Tag Archives: Dekalb County

Lightning struck the traffic light at the corner of Main Street and Bradford Hicks Drive in Livingston Friday afternoon. As of Friday afternoon at 5pm, the light is flashing. Officials are encouraging caution in the area. Strong storms moved through the Upper Cumberland Friday afternoon. Several trees were damaged in Dekalb County. Some minor street flooding was reported along Highway ... Read More »

A Smithville long-term care facility has a cluster of five positive COVID-19 patient cases. The State Department Of Health reports the cluster at the Webb House Retirement Center on Jennings Lane. A total of 32 residents live at the facility. One employee case has also been reported. A total of 188 facilities across the state are reporting clusters of positive ... Read More »

A Dekalb County man escaped today after being arrested in Dekalb’s general sessions court for violating probation. James Ricky Ashford was being escorted across the street from the Dekalb Courthouse to the sheriff’s department when he fled on foot. Ashford entered an early 2000’s blue Chevrolet pickup truck and left the scene. Ashford was last seen this morning on north ... Read More »

Smithville officials will open bids next week for a new tornado siren alert system. Charlie Parker is the Dekalb County Emergency Management Director. He said the tornado that struck Putnam County in March exposed the vulnerabilities communities have when it comes to such disasters. “Unfortunately it was our realization after the tornadoes in Putnam County how our warning system here ... Read More »

The Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department is utilizing GPS Technology in over 20 of their vehicles. The installation allows officials to monitor where the officers are within the county, allowing for better deployment. Sheriff Patrick Ray said the system has cut response time by more than half. “We had a pursuit back a couple weeks ago of where the dispatch was ... Read More »

No Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree means a drop in tourism and sales tax for Dekalb County. Smithville Dekalb County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Suzanne Williams said not having the festival will negatively impact Dekalb County’s yearly average of $50 million from tourists. “It has just been an extraordinary economic benefit to Dekalb County and our neighboring counties,” Williams said. “Our ... Read More »

TBI Agents will investigate the officer-related shooting in Smithville Thursday night. The request came from District Attorney Bryant Dunaway. The request is standard in officer-involved shootings. Smithville Police and Dekalb County Sheriffs Deputies responded Thursday night around 8:45pm to the home of Gregorio Vanloo. Vanloo came out of the home with a handgun and fired the weapon. Offices responded with ... Read More »

A McMinnville man died Thursday night after exchanging gunfire with Dekalb County and Smithville law enforcement. 28-year-old Gregorio Cruz Vanloo died after being transported to St. Thomas Dekalb Hospital. Vanloo was wounded on his front porch along Toad Road. According to sheriff’s reports, Vanloo was a suspect in a shots fired incident at a local restaurant Thursday morning. Deputies got ... Read More »

School out. Memorial Day weekend. County fairs will be the next milestone on the Upper Cumberland calendar. But will they happen? Clay County has the first county fair every year in early June. Fair President Dean Walden said they have decided to postpone until this fall. “We’re going to try to have something later down in the year, maybe in ... Read More »

TWRA officers found a Putnam County man dead on Center Hill Lake Wednesday afternoon. 36-year-old Quinn Hogan found by GPS forensic tracking near the Cookeville Boat Dock around 4:30pm. Hogan was wearing a self-inflating personal flotation device, but it was not inflated. The body was taken to the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s office. TWRA officers arrived in the area about ... Read More »