Ben Lewis

The retirement of Cindy Gilliland has prompted the Dickson County school system to split her responsibilities into two coordinator positions. Gilliland served as the system’s director of Technology and Director of Career and Technical Education. With her departure at the end of the school year, Director of Schools Dr. Danny Weeks reorganized those duties into two coordinator positions. Earlier this month, Weeks announced the promotion of Charlotte Middle School Principal Ray Lecomte to coordinator of Career and Technical Education. On Friday, Weeks named Ben Lewis as coordinator of Instructional Technology. The announcement from Weeks says Lewis has a background in networking and extensive knowledge of a variety of computer operating systems and business software. Lewis received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Belmont University where he graduated Cum Laude. His previous experience includes being proprietor of an IT consulting firm, vice president of Engineering Services, lead engineer on long-term project engagements, system engineer, management of a help desk center, network administrator for a nine-location non-profit organization and database administrator for Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Transplant Department. “He enjoys learning new concepts relating to both technology and business and appreciates working in a collaborative environment,” the announcement from Weeks states. In his free time, Lewis enjoys spending time with family and friends, grilling out and hiking with his dog.

Isiah Jaypaul Primm

Kurtis Lamar Primm

Jonathan Keith Hughes, Jr.

Murder suspect Isiah Primm admits that he was involved in a fight with Quintin Tidwell April 12 at the Charlotte picnic grounds. Kurtis Primm denies he was at that location, saying he was recovering from a motorcycle wreck. Jonathan Hughes denies he was there either, but, if he was, the surviving witness said he didn’t have a gun. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Shawn Adkins testified at last week’s preliminary hearing for the three suspects that none of them admitted to shooting anyone during interviews with agents. Adkins testified that Isiah Primm, who turns 24 Wednesday, admitted he went to the picnic grounds off Highway 48 the morning of April 12 to fight Tidwell over a $200 debt. Kenny Flanagan, the man who said he drove the three from Dickson to Charlotte, testified the debt was from a prior drug transaction. During 40 minutes on the witness stand in Dickson County General Sessions Court Thursday, Adkins said Isiah Primm said Tidwell “was getting the best of him” in the fight. Adkins said Primm told him Tidwell was on top of him pinning him to the ground and slapping his face. The agent said Primm told him he was “gassed,” and demonstrated by panting heavily during the interview. But Adkins testified Primm never said he shot anyone and would not say who was with him at the time. During his interview, 28-year-old Kurtis Primm denied that he was at the picnic grounds that day. Adkins said Primm told him he had had a motorcycle wreck and was recovering at home. Flanagan testified that Primm wrecked his motorcycle near Jones Creek Road on the way to Charlotte that morning and rode the rest of the way to the picnic grounds in the car with the others. Adkins said they later discovered the wrecked motorcycle in the area Flanagan described. Adkins said in his interview, Hughes, who turns 28 next Monday, also denied that he was at the picnic grounds the day of the shootings. But Adkins testified that Hughes said if he was there, Montae Springer had said Hughes didn’t have a gun. Springer survived nine gunshot wounds and told investigators he was shot by Kurtis Primm and saw Isiah Primm shoot 29-year-old Tidwell, who died at the scene after suffering five gunshots. 23-year-old Marcedez Teroy Bell was found on Dotson Street in his bullet-riddled Dodge Charger and was taken to Horizon Medical Center where he died from 6-7 gunshot wounds. Adkins did not testify as to who is believed to have shot Bell. Adkins said Springer was re-admitted to the hospital last week due to complications from his wounds. Under a deal to not be prosecuted for his part in the shooting, Flanagan testified he saw Hughes and Isiah Primm with semiautomatic pistols the morning of the shooting and has known Kurtis Primm to have a gun, but did not see him with one that day. Adkins testified a Kel-Tec 9-millimeter pistol and 20 9-millimeter shell casings were recovered at the scene as well as a shirt and a shoe. Adkins said Isiah Primm later identified the shoe as being his. Flanagan testified a few minutes after he dropped the Primms and Hughes off in the parking lot of Duke’s Market, he heard 20-30 gunshots and the trio came running back to the car where he had been told to park on Corlew Street and instructed him to drive to a house in White Bluff. Adkins said the crime lab analysis on the pistol and shell casings has not been completed. Flanagan said the blue Impala he was driving that day was sold to a man from Kentucky two days after the shooting. Adkins said agents have not been able to identify that man or locate the car. Adkins said no other guns have been recovered. Adkins testified the Kel-Tec handgun is registered to someone with a Bon Aqua address but he has not had time to interview that person, whose identity was not revealed, and that the gun had not been reported stolen. Isiah Primm and Hughes remain in the Dickson County Jail while Kurtis Primm is being held in Montgomery County. All three are under $1 million bonds after being indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Their trials are scheduled for April 24, 2017.

Rodeo Gypsy

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department’s Jammin’ in June continues Friday with the unique harmonies of Nashville-based trio Rodeo Gypsy. The free concert series is 6-9 pm at Holland Park. Fresh off multiple performances at various stages during CMA Fest, Rodeo Gypsy brings a three-part harmony presentation that draws from soul, country and gospel roots. Comprised of a core of Bridgette Powell, Becca Cummings and Dustin Michael, the group’s members have shared stages with Dierks Bentley, Jerrod Niemann and several other top names in today’s country music. A Meridian, Miss., native, Cummings began singing in church at age six. She taught herself to sing harmonies by performing parts that she didn’t hear other singers singing. Cummings moved to Nashville in 2012 and has performed and directed shows in local dinner theaters. She met Powell when their daughters became friends and last year Cummings joined Rodeo Gypsy as harmony vocalist. A Texas native, Powell got her first taste of performing at age three on stage with her musical family. She set out to see the world by singing in bars, open mic nights and anywhere else she could before she ended up in Oregon where she met Michael. The Oregon native was born blind in his right eye and turned to music after suffering an injury to his left eye in school. A family friend who was a backup dancer for Reba McEntire took some recordings of Michael to Nashville and before long he was in Music City. He hit the road performing and singing demos before a brief return to Oregon where he met Powell and the pair returned to Nashville in 2003, with Michael working on the crew for Brad Paisley. Rodeo Gypsy released its first EP, “Southern Proof,” on Better Music Records earlier this year. The video for the title track includes portions taped at the Birthplace Shrine and other locations in Montgomery Bell State Park. Friday’s concert is free and those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or a blanket as well as picnics and non-alcoholic beverages. Holland Park is located in downtown Dickson next door to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum. For more information on the band, visit rodeogypsy.net. For more information on Jammin’ in June, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at 615-446-1721. Jammin’ in June concludes June 24 with performances by local singer/songwriters.

Almost a month into qualifying for the Nov. 8 municipal elections and still only a handful of petitions have been picked up by potential candidates. With the elections of mayors and legislative body members in White Bluff, Burns, Vanleer and Slayden scheduled to be a part of the Nov. 8 ballot, candidates could begin picking up qualifying petitions May 20. More than three weeks later there have been three petitions issued in the race for two seats on the White Bluff Town Council, one for the race for Mayor in White Bluff and one for the five Board of Aldermen seats in Vanleer. There have been no petitions picked up for any race in Burns or Slayden. The two incumbents whose seats on the White Bluff Town Council are on the ballot this year are the latest to begin qualifying. Stephanie Murrell and Dan Clark picked up papers to seek second four-year terms while John Edward Bennett picked up a petition to run for council on the day qualifying began. Incumbent Mayor Linda Hayes has picked up a petition to seek a third term. The only other petition issued so far is to Chris E. Farmer in the race for one of five seats on the Vanleer Board of Aldermen. None of the five petitions issued so far has been returned as of Monday, according to a report from the Dickson County Election Office. White Bluff voters will elect a mayor and two council members to four-year terms. Vanleer voters are scheduled to elect a mayor and five aldermen for two-year terms. The mayor’s office has been vacant after nobody ran for it in 2014. Vice Mayor Jason Weaver has been presiding over meetings. The current aldermen are Weaver, Dwight McIllwain and Ruben Schmittou, who were elected in 2014, and Tony Taylor, who was appointed to complete the term of Raymond Fletcher in July. The fifth seat remains vacant following the April resignation of Westley Albright and the board has not made an interim appointment. Larry Robertson served as mayor until he moved outside the town limits in 2014 and could not seek re-election. Nobody qualified for the ballot or ran as a write-in candidate and the aldermen decided not to appoint one of their members to the vacancy, leaving the town without a mayor for two years. There have been no petitions issued for candidates in Burns where voters will elect a mayor and four commissioners for two-year terms. Landon Mathis is in his second term as mayor while the current commissioners are Chris Holland, Ed “Shot” Grove and Jerry Perella, who were elected in 2014, and Valton Potter, who was appointed to complete the term of Steven Hayes in November. There have been no petitions issued for candidates in Slayden where voters will elect a mayor and three council members for two-year terms. Mayor Gary Hodges and council members Mary Smathers, Tammy Potts and Debbie Smith were elected without opposition in 2014. Petitions also are being issued for a special election for constable in the 1^st Constable District after nobody qualified for the Aug. 4 ballot or as a write-in candidate. The 1^st Constable District consists of the county’s 10^th and 12^th districts. The Nov. 8 ballot also will include the races for President, U.S. House of Representatives 5^th District and Tennessee House of Representatives for the 69^th and 78^th districts. Legislative candidates will be determined by Aug. 4 primaries. The deadline to qualify for one of the Nov. 8 municipal ballots is noon Aug. 18. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 11. The deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 4 county general and party primaries is July 5. Early voting will be July 15-30. For more information on upcoming elections, contact the Dickson County Election Office at 615-671-1146.

After several years of discussion, the Dickson County 911 Board has decided to begin charging the various municipalities that operate emergency response agencies for dispatch services. The towns of White Bluff, Burns, Vanleer and Charlotte have been notified that they will be assessed an annual fee beginning with the 2016-17 budget based on the percentage of total calls dispatched to agencies operated by those towns. White Bluff and Burns have police and fire departments while Charlotte and Vanleer operate volunteer fire departments. Dickson County 911 Director Paul McCallister said on Friday’s Power Lunch program that the fees will be phased in with 50 percent due in 2016-17, 75 percent the following year and 100 percent in 2018-19. McCallister said the amount due from each town is determined by the percentage of calls dispatched annually to those emergency agencies based on a five-year average. The percentage of the calls dispatched is then applied to the total cost of staffing Dickson County Central Communications, which this year is just more than $1 million. After the county went to a consolidated dispatch system with the addition of Enhanced 911 around 1990, several towns were making contributions to the operating expenses initially. But McCallister said for about the last 20 years, that total cost has been split between Dickson County and the city of Dickson, which operates the communications center and employs the dispatchers. McCallister said 911 board Chairman Scott England first approached him about charging municipalities for the service when McCallister became chief of the Burns Police Department in 2012. McCallister explained Friday that the 911 system operates in two stages and is funded by two sources. The Dickson County 911 Board oversees the equipment needed to receive the 911 call as a Public Safety Answering Point, or PSAP. The local board also has a lease-purchase agreement with the city of Dickson for the new communications center. That equipment and building payments as well as some training of dispatchers are funded by the $1.16 monthly fee assessed on each telephone number. That fee is set and collected by the state of Tennessee, which then distributes the money back to each PSAP based on a formula that includes population of the service area. The Dickson County PSAP received $487,764 from the state this year. The second phase of the 911 operation is the personnel who answer the calls then dispatch the information to the various law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services agencies in the county. Each response agency has an Emergency Service Number, or ESN, and the Computer-Aided Dispatch system, or CAD, tracks the calls dispatched to each of Dickson County’s 19 ESNs as the primary response agency. McCallister explained that around 71,000 CAD cards are generated each year from an average of 15,000 calls received each month. Using a five-year average of the number of calls dispatched to each ESN out of an average of 71,069 CAD cards over that period, that percentage of the approximately $1 million cost of dispatch services is being assessed to each municipality that operates a police or fire department. Dispatching to Dickson County Fire and Rescue and volunteer fire departments not operated by a municipality is being funded by Dickson County government, along with the sheriff’s office and ambulance service. McCallister said once the system reaches full cost implementation, each town will be assessed a monthly fee based on its share of the cost of dispatch services based on the previous year’s percentage of calls received. McCallister said the cost paid by Dickson County and the city of Dickson will be reduced by the amount paid by White Bluff, Burns, Charlotte and Vanleer. Since Slayden doesn’t operate any emergency response agencies, it is not being assessed a fee by the Dickson County 911 Board. But because the town is covered by the Vanleer Volunteer Fire Department, it is being asked to pay a percentage of Vanleer’s cost based on the number of calls within the Slayden town limits. Burns Mayor Landon Mathis and White Bluff Councilman Brandon Gossett have voiced objections to the new charges. McCallister said the alternative to paying the fee is for a town to purchase the equipment needed to receive the 911 call and dispatch for its agencies as well as the staff necessary to answer that phone 24 hours a day. He said Pleasant View currently spends more than $200,000 a year to answer and dispatch its own 911 calls. He said 911 calls would still come in to central communications, but then be routed to the dispatch operation for a non-participating town, which adds an average of 45 seconds to responding to each call. The city of Dickson’s 2016-17 budget projects $1,027,918 for the cost of 911 dispatching services. Dickson County’s proposed budget includes $522,709 as its share of that cost. The budget presented to the White Bluff Town Council includes $23,000 for 911 services. The Charlotte Town Council is amending its budget on second reading June 28 to add a $650 payment. The Vanleer Board of Alderman approved a budget on first reading last month with a $1,300 payment. The Burns Board of Commissioners has yet to approve its budget or payment.

Linda Sue Simmons Runyeon and Chase Miller perform in “Judy! A Music Tribute” at the Gaslight Dinner Theatre.

The Gaslight Dinner Theatre opens its 75^th show Thursday with a tribute to Judy Garland. Performances of “Judy! A Musical Tribute” will include matinees on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with evening shows on Fridays and Saturdays through June 30. Compiled and created by stage veterans Linda Sue Simmons Runyeon and Joe Grizzel, “Judy!” is a cabaret revue with a collection of songs, video and documentary about the life of Garland, who skyrocketed to international fame in the iconic role of Dorothy in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz.” Her 40-year career spanned from Vaudeville to movies to television and stage as well as a recording artist. Other film credits include 1944’s “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “The Harvey Girls” and “Easter Parade,” as well as nine movies as a teen with Mickey Rooney. Born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Mi., Garland died of a barbiturate overdose in 1969 at the age of 47. She had three children, including entertainer Liza Minelli. Gaslight Dinner Theatre Artistic Director Greg Frey says “Judy! A Musical Tribute” is neither documentary or straight-up impersonation of Garland, but a celebration of her life as a singer, actress and entertainer. The production’s three-member cast includes Runyeon, Chase Miller and Tim Parton. Runyeon has appeared in productions of “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,” “9-5: The Musical” and “White Christmas,” among others. Miller’s credits include “Rumors,” “If the Shoe Fits,” “The Andrews Brothers” and “Grease.” Parton has been accompanist for gospel performers The Speers, Gold City and Legacy Five, as well as working as a recording artist, composer and arranger. “There’s something very special about this show,” says Frey. “Many people feel as if they know Judy, or they have a perception of Judy; this emotionally broken woman being consumed with the booze and drugs. Judy was vulnerable, especially at a young age, but also had a capacity for survival that was just as strong as her vulnerabilities. Everything Judy did was a response to the way in which she was treated by others.” Matinee performances include a buffet lunch at noon with the show at 1 pm. Evening performances include a buffet dinner at 6:30 pm with the show at 7:30. Tickets range $20-$42 for show only or meal and show. Reservations are required. The Gaslight Dinner Theatre’s menu and meals are prepared by Jamie Protich, owner of The Front Porch in Dickson. For more information or tickets to “Judy! A Musical Tribute” in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre at The Renaissance Center campus of Freed-Hardeman University, call 615-740-5600 or visit gaslightdinnertheatre.org.

A Dickson County man will serve eight years in jail after his probation was revoked for failing two drug tests, including one during his last court appearance. During a hearing in Dickson County Circuit Court Tuesday, Judge David Wolfe revoked the probation of 45-year-old Donald Ray Hood Jr. after he tested positive for methamphetamine during a drug test by his probation officer and then tested positive again when he showed up in court on his violation charge. Hood was originally sentenced in 2013 to eight years for initiating the manufacture of meth with that sentence suspended to probation. Tennessee Department of Correction Probation Officer Brad Fanta testified Tuesday that Hood was charged with violating his probation after testing positive for meth and marijuana in December. After being released on bond and attending a 30-day treatment program, Hood appeared in court June 1 where Judge Larry Wallace said he would reinstate his probation if Hood passed a drug test. Fanta testified that Hood admitted in the bathroom that he had recently used and the preliminary test was positive for meth. Wallace revoked Hood’s bond and signed an amended violation of probation warrant for the second failed test. At Hood’s hearing on the violation charge Tuesday, defense attorney Olin Baker argued that a 30-day program is not sufficient to treat a meth addiction and asked Wolfe to reinstate Hood’s probation so he can seek treatment in a long-term program. Wolfe said he would not release Hood on probation without a confirmation that he has been accepted into a treatment facility and revoked his probation after finding him in violation. The judge said if a bed is secured for Hood at a treatment facility, he will grant a furlough to allow him to attend. If Hood successfully completes a program, Wolfe said he will consider restoring him to probation, but warned Hood that he better be able to pass a drug test the next time he appears in court.

Allen Johnson looks over voter registrations in his first meeting on the Dickson County Election Commission in 2013. Johnson succeeded Marie Fossie (right).

Allen Johnson has resigned from the Dickson County Election Commission. At Tuesday night’s meeting, Chairman Jack Garton confirmed that Johnson submitted a notice of his resignation to Administrator of Elections Roxanna Hagewood and state Rep. David Shepard of Dickson. Hagewood said Johnson did not give a reason in an email announcing his resignation. Johnson has served as a Democratic appointee to the five-member election commission since April 2013. He had announced at the commission’s Jan. 12 meeting that he intended to resign because he was planning an extended overseas trip to Southeast Asia and did not want to leave the five-member board short-handed during his absence. At that time, Johnson said the board’s April meeting would be his last. Johnson attended the commission’s March and April meetings, but was not present Tuesday as his resignation was effective immediately. A retired attorney, 72-year-old Johnson was appointed to the commission following the retirement of Marie Fossie in 2013 and was re-appointed to a second two-year term in 2015. Tennessee’s 95 county election commissions are appointed by the Tennessee Election Commission with three members from the party that holds the majority in the General Assembly. The state election board looks to the senior legislators from each party representing a county to make a recommendation for local commissions. As the only Democratic representative for Dickson County, Shepard will recommend a replacement to serve the 10 months remaining on Johnson’s term. All election commission terms expire in April 2017. Nancy Johnson is the other Democratic member of the Dickson County Election Commission since her appointment in 2015 and serves as secretary. Republican members are Chairman Jack Garton, Tammy Kilgore and Tim White. Garton was appointed in 2012, White in 2013 and Kilgore in 2014.

Jamey Earl Donegan

The Dickson man who tried to scam money from the parents of a homicide victim has been indicted on drug charges. 45-year-old Jamey Earl Donegan of Old Stage Road was indicted Monday on charges of initiating the manufacture of methamphetamine, promoting the manufacture of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell or deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. Donegan was arrested March 25 by Dickson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jason Thompson. The indictment charges he possessed the ingredients used to make meth and initiated the process intended to result in the manufacture of meth. It also charges he possessed more than .5 grams of meth for resale, which is a Class B felony, as well as needles, a spoon and a filter for the intent of using drugs. During a May 13 hearing in Dickson County Circuit Court, Judge Larry Wallace refused to reduce Donegan’s $50,000 bond. During that hearing, Donegan testified he has 31 previous criminal convictions and wanted to get out of jail to seek treatment for addiction. Among those convictions is an April 2015 guilty plea to attempted theft for trying to extort money from the father of a murder victim by claiming he knew the killer and staging a phone call with a co-conspirator posing as the murderer. Donegan served a six-month sentence for that plea but also was indicted for fabricating evidence for making the claim to the father of 27-year-old John Christopher Goldtrap, whose body was found along with 23-year-old Lisa Mackenzie Wade McDonald in a burning duplex on McFarland Lane April 14, 2015. Defense attorney Tim Potter argued in November that the fabricating evidence charge against Donegan for the same crime violates his Constitutional protection against double jeopardy and Tennessee’s Rules of Criminal Procedure. Donegan remains in the Dickson County Jail with his arraignment on the drug charges scheduled for July 11. 38-year-old Kenneth Ray Niles is awaiting trial for the murders of Goldtrap and McDonald.

Michael Baker will be a write-in candidate in the 1^st Constable District in the Aug. 4 election. Baker’s name was not included in a list of candidates filing to run write-in campaigns that was supplied to WDKN and The One FM. That prompted incorrect reports that there was no candidate in the 1^st Constable District and that it would be added to the Nov. 8 ballot for a special election. Dickson County Administrator of Elections Roxanna Hagewood confirmed at Tuesday night’s Dickson County Election Commission meeting that Baker did file the appropriate paperwork to have write-in votes for him counted in the Aug. 4 election. Baker picked up a petition to get on the ballot but did not turn it in by the April 7 deadline. Baker has been the constable for the 1^st Constable District since winning a write-in campaign with one vote in a 2014 special election after Jeff Eby resigned because he moved out of the district. The 1^st Constable District consists of the county’s 10^th and 12^th districts. Eby had defeated Baker in a write-in campaign for the position in August 2012 after nobody qualified for the ballot. Eby is now a candidate for the 3^rd Constable District along with F. Dale Selvidge and Danny Tucker. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the election commission approved the write-in candidacies of Baker, Tony Adams and Chance Allen. Adams and Allen qualified as write-in candidates in the 4^th Constable District, which is the county’s 8^th and 9^th districts. Incumbent Terry Bright did not seek re-election and nobody qualified to be on the Aug. 4 ballot. The election commission approved a list of variations of the spellings of each candidate’s name that will be accepted at the polls. Voters wishing to cast a write-in ballot in either race can do so using the dial to spell out the name on the electronic voting machines or can request a paper ballot to fill out by hand. Due to a miscommunication, WDKN and The One FM also incorrectly reported that the deadline to qualify as a write-in candidate for any race on the Aug. 4 ballot was June 1. Hagewood reported Tuesday that the deadline is actually noon today to complete paperwork to have any write-in votes counted. The Aug. 4 county general election ballot includes the races for assessor of property, all six constables, three school board members and three special elections for seats on the county commission. The ballot also will include the Republican and Democratic primaries for U.S. House of Representatives in the 5^th District and Tennessee House of Representatives in the 69^th or 78^th districts. The deadline to register to vote is July 5 and early voting will be July 15-30. For more information on upcoming elections, call the Dickson County Election Office at 615-671-1146.

Keianthony Mignon Garrett

The man charged with killing a Dickson woman was bound over to the Dickson County Grand Jury on a charge of criminal homicide and denied another bond reduction. 21-year-old Keianthony Mignon Garrett was arrested May 19 for the death of 51-year-old Cynthia Darlene Green, whose body was discovered March 8 in her duplex in the 800 block of East Railroad Street near the Dickson County Fairgrounds. A statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announcing Garrett’s arrest said he has a White Bluff address, but during a hearing in Dickson County Circuit Court Tuesday on a motion to reduce bond, Garrett said he was living in Evans Heights prior to his arrest. Investigators have not released any information on when or how they believe Green died or what the nature of the relationship between Garrett and the victim was. Assistant District Attorney Billy Miller said Tuesday he expects Garrett will be indicted for first- or second-degree murder when the case is presented to the grand jury. Judge Craig Monsue bound Garrett’s case over to the grand jury following a preliminary hearing in Dickson County General Sessions Court Friday. The grand jury was in session Monday and Tuesday but Garrett’s case was not expected to be ready to be presented. At his preliminary hearing Friday, Monsue reduced Garrett’s bond from $3 million to $1 million. Defense attorney Olin Baker asked Judge David Wolfe to reduce Garrett’s bond again Tuesday, suggesting that $350,000 would be more “reasonable.” Baker cited the $350,000 bonds given the two defendants in the 1998 murder of Eric Baxter and the $1 million bonds given three defendants in the recent double homicide in Charlotte, saying Garrett’s bond should fall somewhere between those cases. On the witness stand Tuesday, Garrett testified he has been diagnosed and treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar, depression and anxiety, but has not taken any medication for a year. Garrett admitted that he has convictions for domestic assault, shoplifting, possession of drug paraphernalia and multiple violations of probation and bond restrictions as well as failure to appear in court. “You don’t have a real good record of complying with court orders,” Miller said, noting that Garrett has committed a violation every time he has been placed on probation, usually for failing to report to his probation officer. While Baker argued that the criminal homicide charge against Garrett is not a capital crime and he is entitled to reasonable bond, Miller countered that the case has not gone before a grand jury, which could indict him on a more serious charge. Miller pointed to Garrett’s extensive criminal history and repeated violations as evidence that he has an “unwillingness to comply with court orders.” Wolfe noted that Garrett has never successfully completed a probation term and said it is “premature” to determine the nature of the charge before the grand jury acts on the case. He said Garrett’s bond already has been reduced once and denied the motion to reduce it from $1 million, but said the defense is free to apply for a reduction again after the case is presented to the grand jury. When he was arrested on the criminal homicide charge, Garrett was already in jail for aggravated assault and probation violation charges

JeQuan Lewis (1) drives around an Oklahoma Sooner in VCU’s NCAA Tournament loss. (photo courtesy VCU)

An online sports network has listed former Dickson County Cougar JeQuan Lewis as one of the nation’s top 25 seniors in the upcoming college basketball season. Bleacher Report places the Virginia Commonwealth University point guard at number 23 in a recent article on its website. While the article says Lewis was not consistent in his first full year as a starter for the Rams, it points to his performance in the last three games of the season as a reason for high expectations in 2016-17. Through the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship game and VCU’s two games in the NCAA Tournament, Lewis averaged 20.7 points and 8 assists per game. The Rams lost the A10 title game 87-74 to St. Joseph’s, then picked up their first NCAA Tournament win in four years by beating Oregon State 75-67 before ending the season with an 85-81 loss to Oklahoma. Lewis scored 19 points in the conference championship, 21 against the Beavers and 22 versus Oklahoma. The Bleacher Report story also cites a critical conference game against St. Bonaventure where Lewis scored 26 points on 15 shots with 7 assists and no turnovers. But it points out the former Cougar had 6 or fewer points in 12 of VCU’s 34 games last season. Lewis finished with 11.3 points, 5.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in 2015-16 while shooting a team-high 41.5 percent in three-pointers. Lewis is one of three A10 seniors on the list along with Charles Cooke of Dayton at 20 and Jack Gibbs of Davidson at six. Josh Hart with defending national champion Villanova is number one on the list of top seniors. View the entire list at bleacherreport.com. After being mentioned as a candidate for several job openings including Vanderbilt, Nashville native Will Wade signed a contract extension through 2024 heading into his second season with the Rams.

Expecting and new parents will find a wealth of helpful information and more at the Happy Birthday Baby Shower Saturday at Horizon Medical Center. The free event is 1-3 pm in the West Pavilion Lobby, which is formerly the waiting area next to the hospital’s original entrance. More than 300 people attended last year’s event providing information, education and resources for expecting parents and parents of babies up to one year old. The event also welcomes grandparents and others who will be caregivers for the children. Sponsored by TriStar Horizon Medical Center, UT Extension-Dickson County, the Tennessee Department of Health and CareNet, the Happy Birthday Baby Shower features a variety of vendors offering resources, information and services for parents and babies. Vendors range from UT Extension with information on the Safe Sleep initiative and lead poisoning prevention to the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office demonstrating proper use of car seats. There will be nutrition information, resources on services for mothers and children, medical information on immunizations and breast-feeding and tours of Horizon’s Labor and Delivery unit. Participants who complete a tour of all the vendor booths designated on a card will receive a free “Mommy Bag” full of goodies. There will be several prizes given away, including a drawing for a crib for everyone who tours the labor and delivery unit and much more. The Dickson County Family and Community Education Clubs and Horizon will provide refreshments. The event is come-and-go and participants do not have to be present to win a prize. For more information on Saturday’s free Happy Birthday Baby Shower, call UT Extension at 615-446-2788.

The Jeffersons: Lisa Brokop and Paul Jefferson

Twin Kennedy: Carli and Julie Kennedy

Route 40

Tonight’s installment of the Bluff House Concert series will have a definite Canadian presence. Sister duo Twin Kennedy from British Columbia is the opening act and Vancouver-born Lisa Brokop joins husband Paul Jefferson in the featured act, The Jeffersons. Route 40 returns as special guests with hosts Templeton Thompson and Sam Gay for the show in the Hazel C. Bibb Auditorium at the Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center. Tickets are $15 with music starting at 6:30 pm. The non-profit agency being featured at Thursday’s show is Rally for the Rescues, a horse rescue organization that is hosting its Trainers Challenge this weekend in Shelbyville. Brokop has released seven solo albums and charted more than 20 singles in a 20-year career that included stops at Capitol, Columbia and Curb Records. “Give Me a Ring Sometime” and “Take That” have been her highest charting songs in the U.S. while she has hit top 10 in Canada. Born in the San Francisco area, Jefferson went to California-Berkeley on a tennis scholarship but a table saw accident ended that career. After hearing his first Willie Nelson album, Jefferson was hooked and became immersed in country music when he played Hank Williams Sr. in an area production of “Lonesome Highway.” Signed to Almo Sounds, a label under Herb Alpert’s A&M Records, he had hits with “Check Please” and “Fear of a Broken Heart,” while also working as a songwriter, including penning Aaron Tippin’s “That’s as Close as I’ll Get to Loving You.” Married with daughter Ivy, Brokop and Jefferson recorded their first album together with 2011’s “The Jeffersons, Vol. 1.” While touring and recording together, they continue to work on solo projects, including Brokop’s “The Patsy Cline Project,” featuring classic Cline hits and original songs written for the effort. Tonight’s opening act is Twin Kennedy, which is sisters Carli and Julie Kennedy from Powell River, British Columbia. The sisters began performing at an early age in the family band and developed their fusion of country, folk, jazz and classical music. Carli on vocals and guitar and Julie on vocals and violin earned music performance degrees from the University of Victoria and have released two EPs and their debut album “It’s a Love Thing” in Canada. They tour extensively and have performed in venues from Vancouver to Florida to Sweden. Roots and bluegrass band Route 40 returns as a special guest to kick off the show at 6:30. Husband and wife hosts Thompson and Gay have written songs recorded by Reba McEntire, Jo Dee Messina, Little Texas, Bryan White, Montgomery Gentry and others. The Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center is at 1054 Old Charlotte Road in White Bluff. For more information, visit bluffhouseconcerts.com.

The Dickson County Election Commission is considering not offering early voting in White Bluff prior to the Nov. 8 election while looking at a more central site for its Dickson satellite location. Commission members said at Tuesday night’s meeting that offering an early voting satellite location in White Bluff is “not cost-effective.” The commission already decided to offer early voting only in Charlotte and Dickson before the Aug. 4 election. Chairman Jack Garton said he is not in favor of operating a satellite location in White Bluff in addition to Charlotte and Dickson for the November election. But Garton said he would support relocating the Dickson satellite location from Restoration Church to a more “centrally located” site such as the Tennsco Community Center or Dickson First Baptist Church. The election commission offered early voting at White Bluff Town Hall prior to the August and November elections in 2014 and the White Bluff Town Council passed a resolution asking that the early voting satellite be made permanent. But election officials said a third early voting location did not increase voter turnout and did not prove to be cost-effective. “I don’t mind making early voting more convenient but right now I can’t support it financially,” Garton said of a third location in White Bluff. Garton asked Administrator of Elections Roxanna Hagewood to contact First Baptist Church and Dickson Parks and Recreation officials about the feasibility of using one of them for an early voting location this fall. Hagewood said Restoration Church has been very supportive as the early voting location but the problem there is voters having to battle school traffic. “I have no problem going back to Restoration. They’ve been very good to us,” Garton said. While Hagewood and commissioners agreed that a greater turnout is likely with the President being elected in November, Garton said he would prefer to add an extra day a week at a more centrally located Dickson satellite rather than staffing a third location. Hagewood said First Baptist Church might have an issue with candidates placing signs on church property. Candidates are allowed to place signs and campaign up to100 feet from the entrance to a polling location. Garton said the commission will discuss early voting locations and schedules more at its July 12 meeting. Early voting before the Aug. 4 election will be July 15-30 8 am-4 pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 am-8 pm Thursdays and 9 am-12 pm Saturdays at the election office in Charlotte and 8 am-4 pm Wednesdays and Fridays and 10 am-8 pm Thursdays at Restoration Church in Dickson. Early voting before the Nov. 8 election will be Oct. 19-Nov. 3 with a schedule to be determined. Early voting is required at the election office during the 15-day period but satellite locations are at the discretion of the election commission. The deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 4 election is July 5.

Jamey Earl Donegan

A judge has ruled that a man who pleaded guilty to trying to extort money from the family of a murder victim can be charged with fabricating evidence for false statements he made to police. Dickson County Circuit Court Judge Suzanne Lockert-Mash denied a motion to dismiss the indictment against 45-year-old Jamey Earl Donegan of Dickson, saying the foundation for the two different charges is based on separate actions that constitute different criminal episodes. Donegan pleaded guilty in Dickson County General Sessions Court April 24, 2015, to a reduced charge of attempted theft for telling the father of 27-year-old John Christopher Goldtrap that he knew who killed his son and his girlfriend and soliciting money to kill the killer. After being arrested for solicitation to commit first-degree murder, Donegan pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor attempted theft charge and served a six-month sentence. In May 2015, Donegan and Joshua Michael Pickering were indicted for fabricating evidence. Defense attorney Tim Potter argued during a November hearing that the indictment against Donegan should be dismissed because it was a violation of his Constitutional protection against double jeopardy and a violation of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure that require all charges from the same criminal episode be presented jointly. But District Attorney Ray Crouch Jr. argued that Donegan was charged with attempted theft for trying to extort money from the victim’s father and fabricating evidence for making a false statement to investigators. According to the ruling, on the same day that Donegan was arrested for the extortion attempt, he “gave law enforcement information about Kenneth Niles who was allegedly involved in the homicide.” The ruling says Donegan claimed Niles and his wife, Bobbie Ann, requested him to provide them with an alibi for the night of the shootings that killed Goldtrap and 23-year-old Lisa Mackenzie Wade McDonald. Law enforcement officers had Donegan place a monitored call to Bobbie Ann Niles during which “she did not implicate herself nor her husband in the homicide nor agree with the defendant’s assertions.” The prosecution asserts it is Donegan’s claim to investigators that is the basis of the fabricating evidence charge, not his claim to the father that he knew who the killer is. “The court finds that these two cases contain different issues of fact and that no issue of fact concerning the case before this court has been previously decided,” Lockert-Mash writes. The judge also ruled that the defendant’s claim to the victim’s father and his claim to police are not the same criminal episode requiring the same proof and therefore do not have to be presented jointly. The ruling means the fabrication of evidence charge against Donegan will be placed back on the docket and prosecution will resume. Donegan is back in the Dickson County Jail under $50,000 bond after being arrested and indicted on new drug charges with an arraignment set for July 11. In November, 31-year-old Pickering pleaded guilty to fabricating evidence for pretending to be the killer in a phone call with Goldtrap’s father and was sentenced to three years in jail and a $1,000 fine. He remains in the Dickson County Jail. In May 2015, 38-year-old Niles was charged with the murders of Goldtrap and McDonald and setting fire to a Dickson duplex to cover it up. He is being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail with a trial date to be set.

Today on the Power Lunch you can hear the complete discussion from last week’s Dickson County School Board work session on its policies on Care of School Property and Disciplinary Procedures as it relates to last month’s “senior prank” or “vandalism” event at Dickson County High School. Despite the fact that nobody attended to listen to the announced discussion, the matter continues to be the focus of public attention and debate. WDKN and 101.5 The One FM will broadcast the discussion among school board members and Director of Schools Dr. Danny Weeks on Friday’s Power Lunch at 11:30 am. The program also streams at wdkn.com, 1015theone.com and over The One FM app.

The Goodwill Career Solutions Center in Dickson will host job fairs nest week for three employers seeking to fill positions immediately. The center will host a job fair 10 am-2 pm Tuesday for Heavenly Care and Diversified Maintenance. Nashville-based Heavenly Care is seeking 10 direct support, caregiver, personal attendants in the Dickson area. The company provides services for persons of all ages with disabilities. The pay starts at $8.50 an hour depending on experience. For more information, visit heavenlycaretn.org. Diversified Maintenance LLC is seeking 40 general cleaners and floor techs for positions in Franklin. The national company provides janitorial services for industrial, commercial, educational, government and healthcare facilities with pay starting at $9 an hour. For more information, visit diversifiedm.com. There will be a job fair 10 am-1 pm Friday, June 24, for Senior Solutions Homecare. The Brentwood-based office is seeking to fill caregiver positions in the Dickson area to provide personal care and companion services to help senior citizens be able to remain in their own homes. For more information, visit seniorsolutionshomecare.com. The Career Solutions Center is at 543 Highway 46 South, next door to the Goodwill store. Those interested in participating should bring a resume, photo identification and Social Security card or birth certificate. For more information on next week’s job fairs and other free services, call 615-740-1217 or visit goodwillcareersolutions.org.

The campus of Dickson County High School will be closed next month while a helicopter is used to install heating and cooling units on the roof. Director of Schools Dr. Danny Weeks announced Thursday that the contractor for the comprehensive HVAC replacement project at the school plans to begin the installation of units on the roof July 15. “This install will be performed with the use of a helicopter and campus will be closed for safety,” Weeks says in an email. Weeks says he is waiting for an estimate on how long the installation will require campus to be closed and will announce when staff will be allowed back in the building.

The Dickson County Commission’s Budget and Budget Advisory committees will review the proposed school system budget prior to Monday night’s commission meeting. The $65.3 million general purpose school budget approved by the school board was presented to the committees two weeks ago and Mayor Bob Rial asked members to take time to review the proposal before it comes back up for discussion at next week’s meeting. The budget shows a projected increase in expenses of $2 million and proposes using $2.5 million from the system’s reserves to balance. It does not include any money for the purchase of property for or construction of a new school other than money for architectural and project management services. Rial said the public hearing and commission vote on the overall county budgets planned for Monday night will be postponed to next month. The Budget and Budget Advisory committees meet at 6:30 pm Monday. The agenda for Monday night’s regular commission meeting includes resolutions to begin providing funds from a victim assistance fee assessed on court cases to the Court Appointed Special Advocate Association of Dickson County to assist children who are in the juvenile justice system due to abuse or neglect. There also will be a resolution further defining how the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce uses the county’s $195,000 annual funding, which comes from the hotel/motel tax. The commission will consider revisions to its purchasing policy and asset management policy that were recommended by state auditors. Appointments scheduled to be approved are Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. to another term on the 911 Board, Wilson Overton, Mike Walters and Kenny Crow to the Audit Committee and former commissioners Robert Wetterau and Kelly Weatherspoon along with Wayne Durham to vacancies on the Dickson County Planning Commission. The commission also is expected to vote to continue the current budget since the new budget is not scheduled to be approved until after the end of the current fiscal year. The county commission meets at 7 pm Monday in the Courthouse Annex in Charlotte. A public hearing and special session of the commission are expected to be scheduled for July 5 for the 2016-17 budgets.