Department activity as of 9/18/2017

A homeless couple who went around stealing from homes, outbuildings, barn, and a church in the Alexandria, Liberty, and Dowelltown areas has been arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.

31 year old Joshua Dewayne Brown and 24 year old Ashley Nichole Tittle are charged with 10 counts of burglary, 3 counts of aggravated burglary, 4 counts of vandalism, 10 counts of theft under $1,000, and 3 counts of theft over $1,000. Brown is also charged with 1 count of evading arrest.

Brown is under a $126,000 bond. Tittle’s bond is $122,500. Both will make an appearance in DeKalb County General Sessions Court on September 28.

Brown and Tittle were found living under a tent in an old outbuilding on Wilson Hollow Road at Liberty. They had targeted 11 victims in their crime spree including one who was victimized three times.

Sheriff’s Department Detectives have recovered some of the stolen property. I commend my detectives. They have been busy working on these and other break-ins. It has taken a long time and many hours during the past few weeks getting these suspects into custody but I want to commend my detectives on a job well done.

The crimes against the two are as follows:

*Aggravated Burglary and theft under $1,000: On March 15, Brown and Tittle entered a residence on Alexandria to Dismal Road and took $1,000 in change.

*Burglary and theft under $1,000: On August 5, Brown and Tittle entered a building on Eckles Heights in Liberty and stole a weed eater and air compressor valued at $600.

*Burglary, vandalism, and theft under $1,000: On August 8, Brown and Tittle entered an outbuilding on Johnson Erwin Drive by forcibly prying open a door and took a Stihl chainsaw and Husqvarna chainsaw valued at $700. Damage to the building was less than $500.

*Burglary and theft under $1,000: On August 15, Brown and Tittle entered a vehicle on New Hope Road in Alexandria and took a Rock Island Armory 45 caliber handgun, a box of ammo, and extra magazines to the handgun valued at $539.

*Burglary and theft under $1,000: On August 15, Brown and Tittle entered a vehicle on New Hope Road in Alexandria and took a green purse, cash, and a check book valued at $230.

*Burglary and theft over $1,000: On August 20, Brown and Tittle entered the Mount Calvary Baptist Church on Lower Helton and took 2- 32 inch Sanyo LCD TVS, A 50 inch Sanyo LCD TV, 2 mounting brackets, and a flat top guitar valued at $1,330.

*Burglary, vandalism, and theft under $1,000: On August 29, Brown and Tittle entered a building on East Main Street in Dowelltown and stole various medications valued at $60. They caused $100 in damage to a window and window frame

*Burglary and theft under $1,000: On August 29, Brown and Tittle entered an outbuilding on Maulden Street in Liberty and stole a Poulan chainsaw valued at $150.

*Burglary and theft over $1,000: On August 30, Brown and Tittle entered an outbuilding on Lower Helton Road and stole a Stihl farm boss chainsaw, Stihl HS-46C hedge trimmer, a Dewalt saw, Milwaukee drill set, and Ruger 22 caliber rifle valued at $1,290.

*Aggravated burglary and theft under $1,000: On September 4, Brown and Tittle entered a residence on Alexandria to Dismal Road and took a 12 gauge double barrel shotgun valued at $175.

*Burglary (2 counts) and theft under $1,000: On September 9, Brown and Tittle entered a barn and a shed on the same property at Liberty to Dismal Road and stole a compound bow (from the barn) and Stihl chainsaw (from the shed) valued at $600.

*Theft over $1,000 and vandalism: On September 10, Brown and Tittle took a 2006 Honda recon 250 cc 4 wheeler from East Main Street in Dowelltown and damaged the ignition switch. Total damage less than $1,000.

*Aggravated burglary, vandalism, and theft under $1,000: On September 11, Brown and Tittle entered a residence on the Alexandria to Dismal Road and stole a laptop computer, cigarettes, and pellet gun valued at $710. They caused $100 in damage to the back door of the home during the burglary.

* Evading Arrest: On September 12, Brown attempted to flee by failing to obey law enforcement commands to stop.

A man and woman have been arrested for passing six forged checks at two local businesses:

23 year old Blake Lydell Brown-Nichols of Piney Woods Road, Smithville and Courtney Danielle Decker of South Tittsworth Road, Smithville are each charged with six counts of forgery. Bond for each is $15,000 and their court date is September 28.

Nichols and Decker passed forged checks on the same victim six times at the following places:

*Forgery: On April 17, Nichols and Decker passed a forged check at Walmart in the amount of $282.56

*Forgery: On April 17, Nichols and Decker passed a forged check at Wilson Bank & Trust in the amount of $200

*Forgery: On April 17, Nichols and Decker passed a forged check at Wilson & Bank & Trust in the amount of $100.

*Forgery: On June 8, Nichols and Decker passed a forged check at Wilson Bank & Trust in the amount of $100

*Forgery: On June 9, Nichols and Decker passed a forged check at Wilson Bank & Trust in the amount of $200.

*Forgery: On June 13, Nichols and Decker passed a forged check at Wilson Bank & Trust in the amount of $150

The cases were investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.

In other cases:

33 year old Shannon Ray Herman of McMinnville Highway, Smithville is charged with theft of property over $1,000 (having possession). His bond is $5,000 and his court date is October 5. On Saturday, September 16 Herman was found to be in possession of a stolen 1987 Dodge pickup truck, which was reported stolen in Smith County on Sunday, September 10. When questioned about the vehicle, Herman admitted to the deputy to having possession of the truck but he wouldn’t say where he got it.

47 year old Gregory Eugene Neal of Andrew Street, Smithville is charged with vandalism. His bond is $2,500 and his court date is September 28.
On August 24, Neal cut wires, headliner, and other parts of a vehicle on Adcock Cemetery Road with the intent to damage and destroy the automobile causing $725.69 worth of damages. The case was investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.

31 year old Christopher Tyler Young of Old Smithville Highway, McMinnville was arrested on Tuesday, September 12 and charged with driving while licensed revoked. He was also cited for no insurance, violation of the light law, leaving the scene of an accident, and failing to give immediate notification of an accident. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is September 28. On July 25 a deputy was patrolling on McMinnville Highway when he passed a green Honda Accord traveling northbound committing a traffic violation. The officer tried to make a traffic stop but he lost sight of the automobile after it turned onto South Tittsworth Road in Smithville. He later found it wrecked at the intersection of South Tittsworth and Cantrell Cemetery Road but the driver had left the scene. After an investigation it was discovered that Young was the driver and that his license are revoked for driving under the influence on November 3, 2011.

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Department activity as of 9/14/2017

A man, believed to be intoxicated at the time, was taken into custody on Sunday after threatening four people with a knife. 54 year old Robert Lewis Judkins of Judkins Lane, Smithville is charged with four counts of aggravated assault; public intoxication; and resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. His bond is $24,000 and his court date is October 5. On Sunday, September 10 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on South Judkins Lane due to a man reported to be threatening four others there with a knife. Upon arrival, the officer found the man, Judkins holding a knife. He was yelling and threatening to burn down the home. Judkins then swung the knife within inches of another man’s chest and threatened three others with the knife causing them to fear for their safety. According to the officer, Judkins appeared to be unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. The deputy concluded that Judkins was a danger to himself and to his neighbors. As the officer was placing him in custody, Judkins initially refused to put down the knife and to obey verbal instructions.

56 year old Donald Gene Rigsby of Bethel Road, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. He was also cited for driving on a suspended license, driving on the wrong side of the road, and simple possession of a schedule VI drug (marijuana). His bond is $3,500 and he will make a court appearance on September 28. On Wednesday, September 6 a deputy spotted a red scooter traveling south in the northbound lane on South Mountain Street in Smithville. The officer made a traffic stop and spoke with the driver, Rigsby. He noticed that Rigsby’s eyelids were droopy and that his eyes were glossy and bloodshot. His speech was slurred and he was very unsteady on his feet. Rigsby submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He was placed under arrest. Upon a search incident to arrest, the deputy found on Rigsby 0.23 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. The officer learned that Rigsby’s license were suspended for failure to show proof of insurance on May 29, 2016.

18 year old Jacob Randall Stacy of Carthage is charged with assault. He is under a $2,500 bond and his court date is September 28. On Thursday, September 7 Stacy, an inmate at the jail, punched another prisoner during an argument.

35 year old Jose Antonio Soto-Guerrero of Short Mountain Highway, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. He was further cited for no insurance and driving on a revoked license. His bond is $2,500 and his court date is October 5. On Sunday, September 10 a deputy, while on patrol, spotted a silver Nissan Maxima on Highway 56 south pull over to the shoulder of the road. The officer stopped to offer assistance and found the driver, Guerrero passed out behind the steering wheel. He also noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from the car. After being awakened by the deputy, Guerrero admitted to having consumed two to three beers. He also submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He was unsteady on his feet and his eyes were bloodshot. Guerrero had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person.

Department activity as of 9/11/2017

An Alexandria man has been arrested in a recent home burglary on Pea Ridge Road. 32 year old Byron Ray “Bud” Gibbs of Shady Lane, Alexandria is charged with aggravated burglary, theft of property under $500, vandalism, and evading arrest. His bond totals $20,000 and his court date is September 28. On Thursday, August 31 Gibbs assisted in forcibly entering a residence on Pea Ridge Road and taking a black digital camera in a case and miscellaneous jewelry valued at $250. Entry was made by breaking out a glass window. The estimated damage was $200.

The evading offense was on Friday, August 25 as Gibbs tried to outrun a county deputy in a separate incident. A deputy attempted stop a white Nissan Altima for failing to maintain his lane of travel on West Main Street, Alexandria. As the officer activated his emergency lights and siren, Gibbs began to flee. The car crossed Highway 70 without stopping, ran several stop signs, and drove into the opposite lane of travel, causing possible harm to innocent bystanders and law enforcement officers. The deputy apparently lost sight of the car but found it abandoned in a field. After a further investigation, Gibbs was identified as the driver and later placed under arrest. The case was investigated by a sheriff’s department detective. More charges are expected to be filed against Gibbs.

Meanwhile, a Lancaster man has been charged with tampering with a mailbox. 21 year old Allen Odell Mason, III of Lancaster is under a $1,500 bond and his court date is September 28. On January 1 Mason tampered with a residential mailbox on Old Temperance Hall Road causing $100 in damage. The case was investigated by a detective.

Another arrest has been made in a recent theft of a utility trailer. 28 year old Jared Reshun Howard of Linville Road Sparta is charged with theft of property over $1,000 and for failure to appear. His bond is $12,500 and his court date is September 28. On August 10 the sheriff’s department received a report that someone had stolen a 6 x 12 foot utility trailer from a residence on Big Hurricane Road, Smithville valued at $1,200. A detective was assigned to the case and developed Howard and 52 year old Bruce Randall Bumbalough of North Butler Street, Sparta as suspects. Bumbalough was arrested last week in the case. The failure to appear offense against Howard was filed on September 2 after he failed to report to jail for booking within the required ten days on an August 23 criminal summons for a worthless check.

Department activity as of 09/05/2017

Sparta man arrested for theft of utility Trailer

52 year old Bruce Randall Bumbalough of North Butler Street, Sparta is charged with theft of property over $1,000. His bond is $10,000 and his court date is September 14. On August 10 the sheriff’s department received a report that someone had stolen a 6 x 12 foot utility trailer from a residence on Big Hurricane Road, Smithville valued at $1,200. A detective was assigned to the case and developed Bumbalough as a suspect. He was later arrested for the crime.

In another cases:

The sheriff’s department has served a sealed indictment from the grand jury on May 30 charging 42 year old Stephanie Ann Pierce of Pea Ridge Road, Elmwood with one count of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug (methamphetamine) and violation of the drug free zone. Her bond is $50,000 and she will be arraigned in criminal court on September 11.

A Smithville man who threatened deputies with two knives was tased and forcibly restrained before being placed under arrest last week. 39 year old Jeremy Austin Scruggs of Highland Avenue, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault and resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. His bond is $8,500 and his court date is September 14. On Monday, August 28 deputies were dispatched to a residence on Highland Avenue due a man with a knife. The officers found the man, Scruggs, in an outbuilding. Scruggs had two knives, one in each hand. After being given verbal commands by the officers several times to drop the knives, Scruggs started to charge toward them. A taser had to be used to stop Scruggs and he was forcibly restrained.

Nashville man was indicted by a special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury last Friday, August 25 accused of using a 15 year old Liberty girl for prostitution.

A Nashville man was indicted by a special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury last Friday, August 25 accused of using a 15 year old Liberty girl for prostitution.

34 year old Charles Earl Denton is charged in the sealed indictment with trafficking for commercial sex act. He is under a $250,000 bond and will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, September 11.

Denton was picked up today (Friday) in Nashville by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. He was being held by Metro Nashville Police after being taken into custody Thursday.

The indictment against Denton alleges that on or about August 1, 2017, Denton did knowingly recruit, entice, harbor, provide, purchase, or obtain by any other means, a 15 year old minor child for the purpose of providing a commercial sex act, in violation of state law.

The investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department began on Friday, August 4th after the girl’s family reported her missing. The family said the teen sought and received permission to spend the night at a friend’s house two days before on Wednesday, August 2nd but she never came home. The investigation revealed that the girl knew Denton and that he had arranged through social media to meet her. Denton drove to Liberty on Wednesday, August 2, picked up the girl, and transported her to Nashville for the purpose of commercial sex. She was later found at a Nashville motel with another missing teen and an adult woman. Denton was not at the motel at the time.

The story unfolded as follows:

On August 4th the Sheriff’s Department received a complaint about a missing 15 year old female in Liberty. The father of the 15 year old girl said his daughter had told him on August 2nd she was going to a friend’s house to spend the night. The next day, she texted her father back and said she wanted to spend that night with another friend. On August 4th the father could not get back in touch with her and contacted the Sheriff’s Department and filed a missing juvenile report.

After the report was filed on August 4th, officers tried to enter her information into the Amber Alert System, but were advised that she did not meet the standards of an amber alert because she was not abducted and left on her own free will.

While we were working on trying to locate the juvenile, we were able to gain access into one of her social media networks. It was discovered the juvenile was having conversations and was uploading explicit pictures of herself to a man named Charles Denton, age 34, from Nashville. It was then found there were uploads of the juvenile’s pictures along with another young girl’s picture on a website that is known to be associated with illegal activities.

Detectives found where they believed a person associated with the ad was located in a motel off of Wallace Road in Nashville. They called an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation who specializes in commercial sex crimes. He went to the motel on Wallace Road and set up surveillance. The agent then called and asked for two of my detectives to come to Nashville and setup an undercover sting on the motel room. After the Detectives arrived in Nashville, a TBI agent setup an appointment to purchase sex there in a motel room through the website.

A decision then was made to take down whoever was in the motel room. An undercover TBI Agent went to the room as planned for the appointment to purchase sex. After he was in the room, other officers entered the room and detained everyone.

Officers found our missing juvenile there along with another 17 year old juvenile that was reported missing from Nashville. An adult female was also in the room with the juveniles.

Through an investigation, it was found that Charles Denton was the one who planned to meet our missing juvenile on August 2nd. Denton drove to Liberty here in DeKalb County and picked the juvenile up and transported her to Nashville for the purpose of commercial sex.

After returning back to DeKalb County, Detectives obtained a state warrant for Charles Denton.

On August 25th, a special called meeting of the DeKalb County Grand Jury convened and a sealed indictment was obtained for trafficking for a commercial sex act on Charles Denton.

Denton has been entered into the national crime information center as wanted since August 6th.

Denton was picked up in Davidson County on August 31st. He was transported to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department where he remains in custody on a $250,000 bond. His court date is September 11, 2017.

Local officers working the case were Deputy Michael Trusty, Detectives Jimmy Martin, Robert Patrick, and Stephen Barrett and myself Sheriff Patrick Ray.

I strongly advise parents to beware of what your child is doing on the internet. Monitor what your children are doing on Social Media sites such as Facebook, Snap Chat, Twitter, Kik, Instagram, and text now. Pedophiles try to communicate with minors as a friend and setup meetings with children promising them freedom, money, lavish lifestyles, and sex. If you find someone trying to setup a meeting with a child or making any odd comments, please report them to us.

BE AWARE OF POSSIBLE PAVING SCAM

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department would like to warn residents of a possible paving scam occurring in the area.

According to the complaints, a paving crew has been approaching people offering low priced paving of driveways and then sticking them with a much higher bill once the work is done.

We have had complaints to this office of what citizens in the western part of the county are saying is a scam. Victims in Liberty are alleging they are getting approached by a paving company who is offering a discounted rate to pave their driveways. The paving company tells the victims that they have a load of hot mix on their dump truck and will pave their driveway at a discounted rate per liner foot. The paving company then gets the victim to sign a contract for the job. After the job is completed, the paving company returns to the victim and tells them the price was figured per square foot and is a much higher price than what was discussed.

One victim reported making an agreement with the paving company to pave their driveway for $1,200 to $1,500 total. After the job was completed, the paving company told the victim they owed $25,000 for the job.

Make sure you know and check out the individuals who you are doing any kind of business with. Do not sign contracts until you have read every word of it. Once you sign a contract with a business, you have agreed to all of the terms of the contract.

You can check the reputation of the business through the Better Business Bureau. It can be done on the web at www.bbb.org or you can call 1 (703) 276-0100 to speak with someone.

Department activity as of 8/29/2017

A Dowelltown man has been arrested for child abuse or neglect after he was caught driving drunk with a three year old child in the vehicle with him. 40 year old Juan Carlos Sosa Salazar of Vandergriff Hollow Road, Dowelltown is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence, driving while license revoked, and child abuse or neglect. He was also issued citations for no insurance, violation of the open container law (two open beers), and driving on roadways laned for traffic. His bond is $8,000 and his court date is September 14. On Sunday, August 27 a deputy was patrolling on east broad street when he spotted a vehicle failing to maintain its lane of travel. The officer pulled over the automobile and spoke with the driver, Salazar. A three year old child was a passenger in the vehicle. Salazar had a strong odor of alcohol on his person. His eyes were red and watery and his speech was slurred. Salazar admitted to having earlier consumed one beer. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He refused to give blood for a test and a search warrant was obtained for a blood sample. A computer check revealed that his license were revoked for a 2015 DUI offense in DeKalb County. Salazar was charged with child abuse or neglect for knowingly placing the life of the child passenger at immediate risk of bodily injury by driving under the influence.

33 year old Nathan Bradley McMinn of Christine Street, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence and driving while license revoked. He was also cited for no insurance, violation of the registration law, violation of the open container law, possession of drug paraphernalia, and simple possession of a schedule III drug (suboxone) His bond totals $4,500 and his court date is September 14. On Tuesday, August 22 a deputy was patrolling on Highway 56 heading south when a green Jeep Cherokee passed him heading northbound. Knowing that the driver, McMinn had a revoked license, he pulled him over at Pine Creek Nursery. The officer detected a strong odor of alcohol on McMinn’s person and his eyes were glassy. McMinn refused to perform field sobriety tasks and submit to a blood test. A computer check confirmed that his license were revoked for failure to satisfy fines, costs, or taxes on a criminal offense in Warren County. The date of the revocation was September 5, 2014. A search of his vehicle yielded an open container of beer, a pill, and drug paraphernalia (glass pipe).

32 year old Christy Mae Bell of Dry Creek Road, Smithville is charged with resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. Her bond is $2,500 and her court date is September 14. On Thursday, August 24 as a deputy was attempting to take Bell into custody on a Wilson County warrant, she locked herself in a shed and ignored verbal commands to come out. The officer had to make forcible entry into the shed to get her. Bell then tried to pull away from the deputy to avoid being placed under arrest.

48 year old Billy Eugene Cook , Jr. of Toad Road, Dowelltown is charged with a second offense of driving on a suspended license and evading arrest. His bond is $8,000 and his court date is August 31. On Saturday, August 26 a deputy observed Cook enter a vehicle and drive on Highway 70 from the Dollar General Store at Snow Hill. Knowing that Cook had no valid driver license, the officer activated his blue lights to make a traffic stop but Cook initially refused to pull over. Cook continued driving on Highway 70 before turning onto Toad Road and coming to a stop at a trailer park. A computer check confirmed that Cook’s license were suspended on December 27, 2012 for failure to answer to an original violation. He also has a driving while suspended offense against him from Bedford County dating back to June 25, 2013.

28 year old Jose Carlos Zarazua of McMinnville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $4,000 and his court date is September 14. On Friday, August 25 deputies were called to the Midnight Express on Sparta Highway where two people were reported to be fighting but they found the two, Zarazua and his wife, at another location. While speaking with them Zarazua grabbed and pulled his wife’s hair and began shaking her head, causing some of her hair to fall out.