January 26 a deputy spotted a vehicle traveling in the middle of Snow Hill Road. After making a traffic stop, the officer was given consent to search the automobile by the driver, Barrett. A 22 caliber revolver was found wrapped up inside a bag on the back seat. Barrett, who has a felony criminal record for a 2012 schedule I drug offense, admitted that the bag belonged to her. She was placed under arrest and brought to the jail. While in the booking area a correctional officer asked Barrett if she had anything on her person. Barrett replied “yes” and then produced a small bag containing a green leafy substance, believed to be marijuana, from the front of her pants.
22 year old Dustin Allen Sullivan of Jackson Street, Smithville is charged with failure to appear, possession of methamphetamine, and resisting arrest. His bond totals $10,000 on two of the charges but he is being held without bond for the failure to appear. His court date on the FTA is February 24 and February 16 on the other offenses.
Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, January 27 a detective and deputy conducted a traffic stop on Cecil Hale Road in Smithville. Sullivan was a passenger of the vehicle. He had active warrants against him. Sullivan was asked several times by the detective to step outside the vehicle but he refused. Sullivan was forcibly removed from the automobile as he continued to resist. Sullivan was then handcuffed and transported to the jail for booking. While making the arrest, the officers found a small baggie which contained a crystal like substance, believed to be methamphetamine. It weighed 0.08 grams and it field tested positive for meth.
52 year old Ricky L. Shehane of Wade Street, Smithville is charged with filing a false report and resist, stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. His bond is $3,000 and his court date is February 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, January 23 officers went to 309 Wade Street to serve arrest warrants on 31 year old Clint Shehane for two offenses of failure to appear. Upon arrival, the deputies saw Clint Shehane moving about inside the home while knocking on the door. After making entry, the officers spoke to Ricky Shehane and asked for Clint. Ricky replied that he did not know Clint’s whereabouts and asked why the officers were in his home. The deputies answered that they were there to arrest Clint. Ricky asked if they had a search warrant. The officers responded that they had a warrant for Clint’s arrest. Ricky again denied knowing Clint’s whereabouts. Clint was subsequently found in Ricky’s bedroom closet that Ricky had earlier been spotted coming from. While the deputies were placing Ricky under arrest for giving false information, he refused to comply with their commands to put his hands behind his back. The officers were able to get Ricky’s right hand cuffed from the front though Ricky continued to resist by trying to pull away from the deputies.
Meanwhile Clint’s bond totals $4,000 and he will be in court on the two failure to appear warrants February 9 and April 6.
33 year old Ryan Lee Walden of Dale Ridge Road, Dowelltown is cited for simple possession of a schedule IV drug (Alprazolam) and a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine). His court date is February 16.
Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, January 27 a deputy pulled over a vehicle on Bryant Street in Smithville. Walden was in the automobile. After receiving consent to search, the officer found inside the vehicle a small container with 0.05 grams of a white substance believed to be methamphetamine and two blue pills thought to be Alprazolam.

The DCHS FBLA club recently competed at Region 5 Conference at Middle Tennessee State University. The club brought home several awards. The following students will be competing at state conference in Chattanooga in March. Congratulations to the following FBLA members who placed in their Regional Contest.
1st place:
Madison Mick, Client Service
Ealy Gassaway and Wesley Carpenter, Global Business
Raiden Martin, Introduction to Business
Abby Evans and Madi Cantrell, Marketing
Holly Evans, Spreadsheet Applications
2nd Place:
Maggie Robinson, Accounting
Andrew Fuson, Parker Gassaway, Global Business
3rd Place:
Matthew Poss, Agribusiness
Ami Patel, Health Care Administration
Sarah Ann Colwell and Rachel Fuson, Hospitality Management
Caiti Milligan, Word Processing
4th Place:
Lance Davis, Business Law
Ethan Jenkins and Chance Mabe, Entrepreneurship
Mackenzie Partridge, Health Care Administration
Dosson Medlin, Public Speaking 2
5th Place:
Jasmine Parker, Health Care Administration
Luke Green, Public Speaking 2
6th Place:
Casey Vickers, Agribusiness
Eli Cantrell, Public Speaking 1

Wilson Bank & Trust has promoted Clark Oakley to executive vice president and COO, officials announced recently.
Oakley, a 28-year banking veteran, joined Wilson Bank & Trust in 1995. Prior to his January 1 promotion, he served for 8 years as president of the bank’s eastern region, overseeing all banking functions in DeKalb, Putnam, Smith and Trousdale counties as well as Watertown in Wilson County. Oakley’s roles with the bank have also included manager and assistant manager at the Watertown office. He started at WB&T as a mortgage originator, having previously worked at other institutions in operations, information systems, customer service and lending.
“We are pleased to have someone of Clark’s experience, expertise and internal organizational knowledge stepping into this new role at Wilson Bank & Trust,” CEO Randall Clemons said. “His practical approach and commitment to making WB&T better have brought him success at every level, and his combination of retail and operational skills will serve him well as our bank’s first COO.”
Oakley, a graduate of DeKalb County High School and Middle Tennessee State University, has completed professional programs through the Southeastern School of Banking at Vanderbilt and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU as well as the Tennessee Bankers Association’s Executive Development Academy. In the community, he serves as a board member for United Way and as a church ministry chairman for Gideons International, and has previously served with the Lions Club and as a member of the Rotary. Oakley is also a Leadership Wilson graduate.
Oakley and his wife of 23 years, Lisa, reside in Liberty and have two children, Cason and Addison.
Wilson Bank & Trust (www.wilsonbank.com), member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender, is a community bank established in 1987 to provide personal and professional service in a hometown setting. One of the top banks in the South in stability, products, technology, growth and earnings, WB&T currently operates 25 full-service offices in eight Middle Tennessee counties, offering a full range of financial products that include secondary market mortgage loans and online banking services.
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Photo:
Wilson Bank & Trust’s Clark Oakley, front, was recently named an executive vice president and the bank’s Chief Operating Officer. He is pictured with WB&T executives (L to R) John McDearman, Elmer Richerson and Randall Clemons.

The Alexandria Volunteer Fire Department paid tribute to a very special 17 year old boy Saturday by making him an honorary member and giving him a ride around town in one of the city’s fire engines.
Tanner Malone, son of Shannon and Julie Malone of Alexandria, was presented a plaque and tee shirt by Alexandria Fire Chief Brian Partridge. Other members of the department were also on hand for the occasion.
Tanner was born with a very rare genetic disorder and has undergone numerous surgeries and treatments for his condition.
“Tanner was the only one at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital with this condition and there were actually only ten other kids worldwide with it. His doctors at Vanderbilt actually call him their question mark. We just don’t know why this happened to him but God knows why,” said Julie Malone, Tanner’s mom who spoke with WJLE Saturday.
“It’s the fourth chromosome. Tanner underwent open heart surgery when he was six weeks old. He had two cranial surgeries when he was six months old and eight months old. He was hospitalized the first five years of his life numerous times with pneumonia and he had a bad case of asthma. Six years ago he went in for a six hour brain surgery to remove almost all of the right side of his brain. He went back in on the next week for an eleven hour brain surgery. After those two brain surgeries, he went in to have a shunt put in because fluid was building on his brain. His liver is now being affected because of the high dosages of medication he is taking,” said Julie.
Although he can’t attend school like other students, Tanner is home schooled. “He has had a homebound teacher, Lori Rogers since he was in kindergarten. Now she comes to our house because he has an immune deficiency. He can’t have MMR shots, Chicken Pox vaccines and things like that. They have to be extra careful with him. But he has actually been going to school with her, usually one day a week for about four hours. She goes with him to kind of get him out of the house and let him enjoy being with other kids. He is mentally with probably a three or four year old,” Julie continued.
Through it all, Tanner is a happy teenager with an outgoing personality and he makes friends quickly. “This kid is amazing. Tanner never meets a stranger. He is just the happiest kid ever and is just a blessing to everyone,” Julie said.
For his 16th birthday, Tanner received almost 400 birthday cards. “He loves to get mail. He thinks that is just grand. He is so loved by so many in DeKalb County,” said Julie.
After he healed from his surgeries, Tanner and his family got to take a trip to Florida for a week. A wish granted to Tanner by the Make A Wish Foundation.
As Tanner continues to receive treatment for his condition, his family asks that you keep them in your prayers. “We had no clue when I was pregnant that anything was wrong. Then after we had him they were telling us everything that was wrong. We were just devastated. A lot of times it’s a tough road and it seems like there is always something new that comes about. We feel like we get one thing fixed and something else messes up. Now its with his liver. But God has a plan. Always pray for Tanner,” said Julie.