On Monday, July 18, a 33-year-old Sparta man was sentenced in DeKalb Criminal Court for the serious injury he inflicted on a 4-year-old child. Charles David Woody pled guilty in the case and and was sentenced to 15 years to serve in the Tennessee Department of Correction. He was given jail credit from June 22, 2020 to July 18, 2022.
In June 2020, a sealed indictment was returned for the arrest of Woody, for aggravated child abuse, alleging that on May 9, 2020, Woody intentionally inflicted serious bodily injury upon a four year-old child causing a bone fracture.
The man accused of breaking into a local body shop and stealing between $56,000 and $58,000 worth of items, including a vehicle, was sentenced last week in Criminal Court. Authorities say that 23-year-old Joseph Morgan of Sycamore Creek Road, Woodbury, was sentenced to six years all suspended to supervised probation to run concurrently with a Cannon County TDOC. He was given jail credit for 287 days served, and is ordered to make restitution to the victims in the amounts of $300 and $14,584.
According to Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins, the burglary occurred between the hours of 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 2, and 12:50 a.m. Sunday morning at Custom Collision Center in Smithville. Authorities say Morgan entered the building, loaded up a bunch of tools into a customer’s vehicle inside the business, and then made off with the car and stolen goods. Police believe the man had planned to steal more items, but was interrupted.
While the burglary was in progress, a Smithville Police sergeant who was patrolling the area, saw what was going on and a pursuit ensued. The suspect and the vehicle were lost on the north side of the city limits, but the car, a 2022 Kia Soul, was later recovered off of Holmes Creek Road, near the area known as Redneck Beach.
It was found that surveillance systems at the collision center had been stolen during the burglary, but cameras at the County Complex, bank video, and even school surveillance from Smithville Elementary School was used to crack the case. “We looked through several hours of video and finally came up with a suspect,” Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins explained.
Others making pleas in criminal court include:
William Richard Denton, 31, pled guilty to sale and delivery of a schedule II drug, amphetamine. He was sentenced to four years suspended to supervised probation, and was fined $2,000. He was given 15 days jail credit.
Harley Paige Johnson, 23, pled guilty to sale of a schedule II drug, amphetamine, and received a sentence of four years suspended to judicial diversion, with a fine of $2,000.
Edward Lee Judkins, Jr., 37, pled to theft over $2,500 and received an effective eight-year sentence as a range II offender, suspended to supervised probation. He will receive jail credit from June 21, 2020 to May 10, 2022, and he must make a $3,000 restitution to the victim.
Authorities say Judkins stole three vehicles, driving backwards in one of them to escape police.
On June 9, 2020, Judkins entered and stole a 1998 Nissan Frontier Truck. It was valued at $1,000. On June 16, 2020, he entered and stole a 2006 GMC valued at $4,500.
Deputies responded on July 10, 2020, to a home on Old Blue Springs Road in reference to a possible stolen vehicle, a brown two-tone truck. They made contact with Judkins when arriving who was in possession of the truck. Judkins had damaged the steering column in order to get to the ignition of the truck.
He jumped in the truck and slammed it into reverse in an effort to get away from the deputies. He continued in reverse hitting a maroon pickup at the residence and driving down a hedgerow of the property next door. When the truck stalled, Judkins jumped from the truck and ran. Later in the day he returned to this same residence. When deputies arrived, he was found trying to evade arrest by escaping through a front window of the residence, but he was apprehended.
Aubrey Kilgore, 57, pled guilty to fourth offense of driving under the influence and received a one-year sentence on supervised probation. He was given 150 days jail credit and was fined $3,000, He will also lose his driver’s license as per Tennessee Department of Safety regulations.
Michael Andrew Snyders, Jr., 37, of Smithville, pled guilty to aggravated burglary and was sentenced of four years all suspended to supervised probation with condition that he complete a long-term program at Restoration Ranch. All other cases against him are to be dismissed. He was given jail credit of 54 days and must make $1,234 restitution.
On July 23, 2020, Snyders broke through a front door at a residence on Page Drive and vandalized the inside of the residence. He ripped up flooring, duct work and wiring in the home. A video recorded the break-in. The damaged totaled $1,650.
