The DeKalb Sheriff’s Department made many arrests over the last week, including two men charged in a brutal attack inside the DeKalb Jail.
Sheriff Patrick Ray told the Smithville Review that on October 26, 24-year-old Gabriel James Hesson of Oak Drive, Smithville, and 22-year-old Christopher Edward Spoon Jr. of Sparta Highway, Smithville, were arrested for aggravated assault. Each man is due in court on November 9 and are under a $15,000 bond.
Sheriff’s officials allege that on October 20, 2023, Hesson and Spoon knowingly and intentionally caused serious bodily injury to a male inmate at the DeKalb County Jail. Authorities allege that Hesson struck the inmate in the face multiple times with a closed fist. Spoon was observed striking the inmate multiple times while he was on the ground.
All three men were incarcerated in the jail at the time of that assault, and the fight was observed by a camera, while officers responded to the annex cell to stop the incident. According to the video footage, Hesson was observed striking the inmate first and continued striking him multiple time, causing broken bones, abrasions, and swelling on his face.
On October 17, 18-year-old Jackson Riley Arnold of Dale Ridge Road, Dowelltown was arrested for aggravated assault. He is under a $1,000 bond and set to be in court on November 2.
Sheriff Ray said that a deputy was dispatched to a location in reference to a call reporting a domestic assault. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the victim and the caller, who advised that his son, Arnold, struck him with a bat in the left hand.
Authorities say there were no apparent injuries and no visible evidence of harm to the victim, but that Arnold did admit to striking his father. He was then placed in custody and transported to the jail.
On October 22, 22-year-old Alexis Renee Harville of Austin Lake Road, Baxter, was charged with domestic assault after a deputy was dispatched to Austin Lake Road on a report of a physical domestic.
The deputy made contact with a male subject who advised that his girlfriend, Harville, assaulted him by striking him on the back and face as he was trying to leave the residence in his truck. Authorities say that victim did have a handprint on his back and a scratch below his left eye.
On October 23, 37-year-old Jennifer Dawn Johnson of Old Highway 53, Liberty, was charged with domestic assault. She is under a $2,500 bond and is due in court on November 9.
A deputy responded to Springside Lane on a report of a physical domestic assault. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with a male subject and Johnson. The male reportedly had a bloody nose and a scratch on his ear. The man advised that Johnson had forced her way into a room with a board, at which point he was struck in the face by Johnson.
On October 18, 40-year-old Krista Shanae Hodges of Sandstone Court, McMinnville, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, fabricating or tampering with evidence, and methamphetamine manufacture deliver sell or possess. She is under a $10,000 total bond and she is set for a November 9, court date.
Detectives conducted a traffic stop on a black Chrysler 300 at Briarwood Subdivision for an obstructed registration plate. Detectives found Hodges as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.
After speaking with Hodges, authorities say she voluntarily gave consent to search her vehicle. The search revealed three baggies of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamines weighing .51 grams, 1.23 grams, and .81 grams. One additional baggy with residue was found, along with a glass pipe with residue, and a black digital scale.
Hodges faces other charges for another incident. On September 18, a detective obtained a search warrant for two phones and a residence, resulting in a person being charged for drugs and felony weapons. While looking through evidence, on a Samsung Galaxy A03S, the phone shut down and performed a factory reset. All information on the phone was lost.
On September 19, an inmate at the DeKalb County Jail, had a recorded video visit with Hodges. On the video, sheriff’s officials say Hodges admitted remotely resetting the phone in question. According to Sheriff Ray, the male inmate acknowledges this and says, “Okay, there wasn’t much on it anyway.”
The deletion of the evidence hinders the investigative process and eliminated the possibility of possibly recovering vital information normally recovered from suspected drug dealers’ cell phones.
On October 27, 25-year-old Dimitri Bless of Blueberry Lane, Liberty, was arrested for DUI, first offense. He is under a $1,500 bond and will be in court on November 9.
A deputy responded to Nashville Highway on a report of a reckless driver who was driving into oncoming traffic. The deputy made contact with a Ford Explorer, parked in the slow lane on Nashville Highway, near Short Street. The vehicle had extensive damage from hitting a curb and a mailbox.
After making contact with Bless, the deputy reported that the man had constricted pupils, and was unsteady on his feet. He agreed to, but performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tasks.
