To say the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has been busy over the past couple of weeks would be an understatement. With several arrests for drugs and DUI charges, plus added Grand Jury sealed indictments, deputies have been burning up the roads.

On November 18, 21-year-old Roman Teague White of High Street, Alexandria, was arrested for public intoxication, and possession of a handgun under the influence. He is under a $4,000 bond and is due in court on December 12. 

According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, a deputy was dispatcher to Public Square in Alexandria for a report of a suspicious person sitting outside of the bank. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with White, who reportedly had a half empty bottle of whiskey sitting beside him. Authorities say that White had a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person and had slurred speech. He allegedly admitted to consuming alcohol earlier in the day.

White also admitted to having a firearm in his pocket. Recovered from his pocket was a Taurus GX4XL 9mm with eight rounds in the magazine.

That same day, 36-year-old Korey Lee Beckwith, who is reported as homeless in Liberty, was arrested for methamphetamine manufacture deliver sell or possess. He is under a $5,000 bond and he is due in court on December 15.

Sheriff Ray said that a deputy was traveling north on McMinnville Highway when he noticed a gray Ford Focus with the driver’s side taillight out. During a traffic stop, the deputy made contact with the driver, Beckwith, who advised he was unaware of the vehicle having a light out.

While speaking with a passenger, she gave consent to search the passenger side of the car, where a red pack of L&D cigarettes were found, with a glass tube with residue located inside the pack. A continued search of the vehicle produced a brown glass tube, containing a clear tube inside with residue, located between the driver and passenger seat.

Beckwith allegedly admitted that both glass tubes were his, and that he had a container with meth inside, located on the driver’s floorboard. Deputies located a silver container with a partial yellow top. Inside, was a clear baggy with 1.9 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be meth.

Gordon Ray Rackley, 57, of Smithville, turned himself in and was charged under a sealed indictment for home improvement provider deviate planned specifications, between $10,000 and $60,000, from a case that allegedly occurred on April 3, 2024. He is under a $30,000 bond and is due in court on December 9.

On November 20, 47-year-old Barry Lee Ohl of E. H. Hass Road, Dowelltown, was arrested on two sealed indictments for two counts each of meth manufacture deliver sell or possess with intent. The cases allegedly occurred on May 19, 2023, and May 31, 2023. He is under a $140,000 bond and he is due in court on December 9.

On November 21, 48-year-old Ernest Willard Dodd Sr. of Morgan Drive, Smithville, was arrested on a sealed indictment for two counts of meth manufacture deliver sell or possess with intent, and two counts of manufacture deliver sell or possess of schedule V drugs for a case on March 15, 2024. He is under a $75,000 bond and is due in court on December 9.

On November 22, 42-year-old Matthew Allen Baker of Pine Orchard Road, Smithville, was arrested on a sealed indictment for two counts of meth manufacture deliver sell or possess with intent for a case on February 26, 2024. He is under a $70,000 bond and will appear in court on December 9.

On November 23, 46-year-old Hector Flores of Big Woods Road, Smithville, was arrested for DUI. He is under a $2,500 bond and will appear in court on December 12.

A deputy was traveling south on Banks Pisgah Road, when he observed a silver Nissan Altima leave its lane of travel multiple times. The car was also reportedly traveling with a blinker on.

After a traffic stop, the deputy made contact with the driver, Flores, who reportedly had a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person and slurred speech. Flores was also unsteady on his feet and had red, watery eyes.

That same day, 32-year-old James Silas Ray of Old Bonaire Road, Sparta, was arrested for DUI. He is under a $2,500 bond and is due in court on December 12.

A deputy was traveling west on West Broad Street in Smithville, when he observed a white Ford Focus sitting in the middle of an intersection with the driver passed out behind the wheel. The deputy woke the driver, Ray, who advised that he was exhausted and was driving home from a concert in Rutherford County.

Authorities say that Ray had red watery eyes and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person. He performed DUI sobriety tasks, but during part of the test he advised he no longer wanted to participate. He allegedly advised he had consumed alcoholic beverages prior to driving but did not know how many. He was then placed in custody.

Also on November 23, 54-year-old James Madison Currie of Andrews Street, Smithville, was arrested for filing a false report. He is under a $1,500 bond and will appear in court on December 5.

According to Sheriff Ray, a deputy responded to a motel on East Broad Street, after receiving information that a wanted person, Randi Dossett, was at that address.

The deputy made contact with Currie, who advised that he was the only on inside the motel room. Upon a search, Dossett was located hiding in the shower of the motel room. Currie knowingly and intentionally provided false information to law enforcement officers.

Randi Renne Dossett, 37, of Coles Ferry Pike, Lebanon, was taken into custody at the scene, charged with multiple charges on a sealed indictment. She is under a $75,000 bond and due in court on December 9. She is charged with two counts of meth manufacture deliver sell or possess with intent and two counts of schedule V drugs manufacture deliver sell or possess with intent for a case on March 15, 2024.

Also that day, 24-year-old Hunter Ray Murphy of Green Hill Road, Smithville, was arrested for evading arrest. He is under a $5,000 bond and he will appear in court on December 12.

On October 21, 2024, a deputy went to Keltonburg Road to serve a warrant on Murphy for the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. Upon pulling up to the residence and exiting his patrol car, the deputy spotted Murphy walking behind a tent. The deputy ordered Murphy to stop, but the man reportedly refused and started running. The deputy searched the area multiple times but was unable to locate Murphy at the time. Murphy was later arrested at the residence on November 23.

Also arrested at the scene was 26-year-old Kelsey Elizabeth Steinbach of Keltonburg Road, Smithville. She was charged with filing a false report. She is under a $2,500 bond and is due in court on December 12.

Steinbach was asked if Murphy was inside the residence, and reportedly advised “no.” After getting consent to search the home, Kelsey retrieved her child from a front bedroom. The search revealed Murphy hiding under the bed in that bedroom.

On November 24, 33-year-old Derek Dall Padgett of Padgett Lane, Monterey, TN, was arrested for DUI. He is under a $2,500 bond and is due in court on December 12.

A deputy was patrolling East Broad Street in Smithville when he noticed a sliver F-150 sitting in the middle of the road at the intersection with Smith Road. After driving up to the vehicle, the driver pulled away and drove up on the curb multiple times.

After a traffic stop, the deputy made contact with Padgett, who had a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person. His speech was slurred, had red watery eyes, and was unsteady on his feet. He allegedly admitted to drinking five beers before driving.

Also that day, 46-year-old Corey Glenn Dunham of Good Morning Drive, Nashville, was arrested for public intoxication. He is under a $2,500 bond and will be in court on December 12.

A deputy was patrolling Sparta Highway when he made contact with Dunham, who was wearing all black and walking in the road. Authorities say the man had a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person and he allegedly stated that he had drank three alcoholic beverages at the Gentlemen’s Club. For his safety he was placed in custody.

Also on November 24, 30-year-old Ronald Glen Ragan of Cobb Lane, Woodbury, was arrested for simple possession of a schedule VI drug marijuana, meth manufacture deliver sell or possess, child abuse or neglect, two counts of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine & heroin) with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His total bond is $106,000 and he will be in court on December 12.

A deputy conducted a traffic stop on a black Chevy Impala and made contact with multiple occupants, one being Ragan. After a search of the vehicle, a rolled cigarette was found with a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana that weighed .85 grams. Multiple baggies were also found with a crystal-like substance believed to be meth weighing 3.6 grams, 3.44 grams, 30.83 grams, 30 grams, 29.5 grams, and 15.18 grams, with a total weight of 112.62 grams.

Also found were three scales and multiple baggies, and a clear baggy with a substance believed to be heroin was discovered with a weight of 0.70 grams, and a pink baggie with a white powder-like substance weighing 17.27 grams suspected of being heroin. The combined total weight was 21.48 grams. Ragan reportedly admitted the items were his.

Near where the narcotics were found, authorities say was a one-year-old child. Officials say that with the narcotics being near the child, it was placed in danger of serious bodily injury.

Also arrested at the scene were 42-year-old Amy Christine Ferrell of Scott Acres Road, and 43-year-old Jennifer Lynn Burgess of Jacobs Pillar Road.  

Ferrell is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, altering, falsifying or foregoing an auto title. driving on a suspended license, possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver, and child abuse or neglect. Her bond totals $35,500.

Found in Ferrell’s purse was a glass pipe with a crystal-like residue. Also found were a scale and a round black dish both with a crystal-like substance on them. A black spoon with a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine with a weight of 0.22 grams was located near her along with baggies and a scale. A background check of her license through central dispatch showed it suspended for failure to pay insurance. The vehicle’s tag had an altered month/date sticker placed on it to make it appear in date. It was her one-year-old child located in the back seat.

Burgess is charged with possession of methamphetamine with four counts of intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia, and child abuse or neglect. Her bond totals $85,000.

Sheriff Ray said that during the search of Ferrell’s car a clear container with a crystal-like substance was found believed to be methamphetamine with a total weight of 5.41 grams along with a clear container with five orange pills believed to be Buprenorphine, a red scale with residue located between the middle console and the back seat, a clear container with two oval white pills believed to be Hydrocodone, and a clear container with 10 round white pills thought to be Carisoprodol.