This is the second of a two-part story on the top news of 2013. This week we cover the last half of the year, from July-December.
Jeep collides with pool
A local man was airlifted in
July after the Jeep Cherokee he was driving plowed through a fence and swimming-pool deck in July. According to the Smithville Police Department, Danny Rigsby, 66, was traveling west on Miller Road when the Jeep left the street, struck a utility-pole guide wire, and ran through a chain-link fence, deck and wooden fence around a pool behind a home. Rigsby was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Man charged with statutory rape
According to city police, officers discovered a man having sex with an underage girl while patrolling during the Jamboree in July.
According to Lieutenant Matt Holmes of the Smithville Police Department, 24-year-old Bryan Cunningham was charged with with statutory rape after police found him having sex with a 15-year-old girl on a dirt road at the bottom of Town Hill on Holmes Creek Road.
Cunningham, was indicted by the DeKalb County Grand Jury for the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl in December.
Jamboree lovers brave rain
John Boulware of Kimball took the Grand Champion Fiddler trophy and won the Berry C. Williams Memorial Award at the 42nd annual Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree and Crafts Festival in July.
Persistent rain did little to dampen the spirits of dedicated Jamboree fans.
The Williams Award was decided Saturday night  around 10:30 p.m., after the Grand Finale Fiddle-Off between Boulware, the best Junior Fiddler, and Senior Fiddle winner Billy Brewer of Lyles, Tenn.
Meanwhile, Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro, Tenn., took the award for best fiddler in the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners for the second year in a row.
Phillips was awarded the Grand Champion fiddler crown on Saturday, and also won the coveted James G. "Bobo" Driver Memorial Award, named for the man who started the youth competition during the 1980s.
Phillips also garnered the Entertainer of the Year Award, which is bestowed upon the best overall instrumental entertainer entered in the dobro, mandolin, five-string banjo, and flat-top guitar competition.
Brenda Bieberdorf of Brenda's Fused Glass in Dallas, Georgia, took the Best of Show award for her fused art glass and flattened bottle clocks.
David Sharp of David Sharp Woodcarving Studio in Smithville was awarded the Best Appalachian Craft Award for his hand-carved creations.
Ashley Houston of Sacred Wilderness Batiks in Hayesville, North Carolina took home the Best Newcomer Award.
Ron and Dorlea Grimsley of White Mountain Banjo in Phoenix, Arizona received the Best Display Award for their handmade banjos.
In the long-distance award categories, Elena Muralla of the Philippines was awarded a United States flag for making the longest trip to attend the festival, while Michael Mishina of Seattle Washington and James Hayes of Memphis were given Tennessee State flags in recognition of their efforts.
City to tackle DUD again
The Smithville Board of Aldermen voted to re-enter the fight with the DeKalb Utility District over its proposed water treatment plant in July.
Upon the recommendation of city attorney Vester Parsley, Jr., the aldermen elected to employ Nashville attorneys Bill Purcell and Jason Holleman to appeal the State Utility Management Review Board's April 4 dismissal of a petition by a group of DUD ratepayers who sought to stop the new plant from being built.
The appeal will be heard in Chancery Court in Davidson County.
Crash claims Hawkins
A local man became the third traffic fatality in DeKalb County in 2013 after he lost his life in a crash on Short Mountain Highway in July.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Haskel Hawkins, Jr., 69, was traveling south on Highway 146 when his 2002 Buick Century left the roadway near Short Mountain Mini-Storage.
The vehicle reportedly entered a ditchline, struck a culvert and rolled, ending up on its side in a soybean field.
Hawkins was ejected from the car. Authorities said he was not wearing a seatbelt.
Webb claims Fairest of the Fair, Murray crowned Junior Princess
Mary Elizabeth Murray was chosen from a field of 28 contestants and was crowned the 2013 Junior Fairest of the Fair. She the 14-year-old daughter of Angel Brown of Smithville.
Taneah Brooke Cantrell, the 16-year-old daughter of Scott and Tammy Cantrell of Smithville was named first runner-up.
Rebekah Grace Webb, the 18-year-old daughter of C.D. and Cindy Webb of Dowelltown, was crowned the 2013 Fairest of the Fair on Monday night. Webb was also named Miss Photogenic.
First runner-up went to 17-year-old Lauren Ashley Medlin of Smithville. She is the daughter of Greg and Teresa Medlin.
Stamps play complex
Legendary vocalist Ed Enoch and The Stamps Quartet visited Smithville in August, playing two shows at the county complex as part  of “Elvis: Aloha 40,” a celebration of Elvis Week.
Enoch has backed artists as diverse as Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, Conway Twitty, Ferlin Husky, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson, Ronnie Milsap, B.J. Thomas, Jerry Reed, Faron Young, Ronnie McDowell, Al Green and, of course, Elvis Presley.
 The Stamps Quartet began working as back up vocalists for Presley in February 1971. They toured and recorded with Presley until his death in August 1977.
“There has never been another singer like Elvis,” Enoch told the Review in a phone interview. “I have worked with some of the most talented people in the world, and he was the best.”
Fineis claimed by crash
An Alexandria woman was pronounced dead soon after she crashed her truck on Highway 70 between Dowelltown and Liberty in August.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Lisa Fineis, 53, was extricated from the overturned truck and taken by ambulance to a Life Force helicopter landing site near the intersection of Highway 70 and East Main Street in Liberty.
In the end, she was not airlifted, but transported by DeKalb EMS to the emergency room of DeKalb Community Hospital, where she died.
Review office robbed
Smithville Police wasted no time in arresting a local man in connection with an August burglary at the Review office Friday.
Authorities took 26-year-old Justin Clyde Hale into custody and charged him with vandalism over $1,000, theft of property over $1,000 and burglary just hours after developing him as a suspect in the break in.
Police believe Hale entered the Review building around 3:30 a.m. after throwing a rock through the glass front entrance to the building.
The thief ransacked the office, emptying desk drawers into the floor and ripping items from the walls.
Stolen items included jewelry valued at several hundred dollars, $181 in taken cash from a lock box, which was pried open and mangled, and a set of ink pens.
Hurricane Bridge reopened
Hurricane Bridge was opened to two-way traffic in August for the first time in nearly two years.
The original bridge, located where Highway 56 crosses the Caney Fork River channel on Center Hill Lake, was built in 1949 and rehabilitated in 1977.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) awarded the bid to  refurbish the bridge for a second time to OCCI Incorporated at $26.9 million in Oct. 2010.
Police nab alleged copper thieves
City police arrested three men in August in connection with the theft of several thousand dollars worth of copper and brass from Federal Mogul in Smithville.
Billy Joe Rigsby, 56, William Corey Dickens, 28, and 46-year-old Martin Riley, III were charged with theft of property in the case. According to authorities, the thefts occurred over an eight-month period  from December 2012-August 2013.
Police allege that the thieves went under a fence and entered the plant after second-shift employees left the premises and the plant closed on several occasions, entering through an unlocked door at the receiving area behind the building.
They reportedly loaded carts with 50 pound bags of the almost pure-grain copper used in the manufacture of brake pads, and simply took it out the back door.
It is alleged that Rigsby and Dickens committed the thefts from December, 2012 until Dickens was arrested on other charges in March.
30+ indictments handed down
A lengthy undercover investigation by the sheriff’s department resulted in 33 people being named in sealed indictments in August.
Among those indicted was Clayton Daniel Gott, 19, who was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after an investigation allegedly revealed that he had hidden a video recorder in his bathroom in July to record a 16-year-old girl taking a shower.
According to the sheriff, the victim discovered the camera hidden in a toilet paper holder in the bathroom and authorities were notified.
When detectives questioned Gott about the incident, he allegedly admitted to recording the girl three times while she showered in the two-week period previous to the discovery.
“We charged him with sealed indictments, which are felony indictments,” said Sheriff Patrick Ray.
Lower Helton man airlifted after crash
A Lower Helton man was airlifted with a serious leg injury after the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a car in September.
Theodore Joseph Pryjama, 55, was treated by DeKalb EMS and then airlifted by a Life Force helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center. Lieutenant Randall Maynard of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told the Review that Pryjama, who was westbound on Lower Helton Road on a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle, was sideswiped by a 2009 Ford Focus driven by Jennifer Johnson,  27, while negotiating a curve. The trooper said Pryjama was thrown from the bike, and traveled approximately 75 feet down the roadway. The bike traveled nearly 100 feet past the point of impact, coming to rest in the weeds near the roadway. While Johnson received a citation for failure to maintain her lane of travel, Maynard said there were no signs of alcohol or drugs being a contributing factor.
Dean loses life in Four Seasons crash
A Smithville man was killed in an apparent one-car accident on Four Seasons Road in September. Michael J. Dean, 61, was pronounced dead after being found by a passerby. Though 911 received the call around 11:30 a.m., it is not known exactly when the crash occurred.
According to Trooper Jeremy Wilhite of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Dean was traveling south on Four Seasons Road in a 1999 Toyota Rav4 when he left the roadway and hit a tree stump and a telephone substation box before overturning.
The vehicle came to rest on its wheels in tall weeds, obscuring it from sight. Dean, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the SUV. His body was found on the ground at the accident scene.
Man drowns near Floating Mill
A Tullahoma man lost his life while swimming Center Hill Lake in September.
Authorities said William Bates, 27, was boating when he jumped into the water to take a swim. After he did not resurface, his companions reportedly went in to try and save him, but were unsuccessful.
Workers searched for the man’s body for nearly 24 hours before recovering it in about 90 feet of water approximately a mile from Floating Mill Recreation area.
Medlin named Homecoming Queen
Lauren Ashley Medlin, the 17-year-old daughter of Greg and Teresa Medlin of Smithville was named the 2013 Homecoming Queen at DeKalb County High School in September. Freshman Attendant was Susan Marie Webb, the 14-year-old daughter of C.D. and Cindy Webb of Dowelltown, Sophomore Attendant was Tyra Grace Graham, the 15-year-old daughter of Kyle and Doris Graham of Smithville, Junior Attendant was Brooke Danielle Roller, 16-year-old daughter of Richard and Rose Roller of Smithville, Seated: Senior Attendant was Sarah Elizabeth Edwards, the 17-year-old daughter of Tena and the late Clay Edwards of Liberty, Senior Attendant was Elizabeth Jane Mason, the 18-year-old daughter of Jim and April Mason of Smithville.
Evins receives TSBA award
A DeKalb County High School senior  received the Student Recognition Award from the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) at their Upper Cumberland Fall District meeting in Fentress County.
Kelsey Evins, the 2013 Upper Cumberland District winner, has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average at DCHS while taking a rigorous schedule of advanced and dual-credit courses, as well as actively participating and volunteering in the community.
Evins is also a talented singer, volunteering as an entertainer at numerous local charity and fund-raising events, and strives to improve her hometown by working in food pantries and clothes distributions, and participating in coat drives.
TSBA honors one student per year from each of its nine districts who has achieved distinction in the areas of academics, community leadership, and engagement as part of its Student Recognition Award program.
Teens invade home
Two DCHS students were arrested at school after a city police investigation allegedly determined that they forced their way into a Smithville woman’s home and robbed and assaulted her in September.
The two teenage boys allegedly entered the woman’s residence around 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 18. The victim, who reportedly lives alone, heard a noise behind her home, and when she cracked open the door to investigate the two teenagers, who were wearing hockey masks and brandishing razor knives, forced their way into the house.
One of the young men allegedly tackled the woman, pepper sprayed her multiple times, and tried to insert a wash cloth in her mouth to keep her quiet.
The other suspected invader reportedly ransacked the home, stealing a .38 caliber revolver and other items with a total value of approximately $600.
While the two will be tried as adults, authorities have still not released their names. They face charges of especially aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and felony theft.
York resigns Alexandria mayor’s seat
Alexandria’s newly-elected mayor resigned his seat just three days after being sworn in to the office in October.
Mayor Jim York announced his resignation at a city council workshop Friday, telling the aldermen present that he felt that they had conspired to prevent him from fully accomplishing his duties as mayor.
Some aldermen, however, claimed that York was attempting to overstep the bounds of his office.
York was elected mayor on Sept. 5, after running unopposed for the seat. He received fifteen votes to take the office, previously held by Ria Baker, who held the position for seven years.
    UCDD officials indicted   
A federal grand jury returned indictments in October against three former officials from the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD).
Former Executive Director Wendy Askins and former Assistant Director Larry Webb, who served as mayor of DeKalb County for 10 years before resigning to take the UCDD position, were charged in a 16-count indictment with six counts of theft and conversion of government property in excess of $1,000; four counts of bank fraud; three counts of money laundering; and one count of concealing a material fact, as well as conspiring to commit various other federal offenses.
Askins and DeKalb County Mayor Mike Foster were charged with a single count of making a false statement regarding a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States.
The charges stemmed from a federal investigation into the UCDD “Living the Dream” home, a project which was designed to be a haven for needy seniors.
The indictment alleges that Askins, Webb and others “conspired and perpetrated a scheme to convert over $670,000 of government funds intended for the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD)
A May 20 trail date was set in December, the same month that Foster’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss the charges against his client on the grounds that his statements were “ambiguous to such an extent that they cannot be prosecuted as a crime.”
Brush creek woman loses life in crash
A Brush Creek woman lost her life in a head-on collision on Highway 53 in Smith County in October.
Wanda Williams, 69, of Brush Creek was a passenger in this 2008 Mercury Marquis, driven by her husband, Doras Williams, 71, when it was struck by a 2008 Ford Fusion, driven by 26-year-old Jeramie Reed of Dowelltown.
The Williams' were traveling south on Highway 53 when Reed apparently pulled into their lane of travel in an attempt to pass a van just past the DeKalb County line. She was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband was transported to Riverview Regional Medical Center North in Carthage.
Reed was taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital, and later moved to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. The two men’s injuries were apparently not life-threatening.
Loupe’s body found in lake
The state medical examiner positively identified the body of a man found floating in Center Hill Lake in October as that of Joseph Loupe of Rutherford County.
Loupe went missing in November, 2010 near the area where his body was found on Oct 11, the date that would have been his 45th birthday.
Loupe's badly decomposed  remains surfaced in the area of Center Hill Marina, where he apparently rented a pontoon boat on November 2, 2010. The boat was found traveling in a circle not far from the marina less than an hour later.
Best chili chosen
DeKalb County’s best chili has been chosen at the 10th Annual Habitat for Humanity Chili Cook-Off in October.
The DeKalb County Officials “Courthouse Gang” took the award for “Best Chili.”
Organizers said approximately 500 bowls of chili were served, and more than $3,500 was raised for the next Habitat house in DeKalb County.
The “Best Decorated Booth” honor went to the DeKalb County Board of Education, who served “Storybook Chili” at the event.
Second place in the "Best Chili" competition went to The Inn at Evins Mill’s “Groundbreaking Chili,” and the Middle Tennessee Natural Gas “Pipeline Pirates” were chosen for third place.
“The Courthouse Gang” also received second place for “Best Decorated Booth,” and Indian Creek Baptist Church, while “Indian Summer Chili,” took the third place award.
Downtown Woodbury ravaged by fire
Downtown Woodbury was ravaged by fire in November.
While officials suspect that the blaze, which heavily damaged a block of buildings on the town square, may have been sparked by an electrical problem on the second floor of one of the businesses, the cause remains under investigation by the state fire marshal.
No injuries were reported.
The fire was mostly contained to two buildings, which housed Always Buying Gold and Faith and Hope Consignment, but neighboring businesses received smoke and water damage.
The flames rapidly spread to a storage shed behind the buildings, completely destroying  it. Several departments from surrounding cities were called in to assist, and firefighters battled the conflagration for more than five hours.
Fall Pageant royalty named
The Smithville Business & Professional Women’s Club held its annual fall pageants in November.
Ellisyn Kelsey Cripps, 10 was named the 2013 Autumn Princess. She is the daughter of Troy and Jamie Cripps of Smithville. Madison Rae Rackley, the 10-year-old daughter of Gordon and Jessica Rackley of Smithville, was named first runner-up.
Julia Grace Curtis, 12, was crowned the 2013 Autumn Sweetheart. She is the daughter of Bruce and Amy Curtis of Smithville.
Brooklyn Storm Estes was named first runner-up. She is the 13-year-old daughter of Chris and Shanna Bogle of Smithville.
Taneah Brooke Cantrell walked away with the crown and title of 2013 Fall Fest Queen. Cantrell is the 17-year-old daughter of Scott and Tammy Cantrell of Smithville.
First runner-up went to Tyra Graham. She is the 15-year-old daughter of Kyle and Doris Graham of Smithville.
City eyes annexation
The City of Smithville discussed the proposed annexation of several properties just west of the city limits on Highway 70 in November.
The plan calls for the annexation of properties owned by Jim Beshearse, Pat Walls, John Kilgore, Ed Young, Mike Foster and David Foutch. The proposal would annex nearly 17 acres on the south side of Highway 70 and 14 acres on the north side of the road.
If approved, the Kilgore's restaurant property, which belongs to Foster, Foutch's Eye Care, and properties owned by Beshearse and Kilgore, and Ed Young will be annexed.
A state moratorium on annexation dictates that the city cannot annex property at this time without the owner’s request. Property owners must petition the city for annexation. In this case all the property owners apparently have done so.
Duo charged in kidnapping
City police charged two people in connection with the kidnapping and robbery of an elderly man in November. Authorities said the pair is suspected of forcing the 81-year old victim to withdraw money from his bank account at knifepoint.
Amanda Maxwell, 29, and 31-year-old Charles Wayne Reagan were charged with aggravated kidnapping and theft over $1,000, while Maxwell faces additional charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. According to Lieutenant Detective Matt Holmes of the Smithville Police Department, Maxwell phoned the victim at his McMinnville home and invited him to visit her at her Fisher Avenue residence.
When the man entered the residence, Maxwell allegedly attacked him from behind and forced into the passenger seat of his own 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. Police said that Maxwell then drove to two different banks in Smithville and forced the victim to withdraw cash from his account.
Holmes said $300 was believed to have been withdrawn.
Reagan allegedly joined Maxwell soon after the two local bank visits, and the pair then reportedly held the victim at knifepoint and drove him to McMinnville, where he escaped from the car when it stopped at a traffic light.
The elderly victim reportedly reached a phone and dialed 911. McMinnville officials then notified local police of the incident.
Dixon pleads guilty
David Howard Dixon, 45, pled guilty under a negotiated settlement to two counts of second-degree murder in December.
Judge David Patterson sentenced Dixon to two 35-year terms for the August 2012  killings of 55-year-old Ramon Beacham and Jose Sagaon Ticante. The terms are to run concurrently with each other and a violation of probation sentence against Dixon.
Prosecutors said that Dixon admitted to the crimes on three different occasions, and it was found that he sold the murder weapon, a .22 caliber pistol, providing a bill of sale with his name on it. No motive was established, and investigators said Dixon never offered one.
Police were alerted to the crime by a neighbor who often checked on Beacham, who found the body.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Beacham’s body inside the house on a couch, shot twice in the chest and Ticante’s remains underneath a pile of debris behind the home. He was shot once in the chest.
First degree murder indictments were returned by the DeKalb County Grand Jury on Nov. 26 against Dixon last December, when Dixon was named in a sealed indictment charging him with two counts of first degree murder. The case against Dixon was presented to the grand jury by Dan Friel of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
City sets DUD water rate at $5 per 1,000
The Smithville Board of Aldermen voted in December to begin charging DeKalb Utility District (DUD) $5.00 per 1,000 gallons for the water beginning Jan. 1.
A special meeting was held at city hall to set a new rate for the DUD before the existing agreement to purchase water from the city ran out on Dec. 31. The present contract, expiring after ten years, dictated that DUD bought water from the city at a rate which increased by five cents per 1,000 gallons each year. The rate topped out at $2.05.
The new $5.00 per 1,000 gallon rate is the same that customers inside the city limits of Smithville pay for water. While both sides have put forth proposals for a water-purchase plan, no agreement was reached.
Issac wins VIP audition on “Voice”
Smithville’s own Josh Isaac garnered enough votes to clinch a VIP audition for judges of NBC’s “The Voice” in December.
An online vote to choose the recipient concluded, and Isaac’s supporters pushed him through to the VIP audition, in which the artist will be allowed to bypass some of the red tape on his way to  performing in front of the show’s judges.
“Basically the pass lets you skip the initial auditions and not wait in the long lines and get to talk to the casting producers,” Isaac told the Review.
Issac appeared during a commercial break of the season five finale of “The Voice” on Dec. 17.