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WEEKEND

May 25-26, 2019 lebanondemocrat.com

Crash sends five teens to hospital

Good Samaritan rescues some from burning car Staff Reports

An early Friday morning wreck hospitalized five teenagers after the car they were in crashed into a utility pole and caught on fire near Mt. Juliet.

The single-vehicle crash at the intersection of South Mt. Juliet Road and Stewarts Ferry Pike

totaled the car and trapped some of the teens. A bystander rescued some of the teens before flames engulfed the car.

The bystander was Conner DiBenedetto who said he came up on the wreck just minutes after it happened and pulled three people out of the car, one of

Photo courtesy of WEMA

Fire that engulfed a car early Friday morning after it crashed leaves the vehicle nearly unrecognizable.

whom was unconscious.

“I give it all back to God, for it was His grace that was the hero,” DiBenedetto said.

According to Wilson Emergency Management Agency director Joey Cooper, the car

See Crash on page A3

History takes flight Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

The Aluminum Overcast, a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, takes off Friday from the Lebanon Municipal Airport. The airplane is on display at the airport with ground tours and flight options through the weekend and on Memorial Day.

Flying Fortress lands in Lebanon

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The Lebanon Municipal Airport is a busy place with a variety of aircraft that land and take off at all hours, but this weekend Wilson County residents have the chance to see a unique and currently antique airplane flying through the clouds, a World War II-era B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.

The bomber, named the Aluminum Overcast, is a silver, four-engine, red-tailed bomber delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on May 18, 1945 and was later bought as surplus from the military in 1946 after the end of World War II when they were delivered too late to see combat.

The Experimental Aircraft Association currently owns and operates the bomber. The association’s volunteers take the bomber across the country for ground tours and flights, after

Want more?

n Check out plans to honor Wilson County’s oldest veteran, 100-year-old Max Anderson, on Memorial Day in Mt. Juliet.

See Living, B1

EAA staff and volunteers restored it at EAA’s Oshkosh, Wisconsin, headquarters, a process that took more than 10 years.

The interior of the aircraft is filled with equipment from the era, including a radio operator’s station with a radio and telegraph key used to transmit Morse code messages, and, of course, several 50-caliber machine guns that were used to defend the vulnerable bomber from incoming fighters. The bomb bay is also filled with dummy bombs, of which the Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat airplane could carry a bomb load Wilson County’s oldest veteran, 100-year-old Max Anderson stands beside the Aluminum Overcast, a World of 17,600 pounds.

See B-17 on page A3

War II B-17 Flying Fortress bomber at the Lebanon Municipal Airport. Anderson will be honored with a special ceremony on Memorial Day in Mt. Juliet.

Mt. Juliet fire chiefs respond to mayor’s comments

Sailor brother surprises sister at graduation He’s been away nearly two years

By Angie Mayes Democrat Correspondent

By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

Watertown High School graduate Madison Hearn got through the processional, speeches and other pageantry without a single tear shed Thursday For video of the evening during her and her 134 other surprise, click classmates’ graduation ceremony.

Her name was called, and she reon the story at lebanon ceived her diploma with dry eyes.

Mary Felkins • Lebanon Democrat democrat.

But as she went to take her seat again, com.

Hearn spotted a special guest.

Madison Hearn hugs her older brother, Petty Officer

Video n

See sister on page A3

2nd Class Jacob Anderson, on Thursday evening during Watertown High School’s graduation ceremony.

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John Taylor Corley and Geraldine Cantrell Williams.

Page A3

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Mt. Juliet fire department leaders took exception to Mayor Ed Hagerty’s comments about the lack of response by the Fire Department of Mt. Juliet to a 911 call at his home earlier in May. Fire Chief Jamie Luffman and Deputy Chief Chris Allen responded to his comments during the May 10 meeting.

During the meeting, Hagerty recounted how he called 911 to get help with a relative and only the Views.Now.

Linda Alessi shares stories from life in the golden years.

Page A4

Wilson Emergency Management Agency showed up to the call.

Hagerty is a longtime opponent to a proposed property Chris Allen tax increase that would earmark 39 cents to the fire department.

“I do want to comment further,

See Fire on page A3

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County budget committee hears needs Several county agencies present upcoming costs to Wilson County Budget Committee members

By Jacob Smith jsmith@lebanondemocrat.com

The Wilson County Budget Committee heard needs assessments from several county agencies at its meeting Monday evening, most notably the Wilson County

Solid Waste Department.

Solid waste department head Cindy Lynch asked for an increase of 1-2 cents per every $2.51 of tax money. According to Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto, each cent would be worth about $390,000

each year.

At one time, the solid waste department received 6 cents, but that amount was reduced to 2 cents a few years ago.

“We really need that for tires, fuel, stone,” said Lynch. “We need that for just

Man runs from police

about every line item.”

Budget committee member Jerry McFarland asked why the county reduced the department’s budget in the first place.

See budget on page A3

Round em’ up

Staff Reports

Mt. Juliet police caught a wanted suspect Tuesday afternoon after he ran from an officer during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Golden Bear Gateway.

According to Mt. Juliet police Capt.

Tyler Chandler, Markeus Largent, 33, of Elizabethton, ran from the officer across all lanes of the interstate and into a thick wooded area.

Several officers were called to the scene to help with the search, Markeus Largent and one officer spotted Largent trying to clean himself in a creek near Volunteer Boulevard and Rutland Drive.

He tried to run from the officers again,

See man on page A3

Deadly drugs found at house party

Routine traffic stop leads deputies to fentanyl Staff Reports

A routine traffic stop by a Wilson County sheriff’s deputy led officers to a house party on South Mt. Juliet Road, which resulted in deputies finding drugs, money and guns.

Wilson County sheriff’s Deputy Crandon Cannon noticed an “unusual amount of traffic” on South Mt. Juliet Road and saw a “very large party” at a home June 2, according to the incident report.

When Cannon talked to the owner, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana from inside the home. Deputies searched the home for drugs and found several people at the home, as well as 7 pounds of methamphetamine, 2 pounds of marijuana,

See drugs on page A5

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Rusty George, of Lebanon, competes in last weekend’s Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo on Friday and Saturday at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro. George works out of Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corp.’s Lebanon office.

Linemen show off their skills at Tennessee valley rodeo

Competitors judged on safety, work practices, neatness, ability, timeliness

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corp. served as host for the 21st annual Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo on Friday and Saturday at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro.

Hundreds of linemen and apprentice linemen, including one from the Lebanon office, competed in various events to

Deputies seized drugs, money and guns June 2 during a search at a house party.

structures were planted in the ground and used to train and compete on in various challenges. Competitors were judged on safety, work practices, neatness, ability, equipment handling and timely completion of each task.

Arguably the most important of the challenges was the Hurtman in which a

See rodeo on page A3

Locals rally to help mother of four with ALS

Ice Bucket Challenge Take 2 helps raise funds

By Jacob Smith jsmith@lebanondemocrat.com

Photo courtesy of Wilson County Sheriff’s Office

showcase their skills and knowledge in the field of utility work. The rodeo had in attendance crews from across Tennessee with some from as far away as Colorado.

In the past two months, the large grassy area in front of the Tennessee Miller Coliseum was transformed into a forest of wooden power line poles to simulate those serviced by linemen each day.

More than 100 utility poles and other

Several prominent Wilson County people will participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge Take 2 to benefit a local mother of four who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Ashley Vickers lives in Mt. Juliet with her husband and four children.

She worked as a pediatric nurse and event planner until she got some bad news four years ago.

“We were completely shocked to

finally learn that at the age of 32, I had Lou Gehrig’s disease, also knows as ALS,” said Vickers.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

The disease is a terminal illness with an estimated life span of two to five years.

“I promised my family and myself from day one that I would fight

See help on page A3

The Vickers family

Two candidates qualify to run in upcoming election

Murray qualifies to run for District 21 in Wilson County commission races Staff Reports

Eugene Murray

Eugene Murray announced his candidacy for Wilson County commissioner in District 21.

Murray is a lifelong Wilson County resident and has lived in District 21 for the past 40 years.

Murray is married to Velma Jean Enoch Murray for the past 54 years. They have three children,

four grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.

Murray served with the Lebanon Police Department in the 1970s and 1980s and was appointed interim circuit court clerk in the early ’80s. He retired from Toshiba America Corp. as the

See murray on page A5

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Jack Lee Heady and William ‘Bill’ Conrad Hodges.

Page A3

Davis qualifies to run for the office of Wilson County register of deeds Staff Reports

Justin Davis qualified as a candidate for Wilson County register of deeds in the Aug. 2 Wilson County General Election.

The Wilson County native, former small business owner, husband and father of three announced his candidacy for the seat in early 2018, however, Davis said

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holding a public office has been a dream for much longer.

“I have always wanted to run for the office,” he said. “I’ve wanted for quite some time to serve my community and the register of deeds office would allow me to do just that.”

See Davis on page A3

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Page A4

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A District divided Commission candidate ‘changes mind’ on plans to concede election after racist comment surfaces

By Angie Mayes Special to the Democrat

A Wilson County Commission candidate whose race ended in a tie and originally planned to concede Sunday, changed his mind only hours later and plans to see how the provisional ballot count will end Wednesday after he made racially charged comments on Facebook about his opponent’s family.

A Facebook comment by Wilson County Commission District 1 can-

Commissioners offer opinions about Fields’ comment regarding race

By Angie Mayes Special to the Democrat

didate Robert Fields regarding his opponent’s family appeared Friday on Facebook. Several people came to Fields’ opponent, Tim Roehler’s defense and called Fields a “racist.”

The comment, which Fields said Sunday was an answer to a question, alleged Roehler hid the fact he is in an interracial marriage. Many people, including Roehler, have commented on Facebook, calling Fields a racist and

See Fields on page A5

Robert Fields

Tim Roehler

New school funding left up to commission

after it was revealed Fields and Roehler tied with 526 votes apiece in Thursday’s Wilson County General Election.

Incumbent Commissioner Annette Stafford said she took the comments personally.

“I have bi-racial grandchildren and can’t believe he would publish those comments,” she said. “It upsets me to the hilt. It’s terrible for him to make the comments. I have six bi-racial grandchildren and two African-American grandchildren, and we don’t see color.

On the heels of the controversy of Wilson County Commission District 1 candidate Robert Fields’ racially charged comment about opponent Tim Roehler’s wife and children on Facebook, The Lebanon Democrat polled each of the incumbent, incoming and outgoing commissioners to get their thoughts on the matter.

On Friday, Fields said Roehler “kept quiet” he was in an interracial marriage and had two interracial children in a Facebook post. The post was made

See Opinions on page A5

Community First

Budget Committee, OKs budget leaves plan for new facility up to full body

By Angie Mayes Special to the Democrat

The Wilson County Budget Committee voted to not send a funding recommendation to the full commission at the committee’s meeting Monday night.

The committee, instead, only approved the budget as requested from all county departments. That did not include the $107 million needed for the new high school in Mt. Juliet, known as Green Hill High School.

“I think this matter needs to go before the whole board and everyone can have their ideas and Mike Justice comments at the meeting,” said Budget Committee chair Mike Justice.

The commission will take up the issue of the funding for the new school at its next meeting Aug. 20 in commission chambers at the Wilson County Courthouse.

Before the budget vote, Commissioner Jerry McFarland wanted to stop projects and come up with a master plan of countywide projects and how to fund them. The other members of the committee did not make a motion to do that.

“The school system has a long-term plan, and they’ve had it for years,” Justice told McFarland.

Wilson Count Mayor Randall Hutto said, “So far, we’ve funded as we go, and we haven’t missed any payment that I know of.”

McFarland said the county is $474 million in debt, and there’s going to be another $800 million, and that doesn’t include schools. We need a plan.”

Hutto said, “The percent of debt [the county] has today is 1.5 percent more than it was in 2010.

As you grow, your debt is going to grow. As far as that $800 million, they’ve proposed that for years.

I have three budgets on my desk right now [that have that request]. We only build as the population comes. If they don’t come, we won’t build.”

Commissioner Gary Keith made a motion to pay for the school and new jail that needs to be built in one financial move. No one seconded his motion, so the measure died for lack of a second.

See Budget on page A5

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

The Rev. Cordell L. Hayine preaches Sunday at Second Baptist Church, which was near the scene of a shooting about a week ago.

Pastor wants to take back the neighborhood Emotions run high after stray bullet strikes near Second Baptist Church

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The members of Second Baptist Church in Lebanon returned to church Sunday days after a bullet from a driveby shooting damaged church property.

“We won’t throw a rock and hide our hand,” said the Rev. Cordell L. Haynie with intensity as he addressed the congregation.

He said he and the church would not stand for violence, especially as it intruded on the church.

The church, which will soon celebrate its 95th year, heard a sermon on forgiveness and charity, forgiveness of

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Jerry W. King, Joe Kenneth Lackey, Ronald E. Leonard, Nathaniel ‘Junior’ Proctor Jr. and Kevin D. Word.

Page A3

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those who have wronged and in return the acceptance of forgiveness by God, a message that meant even more after the shooting.

Haynie said he and his congregation plan to partner with the community, police and local government to clean up the neighborhood he sees as involved in drugs, violence and crime that it resulted in a bullet that hit the church’s storage building. A bullet that, based on its trajectory, would have hit the church right where classrooms are located, had the storage buildings not been there.

“The next step is us sitting down with the mayor and the chief of police and

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coming together with a comprehensive strategy with the mayor, the chief of police, the members of this church and the entire community in order to clean up and help eliminate a lot of violence, a lot of unstructured behavior, to try and conform to what good citizens are,” Haynie said. “It’s going to take not just one entity, but it’s the entire city of Lebanon – the mayor, the chief of police and us as a community – as a whole.”

Gilbert Seay, a Second Baptist Church deacon, has been a member his entire life – 77 years. He said he has

See Pastor on page A2

Weather

Wilson Mayor Randall Hutto says welcome back to school.

Page A2

6/14/18 9:09 AM

lebanondemocrat.com

Page A2 n The Lebanon Democrat & Wilson County News n Tuesday-Wednesday, August 7-8, 2018

Records.Now.

Events.Now.

Sheriff’s Reports

Wilson County Sheriff’s Department

Editor’s Note: The following are suspects booked into the Wilson County Jail during the specified time frame. All persons charged are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

July 12 Ronnie Harrison Baines, 54, of Lebanon, was charged with criminal trespass.

Donald Jason Birks, 45, of Lebanon, was charged with indecent exposure and public drunkenness.

Terry Michael Blythe, 35, of Watertown, was charged with domestic assault.

Michael Scott Boldin, 48, of Watertown, was charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and 11 counts of aggravated statutory rape.

Darlene Mae Dewitt, 69, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with DUI. Scott Ronald Dorris, 55, of LaFayette, was charged with criminal violation of probation.

Sandra Luann Drake, 41, of Rock Island, was charged with failure to appear and bond jumping.

Kelley Michael Dwyer, 32, of Lebanon, was charged with public drunk.

Larry Darnell Eddings, 53, of Lebanon, was charged with public drunk.

Jacob Kendrick France, 25, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with failure to appear.

Shonterrica LaMontae Gaines, 23, of Nashville, was charged with two counts of failure to appear, criminal trespassing and bond jumping.

James Wade Hall, 22, of Watertown, was charged with fourteen counts of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor, ten counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and statutory rape.

Heather Dawn Hamilton, 32, of Smyrna, was charged with domestic assault.

Gary Lawrence Hasty, 30, of Lebanon, was charged with failure to appear and bond jumping.

Alisha Mae Hawkins, 37, of Lebanon, was charged with aggravated assault.

Joshua Travion Henderson, 23, of Lebanon, was charged with criminal impersonation and simple possession of drugs.

Crystal Gale Linder, 33, of Lebanon, was charged with failure to pay child support and violation of probation.

Jonathan Jermaine Marthell, 34, of Lebanon, was charged with violation of probation.

Richard Glyn Massa, 47, of Sparta, violation of probation.

Kristie Dannette McMurry, 46, of Sparta, was charged with theft of merchandise worth less than $500, failure to appear and bond jumping.

Andrew Dale Moore, 28, of Nashville, was charged with criminal violation of probation.

Brandon Todd Negron, 31, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with misuse of 911 and disorderly conduct.

– Staff Reports

Most Wanted This Week

Aug. 8

Robert Bush Name: Robert Paul Bush.

Height: 6 feet. 1 inches.

Weight: 135 pounds.

Last Seen: In Lebanon.

Warrants: Reckless driving, reckless endangerment, vandalism, evading arrest, theft.

Tipline: Call investigators at 615-444-1412, ext 268. All information will remain confidential.

Pastor from page A1 never seen problems like this until recently.

“When I was a child, it was peaceful out here. But now in the last year it has really changed,” Seay said.

“I hope one day that all this stuff will be over with – I’m just praying for that.”

Haynie said he’d want to inject faith and wisdom into those involved in the shooting if he were to get the chance.

“First of all, I would let them know that God loves them. Regardless of what we do in this life, he loves us, and Christ hates our sins, but He loves the saint. He loves us as people. Secondly, I would let them know that there is a better way of life, and that better way of life is with Christ. With Christ we live – Without Christ, we exist. Thirdly, I would let them know that if they do not know Christ, then they don’t really know what love really is because his love is unconditional,” Haynie said. “Morals, character and respect mean

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Deacon Gilbert Seay points out the bullet hole in the Second Baptist Church’s storage building, evidence of the violence that took place right behind the church.

much in this life.

“We could be having a funeral today. I could be visiting someone in the hospital or someone could be grieving.”

The bullet hole is small.

It might get missed without knowledge of where it is.

The storage building sits beside the church on a plot of land where a fence is under construction. There are plans to build a community learning center and

POLICY: Items for the Community Calendar may be submitted via email at editor@lebanondemocrat.com, in person at The Democrat’s office at 402 N. Cumberland St., by mail at The Lebanon Democrat, 402 N. Cumberland St., Lebanon, TN 37087 or via fax at 615-444-0899. Items must be received by 4 p.m. for the next day’s edition. The calendar is a free listing of nonprofit events, community club and government meetings. The Democrat reserves the right to reject or edit material. Notices run on an as space is available basis and cannot be taken over the phone.

Include a name and phone number in case of questions.

playground in about five years, a place to keep out the bad and let the good take root. Outside the church grounds, the black rubber skid marks from the drive-by shooting stretch down the road.

Haynie said some members are still shaken up by the incident, but it’s clear the congregation refuses to live in fear.

“We want us to stand up together. I don’t need any-

body with me who’s going to hide behind something, throw the rock, and going to try and hide your hand.

Now, if you’re going to be with me, you’re going to stand behind me, or you’re going to stand on the side of me, and we’re going to march together.

That’s what Jesus said.

That’s what He told His disciples,” Haynie said.

“Our church is in it for the long haul.”

Free English Classes Registration 6 p.m.

Registration and placement testing for free English classes will be Wednesday, Aug. 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church at 227 E. Main St. in Lebanon. No childcare will be provided. For more information, call 615444-3330.

Aug. 9

Petersons for Parkinson’s Support Group of Mt. Juliet meeting 11:30 a.m.

Petersons for Parkinson’s Support Group of Mt. Juliet will meet Thursday, Aug. 9 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Green Hill Church at 13251 Lebanon Road in Mt. Juliet. The program will be a holistic approach to Parkinson’s disease with lunch and welcome by Laura Bodin with the PD Cruisers, Debbie Morrow with Abbott Labs, Laura’s Journey as a care partner, healing your gut through nutrition by Jen Mulford with Zone Conditioning, massage therapy for Parkinson’s by Rob Mulford with Zone Conditioning and let’s get moving with Bodin and the Mulfords.

Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber Women in the Lead 11:30 a.m.

The Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce will continue its Women in the Lead series Thursday, Aug. 9 at 11:30 a.m. at Sammy B’s at 705 Cadet Court in Lebanon.

The topic will be how to live life with urgency with guest speaker Scott Kimbro. The cost is $15 per person, and attendees may RSVP at

615-444-5503 or tonya@ lebanonwilsonchamber.com.

Be Social Mt. Juliet Back to School Family Night 5 p.m.

Be Social Mt. Juliet Back to School Family Night will be Thursday, Aug. 9 from 5-7 p.m. at Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet. Bring the family to the park and join the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce for a fun night. There will be food trucks, corn hole, playground and splash pad access. Attendees should bring school supplies for the nonprofit spotlight Kiwanis Club.

Free English Classes 6 p.m.

Registration will be held for new students who want to take free English classes Wednesday, Aug. 9 from 6-7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church at 227 E. Main St. in Lebanon. Testing for placement of new students will take place. No childcare will be provided during registration. English as a second language for new and returning students will start Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the church. Free childcare will be provided. For more information, call the church at 615-444-3330.

Celebrate Recovery 7 p.m.

Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-step recovery support group for overcoming hurts, hang-ups and habits, meets each Thursday from 7-9:30 p.m. at Fairview Church at 1660 Leeville Pike in Lebanon.

For more information, call ministry leader Tony Jones at 615-972-6151.

Aug. 10

Mt. Juliet Chamber Community Development Meeting 7:45 a.m.

The Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce will hold its community development meeting Friday, Aug. 10 from 7:45-9 a.m. at the chamber office. The guest speaker will be Rick Bell with Hamilton Station. Registration is requested at mjchamber.org.

– Staff Reports

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Schools’ enrollment numbers rise

Wilson County director of schools says student numbers increase about 25 percent each year

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

trict and not in one particular area.

“Preregistration is over, but registration will continue up until school starts,” Wright said.

Parents still can register their children for kindergarten. Any child who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 15 of the current school year is eligible to enroll in Wilson County Schools. Children who are 5 after Aug. 15 are not eligible to attend kindergarten.

Wilson County Director of Schools Donna Wright announced nearly 1,000 kindergarten students registered in March during preregistration.

Wright said the numbers didn’t surprise her because, “We increase around 25 percent a year.” She said the increase is across the dis-

Wright said she anticipates 1,100-1,200 students to register for kindergarten for the upcoming school year.

“We anticipate more than 400 [students] over this year’s enrollment,” Wright said.

She said the recent student rezoning across the county is not due to enrollment, but rather the new schools recently built or currently under construction.

Police handle Bay’s Bread gun threat

“We have already laid out the middle school zoning and presented the new high school rezoning. It is probable that we have to rezone again in two or three years, if the growth continues at the same pace. As long as you stay ahead of it and are prepared with facilities and staff, [rezoning] can be a good thing.”

See school on page A3

ropin’ time

Lebanon man charged after making threats to shoot up workplace

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanodemocrat.com

A Lebanon man was charged Monday after he made verbal threats to shoot several employees where he worked at Bay’s Southern Bread on Hartman Drive in Lebanon.

Lebanon police officers went to the bakery at about 10 a.m. after John Theodore Perner, 47, apparently got into a dispute with another employee and threatened to shoot him and others. Several officers responded to the scene, and at least one officer was armed with a rifle.

Theodor Perner According to Sgt. P.J. Hardy, officers detained Perner and determined he didn’t have any weapons on the property. Officers said Perner told them he made the threats after he got upset.

See gun on page A3

Rooms To Go may make Wilson its distribution hub

By Cedric Dent Jr. Democrat Correspondent

Rooms To Go, the third-largest furniture retailer in the country by sales, seeks to make Wilson County the next major pillar of its $2.2 billion operation.

Not only does the Florida-based corporation plan to establish an outlet in Lebanon, but it also plans to put a distribution and warehouse center around the outlet. Company officials laid out details of the plans Friday at the Wilson County Planning Commission meeting.

Rooms To Go has two other locations in Middle Tennessee in Madison and Brentwood, but neither of the stores are outlets.

As such, the new location would be the first of its kind statewide for Rooms To Go. With 40,000 square feet of retail office space, the new warehouse and outlet would likely serve

See rooms on page A5

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

A rodeo contestant raises his hands as time runs out on his turn at breakaway roping at the 10th anniversary of the Whip Crackin’ Rodeo on Frday at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon. State Sen. Mark Pody and State Rep. Clark Boyd honored the organizations leaders on Friday night with an official proclamation, a plaque and a blue acoustic guitar autographed by Vince Gill and Amy Grant.

Whip Crackin’ Rodeo celebrates 10 years of fun and giving

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The Whip Crackin’ Rodeo celebrated it’s 10th anniversary with all the bull riding, barrel racing and rodeo clowns expected and a special recognition from the Wilson County legislative delegation.

State Sen. Mark Pody and state Rep.

“The Whip Crackin’ Rodeo has helped keep nonprofit organizations open, provided family friendly entertainment and improved the economy of Lebanon and Wilson County,” Boyd read from the proclamation.

See rodeo on page A5

Centerstage Theatre Co. to present ‘Our Town’ Production will run May 10-19

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

Centerstage Theatre Co. will present “Our Town,” on May 10-19 with nightly shows, as well as matinees.

Donna Driver was asked to direct the show by Mitchell Vantrease, the producer of Centerstage Theatre Co. “I was familiar with the show from reading it in college and seeing a production a few Today’s Obits

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Clark Boyd honored Philip and Darlene Craighead on Friday night with a proclamation from the state capitol, which was also sponsored by state Rep. Susan Lynn, that recognized the rodeo’s impact and importance in Wilson County and the more than $500,000 raised for local charities in the past 10 years.

Jonathan Keith Browne, Ronnie Chrisman, David Ross Drye, Margie Sue Ragsdale Endsley, Lana Mai Gray, Dorothy Whited Hesson, Angelo Lessary and Keith Williams.

Page A3

Photo courtesy of Anthony Alexander

years ago at Donelson Christian Academy,” Driver said. “I love the universal messages about family, love and how we’re all connected. It’s a folksy play that is charming, but it’s also full of wisdom. “’Our Town’ has no set. The audience is required to use their imagination to fill in the blanks on the stage. Also, the story

Centerstage Theatre Co. will present ‘Our Town,’ starring Tristan Pino as George Gibbs, Caylin Maguire as Emily Webb and Deb Moore as the Stage Manager or narrator.

The play will take the stage May 10-19 at Winfree Bryant Middle School in Lebanon.

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News.Now. Spay-ghetti Dinner raises funds

Joshua Hicks • Lebanon Democrat

New Leash on Life held its annual Spay-ghetti Dinner on March 31 at Painturo’s Pizzeria in Lebanon. The meal included spaghetti, salad, bread and a drink. All proceeds will benefit the spay-and-neuter program at New Leash on Life.

town from page A1

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Empower Me holds rodeo activities for children with special needs at the Whip Crackin’ Rodeo event Friday.

rodeo from page A1 In addition to the recognition by the elected officials, the Craigheads were also recognized and presented with a plaque and a blue acoustic guitar autographed

by Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Lone Star Rodeo Co., which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, put on the rodeo.

Hundreds of spectators packed the dirt-floor arena adorned in cowboy hats and boots, with loaded nachos and powdered funnel cakes in hand, where they watched riders from across the country kick up dust in battles against time and hooved animals.

While the rodeo was a fun event for both spectators and competitors alike, it also holds a special place in the hearts of children with special needs. More than 300 children visited the James E. Ward Agricultural Center on Friday morning where they rode horses, played rodeo-themed games and watched their own personal rodeo performance.

rooms from page A1 as a Tennessee headquarters.

The prospect is expected to mark a retail boon for Wilson County as a whole while it also eases the supply line to Brentwood and Madison locations. It also portends a broad scope of new employment opportunities for Lebanon workers.

The outlet and distribution site are platted for a Cedar Farms-owned warehouse next to the Nissan Collision Center on Logistics Drive off Couchville Pike. The warehouse is a pre-existing space into which Rooms To Go is moving its large distribution operation, but the company plans to build onto the site to accessorize it with the space for the garish outlet store, which Rooms To Go described in advance as an outlet it intends to be “very aesthetically pleasing.”

The total space Rooms To Go plans to buy from Cedar Farms in Lebanon spans roughly 15 acres, and the distribution center in Lebanon will be tasked to service other pre-existing stores not only in Tennessee, but also in surrounding states. Tennessee sits in a region that would serve as Rooms To Go’s stronghold corner of the country with

The program was put on with the help of student volunteers from Friendship Christian School, something organizer and Empower Me executive director Michelle Hill said was a great opportunity for students with special needs to be included in the annual rodeo festivities.

“We are very grateful to Philip and Darlene Craighead for first initiating this several years back to allow children with disabilities to come out as a field trip from school and participate in some various activates and get a glimpse as to what the rodeo is all about,” Hill said. “We’ve gotten some amazing feedback from some of the teachers and the kids, how much they enjoy not just the activities of the day, but also seeing the horses up close and being able to ride the horses with Southern Starrs who volunteer their time, as well. It’s sometimes the only opportunity that the kids have to ride a horse, so it’s a special treat, and then they love actually going in and watching the rodeo events take place.” its 200-plus locations spread throughout Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, Mississippi and North Carolina, among others. While the corporation has lots of stores across other states like Louisiana, Texas and Puerto Rico, the first five states all directly border Tennessee. It also heavily occupies South Carolina, which makes six states for which Rooms To Go expects to centralize its distribution network at the natural nexus of Middle Tennessee.

Rooms To Go previously received approval last week from the Wilson County Board of Zoning Appeals for a sign between 35-50 feet tall near the Couchville Pike exit on Interstate 840, a sign originally not included in the initial site plans but added after the fact. The availability for the sign, along a somewhat busy interstate is presumably part of the draw to this Cedar Farms property for Rooms To Go as the traffic on I-840 comes from multiple, commercially targetable cities that aren’t necessarily that close to one another like Murfreesboro, Dickson, Franklin and Lebanon.

The bigger picture shows why the company claims to be “very excited about coming to Wilson County.”

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doesn’t have a big overreaching plot. It’s told in a series of vignette scenes.

Each act has a different theme. Act one is about the daily life. Act two is about love and marriage. Act three is about death. Despite its unique staging and writing, it will draw the audience in, and they will learn to love these people and care what happens to them – and probably see themselves within them.”

The audience will relate to the characters, Driver said.

“Lebanon is growing, definitely, but it still has a bit of a small-town feel to it compared to other places,” she said. “Even though the show reaches back in time to 1901, people will still see parents caring for their kids, teens falling in love and people grieving. Our narrator, called Stage Manager and played by Deb Moore, shares some poignant

thoughts about how life is cyclical and really helps the audience see how times change but people stay pretty much the same.”

There are about 25 different speaking characters in the show, Driver said.

“We have 17 people in the cast, some playing multiple parts,” she said. “We had about 20 people audition for the show.”

She said choosing the cast wasn’t “too difficult.”

As with other shows Centerstage does, “We had some new faces show up at auditions that really impressed us, like Triston Pino who plays George, and we had a number of actors that have done Centerstage shows before,” she said. “The hardest part was filling parts when people realized they had conflicts and had to drop out. I had to make a few calls to my friends in the acting community. In the end, I’m thrilled with the cast we’ve assembled.

“As usual with Centerstage Theatre, we have some actors with lots and lots of experience, and we have some actors who are on stage for the first time.

It’s fun to both teach and direct. Everyone is so willing to learn. This show has a lot of pantomime in it, and that made some actors nervous at first. Now that they’re getting the flow of it, they all seem to be enjoying the challenge.”

Driver is a veteran theatre person. She majored in theatre arts at the University of California at Irvine.

“I worked professionally as an actor and singer in Los Angeles throughout my 20s. Soon after moving to Tennessee in 2003, I got involved in community theater and have performed in or directed around 30 shows since then.”

She said she and her husband, Ken, were involved with Centerstage in the company’s second season.

“In February 2017 we were cast in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’” she said. “[Ken] played Atticus Finch, and I was Stephanie Crawford. We both were in ‘Father of the Bride,’ and I directed ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ for season three. I love working with this theater company. It’s always got a positive vibe and easy-going people. Mitchell is a wonderful producer and has become a good friend.

My husband and daughter are in the cast, and it’s been fun directing them.”

“Our Town will take place May 10, May 11 and May 19 at 7:30 p.m., as well as May 12, May 18 and May 19 at 2 p.m. at Winfree Bryant Middle School in the auditorium.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $13 for students and seniors.

Tickets may be purchased at Iddy and Oscar’s on the Lebanon Square, at brownpapertickets.com or at the door.

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August 25-26, 2018 lebanondemocrat.com

SQUEAKERS MANIA

Jared Felkins • Lebanon Democrat

Squeakers feeds her piglets after giving birth Wednesday at the Wilson County Fair.

The first piglet born was named after the late Wilson County Promotions president, Hale Moss.

Pregnant pig steals the show at the Wilson County Fair

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Throughout the fair, Squeakers was visited by people from across Wilson County to the Ukraine, Australia, Chile, Ireland and across the African continent, thanks to a live video feed set up by Edwards Feed.

The first piglet born, a male, was named Hale after Hale Moss, longtime Wilson County Promotions president, who died last year. The last surprise piglet born, also a male,

The Wilson County Fair has many attractions from the classic Ferris wheel to fried Oreos and barrel racing, but no attraction may be more popular than a pregnant pig named Squeakers.

Squeakers is an 18-month-old sow who gave birth to 10 piglets on Wednesday night, and six survived.

was named Randall after Randall Clemons, current Wilson County Promotions president. The other piglets were named after Wilson County Fair staff and volunteers.

The live feed had more than 1 million views, and allows people from around the world to learn and witness the natural birth of pigs and be

See pigs on page A3

Explosives missing?

ATF investigates possible clerical error at Mt. Juliet construction site

By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

According to Michael Knight, special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, missing explosives at a construction site in Mt. Juliet identified as explosive boosters may be part of a clerical error, but he encouraged the public to stay aware of the potential they could be out in the public.

Industry operations investigators, special agents and Mt. Juliet police continued Thursday to follow up on various leads.

“We encourage the public, that if they have any information or know any information on these products, either through conversations or through social media that these products are turning up somewhere, that they notify law enforcement authorities,” Knight said.

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Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Lebanon firefighters monitor the large tire fire that broke out at Lebanon Scrap Metal on Cainsville Road just before sunset Thursday. The plume of smoke caused by the fire could be seen for miles around.

Gretchen TIRE FIRE CAUSES SMOKE SEEN Wilson FOR MILES AROUND LEBANON arrested Officials say air quality in area will not be affected by contained fire

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

By Christine Dempsey The Hartford Courant

(TNS) – Grammy winning country singer Gretchen Wilson was arrested at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut on Tuesday night after she caused two disturbances, state police said.

Wilson, 45, of Lebanon, was charged with breach of peace.

She is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court in Enfield, Connecticut on Sept. 13.

According to Connecticut police, troopers were dispatched to a plane’s portable bridge Gretchen Wilson about 7:20 p.m. after a call about a minor disturbance on an incoming flight. Wilson had been causing problems related to a passenger in a plane bathroom, according to Trooper Kelly Grant.

“While interviewing the accused on the

Move-in ebanon!

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A large tire fire that broke out Thursday evening at Lebanon Scrap Metal on Cainsville Road burned well into Friday after fire crews worked throughout the night to put the fire out with heavy equipment.

The large fire broke caused a large black plume of smoke that was reportedly seen

to the surrounding areas.

Baird also said the smoke poses no risk to the public, although Lebanon firefighters will continue to monitor air conditions.

Officials have not confirmed the cause of the fire, but said the fire was expected burn for at least one day until it is completely extinguished.

No injuries were reported.

World-renowned artist arrives at Cumberland

By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

Students arrived at Cumberland University for the new school year this week, but ahead of them world-renowned artist Igor Babailov spent some time on campus to capture the sights on canvas.

Last Tuesday, Babailov could be found on the front lawn as he painted a portrait of Today’s Obits

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as far away as the Smyrna airport.

Lebanon firefighters, Wilson County Emergency Management Agency, Lebanon police and Wilson County sheriff’s deputies all responded, and the fire was contained.

The fire was concentrated in a large pile of tires, and according to Lebanon fire Assistant Chief Jason Baird, posed no threat

Harry A. Goot, Nannie Mai Harper, Charles Eugene ‘Hoogie’ Huddleston and Mason Joseph Wallace.

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Memorial Hall.

“When I’m finished, it will become the possession of Cumberland University for future generations to view and enjoy,” Babailov said.

Babailov, who completed his first portrait before he was 5 years old, has painted portraits on many world leaders such as

Jared Felkins • Lebanon Democrat

World-renowned Russian portrait artist Igor Babailov paints a portrait last Tuesday of Memorial Hall at Cumberland University. Babailov will be featured in a lecture Sept.

6 at 2 p.m. in Vise Library, which will be free and open to the public.

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Columnist Linda Alessi talks about life in the golden years.

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January 5-6, 2019 lebanondemocrat.com

Police catch naked man on I-40 Man driving the wrong direction leads police on chase and then runs away in the nude Staff Reports

Lebanon police officers arrested a naked man who was apparently high on methamphetamine as he ran along Interstate 40 on Thursday morning.

Wilson County 911 call takers received several calls about a car that drove erratically. Officers found the car driven on I-40 in the wrong direction.

After a short chase, the driver, Gerald

Pritchett, 48, of Lebanon, got out of the car and ran naked along the interstate.

Officers arrested Pritchett and took him to a local hospital for evaluation. According to police spokesperson P.J. Hardy,

Pritchett told officers he took meth.

Hardy said police plan to charge Pritchett with several crimes and book him in at the Wilson County Jail once he’s released from the hospital.

More space to play

City considers sports complex for soccer, baseball, softball

By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

Sports leagues in Lebanon were the spotlight of a Lebanon City Council work session Thursday evening, and a 155-acre piece of property could soon become home to new soccer, baseball and softball fields.

The council will soon vote whether to buy 155.3 acres of property between Stumpy Lane and Walnut Grove Road.

The sports complex would include multiple fields for soccer, as well as the possibility for softball and baseball fields. A greenway trail and playground areas are also part of preliminary plans.

“This is a great opportunity for the city,” said Ward 1 Councilor Joey Carmack. “It would be my opinion to go

See play on page A3

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Sheriff’s deputies and Lebanon Police detain Benjamin Harris who was visibly injured after he fled and bit an officer after a traffic stop at the Speedway gas station on North Cumberland St. Thursday night.

Sinclaire Sparkman • Lebanon Democrat

Land off Highway 231 could be annexed into Lebanon for a sports complex.

Murder suspect appears in court

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Arraignment for a suspect charged with first-degree murder was delayed Friday to give him time to find a defense attorney.

Christian Chauncey Cain Ballance, 18, of Lebanon, made his first court appearance Friday in a Wilson County courtroom.

Ballance appeared to be without remorse in the brief appearance as he entered criminal court Judge Brody Kane’s courtroom, although he did appear respectful of the judge when he

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Suspect bites officer after traffic stop turns violent Man wanted for theft, assault charges in Maury County apprehended

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

A suspect was left bloodied after he ran from and bit an officer Thursday during a traffic stop at a Speedway gas station, where the suspect’s car nearly crashed into the building.

Wilson County sheriff’s deputies stopped

sweating. Harris told the deputy he did not have a license, the vehicle was not his, and he could not find the registration.

Lebanon police officers arrived at the scene for backup and removed Harris and a woman passenger, who told officers she

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Man tempts police with donuts during wild ride

Suspect takes chase to sheriff’s office parking lot

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

A suspect was arrested Dec. 28 after he failed to stop for police, hit a car with his truck, drove on the Lebanon Square sidewalk and then did donuts in the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office parking lot.

Lebanon police Sgt. P.J. Hardy said an officer spotted Tobias Thibeault, 47, of Lebanon, initially speeding and fishtailing in a while single-cab truck at about 9 p.m. on South Cumberland Street.

The officer attempted to stop the truck, which then fled and ran a red light at Tennessee Boulevard, but the officer Today’s Obits

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a car at the Speedway gas station at 610 N. Cumberland St. in Lebanon for a traffic violation shortly after 6 p.m.

The driver of the car, later identified as Benjamin Harris of Culleoka, immediately got out, and officers ordered him back in the driver’s seat. The deputy said in his report Harris appeared to be nervous and visibly

See ride on page A3

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didn’t chase the truck due to wet roads.

The officer spotted the truck again stopped in the middle of the road near Short Street. The officer tried to stop the truck again, and when he turned on his emergency lights, the truck did a burnout in the street and headed toward the square. The officer didn’t chase the truck, again, due to hazardous road conditions.

The truck was then reportedly seen Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat driving on the sidewalk of the south side and then over part of the center concrete Tobias Thibeault was arrested at the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office after doing donuts in the parking lot, section of the square.

Cristi Watjen, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day. Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

driving erratically throughout town and crashing into a car.

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Columnist Jim Mullen talks about his living will.

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Local makes Americal Idol

Photo courtesy of David Williamson • ABC

Kason Lester takes his shot at becoming the next hit on popular show

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The newest season of American will feature Wilson County’s own Kason Lester, a Friendship Christian School and Belmont University graduate who also helps to run Lester Farms in Lebanon.

Lester began his American Idol journey in August, when he auditioned in Chat-

Suspects make a run for it

Police catch two after alleged Walmart theft

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Mt. Juliet police charged two suspects after they allegedly left the Mt. Juliet Walmart with a shopping cart full of unpaid items worth about $350 before they led officers on a foot chase on Monday night.

Marcus White, 29, of Goodlettsville, and Trevaughn Hunter, 32, of Nashville, were both charged with theft of

tanooga, which led to his next audition in October in front of superstar judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I respect all those guys as artists, so to be able to sing in front of them and have them hear me for a change was just kind of unbelievable, and there’s nerves going into that,” Lester said. “Kind of before

Kason Lester auditions for the American Idol judges in Louisville, Kentucky.

I went down there, I went to Friendship Christian, my old high school, and got to use the stage and the microphone and kind of practice for it and get a feel for it a little bit before I went. There’s an element of being star struck standing in front of them for sure.”

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Students stand out in biotech

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Trevaughn Hunter

Marcus White

Luttrell named principal of the year

Watertown High School principal honored

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

The Tennessee Association of Secondary School Principals recently named Watertown High School principal Jeff Luttrell as its principal of the year.

He recently received the award at the association’s annual conference. “[I was] a little shocked as I do not get caught up in individual awards,” Luttrell said. “I take this honor simply as a reflection of our school, staff Jeff Luttrell and students. Without them, nothing like this is possible. I am continuously amazed at the accomplishments of our students, which is a direct reflection of the leadership of

See year on page A3

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Lebanon High School Junior Hannah Lawson and Senior Zachary Huff mix up compounds to create a gel as part of a DNA fingerprinting lab exercise in one of LHS’ biotechnology classes.

Lebanon High School biotech program thrives; students visit state capitol

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Lebanon High School biotechnology students made their way to the state capitol Wednesday where biotech teacher Melissa Bunch addressed the House Education Committee about the school’s biotechnology classes, the state’s only approved biotechnology program for high schools in Tennessee.

Biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop new technologies and processes. The program is under the umbrella of career technical education and a part of the push for science, technology, engineering and math courses in public education.

“Think of biology with a product focus, and it covers a wide variety, everything from

pharmaceuticals to agriscience to energy,” Bunch said.

Bunch has developed four biotech courses in the past three years, with three courses focused on molecular-biology content and lab techniques with the remaining course dedicated to lab research where students de-

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Sunny skies to return Sunday Break in the rain is on the way after a wet week

By Sinclaire Sparkman and Matt Masters ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

Rain continued to fall across Middle Tennessee Friday, but sunny days are in the forecast Sunday.

About an inch of rain fell by press time Friday, with heavier rains expected Friday night and early Saturday morning. Lebanon saw about three inches of rainfall since Tuesday, according to readings at the Lebanon Municipal Airport.

Rain is expected to continue throughout Saturday, with a break finally reaching

Wilson County on Sunday. Forecasters predicted sunny skies and a high of 53 degrees and low of 30 degrees for Sunday, and a high of 51 degrees and a low of 32 degrees for Monday.

Rainfall this month has accounted for 71 percent of total rainfall this year, and it has been an overall stormy month. An EF-0 tornado struck the area near Trousdale Ferry Pike on Feb. 6, and flooding has closed many roads and affected many homes

This week

2.75

This month

11.25

Rainfall totals in inches

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Lebanon-Wilson chamber puts on the Ritz at banquet

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

Angie Mayes • Lebanon Democrat

With much fanfare, the Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce celebrated 2018 and its accomplishments at its annual banquet Tuesday night.

About 400 people attended the event, which took place at the Wilson County Expo Center.

In addition to socializing and a dinner, a variety of awards were given out to highlight members

Performers dance to ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ at the LebanonWilson County Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday night.

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Robert D. ‘Bob’ Jernigan, Patty Ann Kemp and Irene Nugent.

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of the community. Judge Barry Tatum also swore in the 2019 board members.

Mac Griffin emceed the evening, and the theme was “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

Outgoing board chair J.B. Owens said in 2018, “We completed our building renovation, which took all hands on deck. We couldn’t have done that without so many businesses, business owners and individuals who financially Views.Now.

Columnist Jim Mullen talks about trying the stock market.

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got behind the project. They contributed more than $300,000 to make that happen. Because of that, we’re able to offer a lot more member space and office space.

This went back two or three years ago with planning, and we were able to get it done this year. For me, I am just grateful to be a part of it.”

The passing of the torch took

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Saturday-Sunday, February 23-24, 2019 n The Lebanon Democrat & Wilson County News n Page A3

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News.Now. Obituaries Patty Ann Kemp The family of Mrs. Kemp will be receiving friends Saturday from 4-8 p.m. and Sunday from noon until the service at Sellars Funeral Home in Lebanon. The funeral service, conducted by Brother Jason Mull and assisted by Judd Sellars, is Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 at 2 p.m. at the funeral home.

Interment in Cedar Grove Cemetery will follow the service.

Mrs. Kemp passed away Feb. 21, 2019 at age 84.

Pallbearers will be Matthew Kemp, Bryan Kemp, Patty Kemp Eric Gray, Adam Niblett, Michael Griffin and Mitchell Griffin.

Mrs. Kemp served others as a caregiver for those with special needs at Prospect. She loved crocheting and reading.

She is survived by her sons, Tim (Kathy) Kemp, Tony Kemp; grandchildren, Stephanie Massey, Matthew (Becky) Kemp, Chad (Glenda) Williams, Jennifer (Will) Williams, Bryan (Erin) Kemp, Kristen (Adam) Niblett, Carl (Amanda) Williams, Jessica Howard, Emily (Eric) Gray, Kristina Kemp, Casin (Stephanie) Williams; 18 great-grandchildren; brother, J.D. Taylor; and son-in-law, Mark Williams.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bobby Kemp Sr.; children, Debbie Turner, Tommy Lee Kemp Sr., Sandy Williams, Linda Kemp, Bobby Kemp Jr.; grandson, Tommy Lee Kemp Jr.; mother, Patsy Taylor; and sister, Martha Anderson.

The family extends their gratitude to the staff of Quality Care.

Sellars Funeral Home in Lebanon is in charge of arrangements, 615-4449393.

Irene Nugent Mrs. Nugent, age 87, passed away Sunday, Feb. 4, 2019 in her home in Lebanon. She was born in 1931 in Kiel, Germany to Wilhelm Otto Ulrich and Ida Frieda Herta (Richter) Ulrich.

Irene led an artistic, creative, adventurous life.

She became a talented classical dancer and performed throughout Irene Nugent Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with a Hungarian ballet company. She married George Nugent, a U.S. soldier stationed in Germany, in 1958, and they relocated to the United States a few years later and lived in various cities during his military career. After settling in Tennessee, she joined the Sound and Light Theater Co. and costarred in such esteemed productions as “The Music Man” and “Little Mary Sunshine.”

She was an incredibly hardworking and capable person. She was equal to any challenge, be it whipping up kartoffelpuffer or rouladen from scratch, repairing the roof, sewing clothing or changing the oil in the lawnmower. Her devotion to family made her an enthusiastic host of gatherings and holiday festivities, and her warmth and caring nature made her the thread connecting relatives and friends scattered across the U.S. and Germany alike.

She is survived by her sons, Derrel (Kay) Nugent, Robert Nugent; granddaughter, Brandy (Kyle) Spicer; brother, Kurt Ulrich; and nieces, Ortrun (Alwin) Rinkel, Ruthild (Kim-Sören) Huster and Ragna Ulrich.

She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents.

Death Notices Robert D. ‘Bob’ Jernigan

Mr. Jernigan, 75, of Mt. Juliet, died Friday.

Funeral services will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Bond Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow in Leeville Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday from 4-8 p.m. and Tuesday from 10-11 a.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

year from page A1 our teachers and staff. Our students perform at a high level in all arenas from athletics, clubs, extracurricular activities and academically.”

The criteria to win the award were based on a recommendation process from members of the association.

“I would like to sincerely thank those who have chosen me as the Middle Tennessee principal of the year for secondary schools,” Luttrell said. “I would also like to especially thank my teachers, staff, students and community for entrusting our most precious resource to Watertown High School every day, our children.”

Luttrell, who worked in education for 25 years, spent his first seven years as a teacher and coach in Trousdale County. He then came to Watertown to teach history and coach girls basketball and baseball. Luttrell is currently

ritz from page A1 effect as 2019 chamber board chair Necole Bell took over Owens’ duties.

“When I took the keys to Beauty Boutique, I immediately joined the Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce,” Bell said, “because being a member of this organization would introduce me and my business to the greater community. However, I did not realize that the chamber of commerce is a collection of business people who are not only striving for success, but are also working to make Wilson County a strong economic environment for everyone.”

Bell served on the chamber’s board of directors for three years, before she was named 2019 chair.

“Many of us are competitors, but that hasn’t stopped us from being unified,” she said. “First, we believe that relationships are key to business success, and the chamber of commerce will continue to focus on building and forging new relationships.”

The second goal is to, “strive to improve skilled workforce development through education. Lastly, we will improve communication through better website imaging and enhanced social media presence.”

The chamber handed out several awards during the banquet. Ambassador of the year went to Jessica Dodds-Davis with Trendz Hair Salon and executive director of Honey Bees of Tennessee.

Joy Pine with Iddy & Oscar’s was named retailer of the year and won the Shop Small business award. Carl Brewer, vice president of distribution for Journey’s, was named industrialist of the year.

Kevin and Dennis Croteau, owners of Hot Springs Spas of Music City, were named business people of the year. The woman of excellence was attorney Shelley Gardner. The volunteer of the year award went to Julie Jackson, and the public servant of the year honor went to Ward 2 Councilor Fred Burton. The lifetime member award honored Yvonne Hunter, who is an

sun from page A1

biotech from page A1

throughout the county during the past two weeks.

Sunny skies could persist through Wednesday, when there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.

The total rainfall for February stands at 11.25 inches with 15.79 inches year to date for the area.

Check live situation reports from around the county at wcso95.org/ sitrep to find out about closed roads and other flood impacts in real time.

sign and execute a research project.

Bunch said the experience to address lawmakers and discuss the future of education, technology and its applications to industry was very positive and seemed to garner support for the new program.

“I think they were really excited. They asked a lot of really good questions, and they seemed to really be interested in what we had to say,” Bunch said.

Junior Hannah Lawson said the classes are much more hands on than introductory science classes.

“Most of us didn’t even realize that [biotech] was even a thing, because you don’t think about it when you’re in your biology or chemistry classes since you don’t get to do as many labs. You’re just learning the bookwork and the scientists and stuff, and then you come in here, and you actually get to do things that relates to forensics, and medical and science and agriculture and things like that. It’s a lot different, and it gives you a lot more experience,” Lawson said.

The state-of the art labs are stocked with graduated cylinders, Bunsen burners, scales and everything else needed to complete the required experiments, which can be framed in real-world scenarios such as a mock crime scene where DNA must be identified and matched to suspects.

“We’re doing DNA fingerprinting right now, so after we make the gel we have to let it sit, and we’ll put it in the fridge to harden. Tomorrow, we’ll come in, and we’ll take some samples of DNA, and we’ll have to put the UV dye in them. That way, we can see it. Then, we inject it into each of the wells and put it into an electrophoresis box, which makes the DNA move, because it’s negative. So we send a

in his 12th year as principal. Earlier this year, the state Board of Education named Watertown High School as a Reward school.

“Jeff Luttrell exemplifies excellence and is an exceptional school leader,” said Wilson County Director of Schools Donna Wright. “Even though his school is smaller than what we seen in our really large high schools, he has made sure that his students have the same opportunities and experiences as if they were in a school with a much larger population.

“Student performance and outcomes at Watertown High are stellar [Level 5 high school], and I attribute their status to the leadership of Jeff Luttrell. He expects excellence from staff and students, but then he models those expectations every day.”

Because of his win, Luttrell is in the running for Tennessee High School Principal of the Year.

active chamber member since 1967.

The nonprofit of excellence honor went to New Leash on Life’s Joy Clinic. Famous Footwear was named top friend of education.

The Lebanon-Wilson County Sports Council award went to coach Campbell Brandon, a retired teacher and coach after 40-plus years.

Cedar Tree awards went to the Wilson Bank & Trust Operations Center; American Wonder Porcelain; Hamilton Springs Train Station; Don Scott Insurance; Southern Bank of Tennessee in Mt. Juliet; Mister B’s Express Car Wash and Don Fox Community Park.

Chamber president and CEO Melanie Minter ended the event when she said, “We must all continue to be a vital part of unifying Wilson County.

Our strength and passion to make a difference is contagious to all counties in our surrounding area.

As leaders and volunteers, we are genuine; we are compassionate; we are extraordinary people with a common goal, and we are devoted to Wilson County. All of these attributes and combined efforts are noticed, appreciated and desired by people that surround us all over Middle Tennessee.

“Trust in your leaders from a business perspective to city and county government. Believe that we can be a voice for the changes and growth in Wilson County. Every day we work together to find opportunities and solutions to make Wilson County the best place to visit, work, live and provide a quality of life that makes our community proud and a place we call home.

“Your Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce will always be your friend, your referral and have you and your business in our best interests.

Our chamber takes pride in providing Southern hospitality and caring about our members and our visitors to our county.”

For more information about the Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, visit lebanonwilsonchamber.com.

charge through the DNA so it moves down the gel, and then we’ll put it on our UV light box over there, and it will allow us to see the different strands of DNA to be able to match it up,” Lawson said.

Senior Zachary Huff said the classes prepare them for both college and future career paths. He said Bunch has shown the classes a variety of career paths, some that require graduate degrees and some that would use their specialized skills and knowledge right out of high school, which could pay $50,000 annually.

“The point about this class is that it teaches you about labs,” Huff said.

“So say you wanted to do something in the medical field. This class teaches you about the labs you need to take like chemistry with lab, biology with lab or anatomy. What we’re learning in here isn’t just a high school credit. This is what I would be doing as a junior in college or something that somebody is doing in their career.”

Lebanon High School principal Scott Walters said he’s impressed with what Bunch was able to create.

Bunch has worked to create a program like this for the last 20 years at different schools and found the support needed at Lebanon High School and throughout the school district, especially from Walters, Wilson County Director of Schools Donna Wright, CTE director Bill Moss and the entire Wilson County Board of Education.

“I knew that I wanted to offer something in the STEM field that was new and original when I started at LHS,” Walters said.

“Everyone else seemed to have programs centered on robots, but I wanted something different. When I hired Mrs. Bunch to come on board, I knew there was an opportunity there. The experience she brought to our faculty and our con-

Photo courtesy of Melissa Bunch

State Rep. Mark White, Lebanon High School sophomore Kylie Retzke, junior Hannah Lawson, teacher Melissa Bunch, junior Isabella Beene, Rep. Clark Boyd, sophomore Hannah Gode, senior Zach Huff and junior Miles Brewer attend a session Wednesday of the state House Education Committee in Nashville.

versations about goals for the school easily led to the biotechnology program as a STEM concept. Its development into what it is today, in just three years, astounds me. I am so proud of Mrs. Bunch and our students and what they have built here at LHS. This program is a model for other schools all over the state, and a lot of hard work, initiative and support has made that happen.”

This is not the end goal for Bunch as she hopes to expand the program both inside Lebanon High School and as a model for future programs throughout the state.

“We’re really on the cutting edge of something big,” Bunch said. “Our goal is to bring big biotech to Tennessee. We’ve got a lot of small biotech companies, but we want the big ones here – Merck, Pfizer, Amgen, Genentech – and so we’ve got to prepare a workforce for them to be able to hire, because they’re not going to come here if there are no employees who have any idea what to do in a biotech lab. So that is our main goal, to grow scientists, to keep them in Tennessee and to attract the industry to our state.”

Brenda Faye Reynolds

“Mama” June 13, 1943 – February 17, 2016 Tell me, what does it look like in heaven?

Is it peaceful? Is it free like they say?

Does the sun shine bright forever?

Have your fears & your pain gone away?

Cause here on earth it feels like everything good is missing since you left, and here on earth everything’s different there’s an emptiness.

I hope you’re dancing in the sky I hope your singing in the Angel’s choir I hope the Angel’s know what they have I’ll bet it’s so nice up in heaven since you arrived.

So tell me, what do you do up in heaven?

Are your days filled with love & light?

Is there music? Is there art & invention?

Tell me are you happy? Are you more alive?

I hope your dancing in the sky I hope you’re singing in the angel’s choir.

We wish you were here!

Love your daughters Robin & Candy

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Sports.NOW. Girls and boys basketball scores. A7

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February 9-10, 2019 lebanondemocrat.com

Former Sheriff Gwin King dies

His career in law enforcement included serving as Wilson County Sheriff from 1974-1982

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Former Wilson County Sheriff Gwin King died Thursday evening; he was 77.

King had a long career in law enforcement, where he saw and was instrumental in many of the training and policing improvements and moderniza-

tions of law enforcement throughout the county.

King started his career with the Lebanon Police Department in 1964 at 26 and moved on to the Tennessee Highway Patrol as a state trooper in Williamson County. In 1974, he was elected sheriff of Wilson County, where he served until 1982. King

Black History Speaks

US attorney speaks at Cumberland

Don Cochran helped to prosecute suspects in Birmingham bombing

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Cumberland University played host to Don Cochran, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, who gave a lecture Thursday evening about his role in prosecuting the last suspect in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Sept. 15, 1963 bombing killed four young African-American girls in the church and gained international attention as the most deadly attack of the civil rights era in the United States. The victims were 11-year-old Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carol Denise McNair, who were all 14 years old.

Cochran described 1960s Birmingham as a “racial powder keg ready to explode,” something backed up the name, “Bombingham,” which was given to Alabama’s largest city as it had a string of bombings throughout the civil rights era, perpetrated by secessionists and the Ku Klux Klan. These groups had significant influence throughout the state’s various levels of government, law enforcement and judicial branches.

Cochran said the prosecution was faced with admittedly not a particularly strong case as nearly 40 years had passed between the bombing and the trial against the last defendant, Bobby Frank Cherry, who was 72 at the time of the trial.

Cochran presented several photographic slides and archived video, which were given as evidence and detailed how the Federal Bureau of Investigation and

See speaks on page A5

worked for five years with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona in the fugitive apprehension division.

King then returned to Wilson County, where he served as lieutenant over the investigative division in the Mt. Juliet Police Department from 1987 until 2012 when he retired.

The Mt. Juliet Police Department

honored King’s legacy and detailed his many accomplishments in a Facebook post Friday morning.

“With over 48 years of law enforcement experience, King had a lot of firsts. He attended the first police trainee class for the state of Tennes-

See king on page A5

Gwin King

Storm front brings tornado, leaves flooding

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Wilson County experienced heavy rains, strong winds and flash flooding, which closed roads, stranded vehicles and damaged buildings Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

One of the most significant signs of the overnight storm was a large 56-by-66-foot barn on Trousdale Ferry Pike near Tuckers Crossroads School, which was destroyed by an EF-0 tornado, according to the National Weather Service.

Owner Flyyn Neal, 58, has lived on the farm his entire life and said his barn was destroyed. Large pieces of the barn were blown across the road and were strewn across his neighbor’s land.

See storm on page A2

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Neighbors Will Makit, David Grisham and Daniel Boze help Flynn Neal remove debris after an EF-0 tornado struck and destroyed Neal’s 56-by-66-foot barn on Trousdale Ferry Pike on Thursday night.

New business sells hemp products in Mt. Juliet 7 Point Farm and Apothecary offers seed-to-table

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

In Wilson County, there’s a farm and apothecary that currently sells hemp products to the general consumer.

The name of the business is 7 Point Farm and Apothecary, and it’s next to Minchey’s Landscaping on Lebanon Road in Mt. Juliet.

Heath Scott, founder and president of 7 Point Farm and Apothecary, will play host to a grand opening March 1 and sells a variety of hemp items.

“We offer seed-to-table products from local farmers, from myself, from my farms, and we offer salves, MCT oils,

soaps, dog treats and isolate powders,” Scott said. “We offer a lot of different services to farmers. We sell clones to farmers in the state.”

On Dec. 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a statement about hemp products.

“Today, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 was signed into law,” the statement said. “Among other things, this new law changes certain federal authorities relating to the production and marketing of hemp, defined as cannabis [cannabis sativa L.], and derivatives of

See hemp on page A5

Submitted to The Democrat

Hemp oil, hemp soap and hemp dog treats are some of a variety of items sold at 7 Point in Mt. Juliet.

Volunteers donate to renovation project Staff Reports

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

US attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee speaks Thursday evening at Cumberland University about his role to prosecute the last suspect in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.

For more than two decades, the volunteer auxiliary at Tennova Healthcare-Lebanon contributed to the needs of the 245-bed hospital to provide support services and contribute to the care and comfort of patients, visitors and family members.

The auxiliary’s most-recent gift to the hospital was unveiled Thursday before an audience of physicians, medical support staff, administrators and local business and community leaders.

With the donation, the auxiliary funded a significant portion of the surgical-intensive care unit waiting room renovation project. The money was used to get new furniture, upgrade bathroom floors, replace the wallpaper with a fresh coat of paint and buy and hang a large-screen television monitor in the space.

Sinclaire Sparkman • Lebanon Democrat

See room on page A3

Longtime volunteer, Harold “Scottie” Scott, cuts the ribbon on the renovated surgical intensive care unit waiting room at Tennova Healthcare-Lebanon.

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Troy A. Claiborne Sr., Larry Wayne Ghee, Brian Scott Illobre, Gwin King, Anita Stafford and Leonard Taylor.

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Peggy Simpson, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day. Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

Local educator talks about segregation in Lebanon Page A2

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October 6-7, 2018

lebanondemocrat.com

County to educate voters on sales tax hike Wilson County, schools might spend $70K before Nov. 6 election for referendum education

By Angie Mayes Special to the Democrat

Wilson County plans to spend $35,000 for a public relations campaign to inform Wilson County residents about the upcoming referendum on a sales tax increase.

The Wilson County Budget Committee approved the amount at its meeting Thursday night. In addition to the $35,000,

Wilson County Schools also committed $35,000, according to county finance director Aaron Maynard. He also agreed to contact Lebanon Special School District officials to see if they would contribute, as well.

The county hired a public relations firm to produce flyers and other messaging media to saturate the county with the

advantages to approve the tax. The current tax is 9.25 percent. The county put a referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot to raise the amount 0.5 percent to 9.75 percent, which is the maximum allowed by state law.

“They’re thinking they can pull off a direct mail campaign, a social media campaign, etc., for around $65,000-$70,000,” Maynard said. “I think we can handle about

$35,000 without having to do a budget amendment. Here’s why I want to do it without a budget amendment. I can’t get a budget amendment until Oct. 15 [when the Wilson County Commission meets]. By Oct. 15, [the public relations firm’s] time to develop the materials is virtually gone.”

See tax on page A3

Wanted suspect captured

history in the making

Sheriffs come together to find murder suspect

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Sinclaire Sparkman • Lebanon Democrat

Cody McCray (right) and Kyle Shaffer serve customers at their new restaurant, Town Square Social, on the Lebanon Square.

Town Square Social brings eats to square

Co-owners pick historic Lebanon building to set up for success

By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

Lebanon’s latest eatery opened last week on the Lebanon Square, and co-owners hope to bring local families and friends a laid-back atmosphere with a dash of history.

Owners Cody McCray and Kyle Shaffer met about 16 years ago when they worked as bartenders at Corner Pub in Mt. Juliet.

Shaffer grew up in Lebanon, all the way from Byars Dowdy Elementary School to when he graduated from Cumberland Uni-

versity. McCray said his family moved to Lebanon when he was young.

“We’ve kind of always had a brainchild of like man we should do this,” Shaffer

Stewart County sheriff’s deputies, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents, who were assisted by other law enforcement agencies, including the Wilson County sheriff and Mt. Juliet police’s special response team, confirmed the capture of Kirby Wallace.

Wallace is suspected of an alleged crime spree that began Sept. 23 in the Indian Mound community that included killing, arson and theft, and was captured without incident and appeared to be uninjured and healthy.

Wallace was placed on the TBI’s top 10 Kirby Wallace most wanted list and wanted by the TBI and Stewart County authorities for one count of first-degree murder, one count of felony murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated arson, two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, two counts of especially aggravated robbery and one count of especially aggravated burglary.

Wallace was also wanted in Montgomery County for one count of especially aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated burglary and one count of theft of property.

During a press conference Friday afternoon, Stewart County and Henry County

See square on page A3

See find on page A3

Justin Hodges: A man in God’s temple Local bodybuilder shares his story of getting there naturally, with a little faith

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Justin Hodges can often be found putting on weights on a bench press or running in the evenings that become cooler with the change of the leaves.

He can be seen sweating and pushing through pain and the nagging voice to stop, to just do one less rep. He won’t. There is always one more rep.

Hodges, a 37-year-old Clarks-

ville native, is a natural builder who faces struggle and pain every day as he works to polish his body to perfection, a body that, along with his mind and spirit, wasn’t always where he wanted it to be.

“Alcohol just kind of took over my life. I just started drinking and partying out of high school, and it was fun then, and after two or three years, I tried to quit, and I couldn’t quit. I Today’s Obits

Connect with us socially.

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William E. ‘Billy’ Dedman and Everett H. Tomlinson.

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kept drinking, and I started having seizures, because I drank so much. So at 27, I was just a rock-bottom drunk living on the streets up in Clarksville. Nobody wanted to be around me, and I really couldn’t stand to look in the mirror, because I was just ashamed of what I had become,” Hodges said.

After numerous attempts to quit drinking and a fear he would end up in prison or dead You Like Us!

before 30, Hodges checked himself into rehab in Lebanon in 2007. After completing several months of rehab, he was afraid to return to his old friends for fear that it would mean returning to his old lifestyle. As a former high school wrestler and someone who practiced basic fitness, he decided to go back to one familiar habit.

See hodges on page A5

Justin Hodges

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Leigh Anne Rainey, of Mt. Juliet, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day. Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

Columnist Linda Alessi talks about life in the golden years.

Page A4

This October, we’re making mammograms more affordable and convenient.

JOIN US FOR A PINK PARTY

Get your mammogram and a little pampering, too!

Tuesday, Oct. 23 • 5-7:30 p.m.

Tennova Healthcare - Lebanon Outpatient Center • 1411 Baddour Parkway

MAMMOGRAM OCTOBER SCREENING SPECIAL

$99*

*Includes reading fee.

Special restrictions apply.

Call for details.

Extended hours: Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-6 p.m; Sat., 8 a.m.-Noon

To register for the PINK PARTY or to schedule your mammogram, call 615-965-5639, then press 2.

For American College of Radiology recommendations, visit www.acr.org. *If you are uninsured, the price of $99 includes both the hospital and radiologist fees for a 2D screening mammogram. This price applies only to a screening mammogram for women who are asymptomatic. Payment is due at the time of service.

Appointments are on a first-come, first-served basis. An order from a physician or qualified healthcare provider is not required, but the patient must provide a physician/provider name when an appointment is made. If the patient does not have a physician/provider, a list will be provided for selection. All mammogram reports will be sent to the physician/provider, and the patient is responsible for follow-up. Check with your insurance provider to confirm coverage for a screening mammogram.

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lebanondemocrat.com

News.Now. hodges from page A1 “I thought, ‘I’ve got to do something with all this free time – I’ll start going to the gym again,’” Hodges said.

“I was wrestling in high school, and I was really blessed I had a good wrestling coach. He was an old Army drill sergeant, and he was from Fort Campbell, and he taught me how to work out right,” Hodges said. “He told me from the get-go, he said, ‘I want you to watch these guys using steroids and watch when they come back next year.’ He said ‘Don’t you use nothing’ Cause he saw something in me then, cause as soon as I started working out, I just shaped up.

“I never set out to be a bodybuilder, but after I started working out, and I quit drinking at that point for about two years, and people would ask me all the time, ‘Do you compete?’”

Hodges would tell them he used to wrestle and play baseball in high school without realizing that they meant as a bodybuilder.

“Really, that’s what saved my life,” Hodges said. “God kind of spoke to me through those people” Hodges started taking bodybuilding serious in 2009 and competed in his first show in Florida where he came in second place in the novice category at his first show. Due to finances, Hodges competed once a year and trained himself with no coaches or dietitians, things that many bodybuilders feel they need to succeed.

“I thought ‘Hey, that’s pretty good. Maybe I can find something I can aim for.’ While I was down there, I saw some pros. It was an amateur-pro show, and I was 27 or 28 then, and I saw some guys in their 40s, and they looked immaculate. I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do.’

So with God’s help, I went for it. I’ve quit jobs because it was interfering with my gym time. I’ve left girls.

Friday and Saturday nights when everybody else was out, I was in the gym pushing weights,” Hodges said.

Hodges is a dedicated natural bodybuilder, which means he only competes with other bodybuilders who are clean of any performance-enhancing drugs or steroids.

“I take a lot of pride in being natural, and that’s one reason I’m where I’m at today, because a lot of guys use performance-enhancing drugs, and it scars your muscle tissue right from the start. So that’s why you see a lot of them, they’re big names for seven, eight, 10 years, then you don’t ever hear from them anymore, because they’ve destroyed their bodies. Whereas, if you’re natural, you’ll always keep what you gain, so that way when you get in your 40s, which is when men peak out, you can actually have a lot of muscle,” Hodges said.

Hodges’ hard work finally paid off in July when he won his first Pro Show in Chicago and won overall best bodybuilder and best poser, a move that put him on Team USA, the collective pool of competitors from which they choose Olympic athletes.

The struggle isn’t over for Hodges, though, who has had wages garnished and fines levied against him from a traffic accident in 2001. Hodges had paid his debt down, only owing a little more than $1,000.

But after he entered rehab in 2007, he was focused on survival and getting sober, putting all else to the back of his mind. As he healed and focused on working out, that money was building back up with interest, totaling to nearly $30,000.

“When I’m training and I think that I don’t have one more rep in me, I think about that and I get that extra energy and it fuels me to keep going,” Hodges said.

Due to the fines, Hodges was forced out on the streets and has lived in his silver 1998 Chevy S-10 pickup truck for the past

few years.

“It’s been a hard road,” Hodges said, “but I knew that if I could get my pro card and get onto Team USA, that could help me to get that all taken care of. Getting on Team USA wasn’t a bed of roses. I’ve sacrificed just about everything to get here.”

While many people may see following a dream even in the face of homelessness crazy, Hodges sees it as an opportunity to see what really matters and an opportunity to focus on his goals and nothing else.

“People will say, ‘Oh, my God, you’ve been living in your truck?’ Well, really, that’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, because it brought me closer to God and showed me what’s important in life.

Really, it’s just your relationship with God and your body, because everything else can be gone just like that.

“I’ve had people kind of make fun of me over the past few years about being homeless. Someone will crack a few smart remarks, and I tell people today that I’m not homeless. I’ve got a home in heaven, and I’m just waiting to get there.

“Through my story, it proves that God’s in my life, because I’ve done it with pretty much nothing,” Hodges said. “One of my biggest fears in life was never having anywhere to go. When they did that to me, it ones of the best things that could have happened, because it showed me that a house and a car, a phone and clothes, it can all be gone just like that. It showed me that your body and health is all you have.

They took everything I had – bodybuilding was the only thing they couldn’t take from me. It was like God was showing me, ‘You just keep doing this, and I’m going to reward you.’”

Discipline is a theme in Hodges’ life from the undisciplined years fueled by alcohol to the image of discipline that is show in his physique. That discipline may be able to be seen to some degree when you see his physical shape, but the true image of discipline is under the skin and inside the mind.

Hodges learned quickly bodybuilding wasn’t going to pay the bills and so he became calculated and frugal with his money, even eating the bare minimum to sustain his physique and health.

“I learned that you can bodybuild on tuna, peanut butter, oatmeal and green beans,” Hodges said. “Where most guys have supplements and eat chicken, brown rice and asparagus, I learned that you can do it with the bare essentials. It’s hard to eat tuna, oatmeal, peanut butter and green beans for three or four months at a time, but I realized that If I wanted it, I had to eat that and nothing else.

“It’s hard to get to 4-5 percent body fat. When you get to 6-7 percent, you stay hungry all the time; your strength drops dramatically; you start to get headaches.

So when you get to 4-5 percent body fat it’s tough to not go get a cheeseburger cause your mind is saying ‘Give me, give me,’ but you’re having to fight those hunger cravings.

“When you get down to such little body fat that your body is going to start eating itself for energy, it hurts.

Your joints hurt, your body doesn’t have any cushion, it hurts to walk and that’s a side bodybuilding that many people don’t ever see.

They see the guys on stage who look good and healthy, but really they’re mentally and physically exhausted.

It’s a spiritual experience because you think, ‘God, I can’t do this,’ but then God always gives me the strength to do it.

“Bodybuilding is a lot of discipline. Working out five, six days a week, eating disciplined, and posing disciplined – so bodybuilding isn’t just working out in the gym then getting up on a stage to look good – it’s a lifestyle.”

Planning, zoning committee discusses debris resolution

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Justin Hodges shows off a sword that was his prize for winning a bodybuilding competition.

For Hodges, bodybuilding is not just a sport or hobby, it’s also an art and a spiritual practice.

“Your body is God’s temple, and a lot of people in today’s society are chasing a job or money or a nice house or car, but if you take care of God’s temple and treat it the way he wants you to treat it, he’ll take care of everything else around you. And that’s why I say that bodybuilding is a spiritual process. It’s an art, because when I get on stage, a lot of people think it’s like the meathead stereotype. You get on stage and show your muscles.

But really, in natural bodybuilding, you can see God’s pyramid in its most immaculate form. He designed every muscle for a specific reason, and that’s a beautiful thing. So when I walk on stage, it’s not that I’m trying to be macho and a show off. I’m showing what God created,” Hodges said.

Like any art, it takes practice, a lot of failure and patience to become proficient and see results.

“Really, it’s not in the weight you push. It’s in the reps, in your technique and going to failure, and over a period of time, the more muscle you get the more weight you can push,” Hodges said. “Bodybuilding is about taking each muscle to failure. It’s not about the weight, but it’s about the reps and the techniques you use to get there. I can get just as good a workout with 20-pound dumbbells as I can with 100-pound dumbbells. But the trick is to think about what muscle you want to work and just work that muscle. You don’t cheat.

It takes years to get natural muscle built.”

Most of Hodges’ time is spent at the Anytime Fitness in Lebanon, where he has found a place to fit in and grow, a place where he’ supported in the pursuit of his dreams, especially with the support of the gym owner and Hodges’ sponsor Joe Prokott.

“Over the years, people have told me that I’m just wasting my time that I can’t make a living doing bodybuilding, and I’ve had people making fun of me. But, you know, I’ve always kept that out of my focus, and I’ve focused on what I thought was right.

“I’ve been lucky. The gym, they let me come here for free. They sponsor me.

I’ve been living out of my truck, and I don’t really make any money, but they make sure that I don’t go hungry. I clean around here and do free assessments for them, and they pay my way through shows. It’s a blessing,” Hodges said.

Since July, Hodges prepared for his next show, Natural Olympia, in November in Las Vegas, and he hopes to compete with Team USA in Greece and Australia in 2019. Hodges said whatever the future holds, he wants to use his physical ability to help better himself and his community.

“I don’t even know if it’s hit me yet. It’s just so big, and I’ve worked so hard.

It’s just like I’m just thinking, ‘What’s next? What’s God going to give me next?’” Hodges said.

And while he currently has a posing coach and a sponsor to help him to get to more shows, Hodges knows the struggle, both inside and out, isn’t over and the journey never ends.

He knows he’s got at least a decade still in him, a decade that won’t be counted in months or years, rather in reps and miles.

Cleanup of dilapidated homes, junk and abandoned cars in yards and other items on properties that are a possible hazard will be brought to the forefront if Wilson County commissioners adopt a new resolution to take care of the problem.

Wilson County planning director Tom Brashear proposed the resolution Tuesday night to the Wilson County Planning and Zoning Committee. The committee members discussed the issue of everything from falling structures to needles on properties within the county.

The new resolution is to “provide regulatory standards for health and safety conditions of residential and nonresidential properties” within Wilson County. State law allows counties to make such rules and regulations that prevent dangerous conditions due to the dilapidated buildings, overgrown lots, junk and discarded materials in yards, overgrown yards and yards with abandoned cars.

The committee members discussed the matter for about an hour. They heard from residents who said they were fearful for their relatives’ and other’s lives due to homes and yards in disrepair.

“I think the thing that has shelved this is in the past is the unknown,” Brashear said. “For example, if you think of dilapidated structures, many of them are older. If you talk about the county taking the responsibility of knocking something down, they’ve really taken ownership of that issue and that cleanup.

Once they do so, they’re going to be responsible for asbestos removal, lead

abatement and those types of things.”

Brashear said it would be an “arduous process that gets to the point where you’re going to have to knock something down.”

He said county attorney Mike Jennings would also probably have to be involved in the matter for each property.

“If you discover something in the matter of that cleanup process, it could cost a lot more than you anticipated,” he said.

“That’s the only part I can see that’s bad about this.

There are some parts I like because it gives us some extra teeth when if comes to motor vehicles and junk and debris. We have some of this language in the zoning ordinance, but this would be freestanding outside of the zoning ordinance.”

The cost and personnel for cleanup was an issue the committee discussed.

“We’re going to have to clean up [a current project] at little or no cost to the county with staff that I’m unaware of, or, have a fund in place to do that,” Brashear said.

Currently, the county, under the zoning ordinance, gives residents 30 days to clean up in the warmer months and 60 days over the winter, Jennings said.

After that, the fine starts accumulating at $50 a day.

“We’ve always had success in getting it cleaned up and always put in there to the building inspector’s satisfaction,” Jennings said.

“What I consider clean or what you consider clean is discretionary.

“A recent case concerned a property where drug activity took place, and there were needles and other paraphernalia in the home and the yard and was won by the county. During that

case, the county told the judge they’d like to take the responsibility of cleaning the yard and removing the structure, but they wanted to take those costs and apply it as a lien against the property. If they sell it, they have to pay us off.”

Jennings said liens are good news, but the county may never get paid back.

The bad news, he said, “is that Tom doesn’t have anything in his budget. We’d like to appropriate $25,000 to put in his budget to use for this and similar situations.”

The hope is, Jennings said, if the county cleans one property and places a lien against the home, others who need to clean their properties will do so in fear of fines via a lien.

Commissioner Kenny Reich said he liked the idea of the lien, but he wanted to do more.

“I have a problem with just a lien, because we may never get our money back,” he said. “If they ever sell this property, it’s not right to hold the taxpayers’ money waiting to get it back. We need to come up with a way we can add this on to their tax bill.”

Jennings said that would have to be done on the state level.

“I don’t want to do it with a lien,” Reich said.

“We may never get our money back. We need to come up with a way to get our money back. On a lot of these, we’re not going to get our money back. We’re going to do it, and that’s going to be it.”

The committee voted to study the resolution for 30 days before it takes action on the matter. The committee will meet again Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. in conference room 1 at the Wilson County Courthouse.

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Game-Day Express back on for Titans Staff Reports

NASHVILLE – After anticipation that service would not be available for Titans fans this year due to the lack of a sponsor, the Tennessee Titans stepped in to save the Game-Day Express train.

“As a transit system, our top priority is always the safety and security of our customers,” said WeGo Public Transit and Regional Transit Alliance chief executive

officer Steve Bland. “This year, because the Titans have generously stepped in to take on the sponsorship of the popular Game-Day Express service, the Music City Star can continue to be the designated driver for fans as they enjoy a fun and stress-free ride to the game, thanks to the Titans themselves.”

The Game-Day Express train will operate for all Tennessee Titans’ regular-

Fire damages home

season home games, beginning with the Sept. 16 game against the Houston Texans. Service begins in Lebanon with stops in Martha, Hamilton Springs, Mt. Juliet, Hermitage and Donelson before fans arrive in downtown Nashville.

Tickets for the Sept. 16 and Sept. 30 games will go on sale Tuesday. Tickets

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art and compassion

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Mt. Juliet firefighters battled a home fire Thursday night on Faulkner Lane.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find flames coming through the roof of the 2,700-square-feet home. The fire is believed to have started in the attic where it was contained to the attic and bonus room.

No one was found home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Wilson County Emergency Management Agency personnel, Mt. Juliet police and Rehab 23 volunteers also responded to the scene.

Suicide prevention in spotlight this month Staff Reports

NASHVILLE – In Tennessee, an estimated 950 men, women and children die by suicide each year.

More people die by suicide each year than from homicide, AIDS or motor vehicle accidents. Suicide is the leading cause of violent deaths in the state, nationally and worldwide, far higher than killings and death due to natural disasters.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of

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Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Master painter Igor Babailov presents a print of his painting “My Beloved Country!” to Cumberland University President Dr. Paul Stumb on Thursday after speaking about his life dedicated to honing his craft.

Master painter Igor Babailov pays visit to Cumberland His compassionate mission of art lives in expressions of pencil and brush

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

World-renowned painter Igor Babailov spoke and presented work to a packed crowd at Cumberland University on Thursday where he talked about his experiences painting portraits of both world leaders and ordinary private people, all equally important in a life dedicated to the art of painting

and compassion.

Babailov, who was born in 1965 in Glazov, Udmurt Republic of Russia, now lives in Brentwood, where he has a working studio.

The son of an artist and an educator, Babailov drew his first portrait at 4 years old and began his formal arts education at 9 years old. He later received his master

of fine art degree from the Surikov Academy of Fine Arts at the Moscow School of Painting, and in 2012 Babailov was elected into the roster of Academicians of the prestigious Russian Academy of Arts.

Babailov’s work is rooted in classical realism where he has mastered the human

See paint on page A3

Hamilton Springs Station opens Ribbon cutting celebrates third Lebanon stop Submitted to The Democrat

Lebanon Mayor Bernie Ash joined Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto (not pictured) to sign a proclamation recently to declare September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in Lebanon and Wilson County.

Also pictured are Cumberland Mental Health director Nathan Miller and Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network volunteer Brenda Harper.

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The Hamilton Springs train station held its grand opening and ribbon cutting Thursday and drew more than 100 people to celebrate the third stop for the Music City Star in Lebanon.

The station officially opened Aug. 27 and adds to a transit system still relatively new but has seen much popularity

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with a recorded number of more than 2.5 million passengers in 10 years, and with 294,000 trips in the 2018 fiscal year, the highest number of annual trips so far.

Steve Bland, chief executive officer of the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee, said RTA sees the its highest number of riders from Wilson

Gary Williams Czskleba and Albert Edward Young.

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Stephen Goodall, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day. Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

See train on page A5

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Local officials ready to cut the ribbon on the new stop for the Music City Star by the Hamilton Springs development in Lebanon.

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Columnist Linda Alessi talks about life in the golden years.

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Put an end to joint pain.

Free Hip & Knee Pain Seminar hosted by an orthopedic surgeon.

Thursday, September 13 • 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Come to our seminar to learn more about surgical options that can help provide relief from joint pain, including robotic-assisted total and partial knee replacement and total hip replacement.

Tennova Healthcare – Lebanon 1411 W. Baddour Pkwy. • Community Cares Classroom, Main Entrance Space is limited.

To RSVP, call 615-235-6937, or visit TennovaOrtho.com.

Patient results may vary. Consult your physician about the benefits and risks of any surgical procedure or treatment.

102973_UMC_JointSem13SEPT_10x3c.indd 1

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Armed robbers fire shots in Mt. Juliet

Photo courtesy of Mt. Juliet police

Employee held at gunpoint before suspects make off with cash

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

described as likely adult black men, fired shots into the restaurant’s ceiling and demanded cash from the employee.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Police said the suspects left with an undisclosed amount of cash and went

Two masked men robbed the Penn Station East Coast Subs restaurant at gunpoint Monday night in Mt. Juliet, according to police.

The two masked men, who police

Two masked men robbed the Penn Station East Coast Subs restaurant at gunpoint Monday night in Mt. Juliet.

south on Mt. Juliet Road in a darkcolored and dirty mid-sized sportutility vehicle or car.

The restaurant’s security cameras caught the robbery from inside the

See shots on page A3

‘Special’ delivery thwarted

Growing every year

UPS Store owner saves elderly man from scam Staff Reports

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Chris Leauber prepares to cut a natural Christmas tree at Rhonda and Chris’ Treeland in Watertown, with a little assistant from the family dog, Nicholas, and cat, Inky.

Treeland provides natural Christmas trees and memories

Local Christmas tree farm open for final dates of the year this weekend

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

With Christmas just two weeks away, folks may find themselves in a whirlwind of shopping, planning trips and stressing out, especially those still without a tree.

Fear not. There’s still hope for all those procrastinators.

Rhonda and Chris’ Treeland provides

real live Christmas trees can be cut in Watertown to help create a holiday memory. It’s brought generations of families back to the picturesque farm since the first trees were planted in 1996. The variety of trees range between $45-$65, depending on size.

Chris Leauber, who has a bachelor’s degree in forestry and years of farming

experience, along with his wife, Rhonda, and their children and grandchildren, offer a variety of Christmas trees, which include the farm’s favorite Virginia pines and white pines. And for those who may have an allergy to pines, Treeland offers Leyland Cypress trees.

See tree on page A3

A local watchful business owner stepped in and saved an elderly man who was about to mail a large amount of cash to a scammer, according to Mt. Juliet police.

Myro Kuzman, owner of the UPS Store at 401 S. Mt. Juliet Road, contacted Mt. Juliet police detectives Monday after he felt an elderly man was about to fall victim to a scam attempt. The scammer, acting as an attorney from another state, contacted the victim by phone and said he needed to overnight mail $4,000 to bail a family member out of jail.

The scammer also instructed the victim not to tell anyone about the money.

Detectives went to the UPS Store and determined it was a scam. In this case, the scammer used a common scam of faking an emergency situation to trick the victim into thinking a loved one was in trouble. Scammers typically focus on the elderly, ask for the money to be sent immediately and demand it be kept quiet. In an attempt to legitimize their efforts, the scammers claim to be an authority figure such as a lawyer or police officer. The scam can seem real, and it is meant to tug at the heart of a possible victim.

“It takes everyone in a community to keep it safe and protected,” said police Chief James Hambrick. “This is a fine example of a community looking after each other, and Mr. Kuzman should be applauded for his efforts.

His direct efforts saved the victim from losing a large amount of cash.”

Detectives continue to investigate the origin of the call in hopes of finding a suspect.

Lt. Jason Brockman, criminal investigative division commander, visited Myro Kuzman, the UPS Store owner, to thank him for his vigilance and care for the community.

The Federal Trade Commission recommended the following if anyone finds themselves receiving a similar scam call: • Check it out before acting. Look up that friend or family’s phone number yourself.

See ups on page A3

Armstrong just keeps running Ultra-runner, missionary finishes third, sets personal record at Desert Solstice

By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

Greg Armstrong

There’s literally no stopping Greg Armstrong.

The Friendship Christian School teacher and coach, missionary, founder of Run4Water and ultra-runner finished third and set a personal record last weekend after he ran 155.09 miles in 24 hours at the Desert Solstice Invitational Track Meet in Tucson, Arizona.

“Honestly, I exceeded what I could do,” Today’s Obits

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Linda Bright Berg, Ronald Dale ‘Ronnie’ Doak, Alma Pearl McCathern and Mary Jo Sircy.

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said Armstrong, who is 45 years old. “I’m getting a little older, so I really didn’t know I had 155 miles in me. There was some incredible competition. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten that number if I weren’t running scared, so to speak. Those guys really pushed me.”

And he ran the entire distance in Teva sandals, which isn’t unheard of for Armstrong, who often opts for the open-air foot-

Photo courtesy of Mt. Juliet police

UPS Store owner Myro Kuzman stands with Mt. Juliet police Lt. Jason Brockman.

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Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto shares his seasonal thoughts.

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MTSU Fall Commencement Saturday, Dec. 15 9 a.m. Graduate Studies, Basic and Applied Sciences, Jones College of Business, and Education

1:30 p.m. Behavioral and Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, Media and Entertainment, and University College

Murphy Center

mtsu.edu/graduation

Thursday-Friday, December 13-14, 2018 n The Lebanon Democrat & Wilson County News n Page A3

lebanondemocrat.com

News.Now. Obituaries Ronald Dale ‘Ronnie’ Doak

Mary Jo Sircy

Funeral services for Mr. Doak will be held Saturday Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. at Maple Hill Church of Christ in Lebanon with Joe Widick presiding.

Visitation will be held Friday from 4-8 p.m. and again Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m., at Maple Hill Church of Christ.

Ronald Doak There will be a private burial at a different time.

Mr. Doak, age 64, of Lebanon, departed his earthly home Dec. 12, 2018 and went to rest in the arms of Jesus. Ronnie was born Sept. 4, 1954 to Charles and Ann Evins Doak in Livingston.

Ronnie grew up in Alexandria and was raised by his grandmother, Estelle Merriman. From an early age, she taught him to love the Lord, which he carried with him to Nashville, where he attended David Lipscomb University. In January 1976, Ronnie had an accident that changed the course of his life, but what the devil intended for evil, the Lord used for good. Doctors told Ronnie he would never marry or have children, but he proved them wrong, and God proved Himself faithful.

Ronnie met his loving wife, Gwendolyn, in 1984, and after only a few months, he proposed to her. They were married for 33 wonderful years and had two children who adore them, along with four wonderful grandchildren.

Ronnie worked for Cracker Barrel and Apple Mobility. Most of his career was spent at Friendship Christian School, where he served as the director of development with a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on and a voice of reason to so many students and staff members who valued his godly advice.

If there were ever a life that reflected the grace, kindness and generosity of the Father, it would be Ronnie’s. He was the kind of husband, father, friend and brother who left us all wanting to be and do better. His attitude in the face of hardship was not only inspiring, but it also left all who knew him in awe of the work of the Father in his life.

Ronnie is survived by his wife of 33 years, Gwendolyn; His children, John (Maegan) Doak, Rachel (Brian) Pritchett; four grandchildren, Molly Kate, Isaac and Emma Doak, Ford Pritchett; mother, Ann Evins Doak; brothers, Charlie Doak, Bill (Martha) Doak, Andy (Melissa) Doak; sister, Leighann Lasater (Charles Boyd); and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, we are asking donations be made in Ronnie’s name to AGAPE or Maple Hill Church of Christ.

Doak Howell Funeral Home is serving the family, doakhowellfuneralhome. com, 931-684-5011.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in me will live even though they die,’” John 11:25.

The family of Mrs. Sircy will be receiving friends Thursday from 4-8 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. until the service at Sellars Funeral Home in Lebanon. The funeral service, conducted

by Brother Danny Sellars, is Friday, Dec. 14, 2018 at noon in the chapel of Sellars Funeral Home. Interment in Leeville Cemetery will follow service.

Mrs. Sircy, age 89, of Lebanon, passed away Dec. 10, 2018.

Pallbearers will be Robert Baxter Sircy, Reeves Mary Jo Sircy York, Seth Burlingame, Nicolas Burlingame, Ricky York and Gary Bowman. Honorary pallbearers will be Tarus Sircy and Tyler Sircy.

Mrs. Sircy is survived by her children, Robert H. Sircy, Jimmy Sircy, Janice (Ricky) York; grandchildren, Tana (Gary) Bowman, Angie (Casey) Johnston, Tarus Sircy, Robert Baxter Sircy, Mary Jo Sircy, Reeves York, Casey Sircy, Rachel Sircy; and great-grandchildren, Seth Burlingame, Savannah Burlingame, Nicolas Burlingame, Chloe Bowman, Kasey Johnston, Brittany Branson, Derek Chaffin, Tyler Sircy, Trent Sircy, Gabe Sircy, Monika Alvaraz, Esmeralda Alvaraz, Ezra Alvaraz, Makayla Alvaraz, Israel Alvaraz and Diego Alvaraz.

She is preceded in death by her husband, H.B. “Bud” Sircy; son, Joe Allen Sircy; daughter, Nancy Lynn Sircy; grandson, Shane Sircy; great-granddaughter, Rebekah Faith; parents, Grady and Lucille Malone; and brothers, Raymond (Jean) Malone and L.G. (Joyce) Malone.

The family extends a special thank you to her caregivers, Carolyn Hager, Jennifer Garcia; special friend, Penny Graves; and Alive Hospice technicians.

Sellars Funeral Home in Lebanon is in charge of arrangements, 615-444-9393.

Alma Pearl McCathern

Funeral services for Mrs. McCathern, 74, will be Saturday at noon at New Shiloh Baptist Church. Visitation will be Friday from 4-6 p.m. at Neuble Funeral Home and Saturday one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow the services in New Shiloh Cemetery.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bennie and Eliza McCathern; and brothers, Jimmy L. McCathern, Jerry Wayne Alma McCathern McCathern, Anthony Ward and Robert J. McCathern.

Survivors include her sisters, Robbie M. McCathern, Freddie L. McCathern, Billie (Gene) Stewart, Linda (Eric) Brown, Veradine Branch, Jeniffer (Hollis) Bradley; brothers, Bennie (Pauline) McCathern Jr., Harold R. (Regina) McCathern; sister-in-law, Peggy Ward; aunt, Betty Lucille Beasley; a devoted niece and nephew, Rita (William) Jennings; devoted family friends, Fannie M. Ward, Linda Bright Berg Mrs. Berg, 74, of Mt. Ju- Jerry and Marthalyne Gentry; and a host of nieces, liet, died Saturday. nephews, cousins and a A celebration of life service will be Friday at 1 p.m. community of friends.

Neuble Monument Fuat Bond Memorial Chapel. neral Home at 1330 Bluebird Visitation will be Friday from noon until 1 p.m. at the Road is in charge of arrangements, 615-444-3117. funeral home.

Death Notices

State releases water plan, requests public feedback Staff Reports

NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Haslam, along with Deputy Gov. Jim Henry and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Shari Meghreblian, released the statewide water availability plan developed by subject matter experts and led by a steering committee Haslam appointed earlier in the year.

TDEC currently seeks feedback from the public on the plan that assesses current water resources and makes recommendations for steps that can be taken to ensure Tennessee has abundant water resources to support future population and economic growth through 2040.

“Tennessee is blessed with great sources of water today, but we should never take that for granted,” Haslam said. “As our state grows, we must maintain our capacity to meet our water needs. That takes a plan, and I am grateful for the amount of work that has gone into this issue.”

Recommendations from the plan include the following: • address current and impending infrastructure needs. A mechanism should be established to address unserved areas, infrastructure repair and replacement issues and funding shortfalls faced by rural systems.

• develop a comprehensive water resources planning process and planning cycle based on good science and information (consistent monitoring, data collection, modeling, trending, and reporting) that includes all major users and stakeholders.

• develop a campaign to help the public and decision makers understand the value of water and natural resources and complexity in managing them.

• encourage greater collaboration and communication concerning Tennessee’s water resources.

• evaluate existing laws to assess their implementation such as the Water Resources Act, Watershed District Act and Water Resources Information Act and determine and enable proper jurisdictions for regional water planning and programs.

shots from page A1 restaurant, which Mt. Juliet police released.

In the video, the two robbers showed what appeared to be two silver semi-automatic handguns, which they pointed inches from the unidentified employee’s face and against

tree from page A1 “The Virginia pines grow real well here.

They’re very drought-resistant. They’ve got strong branches so they hold the ornaments real well, and they’re very odoriferous.

So when you put it up in your house, [and] when you walk into your house when you first put it up it’s like, ‘Wow, smell that,’ and that’s the ambience that you want to create in your home,” Leauber said.

The quiet valley farm hidden amongst the hills and creeks is just a few of miles removed from downtown Watertown. It offers an escape from the seasonal stress, a place where folks can warm up with a cup of hot chocolate by the campfire while on the lookout for the perfect tree.

The family dog, Nicholas, and cat, Inky, that roam the property are also on hand to help visitors, who don’t

ups from page A1 Call them or another family member to see what’s happening, even if the person who contacted you told you not to call.

• Don’t pay. Don’t wire money, send a check, overnight a money order or pay with a gift card or cash reload card. Anyone who demands payment in these ways is always a scammer. These payment methods are like giving

• use the state water-resources task force or advisory committee and regional water-resources jurisdictions to facilitate intrastate and interstate regional cooperation.

• identify sustainable funding for all TN H2O recommendations.

“This plan will help inform our future leaders – inside and outside of government – on important steps they can take to ensure our abundance of water,” said Henry, who served as chairman of the steering committee. “This plan will need continuous and close attention to keep our economy and quality of life thriving for future generations.”

TDEC, which helped organize the development of the plan, currently seeks feedback from the public. The feedback will supplement the report for future decision makers to evaluate as they consider the recommendations put forth by the steering committee and working groups.

“We want citizens to have the ability to comment on the report and have an opportunity to add to the discussion of how we move forward,” said Meghreblian. “TN H2O is truly Tennessee’s plan, developed by hundreds of citizens from diverse professional backgrounds across the state. Engaging the general public is the logical next step in the process.”

Tennessee’s population is estimated to double in the next 50 years.

The growth, along with recent concerns about the use of the Memphis

Sands Aquifer, droughts that have impacted numerous Tennessee communities, failures of aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and interstate battles over water rights, stressed the need to develop a statewide plan for addressing water availability.

In January, Haslam announced the appointment of a steering committee of leaders from federal, state and local governments, industry, academia, environmental advocacy groups and public utilities to develop a statewide plan for future water availability in Tennessee. Subject matter experts in various fields were then assembled into working groups to study the current state of water resources.

Working group members interpreted and assessed a wide array of data and information sources using various models and assumptions under a limited time schedule. The resources studied include surface water, groundwater and natural aquatic systems; related topics included water and wastewater infrastructure, water law and recreation.

From that, the volunteer teams synthesized, analyzed and identified gaps in available data and information to arrive at recommendations for key focus areas for achieving and maintaining water availability in the future.

The plan is available to view and for comments at tn.gov/environment/ tnh2o through Feb. 28.

the employee’s back, while the employee’s hands were raised and while the employee opened the cash register. The released video does not appear to show when shots were fired in the restaurant.

The two men both wore red face coverings and black jackets. One man

was wore light khaki-colored pants and black shoes.

The other man wore what appeared to be a black leather jacket, with black pants, white shoes and a gray hoodie pulled over his head.

The robbery happened at about 9:30 p.m., right before the restaurant was

scheduled to close at 10 p.m., according to posted business hours.

Mt. Juliet police urge anyone with information about the suspects or the crime to call 615-7542550. Information may also be given anonymously by calling 615-754-TIPS or at mjpd.org.

mind to offer a scratch behind the ear or a belly rub.

“We’re not a big operation. We don’t do gift shops, and we don’t play Christmas music. We just have the natural setting.

We’ve got two creeks that come in. We’ve got a waterfall. So they’ll do more than just get a tree – you know, roast marshmallows at the campfire, hot chocolate – and all that stuff is on us. It’s a whole family event,” Leauber said.

Leauber, a Pennsylvania native, said the real pride of the business is the memories they help create as the Christmas tree farm – the oldest ongoing one in Wilson County – has become a staple for many families and businesses throughout Middle Tennessee.

“Now we’re seeing four generations. It used to be the parents and their kids came, and then the kids

went off to college, and we don’t see them for a while, and then they get married and have kids, and then they come back,” Leauber said. “That’s why we do it. We don’t do it to make money, really. It’s just farming. You’re not going to make enough money really to keep everything going, but seeing those families come back and enjoy it is the key thing.”

The Christmas tree farm is typically open the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a short period in the grand scheme, but Leauber, who also deals with hay and timber management throughout the year, said tree maintenance is a yearlong effort.

The trees take about seven years to grow to a good size for a family’s Christmas tree, which comes out to roughly 61,000 hours of time, energy and work for each

tree to reach its prime. The farm has also experimented with blue spruce trees, which will take roughly 15 years to get to a harvestable size.

Leauber said while droughts and extreme cold snaps can and have affected the crop size in the past, the farm is open consistently each year.

So fret not, last-minutedecorators, because this 90-acre farm has 12 acres filled with trees big and small to help any family make Christmas a memorable experience from the moment the perfect one is selected to the morning the family gathers around the fresh pine to see what Santa brought during the night.

Rhonda and Chris’ Treeland is at 2054 Beech Log Road in Watertown. It’s open Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. for its final dates of the year.

cash – and nearly untraceable unless you act almost immediately.

• If money was to a family emergency scammer, contact the company you used to send the money such as a wire transfer service, bank, gift card company or cash reload card company and tell them it was a fraudulent transaction. Ask to have the transaction reversed, if possible.

Sunday r a B t i u c s Bi 615-547-4550 705 Cadet Court Lebanon, TN 37087 sammybslebanon.com facebook.com/SammyBsTN restaurant • events • Catering Twitter: @sammybslebanon

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15-year-old shooting suspect charged as adult JayShawn Taylor, 16, died after he was shot at a Mt. Juliet home in November of last year

By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

Wilson County sheriff’s detectives charged a 15-year-old suspect as an adult in the shooting death of 16-yearold Mt. Juliet High School student JayShawn L. Taylor during a hearing in Wilson County criminal court.

Ethan Kain Vanderpool, 15, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with criminal homicide, according to his attorney Tony Maynard.

Maynard said Assistant District Attorney Laura Bush made a motion Vanderpool be charged as an adult, and Wilson County juvenile court

Judge Barry Tatum granted the motion during Tuesday’s hearing.

Vanderpool will be arraigned Aug. 2 at 8:30 a.m., at which time he is expected to enter a plea before Wilson County criminal court Judge Brody Kane.

Prior to the shooting incident, Van-

derpool was charged with aggravated burglary, simple possession of drugs, tampering with or fabricating evidence, resisting arrest, two counts of burglary of a motor vehicle and theft of property worth more than $1,000.

See adult on page A3

Bell trial concludes

Lebanon proactive on abortion clinic zoning

Jury finds him guilty of murder, judge sentences him to spend life in prison

Ordinance would limit locations to industrial and near hospital

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

Lebanon officials started the process to follow Mt. Juliet to change the zoning for surgical abortion clinic from general commercial to commercial neighborhood or light industrial.

Lebanon Planning Commission approved the ordinance Tuesday night.

The vote was a favorable recommendation to the Lebanon City Council, which will vote on the issue at its April 16 meeting. There will be two votes on the measure before it can become law.

Lebanon Mayor Bernie Ash, who brought the ordinance to the planning commission, said the issue “probably won’t come up at Tuesday’s meeting.”

It wasn’t placed on the agenda. There will be no special-called meeting, like Mt. Juliet conducted, Ash said.

“We were watching what is going on in Mt. Juliet, and we wanted to make sure, if they came this way, we were well prepared,” Ash said. “We’re trying to pass a zoning ordinance that would

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

It took less than 25 minutes for a jury to convict Trenton Jermaine Bell of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse Wednesday afternoon in the 2015 killing of his girlfriend, Sydney Green.

Wilson County criminal court judge Brody Kane sentenced Bell to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Kane handed down the sentence for the murder conviction but did not sentence Bell on the other two convictions. Kane will sentence Bell for the other two counts May 24 at 1 p.m.

Several members of Green’s family attended the three-day trial and held hands and cried as each unanimous guilty verdict was read aloud by the jury composed of five men and seven women. After the trial, Green’s family said there was finally justice for Sydney.

Bell did not have any family or friends attend the trial. Bell said in a video interview with police he had family in both Chattanooga and Wisconsin.

He said he was kicked out of his mother’s house in Kenosha, Wisconsin after he lost a job. Green paid for Bell to take a bus back to Lebanon, where he had previously lived just weeks before he killed Green.

Trenton Bell is led out of the courtroom after being found guilty in the 2015 killing of his former girlfriend, Sydney Green. Bell was sentenced to life in prison.

See bell on page A5

Planet Fitness to open soon in Lebanon

See clinic on page A5

Staff Reports

Beer sales could start earlier in Lebanon

low as $10 a month with no commitment through April 8. Sign up at planetfitness.com/gyms/lebanon-tn/ offers or in person at the club during pre-sale hours Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 5 p.m.

Planet Fitness prides itself on providing a high-quality experience

Planet Fitness, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers and home of the judgment free zone, announced its 20th club in the Nashville area will open in early April at 1031 W. Main St., No. 8B, in the Cedar Crest Center Shopping Center in the space previously occupied by Goodwill in Lebanon.

Memberships are accepted for as

By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

Submitted to The Democrat

Planet Fitness will open in early April in the space previously occupied by Goodwill in Lebanon.

See open on page A5

Band moms become rock stars for students

A measure to allow earlier beer sales will come before the Lebanon City Council on April 2 for final reading.

State law says a restaurant can start selling beer Sundays at 10 a.m. with the proper permits. Lebanon’s Beer Board discussed the possibility of a 10 a.m. sell time for local markets, and drafted an ordinance to change Sunday beer sales start time from noon to 10 a.m.

The ordinance also seeks to establish two additional types of beer permits.

One would allow for caterers to sell beer as long as they keep to other established rules, and the other permit type would allow for a seller to offer

They bring Orchestra For All to youngsters

By Quinten Brasher Special to The Democrat

Music has special place in the hearts of Erin Rheinscheld and Katherine Stranahan.

They were members of their high school bands and believe while learning fight songs and concert sheet music, they learned lessons that shaped them into the women they are today.

The best friends and self-proclaimed band geeks laid down their own uniforms and instruments years ago,

See beer on page A3

Today’s Obits Connect with us socially.

Get the e-Edition at lebanondemocrat.com.

Vanderpool

Jerry Wayne Britt, Morgan Cantrell, Jesse Edward Colio, Ronald Neal Dickson, Robert Monroe Eakes, Laura Elizabeth Elkins, Freda Bernice Stoner, Peggy L. Thacker, Peggy Jo Warren and Ivaloe Winder.

Page A3

We’re Moving!

and they currently share their love of music and band with a younger generation.

Rheinscheld and Stranahan cofounded the Catherine’s Orchestra for All foundation. The foundation, named after Rheinscheld’s daughter, provides instruments, lessons, concert outfits, instrument repairs and band scholarships to junior high and high school students who want to be a part of a school music program but may

Quinten Brasher • Lebanon Democrat

See band on page A5

You Like Us! Mindy Johnson, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day. Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

Students at Castle Heights Elementary School experience music in the Orchestra For All instrument petting zoo.

Views.Now.

Byron York talks about Robert Mueller.

Page A2

Come see us in our brand new location opening April 22nd.

920 South Hartmann Dr., Suite 310 • Lebanon, TN 37090 (next to Bojangles) From April 1-22 Dr. Jocelyne Miller and Kim Carver, FNP will continue to serve your healthcare needs at our Mt. Juliet location.

660 S Mt. Juliet Road, Suite 220 Mt. Juliet, TN 37122

Voted Best Gastroenterologist in Wilson County 2019

Call us at (615) 885-1093 for an appointment and see why we are the best of the best!

Thursday-Friday, March 28-29, 2019 n The Lebanon Democrat & Wilson County News n Page A5

lebanondemocrat.com

News.Now. bell from page A1 Green, 19, was killed on the night of Feb. 17, 2015, and Lebanon police officers found her facedown in an overflowing bathtub, which had pills and pill bottles floating in the water.

Bell, who was 21 at the time, later admitted he killed Green, but he maintained it was an accident after the two argued when Green became upset that Bell exchanged texts with another girl.

Bell also admitted he placed Green in the tub with the pills in an effort to stage the scene as a suicide.

Police identified the pills as folic acid and Zyrtec, neither of which could cause a fatal overdose.

The admissions came in the form of a confession to Lebanon police Lt. Scott Massey during an interview the day after Green died.

Bell was not initially forthcoming with information.

He gave varying reasons, elements and twists to his story before he submitted a written statement to police.

Massey testified Tuesday and Wednesday during the trial.

The statement was shown to the court, read aloud and submitted as evidence.

In the statement, Bell wrote that Green tried to take his phone after she saw him text another girl, and when he refused to give her the phone, Bell said Green told him that if he didn’t hand over the phone, she would make him either sleep on the couch or outside.

Bell wrote he attempted to leave the apartment, but Green closed the door with a knife in her hand. Bell then said he attempted to protect himself from the knife and, in the heat of the moment, put his arm around her neck until she went limp. Bell said he didn’t realize how long he choked Green as he claimed she was still swinging the knife.

Bell wrote that he then panicked and put her in the bathtub and turned on the water. He then admitted he put the pills in the tub before he called his friend, Kevin Boston, and then called police.

No one but Bell was sure how long Green was dead before he called 911, but it’s believed to have been between one and four hours after she died. Bell also attempted to distort the timeline of Green’s death when he falsified text messages from her phone to make it appear he tried to contact her in the locked bathroom, but she was already dead.

Boston, who called police before the video interview with Bell with information that Bell confessed to him he accidently killed Green, corroborated the story. Bell initially told both Boston and the police Green committed suicide. The one element of the story Boston was not told by Bell was the claim Green threatened Bell with a knife.

Police found a knife on Green’s couch under a blan-

open from page A1 at an exceptional value and a hassle-free, non-intimidating environment. The 25,000-square-foot Lebanon club will offer stateof-the-art cardio machines and strength equipment, 30-minute express circuit, fully equipped locker rooms with day lockers and showers, numerous flat-screen televisions, hydro-massage beds, massage chairs, tanning beds, a total body enhancement booth and more. It will be open and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Membership includes free small group fitness instruction by a certified trainer through the pe@pf program. As a member appreciation gesture, Planet Fitness provides free pizza on the first Monday of each month and free bagels on the second Tuesday of each month while supplies last, as a reminder that it’s OK to treat one’s self.

Planet Fitness also provides members with a chance to connect and support each other with

ket, which Bell said Green held during the altercation.

Police said no fingerprints were found on the knife, although during defense attorneys’ cross-examination of Lebanon Detective Eugene McGee, McGee admitted the knife wasn’t tested for fingerprints until more than three years after the investigation began.

This, McGee said, was because there was no evidence the knife was actually used in the altercation, as neither Bell nor Green had any wounds that appeared to be from a knife.

Bell initially said in the recorded interview with police that a wound on his right palm may have come from the knife, although he later changed his story during the interview and said the wound was most likely a bite mark caused when he put his hand over Green’s mouth to muffle her screams.

In the video interview, Bell was asked to demonstrate how he put Green in a chokehold, which he demonstrated on a detective as if he held Green from behind. The prosecution questioned how Bell defended himself if he subdued his alleged attacker from behind while she held a knife.

Photographs of scratches on Bell’s face and hands were submitted as evidence Wednesday, along with the apparent bite mark on his palm.

The photos also showed the former Cumberland University wrestler shirtless where he appeared physically fit with defined chest and arm muscles, something the prosecution compared to Green who was 5-feet, 2-inches tall and 110 pounds.

Boston took the stand Monday, along with Green’s mother and Lebanon police Officer Cody Bryan, who pulled Green from the bathtub.

Close-up photographs of Green’s body were submitted as evidence and shown to the court Wednesday while Dr. Miguel Laboy, a medical examiner who performed Green’s autopsy, took the stand.

Among the photos submitted were photos of Green’s inner eyelids and inner lips, which had small red dots identified by Laboy as petechiae, which could be a sign of asphyxiation.

Photos also showed abrasions to Green’s chin and cheeks. Laboy said Green’s autopsy revealed vocal hemorrhage to her throat and congestion in her lungs.

The findings, coupled with Green’s negative toxicology report and the lack of water in her lungs, led Laboy to believe Green was the victim of a homicide, specifically a homicide due to choking with a hand over her mouth.

Laboy said while the amount of time that it took for Green to die couldn’t exactly be determined, he said the average amount of time for someone to be choked to death is between four and six minutes.

“Planet of Triumphs,” an online community that celebrates all accomplishments and inspirational stories of Planet Fitness members, reinforcing the company’s belief that everyone belongs.

Planet Fitness extended its judgment-free philosophy outside of its gyms and into communities that need it most with its national philanthropic initiative, the judgmentfree generation. Together with Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the nation’s leading youth development organization, supporting millions of children and teens during the critical out-of-school time, Planet Fitness aims to empower a generation of teens to grow up contributing to a more judgment-free planet – a place where everyone feels accepted and like they belong.

PF Black Card membership includes additional amenities such as the ability to bring a guest every day at no additional charge, access to all 1,700-

The case that was resolved just more than four years after Green’s death was extended for several reasons, including a previous change in Bell’s attorney and new evidence that came to light sometime last year.

The evidence was a memo written on Bell’s cellphone entitled “Stickin2it” and had a creation or last edit date stamp of Feb. 16, 2015, the day before Green’s death.

The memo read in full [typos included,] “she said she was cold and was about to take a bath. I heard a bump and thought it was the neighbors. After a while I didn’t hear anythin so I went to knock on the door.

There was the sound of water runnin still and water coming out from under the door.i beat on the door but there was no answer so I tried to open it.the door was locked and i still no sound but water running so i called the police.(history of suicidal tendencies)” Lebanon Detective Jason Bringhurst, who analyzed Bell’s cellphone through the use of two different software applications and by manually looking through the phone, read the memo Wednesday during the trial.

The defense raised questions as to why it took so long for police to analyze the phone and find the memo. Bringhurst said he wasn’t sure as he was not assigned to analyze the phone immediately after Bell was arrested.

Bell did not take the stand in his defense.

Bell’s attorneys called the case “tragic” and “emotional” in their closing arguments, which asserted Bell had killed Green in an stressful and panicked state, a crime they failed to convince the jury deserved a conviction of voluntary manslaughter and not firstdegree murder.

Assistant District Attorney Jimmy Lea said firstdegree murder cases pose a challenge at every point, but it was the skill and experience of Public Defender Shelley Thompson Gardner, Assistant Public Defender Kelly Skeen and Assistant Public Defender D.J. Jones the prosecution had to contend with the most.

“It is very difficult to name one specific issue that I could call most challenging as everything in a first-degree murder case is challenging,” Lea said.

“However, if I had to choose only one thing, it would be that we knew we would have to try a great case, almost a perfect case, because of the skill and experience of Mr. Bell’s attorneys. We knew they would do a very good job representing Mr. Bell and take us to task on all the elements of the case. They certainly did that.”

Assistant District Attorney Justin Harris and Assistant District Attorney Tom Swink also served as prosecutors in the trial. plus Planet Fitness locations in all 50 states, as well as access to massage beds and chairs and tanning, among other benefits, which vary by location.

During pre-sales, PF Black Card membership will be offered with no commitment.

“We’re thrilled to bring our judgment-free fitness experience to Lebanon,” said Victor Brick, Planet Fitness franchisee.

“Whether or not you’ve belonged to a gym, we invite you to check out the Lebanon club, meet our friendly staff, get a tour and see what the judgmentfree zone is all about.

We’re confident that our encouraging and hasslefree environment will be a welcome addition to the community.”

For more information about Planet Fitness Lebanon, call 615-994-6905 or email lebanon.tn@ planetfitness.com. For more information about Planet Fitness overall, visit planetfitness.com or follow PlanetFitness on Facebook and Twitter.

Sights, Sounds and colors

Photo courtesy of Mt. Juliet police

The Mt. Juliet police honor guard presents the colors Sunday before the Nashville Sounds’ exhibition game with the Texas Rangers The Sounds edged the Rangers, 4-3, in front of a record-breaking crowd of 11,824 at First Tennessee Park on Sunday afternoon.

It was the first Major League exhibition game in Nashville since June 3, 1999.

clinic from page A1 only allow them to come into commercial neighborhood or light industrial zoning, and they must be located within 1,000 feet of a hospital or emergency room.”

Businesses which can go into a commercial neighborhood district includes different types of housing, health care, medical services such as dentist and doctors’ offices, automotive parking, food-andbeverage services, general retail trade and general assembly halls.

The light industrial zoning allows for animal care and veterinary services, automotive parking and servicing, transportation and

band from page A1 not be able to afford it.

“What we’re doing at the elementary school level is called an instrument petting zoo,” said Rheinscheld. “Just like any regular petting zoo, we bring in all of our instruments, and the kids get to see, touch, mess with, feel, hear and play them.”

With the help of Rheinscheld’s mother, Robin Emmert, the ladies of Catherine’s Orchestra for All go to different schools in Lebanon and Wilson County and set up an instrument petting zoo, which includes a saxophone, trumpet, snare drum and a violin, just to name a few.

This week, they took their zoo to Susan Stumne’s music class at Castle Heights Elementary School.

“The reason we do this is because in Lebanon City Schools there’s a huge concentration of students that come from the housing authority …There’s just not a lot of things to do in Lebanon,” said Rheinscheld. “By coming in the schools…we’re catching the fourth and fifth graders early to let them know that band is an option – that this something they can do.”

Rheinscheld and Stranahan showed the students their instruments and gave a quick demonstration

woes from page A4 God-given rights that are now our entitlements. They are free to shutter factories and move them overseas for cheaper labor while their headquarters remain in the U.S. They have the liberty to

warehousing, wholesale sales and plant and forest nurseries.

For a complete list of businesses and housing limitations within each zoning, visit the zoning districts and descriptors page at lebanontn.org.

Ash said he hasn’t heard from any surgical abortion clinics that want to come to Lebanon, but he believes the city should “be proactive and have all of our ducks in a row. We’re not wanting to rush anything along, but we want to be sure we’re ready if they come.”

In early March, carafem, a women’s health service office, which planned to offer surgical abortions and those by a pill, opened

in a commercial zone in the Providence area in Mt. Juliet. The city commission called a special meeting March 4 to move any surgical abortion clinics to industrial zoning from commercial zoning. The Mt. Juliet Planning Commission sent a favorable recommendation on the rezoning to the city commission March 21, and the city commission approved it Monday on final reading.

Unlike in Mt. Juliet, where members of the clergy, as well as citizens and those interested in Mt. Juliet, called City Hall to protest the clinic, Ash said no one has called him to voice a concern for a clinic coming to Lebanon.

on how to play each one.

After the duo let out a note, the instrument was passed around so each student could see the intriguing integral parts up close. It didn’t matter if the students held it backwards or even upside down. The main goal was to make every student curious about the band instrument and how they work.

After the demonstrations finished, the instruments went to their own spot around the classroom. The class divided into groups, and students lined up to have a go at playing a real band instrument.

“There are a lot that kids can get out of learning to play an instrument and being a part of band like discipline, focus. It’s something positive they can do after school, and it’s just fun,” said Stumne.

“It gives you opportunities that you maybe could not have otherwise.”

The room filled with musical notes that ranged in pitch and volume. The joy and satisfaction the students got from making even the smallest sound gave credence to what Stranahan knows to be true about playing an instrument.

“It gives you a sense of determination,” said Stranahan. “It makes you work hard to achieve a goal; and a goal that you work hard and strive to get is much more appreciated by your-

self than one that was easily gotten.”

Each student got the chance to play each instrument, which is the goal of Catherine’s Orchestra for All. “That’s something we really want to make sure we’re doing,” said Rheinscheld. “[We want to] make sure we give everybody the chance, no matter their background or income, to participate in a music education program.”

“There’s so few things you get to do in life that help other people,” said Stranahan.

Throughout the week, Rheinscheld and Stranahan became “the Music Ladies” amongst the students at Castle Heights. After classes visited the petting zoo, the band geeks became celebrities.

“That’s the most fun; kids thinking that we’re super cool. Because we’re really just moms,” said Rheinscheld. “We’re rock stars sometimes by the end of the week.”

In April, Catherine’s Orchestra for All will be at Sam Houston Elementary School.

“And we are very blessed that [Director of Schools] Scott Benson and the Lebanon Special School District have been so welcoming to us in order for us to come do this at the elementary schools,” said Rheinscheld.

rise from CEO chairs into the meeting rooms of legislators to write our budgets. Their justice is provided by the courts; they do it all without worrying for a second about consequences, knowing the working population is unable to take any direct action for fear of their employment.

Until we decide to reclaim all the duties of these corrupt bureaucrats for ourselves, it will be impossible to have a discussion about societal progress without economic woes acting as a roadblock.

Donnie Waters Lebanon

Free Hearing Tests For Seniors Free electronic hearing tests will be given this month for all seniors to celebrate Better Hearing and Speech. Hearing Health Center in Lebanon will offer this testing for anyone who suspects they are not hearing clearly.

Using our video otoscope, we will be able to show you the inside of your ear canal. Let’s see if your problem could be as simple as too much earwax. We will then give you a full hearing evaluation, including speech understanding tests. Your results will be explained to you in clear, easy to understand terms and although we encourage early correction of hearing loss you are under no obligation to purchase.

Demonstrations of the latest technology in better hearing will be available.

Hear for yourself how easy it can be to understand clearly again. This is an easy and safe way to get the answers to your hearing questions. Hearing Health Center has been serving Wilson County over 35 years and prides itself on being a great customer service company.

1417 Baddour Pkwy. • Lebanon, TN

(615) 444-5425

TENNESSEE

PRESS ASSOCIATION

LebanonDemocrat Sports.Now. 75 cents Friendship faces Davidson in state championship. A13

education.Now. thursday-Friday Mt. Juliet freshmen November 29-30, 2018 lebanondemocrat.com make mid-state choir. A7

New principals named at Wilson County schools Principal named for new Gladeville Middle School, promotions at Watertown Elementary School

By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

Wilson County Director of Schools Donna Wright tapped two new principals and one assistant principal Tuesday at two different schools.

Bethany Wilson, assistant principal at West Wilson Middle School, was named principal at Gladeville Middle School when it opens next fall.

Also, Donna Shaffer removed the interim from her principal’s title at

Watertown Elementary School, according to Wright. Angela Pulley, a longtime teacher and administrator, replaced Shaffer as assistant principal.

Wilson has worked for the district for more than eight years. She was hired in 2010 as an English teacher for Wilson Central High School. In 2015, Wilson was named assistant principal at West Wilson Middle School.

Prior to coming to Wilson County, Wilson served as an English teacher

for Franklin Road Academy and Metro Nashville Public Schools.

As a 2017 graduate of the Governor’s Academy of School Leadership, Wilson will be an asset to Gladeville Middle School, Wright said.

“It is a great honor to be selected to serve as the first principal of Gladeville Middle School,” Wilson said. “I am excited for the opportunity to work

See new on page A3

Angela Pulley

Bethany Wilson

Donna Shaffer

Police find armed robbery suspect

Never give up

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Walter Word, the new 2018 Armwrestling USA Light Heavyweight National Champion poses with his two trophies under the pavilion at the Wilson County Fairgrounds that set Word on his path to national success in the sport of arm wrestling.

Lebanon man goes over the top to make history

How a Lebanon father of five became a national arm wrestling champ

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Walter Word is a normal guy…At least he was.

The 46-year-old Lebanon husband and father can often be found on the weekends hunting. But, Word was in Phoenix, Arizona on Oct. 27, where he became the 2018 Armwrestling USA Light Heavyweight National Champion.

Word’s journey began by chance after he and his son, Tanner, decided to enter the arm wrestling competition just for fun at the Wilson County Fair in August.

“I just entered it to have fun, really, to see how far I could go. I wasn’t planning on winning all of it,” Word said.

But that’s exactly what he did.

“I was pumped up. We’d been eating a lot of food. Wilson County Fair is fun. If

you’ve never been then you need to go.

It’s fun and the biggest fair in the state of Tennessee. We enjoy the tractor pull. We enjoy the demolition derby, but this was something different that I wanted to do. I didn’t know that the Wilson County Fair was doing it, so I said, ‘Let me try and see how it is.’ So I met a lot of people

See arm on page A5

Sheriff’s office seeks winter donations Project Warm Wilson provides coats and blankets to the homeless

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office plans to collect warm clothing items and blankets for the homeless in Wilson County for the second year in a row with Project Warm Wilson.

Patrol deputies will have blankets and warm-clothing items in their patrol cars to hand out during their shifts as needed, and sheriff’s officials will deliver collected items to known locations populated by the county’s homeless population throughout the winter months.

“We hope yet again for the community’s support in donating any of the following items to ensure we keep the homeless of Wilson County warm this winter. We will have a location in our

See warm on page A3

Today’s Obits Connect with us socially.

Get the e-Edition at lebanondemocrat.com.

See catch on page A3

Mt. Juliet woman dies after hit by car

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Linda Johnson, 67, of Mt. Juliet, died from injuries she suffered after a car hit her Nov. 20 on Old Lebanon Dirt Road near the Wilson County line, according to Metro-Nashville police.

Johnson drove up to an injured deer in the road and got out of her car to check on the animal, when a 2007 Acura driven by Geoffery Pineda, 41, of Hermitage, hit her.

Pineda told police other vehicles swerved into his lane to go around the deer when he hit Johnson, who was in Pineda’s travel lane.

The injured deer was able to get up and was not found.

Police said Pineda would not be charged.

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Melissa Beckwith, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day.

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LPN & CAREGIVER NEEDED

Please apply on-line at www.morningsideofgallatin.com or call Paula at 615-230-5600.

Wilson County sheriff’s detectives identified and arrested the suspect in Monday night’s armed robbery at a Dollar General in Mt. Juliet The suspect, Lavonta Laques Blanch, 23, of Nashville, is accused of robbing the Dollar General on South Mt. Juliet Road at gunpoint shortly before 8 p.m. before he fled the scene.

A deputy spotted Blanch’s vehicle in nearby Gladeville and chased him.

Authorities said Blanch led several Wilson County and Lavonta Blamch Rutherford County deputies on a chase on Interstate 840 south at speeds that exceeded 100 mph.

The chase ended at the Sulpher Springs Road exit after deputies deployed spike stripes and disabled Blanch’s car, according to deputies.

No injuries were reported in the robbery or the chase.

According to Wilson County sheriff’s Lt. Scott Moore, the car Blanch drove was reportedly carjacked in Nashville just before the armed robbery in Mt. Juliet.

Morningside of Gallatin is seeking two special individuals to enhance our growing team 1) a Licensed Practical Nurse to work alternating weekends as well as fill-in shifts.

2) a Resident Assistant / Caregiver to support evening and night shifts. A passion for working with seniors, exceptional customer service skills and strong communication abilities are key assets which are essential to becoming a Morningside team member. LPN candidates must have a current license. Two years experience in senior resident services is desired. Morningside of Gallatin is a premier, stable, award winning assisted living facility located on Hartsville Pike within a mile of Sumner Regional. We have won numerous points of recognition for staff and resident satisfaction, leadership, volunteerism and low turnover. We offer competitive salaries and attractive benefits.

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LIVING.Now. Granville plans some shining events. B1

WEEKEND

April 27-28, 2019 lebanondemocrat.com

Higher taxes could be on the way Higher sales tax discussed in Wilson Finance Committee

Lebanon talks property tax hike of 12 cents

By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

The Lebanon City Council met for a budget work session Thursday night where it discussed a potential property tax increase it said would meet the demands of the city’s population growth.

Mayor Bernie Ash said the property tax has remained the same in Lebanon since 2013, and cuts in expenses don’t seem to cut it anymore. The city looked at a 12-cent raise in property taxes to

cover services for the growing population. Things like road upkeep, growing city departments and paying off a new $6 million radio system for Lebanon police were mentioned as things the property tax increase would cover.

“I think we really have to look at this and look at other cities around us. It’s just been in the news that we are the fastest-growing city in Wilson

See tax on page A3

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

The idea of a sales tax increase referendum to help pay for county budget items was brought up again at the Wilson County Finance Committee meeting Thursday night.

Finance director Aaron Maynard presented some of the budget lines at the meeting when the idea of the referendum was again discussed.

“I guess the bottom line is, if we need more money, then we’re

See sales on page A5

MOCK CRASH

Citizens blocked from Lebanon open meeting

By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

Two Lebanon residents who previously accused the Lebanon City Council of open meetings law violations were locked out of a council work session Thursday night.

Lorrie and Shaun Hicks arrived late for the Lebanon council’s budget meeting, but they didn’t expect to be denied entry to a public meeting.

“The outside doors were locked. As we came to the doors, the mayor’s second secretary was leaving. The cop grabbed the door and placed himself in the opening just as we were reaching for it. He said that tonight was not a workshop, but a budget meeting. He said he was instructed to lock the doors and not let anyone in. He did not say who gave the order. We did not argue with him as he is a cop following someone’s orders, and I didn’t want to get arrested on some disorderly conduct charge. It felt designed to intimidate, which it did. So we left,” Lorrie Hicks said.

Gary Lockwood was the security guard on duty at the meeting. Police policy prevented Lockwood from commenting.

“I apologize that happened,” said police Chief Mike Justice. “He mistakenly locked the doors. But the situation was corrected for the future, and he knows not to lock the doors again during a meeting. The guard wasn’t ordered to do so and thought that it was an after-hours meeting after City Hall had closed.”

Mayor Bernie Ash said he didn’t know who gave Lockwood the order to lock people out of the meeting.

“He normally locks the doors to City Hall

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Mock crash shows an outcome of drinking and driving

See block on page A3

FBI stats show rise in crime rates

Mt. Juliet drops from 14th to 19th safest city

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

The crime statistics for Lebanon and Mt. Juliet rose in 2017, according to SafeWise, a professional review and comparison website that recently announced its list of the 20 safest cities in Tennessee for 2019.

Mt. Juliet dropped five points from the 2018 report, where it placed 14th. In 2019, the city ranked 19th on the list. Violent crimes consisted of 1.75 incidents per every 1,000 residents. The property crime rate was 17.75 per 1,000 residents. SafeWise based its statistics on the city’s 34,888 residents.

Lebanon was 85th, just below East Ridge and just above Dunlap. The violent crime rate in Lebanon was 7.07 per 1,000 residents, and the property crime rate was 29.12, per 1,000 residents.

The top 10 cities were Belle Meade, Pleasant View, Collegedale, Brentwood, Church Hill, Germantown, Loudon, Coopertown, Signal Mountain and Oakland.

Rounding out the top 20 were Nolensville, Bean Station, Collierville, Atoka,

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Prom season brings excitement, raises safety concerns

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Hundreds of Mt. Juliet High School students packed the front lawn of the school Friday to watch a gruesome mock crash that shut down Golden Bear Parkway with the hopes to show them the sad realities that can result from distracted or impaired driving.

Mt. Juliet police Capt. Tyler Chandler

Lynn, Hazlewood make history

if they’re driving while impaired, stuff like this, this crash that we see today can easily happen,” Chandler said.

“We’ve received a lot of feedback from students and parents and teachers and, of course, the administration here at the school just thanking us every year for doing it. They reach out to us every year

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Photo courtesy of Lebanon Police

They’re the first women to guide the budget through the Tennessee House Staff Reports

NASHVILLE – House Finance, Ways and Means Committee chair Susan Lynn and vice-chair Patsy Hazlewood made history this week as the first women to successfully guide the budget bill through the Tennessee House of Representatives.

House Bill 1508 passed by a 95-1 margin and is the culmination of months of work by the Republican leaders to craft a balanced budget that builds upon recent investments.

The $38.5 billion budget makes allocations across state government as it preserves Tennessee’s AAA Today’s Obits

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said the annual event is meant to get the attention of students and hopefully bring a little awareness to dangers on the roadway.

“A lot of students are going to be driving to downtown Nashville, and what we just want to impress is driving safely. This demonstration [Friday] gives them a good, visible image of what could happen if they were driving unsafe. So if they’re texting,

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bond rating. The budget adds $239 million in Rainy Day funding and will bring the state’s savings account to $1.1 billion.

Additionally, House Bill 1508 fully funds one of the House’s major priorities, the Katie Beckett Waiver Program, which will invest $27 million to provide life-saving medical services through TennCare for Tennessee children with the most significant disabilities and the highest medical needs, regardless of their parental income levels.

The 2019-2020 budget

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Drug arrest nets 5 ounces of heroin Staff Reports

Lebanon police and Wilson County sheriff’s deputies executed two search warrants Thursday and charged a suspect found with more than 5 ounces of heroin, more than $3,000 and a stolen revolver.

Ladarius Devolgo Hastings, 28, was charged with theft of property of less than $1,000, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon while committing a felony, possession with intent to deliver a schedule I Views.Now.

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narcotic and parole violation.

Police said the four-month joint investigation focused on two homes, one on Forrest Park Drive and the Ladarius Hastings other on C.L. Manier Street.

“Lebanon and Wilson County have experienced an increase in

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Five teens wanted for carjacking 18-year-old victim robbed at gunpoint in Mt. Juliet

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Mt. Juliet police responded to a report of an armed carjacking Sunday evening at the Regal Providence Stadium 14 movie theater.

Five teens, one armed with an assault rifle, robbed a man in the parking lot at about 5:25 p.m., according to police.

Police said the five teens drove up to the victim in a gray Infiniti sport-utility vehicle, and three latino teenage boys got out. One of them pointed a rifle at the victim. The teens ordered the man to hand over his wallet and the keys to his green 2018 Dodge Charger and left in both the Charger and the SUV. No one was injured in the robbery.

Police said the suspects saw the car and waited on the 18-year-old victim to get out of the car before they struck.

Detectives don’t believe the victim and suspects know one another.

Police further described the Charger as a hunter green Daytona Edition, Photo courtesy of Mt. Juliet police

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Car chase leads to crash Four teens end up in wreck on I-40

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

A car filled with four teens wrecked on Interstate 40 after a high-speed chase with Wilson County sheriff’s deputies that started early Monday morning on West Main Street in Lebanon.

A deputy on West Main Street at about 12:15 a.m. clocked a car from the opposite direction at 52 mph in a 30 mph zone. The deputy ran the tags of the green 2014 Chevy Cruze, which came back as reported stolen in Nashville.

Several deputies attempted to stop the car after it fled and led a pursuit onto

See crash on page A3

Tennessee announces what’s new for 2019

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Edward Parker holds a drawing he made of his father, two brothers and himself in his home surrounded by certificates and awards during his time in the US Army. Parker’s drawing is displayed in the Wilson County Veterans Museum in Lebanon.

The art of war and healing

Staff Reports

NASHVILLE – Tourism in Tennessee continues to expand with new attractions, state-of-the-art developments, expansions and milestone anniversary celebrations of iconic attractions.

This year will mark several milestones in Tennessee, including Memphis’ bicentennial, Bijou Theatre’s 110th anniversary in Knoxville and the 25th anniversary of the RC MoonPie Festival in Bell Buckle. Embrace the history, relive

Veteran shares how drawing helps him deal with post-traumatic stress

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Editor’s Note: The following story contains some strong language that could be considered inappropriate to some readers.

Edward Parker lives in Lebanon, but he spent his career in the U.S. Army. He served from 1996-2015, deployed to both Iraq and Kuwait.

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Like many veterans, his experiences have shaped him, forged him, and as war does, scared him. The war lives with him daily, but unlike some veterans, he has found some healing through art.

One of Parker’s drawings, which was completed in 2008, can be seen in the Wilson County Veterans Museum in Lebanon, a drawing that is more than just pencil on

paper.

“There’s a whole lot of me in there,” Parker said as he described the drawing that depicts his father, two brothers and himself all in uniform. “There’s my dad at the top and then there’s my brothers – I’m always looking upward – and then I’m at

See art on page A5

Sherry’s Run board names chairs for Mardi Gras at the Capitol

Fourth-annual event coming up Feb. 1 to help locals with fighting cancer Staff Reports

mission of the Sherry’s Run organization is greatly appreciated. We know their guidance and support will make this a spectacular event.”

Glenn and Julie Miller-Wilson are both involved in the Wilson County community. They are active supporters of nonprofit organizations in the area. Julie and her daughter, Heather Hull, are owners of Body Kneads, Etc. in Lebanon. Body Kneads, Etc. is a full sensory spa, coffee

The Sherry’s Run executive board announced Glenn and Julie Miller-Wilson are the official chairs for the fourth-annual Mardi Gras at the Capitol on Feb. 1 at the Capitol Theatre.

“We are thrilled to have Glenn and Julie heading this benefit for the Sherry’s Run organization,” said Scott Jasper, Sherry’s Run executive board member. “Their tremendous support of this event and the

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shop and boutique fitness center on Hamilton Station Boulevard in Lebanon.

“We are honored to serve as the chairs for the 2019 Mardi Gras at the Capitol,” Julie Miller-Wilson said. “This is an amazing event to benefit the Sherry’s Run organization. One hundred percent of all the funds raised go directly to assist cancer patients in Wilson County and surrounding

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Glenn and Julie Miller-Wilson are the chairs of the fourthannual Mardi Gras at the Capitol on Feb. 1 at the Capitol Theatre in Lebanon.

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Parker has always drawn things he liked for fun, but after a life of military service and the death of his father, he found his art to be more than just a hobby, something he hopes can lead to healing and understanding. It’s a memorial for the pride he has for his family and the sacrifices in the name of service his father and brothers made.

“I’ve always drawn,” Parker said. “I’ve just always taken it from the gut out to the hands, and I’ve done a bunch of drawings.

I can’t tell you how many, but that drawing particularly is the first time I’ve ever drawn anything with my dad or brothers in it.

“My dad passed away, and I came home, and I was pissed. For whatever reason, I was pissed. Everyone else was dealing with it, whatever. I was just angry – mad as hell at him, and I started drawing, and that picture came out.

“When I look at that picture, I see my dad. I see my brothers, and I see myself, and there’s not been a damn thing that’s changed – not one. The only thing that’s maybe changed is me. I’m trying to get softer and nicer, but as far as when I look at that picture, that’s my dad and my older brothers, and when I look at them, it’s hard. I like it like that.”

Parker is open about his struggles, something he said he tries to deal with one day at a time. They are struggles he knows many people deal with as they try and bridge the gap between the life of a soldier and the life of a civilian.

Parker’s struggles are more than just the destruction of war, as he was sent back before his unit due to a tumor that had formed in his chest. Leaving without his unit, Parker said, had it’s own trauma.

“Not enough attention is paid to the dude who wishes he could have, out of his control, couldn’t do it. That kind of PTSD will live with you the rest of your life, because it’s abandonment issues. You start dealing with other shit, layers of shit. I’ve dealt with it all my life. There’s dude’s out there who are dealing with it [alone].

letter from page A4 industry that is producing mind-numbed robots. It is a proven fact the guise of equal rights is successful, so conservatives should play that card to storm the totally liberal halls of academia. This would be an excellent opportunity to train recovering wounded

reports from page A2 charged with failure to appear.

John Wesley Shelton, 26, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with felony evading arrest, reckless driving, simple drug possession, DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sherri Ann Speakman, 44, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with theft of property.

David Wayne Walker, 56, of Murfreesboro, was charged with

They’re not going to have a conversation like this.

They’re going to bury their heads,” Parker said. “What they end up with is nothing.

They lay there, and they’re sick, and they stay sick, and they don’t get any benefits for that. There’s nothing.

They get nothing, and they need something. They need help.”

Parker said while there are many outlets for dealing with PTSD, some more destructive than others, he sees the drawing and his art as a way to both deal with life and a way to let some things die.

“PTSD is one of those things, and there’s many outlets for that. There’s drugs, alcohol, whatever, but there’s also if you can put it out there like that,” Parker said as he pantomimed a pencil on paper.

“You can draw it – that makes it a better thing. For me, it comes from that.”

“That drawing for me was a way of telling my dad goodbye. That’s what it was. Then, it was also me telling a lot of other things goodbye, too, and those things are bigger than the drawing is. I couldn’t have done that drawing without what I had to see out there.

“I can’t sleep at night – that crap – and that drawing is every bit of that crap, and it’s all of it rolled up into one. That drawing is simple for me, it’s a simple thing, but it means a lot to me, because there’s a whole lot rolled up in it for me.”

Life for Parker now is focused as a husband and a father, drawing superheroes with his son and trying to keep moving forward, one step at a time.

“I’ve still got a little 9 year old who thinks I’m Superman. All the rest of them are raised, but I’ve still got that 9 year old, and he still thinks I’m Superman,” Parker said. “For me, daily life is get up in the morning, don’t know what I want to do. Know I’ve got to be there for my kid, got to be there for my wife.

What’s going to be there for me?”

“Post-traumatic stress disorder for anyone is horrible; it’s horrible. You don’t know one minute when you’re going to wake up and feel one way and when you’re going to feel another. But it’s not a feel sorry for me thing. A lot of people get hung up on that.

They think, oh, post-traumatic stress disorder, that must mean that somebody can’t handle shit. That’s not the case. The case is they got it, it’s there, it’s going to be in there. How do you deal with it this day? How do you deal with it the next day? I use my art as a way to get away from that shit.

But so many people can’t, so many people don’t have that. They just don’t have it, and they live with it, and it sucks.”

For Parker, he just wants to feel normal, to not be treated special or reminded of his service constantly, something that civilians often focus on, while some veterans would like to be seen as just another person.

“If people would just do nothing, if they would just treat me and my fellow soldiers like we’re just somebody who never served, if they would just treat us the same – golden.

All this ‘thank you for your service,’ and all that crap, it’s great, and it’s appreciated, however, doing nothing goes a lot longer.

It really does. Because, it’s like, this is what I was before I joined. I may have had nearly 20 years in the Army, but I had probably 10 years before I even did that,” Parker said. “Just do nothing. High five somebody and walk up the street just like you would. That means more to me, for me.

Now I’m not speaking for everybody, but for me, that’s means more than anything.”

Parker also said it’s important for his fellow veterans to keep on the war path, even in the face of struggle or what may seem like defeat, something that may never be easy and a journey they may never complete.

“It’s important for anybody who’s struggling in the way that I’m struggling, because I am struggling. Like I said, I’m not Rambo. I haven’t killed a lot of people. There ain’t nothing like that going on. I just wasn’t ready for what I was introduced to,” Parker said. “I just tell them to keep on. Keep on keeping on, and do everything you’ve got to do with whatever you’ve got. If you’ve got art, if you’ve got the Lord, whatever you’ve got, you hang onto that and get on done and get home. Get there as quick as you can.”

veterans to become teachers in all of our schools and colleges. As teachers, they could continue to serve our nation and fight to save the heart of America.

Political correctness did not build America and has never made any country great. Hard work and a desire to succeed made our nation strong, and God

blessed America to be the shining city on the hill that was a beacon for the entire world. That light is close to being extinguished.

Quiet ones no longer have the luxury of silence. Now is the time for men and women to find the courage to speak up and stand up.

Elaine Cecil Lebanon

failure to appear and bond jumping.

Earline Davenport Warren, 56, of Lewisburg, was charged with violation of probation.

property, resisting arrest, evading arrest and failure to appear.

Jerry Thomas McElroy, 60, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with DUI. Danveckehio Cocheese Patton, 36, of Lebanon, was charged with possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, evading arrest and violation of probation.

Tammy Teresa Potts, 57, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with theft of merchandise.

–Staff Reports

Dec. 11

Jason Scott Davis, 42, of Lebanon, was charged with domestic assault.

Frank Michael Ficili, 43, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with failure to appear.

Justin Michael Hewitt, 35, of Antioch, was charged with theft of

Free Hearing Tests For Seniors Free electronic hearing tests will be given this month for all seniors to celebrate Better Hearing and Speech. Hearing Health Center in Lebanon will offer this testing for anyone who suspects they are not hearing clearly.

Using our video otoscope, we will be able to show you the inside of your ear canal. Let’s see if your problem could be as simple as too much earwax. We will then give you a full hearing evaluation, including speech understanding tests. Your results will be explained to you in clear, easy to understand terms and although we encourage early correction of hearing loss you are under no obligation to purchase.

Demonstrations of the latest technology in better hearing will be available.

Hear for yourself how easy it can be to understand clearly again. This is an easy and safe way to get the answers to your hearing questions. Hearing Health Center has been serving Wilson County over 35 years and prides itself on being a great customer service company.

1417 Baddour Pkwy. • Lebanon, TN

(615) 444-5425

Lebanon Wilson County

Chamber of Commerce Showcase your business by hosting a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Business Card Exchange or Business Before or After Hours.

For more information, call the Chamber office at 615-444-5503.

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Local lawmakers respond to House scandal Wilson County representative makes a case for Glen Casada to remain Tennessee House speaker

By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

Wilson County’s state House members gave their thoughts on Republican House Speaker Glen Casada and multiple calls for him to resign amid scandals.

Casada, a former House GOP Caucus chairman and majority leader, is under fire

with calls to resign from some Republicans and nearly all Democrats amid the scandal that involved text messages with a former top aide, 32-year-old Cade Cothren, who stepped down last Monday.

Cothren, who in one text discussed using cocaine in a state office building, was Casada’s press secretary until his promotion

Mayor questions Mt. Juliet budget

to the newly elected speaker’s chief of staff in January.

Black lawmakers are furious over some of Cothren’s racist text messages, too. The messages were leaked.

State Rep. Susan Lynn laid out her arguments for Casada to remain House speaker in a statement Wednesday to The Democrat.

“I do not rush to judgment when I hear bad news about others, because there is always more to the story that is unknown,” said Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet. “I have investigated each of the allegations and as far as I can tell, I do not believe that the Speaker should resign.

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heartfelt farewell

Ed Hagerty speaks out against property tax hike

By Angie Mayes Democrat Correspondent

Mt. Juliet Mayor Ed Hagerty spoke out against a property tax increase at Mt. Juliet Commission meeting Monday night.

“As most of you know, there is before us tonight, a pitch to increase your property taxes by nearly a factor of four,” Hagerty told the crowd in the audience. “From the current rate of 16 cents to 59 cents. Of that, 39 cents would be dedicated to the fire department, and the balance of 20 cents would be dedicated to infrastructure.”

When approving the agenda at the beginning of the meeting, the resolution to authorize the increase and the budget that went along with the increase, was removed from consideration. Hagerty said because of that, there was going to be a move to drop the potential increase at this time.

“I do want to comment further, because there’s been quite a bit of discussion about this,” he said. “Quite frankly, I’ve been a very vocal opponent against this. One primary reason that I have repeated often is we

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Growth leads Lebanon’s next budget City plans to add 12 new employees

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Members of Wilson Central’s choir exchange hugs at the spring choral concert in April, which marked the final performance for 10 seniors.

The choir recently visited Carnegie Hall in New York for it’s performance.

Wilson Central choir closes out year with songs, tears

Chamber choir performs in New York City with a Grammy-winning conductor

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The Wilson Central High School choir held its spring choral concert at the end of April, which marked the final school performance for 10 seniors.

Senior Christina Bailey, who was recognized as most dedicated, shared tears and hugs with her classmates after the perfor-

mance. Bailey said her four-year commitment to the choir paid off in friendships and priceless memories to carry with her as she prepares for college.

“From day one, Mrs. Morin has been like a mom to me, somebody that I can always talk to, and the choir itself has always been a big dysfunctional family in a way,” Bailey said. “Without them, I

feel like I wouldn’t be able to stand here tonight and feel as proud as I do.”

Wilson Central’s director of choral activities Lynn Morin said the group of choral students was especially important to her as they became more like family than simply students.

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By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

With population pressing in on the city of Lebanon, city leaders are planning to spend more money in the next fiscal year, which would be paid for by a possible increase in fees and property taxes.

The Lebanon City Council will soon vote on a new budget that goes into effect on July 1. Councilors have heard from many departments and continue to deliberate on the best course of action.

Overall, growth seems to be pushing the needs of nearly all city departments.

Lebanon finance administrator Stewart Lawson included a 12-cent property tax increase in the new budget, as well as the introduction of an $11 monthly sanitation fee that would appear on the city customer’s

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Mt. Juliet police continue to investigate false bomb threat at middle school

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Mt. Juliet police detectives continue to investigate a bomb threat that shut down Mt. Juliet Middle School on Tuesday afternoon just after classes ended for the day.

Although the incident happened at about 3:40 p.m. and school was closed, an unspecified number of people were evacuated from the campus while Wilson County sheriff’s detectives and officers Today’s Obits

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from Mt. Juliet and Lebanon all converged on the scene. A command post was set up across the street from the school at Celebration Lutheran Church.

The atmosphere was calm at the scene with a handful of officers guarding the entrance to the school. Officers allowed some buses to enter the parking lot while explosive detection canines from Lebanon police’s emergency services unit searched the school.

The threat came to a person via text

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message and was not specific toward the school, but it referenced a building in which the person was in at the time.

Officers and canines searched the school property, and the scene was officially deemed safe at about 5:40 p.m., at which point the investigation moved to who and why the threat was sent. Mt. Juliet police said all indications led to the threat was a scam related to a bitcoin blackmail tactic.

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Byron York talks about Joe Biden.

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MTSU CUSTOMS now underway MTSU’s fun and informative CUSTOMS orientations help new undergrads make the transition into University life.

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June 1-2, 2019 lebanondemocrat.com

Teen murder suspect appears in court He is accused of shooting and killing 16-year-old JayShawn Taylor

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

A 15-year-old suspect charged with first-degree murder was arraigned in Wilson County criminal court Friday.

It was the first time Ethan Kain Vanderpool, of Mt. Juliet, appeared in criminal court after the decision was made he would be tried as an adult. He was

recently transferred from juvenile custody to the Wilson County Jail, where he awaits trial.

Vanderpool is accused of shooting and killing 16-year-old JayShawn Taylor in late 2018 at Vanderpool’s home in Mt. Juliet.

Vanderpool’s attorney Tony Maynard entered a plea of not guilty on be-

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Fifteen-year-old Ethan Vanderpool is arraigned in the Wilson County Criminal Court on Friday where he faces a first degree murder charge in the 2018 shooting death of sixteen-year-old JayShawn Taylor.

half of his client and waved the formal reading of the indictment, which left details of the apparent shooting yet to be revealed.

Several witnesses previously testified in court as part of the transfer process from juvenile to the adult court system,

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Paxton Media Group buys Lebanon Democrat

By Staff Reports

Paxton Media Group announced Friday it has purchased the Lebanon Democrat along with weekly newspapers in Mt. Juliet and Hartsville.

Paxton Media is a family-owned company headquartered in Paducah, Kentucky.

Angie Mayes • Lebanon Democrat

The company publishes daily and weekly newspapers in more than 50 communities in the Midwest and South, including nearby papers in Portland and Lafayette.

“This business combination provides the financial security needed to assure the Lebanon Democrat, the Mt. Juliet News

and the Hartsville Vidette will continue to serve their communities long into the future,” said David Paxton, president and chief executive officer of Paxton Media Group.

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Step back in time

Wilson County Board of Education members Mike Gwaltney (left) and Bill Robinson talk Thursday night before the board’s work session.

School board plans vote

By Angie Mayes Democrat Correspondent

The Wilson County Board of Education met in its May work session Thursday night and discussed a number of items on the agenda, which it will vote on during its regular monthly meeting Monday.

Among the items will be the final approval of a number of policies.

The policies include the school calendar, the role of the board of education, school board meeting procedures, meeting appearance rules, as well as special needs or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and American with Disabilities Act grievances.

The procedures also cover financial regulations, school safety, district water testing, school naming and promotion and retention of employees.

There are various parts of each resolution and the board will vote on each resolution as a whole policy. The policies and potential changes may be viewed at wcschools.com under meeting agendas.

In addition to the policy changes, the board also plans to vote on a measure that will affirm the board’s opposition to the education savings account legislation, which Gov. Bill Lee recently signed into law.

The legislation, which is more commonly known as school vouchers, will allow students to receive money from the state to attend private schools. Director of Schools Donna Wright previously said when students attend private schools, they will take money away from public school systems.

As passed, the legislation only affects Shelby County Schools and Davidson County Schools at this time.

A measure to remove the names Tommy Martin Gym and Elzie Patton Stadium to be moved from Mt. Juliet Middle School and placed at Mt. Juliet High School gym and stadium.

“These two gentlemen earned the naming due to their work at MJHS not MJMS,” said board member Mike Gwaltney. “The board has, in the past, moved names of gyms and stadiums at Lebanon High and Watertown High.”

Board member Kimberly McGee

See vote on page A3

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Martin Frost, dressed as Confederate General Robert H. Hatton, accompanies Sharon Kloba and leads attendees to the base of the General Hatton statue on the Lebanon square where they laid a wreath in honor of the dead on Thursday evening as part of Confederate Memorial Day.

Confederate Memorial Day honors the fallen, history

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Members of the General Robert H. Hatton Camp 723 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans were joined by members of other Sons and Daughters of Confederate Veter-

with the local chapters monthly meeting.

The living history event featured speeches by Martin Frost and Dottie Meadows, who portrayed General Hatton and his

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Batch & Bushel to foster local experience

By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

Two days of handcrafted fun are coming up in June for the Wilson County community.

Activities, farm-fresh goods, live music and educational talks Today’s Obits

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ans groups and members of various Wilson County communities in remembrance of Confederate Memorial Day on Friday.

Confederate Memorial Day is normally observed on June 3 in Tennessee but was honored on May 30 this year to match up

Charles Cutter, Sue Wright Griffin, William Robert Orvis and Joe D. Taylor.

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make up a full schedule for the Batch & Bushel showcase on June 21 and 22 at the Wilson County Expo Center.

A number of activities will go on during both days of the event. Tri-Green Equipment

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will present a Field Day Challenge with a prize for the participant with the fastest time.

The challenge will include three parts, Trim-A-Lawn, Up to Here in Dirt and The Roll Up. Each station will be timed and Views.Now.

Linda Alessi shares stories from life in the golden years.

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up to two participants could be competing per challenge at one time. The person with the fastest time at the end of Sunday wins.

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Two suspects charged with sex crimes Man faces charges involving child Staff Reports

Barry Odum

Lebanon police charged a Lebanon man Friday with multiple sex crimes that involved a child.

Barry Thomas Odum, 62, was charged with two counts

of rape of a child of less than 13 years old and one count of aggravated sexual battery of a child less than 13 years old.

Odum remained in the

See crime on page A5

Man charged with statutory rape Staff Reports

Lebanon police charged Kenneth Richard Parker, 59, of Lebanon, on Saturday with two counts of aggravated statutory rape.

Parker remained in the Wilson

Planners issue musts for new schools

After 13 years as Sam Houston leader, Julie Beasley’s moving up

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

By Angie Mayes Democrat Correspondent

See Plans on page A5

Kenneth Parker

Principal graduates to central office

Lebanon Special School District’s plans give planning commissioners concerns

In a preliminary meeting Tuesday morning, the Lebanon Planning Commission discussed items planned to be on the agenda for its meeting next week, including site plan approval from the Lebanon Special School District for a new elementary school at the corner of Hartmann Drive and Coles Ferry Pike.

The development will be about 119,192 square feet and will be on 65.42 acres at 1530 Hartmann Drive.

The city planning staff plans to meet with representatives from the school district in the near future to help work out issues between the city and the school system.

“Based on internal conversations, we have significant concerns about the traffic pattern,” said Lebanon planning director Paul Corder. “There are also some concerns from the school level on safety concerns. The closest example [of these types of concerns] to this one would be Tuckers Crossroads. We’re going to read through the comments now, but there needs to be a serious conversation [between the city and the school system].”

The planning staff reviewed the orientation of structures; building material; façade; roofs and roofing materials; storage structure and outdoor storage. They all meet the criteria outlined in the non-residential development code, a report for the commission said.

In addition, it met the requirements of fences, gates, walls and hedges, the sign location and content of the site plans.

There were some items, however, that gave the planning staff concerns. After reviewing the site plan, the planning staff wanted, “correct required parking amount as one space for each two classrooms or one space for each 10 seats in the auditorium or one space of overflow parking, [which would be unpaved for each eight students, teachers and employees, whichever is the least number of spaces].”

County Jail on $17,500 bond and is scheduled to appear May 31 in Wilson County criminal court.

Due to the nature of the alleged crimes and the age of the victim, no further information was released.

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Sam Houston Elementary School principal Julie Beasley stands in the hallway of the school on her last day as principal before she moves on to her new role in the Lebanon Special School District central office.

Julie Beasley has served as principal at Sam Houston Elementary School for 13 years, a role that has made up most of her 22-year career in education and the longest-serving principal in Lebanon Special School District.

In fact, several students who graduated from Lebanon High School on Monday were once kindergarteners at Sam Houston when Beasley was named principal.

Beasley, who began her career teaching seventh-grade math at Walter J. Baird Middle School, also spent two years in Rutherford County where she helped to open Lavergne Middle School. She’s moving on to the LSSD district office, where she will serve as an instructional coordinator and academic interventionist.

“I will be working with schools, principals and teachers on things that have to do with instruction, pre-k through eight grade and then interventions.

That’s interventions from students who need extra support to students who need enrichments, so kind of a full gamut of things,” Beasley said. “This position’s only been in place for a year, so I’m moving into

See Move on page A3

Square historic preservation district passes on first reading

Lebanon City Council gets support from downtown business owners

By Angie Mayes Democrat Correspondent

Angie Mayes • Lebanon Democrat

Lebanon Planning Director Tom Corder and planner Mary Turner await questions as Lebanon councilor and planning commission member Camille Burdine and Dr. Chuck Daley, also a planning commission member, look at plans Tuesday at the Lebanon Planning Commission’s preliminary meeting.

Lebanon is one step closer to have a new square historic preservation district.

It was approved unanimously on first reading at the Lebanon City Council’s meeting Tuesday night.

The ordinance amends the official zoning atlas of the city to create the square historic preservation district. The area covers portions of both Ward 2 and Ward 3 in the area around downtown Lebanon.

The planning commission unanimously approved the measure at its April meeting.

Attorney Mark Lee was for the ordinance.

“I think historic preservation got it right,” Lee said. “I just Angie Mayes • Lebanon Democrat wanted to come up here and support it. It is lengthy, and I rec- Lebanon attorney Mark Lee offers his support of the new square

See City on page A5

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Barbara Qualls Bragg, Joanne K. Cheramie, Johnnie Heady, Pamela HustonKimbro, J.B. King and James Garvey McKee.

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You Like Us! Pierre Boulogne, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day. Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

historic preservation district Tuesday night at the Lebanon City Council meeting.

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Columnist Byron York talks about how Robert Mueller changed it all.

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WEEKEND

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Second needle found in Halloween candy

Police focus investigation on Langford Farms subdivision

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Wilson County sheriff’s investigators discovered a second case of a needle found in a piece of Halloween candy.

On November 1, a child reportedly found the needle inside a fun-size Milky Way candy bar while at school.

The child told an authority figure at

Lebanon wins solar award

school and later told his father, who called sheriff’s investigators.

According to the report, the only area that the child had trick-or-treated Halloween was the Langford Farms Subdivision, which is currently the focus of the investigation.

A needle was also found in a Life Savers Gummies candy, after a child

Submitted to The Democrat

A needle pokes out of a Milky Way candy bar found in a child’s haul from Halloween. This is the second needle found this year.

had visited the same area on Halloween.

According to sheriff’s Lt. Scott Moore, the candy bar wrapper was sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for further analysis.

Moore urged anyone with information about either of the incidents to call investigators at 615-444-1412.

Wilson County Veterans Day

State organization recognizes champion

Masked suspect flees when weapon fires

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The city of Lebanon received the 2018 Solar Champion award from the Tennessee Valley Solar Industries Association on Tuesday at the Tennessee Valley Solar Conference in Murfreesboro.

The award recognized Lebanon’s commitment to solar energy and the leadership exemplified through the city’s implementation of solar technology at city facilities such as the wastewater treatment plant.

TenneSEIA named its annual 2018 solar champion award winners and recognized the city of Lebanon and Jeff Dykes, CEO of BrightRidge, formerly Johnson City Power Board.

“TenneSEIA is proud to present our solar champion award to the city of

See solar on page A3

Ribbon cut on renewed softball fields

Homeowner fires gun at suspected burglar Lebanon police responded Thursday afternoon to the 600 block of Park Avenue, where to investigate a possible home burglary.

The resident of the home told police they came home from work at about 3:10 p.m. and found someone in the house wearing an “old man” Halloween mask.

The resident fired one shot from a handgun toward the suspect who

See gun on page A3

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Max Anderson, 99, pictured above, fought in World War II and is honored as the oldest veteran in Wilson County. Below, Mt. Juliet police Chief James Hambrick talks to residents at the Mt. Juliet Noon Rotary Club’s Veterans Breakfast.

Katie Claire Campbell

Elmer Elkins will bring in both adult and children’s ball games

Local girl to help at songwriting workshop

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The city of Lebanon held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly named Elmer Elkins Park, formerly known as Hobbs Field, which has newly renovated fields and facilities to hold both adult and children’s softball games.

The park was named after Elmer Elkins, who worked for the Lebanon Water Department from 1940-76. Elkins was involved in youth baseball as a volunteer coach and longtime umpire.

Elkins died the year he was set to retire, but his memory is kept alive through the park, a memory Elkins’ son, Tilford, said is a fitting memorial.

“This is quite an honor,” Tilford Elkins said. “I know that he’d be very, very happy to know that his memory is being remembered. I accept this honor on behalf of him and my mother, because

See fields on page A3 Connect with us socially.

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By Jared Felkins jfelkins@lebanondemocrat.com

Honoring those who served Staff Reports

Several early Veterans Day and veteran appreciation events, including two veterans’ breakfasts in Lebanon and Mt. Juliet, were held this week with more events planned throughout the weekend.

Today’s Obits Robert E. ‘Bob’ Beasley, Marion Teresa ‘Tisa’ Steverson and Janette Tatum.

Page A3

Liberty State Bank held its annual Veterans Breakfast on Wednesday in the East-West Building at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon,

You Like Us! Suzanne Walasek, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day. Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

She’s a typical middle school tween cheerleader, but Katie Claire Campbell has a hidden talent of sorts, and she’s about to share it with others.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum recently selected Campbell, 12, a sixth grader at Winfree Bryant Middle School, to participate in a songwriting 101 workshop Saturday morning in Nashville. But Campbell won’t be among the students, rather she will participate as a teacher, of sorts.

See honor on page A5 Views.Now.

Columnist Linda Alessi talks about life in the golden years.

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See song on page A3

lebanondemocrat.com

Page A2 n The Lebanon Democrat & Wilson County News n Saturday-Sunday, June 1-2, 2019

Records.Now. Sheriff’s Reports

Wilson County Sheriff’s Department Editor’s Note: The following are suspects booked into the Wilson County Jail during the specified time frame. All persons charged are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

April 12

Lisa Ann Snider, 51, of Lebanon, was charged with sale of schedule II drugs.

Orlando Valdis Starks, 46, of Lebanon, was charged with schedule VI drugs for resale.

Brittany Renee Stout, 28, of Lebanon, was charged with misuse of 911.

Jamil Zakee Sweatt, 25, of Lebanon, was charged with schedule VI drugs for resale and violation of probation.

Andres Martin Trujillo, 26, of Lebanon, was charged with failure to appear.

Benjamin Louis Vantrease, 58, of Antioch, was charged with violation of probation.

Vivian Lee Williams, 49, of Hendersonville, was charged with violation of probation.

April 13

Kefe Garrett Ahearn, 41, of Hermitage, was charged with violation of implied consent law and DUI. Justin Willis Altman, 29, of Antioch, was charged with DUI. Annie Rae Hawkins, 36, of Lebanon, was charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence, simple

drug possession, violation of probation and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Christian Heather Irby, 39, of Lebanon, was charged with failure to appear.

Nilsen Fecari Johnson, 28, of Nashville, was charged with failure to appear and bond jumping.

Ronneshia Michelle Johnson, 31, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with assault.

Christopher Henry Moran, 38, of Antioch, was charged with driving with a revoked, suspended and cancelled license, violation of implied consent law and DUI. Justin Andrew Morgan, 27, of Lebanon, was charged with simple possession of drugs.

Matthew Joshua Noble, 31, of Nashville, was charged with theft merchandise.

Jeremy Neil Perry, 21, of Mt. Juliet, was charged with four counts of simple drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest and prohibited weapon.

Kelley Leanna Peters, 44, of Lebanon, was charged with DUI. Mike Veto Lapritch Rhodes, 40, of Lebanon, was charged with sale of schedule II drugs.

Brett Joseph Stearns, 51, of Lebanon, was charged with public drunk.

D’Amerius James Weir, 21, of Lebanon, was charged with disorderly conduct and driving without a license.

– Staff Reports

Most Wanted This Week

Alexander Stephens Name: Alexander Presley Stephens.

Height: 5 feet, 8 inches.

Weight: 141 pounds.

Last Seen: In Lebanon.

Warrants: Reckless endangerment.

Tipline: Call investigators at 615-444-1412, ext 268. All information will remain confidential.

Detectives find 14-year-old girl Staff Reports

Detectives found 14-year-old Grace Scott in Nashville’s Sylvan Park neighborhood Thursday at about 7:30 a.m.

She was found safe, and detectives worked to reunite her with family.

“Thank you to the assistance of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Metro-Nashville Police Department for helping us find her safe,” said Mt. Ju-

liet police Capt. Tyler Chandler.

Scott remained missing Wednesday at 11 p.m., and the Grace Scott Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an endangered child alert. Detectives believed a tip from the community would lead detectives to her

whereabouts. Detectives at the time didn’t believe she was anywhere near her home in the Karen Drive and Benders Ferry Road area because a bloodhound trained in scent tracking tracked her scent to the intersection of Lebanon Road and Benders Ferry Road. It was likely she could have gotten into a vehicle at that location.

Scott was last seen Wednesday at about 2:30 p.m., and there was a con-

cern for her safety, because she didn’t have her necessary medicine. She went missing in the Karen Drive and Benders Ferry Road area in Mt. Juliet.

Scott left her home without her cellphone, cash or additional clothing, which police said was suspicious.

She also did not inform her parents she was going.

Detectives also didn’t know what Scott wore when he left.

Fire destroys Mt. Juliet home

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

Fire destroyed a home Thursday afternoon on Brookview Court near Mt. Juliet.

Wilson Emergency Management Agency firefighters went to the house fire at 305 Brookview Court.

When firefighters arrived,

they saw flames coming through the roof of the single-story home and attached garage. The person who reported the fire to 911 said the fire started in the garage after they heard explosions.

Witnesses at the scene said that the fire was made worse by the home’s gas

line, which fueled the fire until the gas line was shut off. A representative from Piedmont Natural Gas was on the scene.

WEMA firefighters battled the fire and called in help from the Fire Department of Mt. Juliet, which responded with a ladder truck and more firefighters. Fire

destroyed the home.

Wilson County sheriff’s deputies, Rehab 23 volunteers and Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corp. workers also helped during the fire.

No people or pets were injured in the fire, the cause of which remained under investigation.

Events.Now. POLICY: Items for the Community Calendar may be submitted via email at editor@lebanondemocrat.com, in person at The Democrat’s office at 402 N. Cumberland St., by mail at The Lebanon Democrat, 402 N. Cumberland St., Lebanon, TN 37087 or via fax at 615-444-0899. Items must be received by 4 p.m. for the next day’s edition. The calendar is a free listing of nonprofit events, community club and government meetings. The Democrat reserves the right to reject or edit material. Notices run on an as space is available basis and cannot be taken over the phone. Include a name and phone number in case of questions.

June 1

Trousdale County High School All-Class Reunion 9:30 a.m.

The Trousdale County High School all-class reunion will be Saturday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m. at the high school in Hartsville.

CommUnity Prayer 10 a.m.

CommUnity Prayer will be Saturday, June 1 at 10 a.m. at the Mt. Juliet train station at 22 E. Division St. in Mt. Juliet.

The group plans to pray for Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, Watertown, Wilson County and the nations.

Goldwing Road Riders Association Motorcycle Chapter meeting 11 a.m.

The Lebanon Chapter of Goldwing Road Riders Association will meet Saturday, June 1 at 11 a.m. at Shoney’s Restaurant at 814 S. Cumberland St. in Lebanon. The group is open to all motorcycle makes and models. Anyone interested in riding motorcycles with two or three wheels and having a good time is welcome. For more information, call Andrew or Debbie Smith at 615-7849772.

Richardson Family Reunion 1 p.m.

The Richardson family reunion will be Saturday, June 1 from 1-7 p.m. in the Education Building at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon. The color will be red. It will include the families of Izaulea Richardson Belcher, Rebecca Richardson Martin Corder Overall, George Richardson, Fannie Mae Shannon and Edward and Ora Lee Richardson. For more information, call Betty Tapley Cantrell at 615-449-0311 or Bobby Joe Martin at 615-4494016.

Good Wheel Cruisers Saturday Night Cruise-In 4:30 p.m.

The Good Wheel Cruisers will hold its Saturday night cruise-in Saturday, June 1 from 4:30-9:30 p.m. and each Saturday evening through Oct. 20 at the Lebanon Outlet Mall in the marketplace area at 1 Outlet Village Drive in Lebanon. A 50-50 raffle will be featured. For more information, visit facebook.com/ groups/552023871629171.

The Phoenix Ball 6 p.m.

Cumberland University will present its black-tie gala, the Phoenix Ball, on Saturday, June 1 at 6 p.m. on the Cumberland University campus. The theme will be Moonlight and Magnolias: A Night of Southern Elegance. For tickets and more information, visit phoenixball. com.

June 2

Conaster’s Cemetery Decoration Day 2 p.m.

Decoration day will be Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m. at Conaster’s Cemetery. Donations may be mailed to Larry Conaster at Hometown Flooring at 112 S. College St., Lebanon, TN 37087.

Goshen Cemetery Decoration Day 2 p.m.

Decoration day will be Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m. at Goshen Cemetery. Anyone unable to attend may mail donations for cemetery upkeep to the Goshen Cemetery Fund, in care of Margaret Mitchell Tomlinson, 333 Center Hill Road, Lebanon, TN 37087.

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Firefighters extinguish a fire that destroyed a Mt. Juliet home on Brookview Court near Mt. Juliet on Thursday evening.

Single-car crash kills two men Staff Reports

A single-car crash killed two men early Wednesday morning on Weakley Road near Mt. Juliet across the Rutherford County line.

Tennessee Highway Patrol identified the men as Joel Throneberry, 57, of Hermitage, and passenger Donnie Robertson, 61, of

Mt. Juliet.

According to the trooper’s report, the 2008 Ford sedan went off the right side of the road after the driver lost control of the car on the road that curved left.

The posted speed limit was 45 mph.

The car went into a ditch and hit head-on into a cul-

vert.

Troopers received a call at about 5:30 a.m. by a homeowner on Weakley Lane who saw the crashed car at the end of her driveway.

Rutherford County sheriff’s deputies were the first to respond to the wreck, where they found both

Throneberry and Robertson unresponsive.

Throneberry, the driver, was wearing a seat belt, while Robertson was not, although the report said seat belts would not have changed the outcome of the crash.

No further information was released.

June 3

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1004 meeting 5 p.m.

Chapter 1004 of the Vietnam Veterans of America will meet Monday, June 3 and the first Monday of each month in the Veterans Building at the James E. Ward Agriculture Center in Lebanon. Meetings start at 5 with several members showing up early. All Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans are urged to attend. Membership will be discussed on request.

Associate members will serve food. Call Doc Kraft at 615 477-8088 for more information.

June 4

Wilson County Civic League Summer Arts Academy 8 a.m.

The Wilson County Civic League will hold its annual Summer Arts Academy, beginning June 4 for thirdthrough eighth-grade students to participate in the comprehensive arts program.

Students will receive free instruction in art, music, African drumming, dance and theatre. This is the 14th summer offering for the program at the Market Street Community Center on Market Street in Lebanon. For more information, call the Wilson County Civic League at 615449-0719.

Congressman John Rose Wilson County Office Hours 1 p.m.

Ray Render, deputy district director for Congressman John Rose, will meet with constituents Tuesday, June 4 from 1-3 p.m. at Mt. Juliet City Hall in the meeting hall lobby area. Constituents who do not need a face-to-face meeting may call the Gallatin office to discuss any concerns at 615206-8204.

June 5

Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce New Member Orientation 11:30 a.m.

The Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce will hold a new member orientation Wednesday, June 5 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the chamber office at 149 Public Square in Lebanon. To RSVP, call 615444-5503 or email tonya@ lebanonwilsonchamber.com.

June 6

Brand Identity Workshop 8 a.m.

A brand identity workshop led by Amber Hurdle will be Thursday, June 6 from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce office at 149 Public Square in Lebanon. Registration is $59. To register or for more information, call 615-4445503 or email tonya@ lebanonwilsonchamber.com.

Batch and Bushel Farmers Market 4 p.m.

The Batch and Bushel Farmers Market will be open Thursday, June 6 and each Thursday through October from 4-7 p.m. at the Wilson County Expo Center at 945 E. Baddour Pkwy. in Lebanon.

It will feature produce, eggs, flowers, meat, cheese, breads, desserts and more.

Tennova Healthcare-Lebanon Weight-Loss Surgery Seminar 6 p.m.

Tennova Healthcare-Lebanon will hold a weight-loss surgery seminar Thursday, June 6 from 6-7 p.m. and on the first Thursday of each month at the hospital at 1411 W. Baddour Pkwy. in Lebanon. Those attending should use the outpatient center entrance.

Registration is available at tennovaweightloss.com or by calling 615-443-2560.

Participants should register at least one day before the seminar.

Women in the Lead SelfDefense Class 6 p.m.

Women in the Lead will present a self-defense class for women 18 and older Thursday, June 6 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Sports Village at 1735 W. Main St. in Lebanon. Reservations, which are required, are $15 per person. To register or for more information, call the LebanonWilson County Chamber of Commerce at 615-444-5503.

Celebrate Recovery 7 p.m.

Celebrate Recovery, a Christcentered 12-step recovery support group for overcoming hurts, hang-ups and habits, meets each Thursday from 7-9:30 p.m. at Fairview Church at 1660 Leeville Pike in Lebanon. For more information, call ministry leader Tony Jones at 615-972-6151.

June 7

Cedar Seniors Chicken Dinner 11:30 a.m.

Cedar Seniors will hold its annual chicken dinner fundraiser Friday, June 7 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the center at 226 University Ave. in Lebanon. For $6, guests can enjoy a plate of fried chicken, green beans, potato salad, fried apples, bread and dessert. To order tickets, call 615-444-0829, or they may be purchased at the door. To-go orders will also be available for delivery.

–Staff Reports

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Truck driver rescued from creek Stranded on top of his truck as cold temps and high waters threatened

By Matt Masters mmasters@lebanondemocrat.com

The Wilson Emergency Management Agency swift water rescue team saved a man whose tractor-trailer rolled over into Smith Fork Creek on Friday afternoon between Watertown and Statesville.

The truck, which was loaded with several propane tanks, rolled over into the creek at about 12:30 p.m. and left the driver stranded on top of the truck as high waters swiftly moved by the truck and trapped the driver until emergency crews rescued him at about 1:30 p.m.

Temperatures were in the mid 30s

while mist and light rain fell during the water rescue that took place on Armstrong Road off of Statesville Road.

As soon as the rescue efforts were over, a strong smell of propane could was detected several hundred yards

See truck on page A3

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

Members of the Wilson Emergency Management Agency swift water rescue team pull a man through Smith Fork Creek to safety Friday afternoon after his tractor-trailer overturned in the creek and he was trapped on top of it.

More fast food for Wilson

hit the brakes

Steak N Shake coming for Lebanon, Taco Bell in Mt. Juliet, Lebanon

By Angie Mayes Special to The Democrat

Matt Masters • Lebanon Democrat

A Steak N Steak is planned for Lebanon, and two freestanding Taco Bell restaurants will also arrive soon in Lebanon and Mt. Juliet.

Lebanon planning director Paul Corder said the Steak N Shake will be built at 1000 Murfreesboro Road.

“The developers for Steak N Shake have submitted building plans to the city, but they have not been approved by that department.,” Corder said. “Construction times are dependent on approval by building inspection and the developer’s own time.”

Corder said the Lebanon Planning Commission approved the Steak N Shake in November, but it still has outstanding items to be completed before building can begin.

“Once those are completed, alongside approval by building inspection, then they can commence with construction,” he said.

Lebanon has two Taco Bells currently at 1672 W. Main St. and 823 S. Cumberland St., he said.

“The new Taco Bell will be located on

Traffic stops at the slowest intersection in the US 231 study area, North Cumberland Street and High Street. A city-recommended TDOT project would re-stripe the intersection to be two lanes, a turning lane and two bike lanes.

See food on page A5

City considers trimming lanes on US 231 north of square

Detectives seize guns, drugs

Road diet would aim to increase safety, add bike lanes, reduce main lanes

By Sinclaire Sparkman ssparkman@lebanondemocrat.com

Traffic on U.S. 231 may begin to flow a little differently if city plans for a lane reduction are approved.

About 13,432 vehicles travel the stretch of North Cumberland Street from Market

Street to Forrest Avenue in Lebanon every day. The Tennessee Department of Transportation already plans to repave and restripe the section of road, but at the city’s recommendation, a project called a “road diet” could be implemented.

A road diet reduces the number of lanes

with the aim to improve safety, and it offers more options to non-motorized users, in this case, the addition of bike lanes. It means the road would go from two lanes in each direction to one, with bike lanes

See lanes on page A3

FBI warns of cyber scammers targeting holiday shoppers Staff Reports

FBI Memphis field office agents reminded shoppers to be aware of cyber criminals and their aggressive and creative ways to steal money and personal information.

Agents said scammers use many techniques to fool potential victims, including fraudulent auction sales, reshipping merchandise bought with a stolen credit card, sale of fraudulent or stolen gift cards through auction sites at discounted prices and phishing emails advertising

brand-name merchandise for bargain prices or emails promoting the sale of merchandise that ends up being a counterfeit product.

Internet criminals post classified ads or auctions for products they do not have. If anyone receives an auction product from a merchant or retail store rather than directly from the auction seller, the item may be purchased with someone else’s stolen credit card number. Contact the merchant to verify the account used to pay for the item actually

belongs to the person who bought it.

Shoppers should be cautious and not provide credit card numbers, bank account numbers or other financial information directly to the seller. Fraudulent sellers will use this information to buy items for their scheme from the provided financial account. Always use a legitimate payment service to protect purchases and never send personally identifiable information or payment in-

Staff Reports

Lebanon police and Wilson County sheriff’s detectives found several firearms, ammunition, cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia during searches Thursday at two Lebanon homes.

The Lebanon-Wilson County Drug Task Force, with the assistance of the Lebanon SWAT team, served two search warrants at the same time at 205 Burdock St. and 814 Dahalia Drive, both in Lebanon. Detectives got information about the two homes, which led to an investigation.

Detectives learned during the investigation that 205 Burdock St. in Lebanon was used to sell cocaine and other illegal narcotics. Detectives also received information that weapons were stored in the home, and convicted felons lived there and used it to sell narcotics and other illegal activity.

Steven Anthony Searcy, 26, of Lebanon and a target of the investigation, was

See scam on page A3

See drugs on page A3

Kelley Clemmons voted Zaxby’s Fan of the Year Head-to-head battle ends with Clemmons eight votes ahead of Ali for big prize Staff Reports

Kelley Clemmons was crowned Zaxby’s Fan of the Year on Friday afternoon after voting ended at lebanondemocrat.com.

Fourteen lucky fans were in the running for the coveted prize after they were selected fans of

the week by The Lebanon Democrat staff during high school football games in Wilson County this season.

Voters chose their favorite fan from Paige Porter, of Lebanon; Faye Tyree, of Watertown, Eric Smith, of Mt. Juliet; Danielle, Cristy and Joe Ali, of Lebanon; Today’s Obits

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Tony Brown, Cassandra Montanye Brown, James Andrew Carter, Jeffrey Lloyd Sellars and James ‘Benny’ Shepherd.

Page A3

Kim Tidwell of t. Juliet; Mel and Carol Brown, of Mt. Juliet; Chase, Jana and Kevin Owen, of Lebanon; Clemmons, of Lebanon; Lisa Fish, of Statesville; Becky Gravely, of Lebanon; Keith Jernigan, of Mt. Juliet; Benjie Oldham, of Lebanon; Gina and Joe Wauford, of You Like Us! Bruce Smith, of Lebanon, is The Democrat’s Facebook Fan of the Day.

Follow facebook.com/lebanondemocrat

Nashville; and Keisha Cone, of Watertown.

Clemmons was toe-to-toe with the Ali family throughout the month-long voting period as each swapped first and second place several times. In the end,

See fan on page A3 Views.Now.

Columnist Jim Mullen goes out to lunch.

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Kelley Clemmons