Joseph Messercola, 56, of Liberty was arrested Oct. 2 and charged with assault and vandalism. On Oct. 1 Messercola allegedly used a hammer to try to hit someone but missed. He then used the hammer to bust out the windows of the person’s vehicle doing $1,000 worth of damage. His bond was set at $10,000.

Sex offender Robert Morris Turner, 61, was arrested for violation of the sex offender law on Oct. 2. His bond was set at $5,000. The charges stem from July 1, 2012 when Morris failed to report to the sheriff’s office on June 1, 2012 as directed. Having absconded the charge in DeKalb County, Turner was arrested in another location and jailed. After being released the sheriff’s department charged him with the local charged.

Amanda Kay Hamilton, 51, of Smithville was arrested and charged with driving under the influence second offense after she ran her vehicle off the road. While being booked into the jail, she acquired another charge of having contraband in a penal institution.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said when a deputy responded to a wreck where Hamilton turned out to be the driver, she was unsteady on her feet and talking very fast. She refused complied consent, and a warrant was obtained for a blood test. During the booking process a correctional officer noticed Hamilton chewing on something, and told her to spit it out. She was chewing on a small brown pill.

Mark Anthony Mason, Jr., 47, of Smithville was arrested for DUI on Oct. 4, 2019 when a deputy and a Smithville Police officer responded to a reckless driver call. Mason smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet. He was given a field sobriety task where he performed poorly. He admitted to having drank Vodka while driving. His open bottle of Vodka was inside the car.

A headlight out on a vehicle resulted in a DUI for Richard Williams Horst of Alexandria. Horst, 27, was driving on Brush Creek Road when a deputy stopped his vehicle for a headlight not working. The deputy found him reak of alcohol, have slurred speech and be undsteady on his feet. The field sobriety task was done unsatisfactorily. He was arrested, and his bond was set at $2,500.