On Dec. 15, a man and two women were arrested after Deputies discover a rolling meth lab after a traffic stop. Deputy Jacob Groce stopped a vehicle for speeding on Hwy 111. While the driver was attempting to find his license, Deputy Groce noticed a strong chemical smell coming from the bed of the truck. Groce then saw a dark colored bag that was open enough to see tubing and a two liter bottle with liquid inside. Further investigation resulted in more items consistent with making meth. Arrested were 30 yr old Edward Paul Moore, 23 yr old Samantha Jo Fults and 23 yr old Candace Dawn Calvert. They were transported and booked in at The White County Justice Center.

On September 17, 2009, the White County Sheriff's Dept. received an anonymous tip that led Deputies to a marijuana growing operation on Simpson Road where they discovered more than 100 plants and approx. 14 pounds of the processed product. Kenneth William Lawson and Howard Morris were both taken into custody. Lawson was charged with 3 counts of manufacturing/delivery/selling, unlawful carrying/possession of a weapon and unlawful drug paraphernalia. Morris was charged with 1 count of manufacturing/delivery/selling and unlawful drug paraphernalia. Sheriff Shoupe states, "This is how we get the drugs off the streets. This is what it takes, the public and law enforcement working together. We are going to continue to do whatever it takes to shut down drug dealers in White County."

On May 21, 2009 White County Sheriff's Department Deputies arrested four individuals after a probation search was performed. According to Detective Dale Bumbalough, the department had received information that Brad Everette England, 32, of Sparta was involved in drug activity and living in a residence that contradicted where he had told his probation officer. During the probation search, Deputies reportedly found approximately 70 marijuana plants growing in planters in plain sight as they approached the residence. After further search the deputies discovered other items consistent with drug activity, including drug paraphernalia. Brad England was arrested and charged with manufacturing/delivery/selling, initiation of process to manufacture methamphetamine, and unlawful drug paraphernalia. Also arrested were Amy Carmella England, 31, of Doyle; Paul Carlton Woodcock, 33, of Sparta; and Jeremy Robert Vaughn, 30, of Sparta. Amy England was charged with manufacturing/delivery/selling, initiation of process to manufacture methamphetamine, and unlawful drug paraphernalia. Woodcock was charged with theft of property, manufacturing/delivery/selling, initiation of process to manufacture methamphetamine, and unlawful drug paraphernalia. Vaughn was charged with theft of property, manufacturing/delivery/selling, unlawful drug paraphernalia, and introduction of weapon/explosive/intoxicant/drug into a penal facility.

On March 29, 2009, James Yates returned home, a man wearing a red hat and a long coat attacked Yates. After man reportedly threatened Yates with a gun and demanded his money, he fled on foot. One of the witnesses in Doyle got a license plate number and video surveillance from Keith's Market was helpful in the case. After one of the suspects was interviewed by Detective Chris Isom and Detective John Ford, the suspect confessed to his alleged involvement. The suspect (Gary Tucker) was arrested and is being held at The White County Justice Center. Isom said White County Sheriff's Department wishes to thank the residents of Doyle, Putnam Police Department and Putnam County Sheriff's Department for all the help they have given in this case. The other suspect, Jack Huffman Jr. is still at large. Anyone having any information of his whereabouts is urged to call White County Sheriff's Department at 931-836-2700. All information will be kept confidential.

On March 2, 2009, a White County Store owner held a suspect at gunpoint until White County Sheriff's Office Deputies arrived on the scene and took him into custody. Deputy Lanny Wheeler arrived on scene and arrested Wayne Cart, 18, of Cookeville and was charged with aggravated burglary and vandalism.

Officers with White County Sheriff's Office working with District Attorney Randy York, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the American Humane Society took custody of an estimated 275 dogs from a residence on Lost Creek Road after an investigation that is on going. Some of the dogs rescued were suffering from several different medical conditions. The animals rescued were housed in the residence and in multiple buildings on the property. The dogs are small breeds ranging 20 pounds and less. According to Detective Chris Isom of the White County Sheriff's Office, the investigation will continue with the possibility of charges of aggravated cruelty to animals once the extent of the operation is uncovered. "We are going after anybody that commits a crime, no matter what the crime and this type of operation will not be tolerated," said Sheriff Shoupe.

On Tuesday, January 13, 2009, three people were arrested around midnight after White County Sheriff's Department followed leads that resulted in the arrest. According to Dale Bumbalough with White County Sheriff's Office, the tips led them to the residence occupied by Curtis Dale Cunningham, James Phillip Schreyer and Sherry Rena Dorris Schreyer. After Officers were given consent to search, several meth making items were found including what was believed to be meth "oil". All three individuals were charged with manufacturing/delivery and unlawful drug paraphernalia.

On Monday, January 12, 2009, Joe Daniel Honaker was caught by White County Sheriff's Deputies and U.S. Marshals Task Force after subject was on the run after he attempted to run over Deputy Craig Capps during the January 3rd incident that occurred on Fish Road. Honaker was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer and evading arrest.

White County Sheriff's Office received a tip of possible drug traffic which resulted in three arrest Thursday night, January 8, 2009 at a Sparta motel. Several Officers with WCSD teamed up with officials from the U.S. Marshal's and the District Attorney's Office to serve a search warrant on the room where the three suspects were residing. After search, three were arrested and transported to the White County Justice Center. Amber Marie Johnson, Anissa Gale Kelly and Charles Houston Mount are facing charges of selling Schedule II drugs and conspiracy to sell Schedule II drugs and violation of a drug free School Zone. Sheriff Oddie J. Shoupe states, "As long as they call in the tips, we will investigate each and every one. It may take a while to build a case but if a crime is being committed, charges and arrests will be made." If anyone has any information on any drug traffic, contact White County Sheriff's Office at 931-836-2700. All information will be kept confidential.

A routine probation search on September 26, 2008 led to the arrest of Jennifer Marie Puckett and Jonathan Gerald Puckett of Bluebird Lane. Jennifer Puckett was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of a weapon, initiation of process to manufacture methamphetamine and unlawful drug paraphernalia. Jonathan was charged with one count of reckless endangerment, initiation of process to manufacture methamphetamine and unlawful drug paraphernalia.

Through efforts by the T.B.I., the 13th Judicial Task Force, U.S> Marshalls, the D.E.A. and The White County Sheriff's Office, a sizable drug bust was found. Arrested were Charles Edward Rice, Julie Ann Stinson, Joan Carol Officer and Richard Lee Simms. "We executed a search warrant and found a pound and a half of crystal meth, better known as ice, which is the first I have seen in this county. It has a street value of probably $50,000 to $60,000," said Sheriff Oddie Shoupe. According to Shoupe, 13 marijuana plants were found and nearly a quarter-pound of marijuana that had already been processed, with an approximate street value of $5850. "No stones will be left unturned," said Shoupe.  Shoupe requested the public to keep giving tips to find people suspected of illegal activities. Anyone with information can call 836-2700 or visit White County Sheriff's Department website at www.whitecountysheriffsdepartment.com.

On Friday, August 22, 2008, a male subject, wearing a mask,  walked into Citizens Bank and demanded money. The subjects then fled in a champagne colored vehicle. Sheriff Shoupe, along with White County Sheriff's Office Deputies and Detectives immediately responded and joined in on the pursuit which led them on Sullivan Knowles road that ended with the subjects crashing in a ditch. According to City Investigator Alan Selby, Tim Roberts,of Sparta, who is on parole, was charged with robbery and theft over $10,000. Jennie Sue Langford, of Sparta, was charged with driving on a revoked license, evading and robbery. The F.B.I. has also joined the investigation.

On March 28, 2008, White County Detectives along with Sheriff Oddie Shoupe discovered marijuana ready for sale while conducting a probation search at the home of Tony E. Scott in Sparta. "We went to conduct a probation search at Tony Scott's home and found more than 100 grams of marijuana in the home," said Detective Tommy Simmons. Scott gave the Officers permission to search his home when they arrived. A set of digital scales were found along with clear plastic baggies containing measured amounts of a "green, leafy substance, which field tested positive to be marijuana." Scott was charged with possession / manufacture of schedule VI (marijuana) for sale and delivery and illegal possession of unlawful drug paraphernalia.

On March 18, 2008 around 7:00 p.m., Deputy Dale Bumbalough of the White County Sheriff's Office along with Deputy Craig Wilson and Sergeant Jody O'Dell were at a residence on Carter Road attempting to recover a stolen vehicle, when they witnessed Troglin drive by "acting suspicious." "It looked like he was going to turn in but when he saw us he went to a neighbor's house," said Bumbalough.Bumbalough stated Deputy Wilson asked Troglin what he was doing and he said he was visiting. But when the Officers asked the people if they knew him they said no. Bumbalough said Deputy Wilson saw several items in clear view in the front passenger floor board, which were consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine.  Bumbalough came to the scene with his K-9 partner, who indicated the presence of drugs inside the vehicle. During the search, additional items used for manufacturing methamphetamine were found. Shawn Troglin was arrested and charged with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and transported to the White County Justice Center.

Thanks to a tip, Officers found three subjects in the process of making meth and have charged a teenage girl and two men. "We got a call that Thomas Allen was purchasing items used to make meth," said Sheriff Oddie Shoupe. Acting on this tip at approximately 7:45 p.m., March 16, 2008, Shoupe, Deputy Dale Bumbalough and other officers with the White County Sheriff's Office went to a residence on Old Kentucky Road and received the homeowner's permission to search the property. Inside a camper trailer on the property, they found three subjects in stages of preparation for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Thomas Allen, Brent Marsh and Lacie Bilbrey were arrested and transported to the White County Justice Center.

"The meth hazardous materials clean-up team came and processed the scene," said Sheriff Shoupe.

If anyone has any information regarding any drug activity, please contact the Sheriff's Office at 836-3207. All informants will remain anonymous.

One meth lab was discovered as well as other illegal drugs and paraphernalia which resulted in the arrests of several subjects during a countywide law enforcement sweep Friday. White County Sheriff Oddie Shoupe stated; "We told the drug dealers two years ago we were coming, apparently, they didn't understand. We are going to keep on coming until they do." When Officers arrived at the residence, they discovered components of a methamphetamine lab and stopped the subjects, who were attempting to destroy evidence. "When we came in the door, one was sitting at the table and another was at the sink trying to wash the ephedrine pills down the sink," said Deputy Dale Bumbalough, of White County Sheriff Department. The White County Sheriff Department is committed to reducing drug use and trafficking in the area and building upon the combined law enforcement efforts that were utilized during these investigations." said Deputy Matt Farmer, of White County Sheriff's Department. Shopue said his department recognizes with gratitude the cooperation of all agencies involved and the dedication and resources required for this operation. Thomas Allen of Sparta was arrested and transported to the White County Jail. He was charged with sale and delivery of schedule II (four counts) and aggravated assault with serious bodily injury.

Officers fron White County Sheriff's Department, the 13th Judicial District Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations HIDTA Task Force, Special Revenue Agents and Parole Officers arrested Melvin frye and Theodore Turner both of Sparta on December 27, 2007 after a long term investigation of illegal drug activities. Officers searched the residence earlier in the month, where they found and seized crack cocaine and marijuana. Frye was charged with possession of schedule II (cocaine) for resale. Turner was charged with possession of schedule II (cocaine) for resale and possession of schedule VI (marijuana) for resale.. The pair will appear in court on January 4, 2008. Both subjects are on parole from neighboring states and had their supervision transferred to the state of Tennessee. Parole Officers are addressing their status at this time. More charges are pending.

Isaac Blaylock of Sparta is facing several charges, including possession of a stolen truck and evading arrest, after he refused to pay for merchandise from the Dollar General Store on Mose Street in Sparta. After Blaylock left Dollar General Store, he was pursued by Sparta City which led to a chase outside the city. Deputy Kyle Herren observed Blaylock in a white pickup as he jumped the railroad tracks. Herren activated his blue lights to conduct a traffic stop and Blaylock took off at a high rate of speed on McMinnville Highway. The vehicle came back as stolen after Herren called in the tag to dispatchers. After the subject turned onto Iris Drive, a female passenger jumped out and Blaylock continued on Oakdale. Deputy Gongaware of White County Sheriff's Department had blocked one of the roadways to help take the subject into custody. After the subject went through a yard, he jumped out and attempted to flee by foot. At that time, Gongaware pursued the subject on foot and captured him. Blaylock was arrested and charged with driving on suspended license, possession of a stolen vehicle, reckless endangerment with a motor vehicle and evading arrest. In response to the shoplifting at The Dollar General Store, Sparta Police Officer Brent Copeland also charged Blaylock with theft of property under $500.

On November 27, 2007, Deputy Chadra Daniels noticed a green pickup truck parked at a business on Crossville Hwy with no one around it. Deputy Daniels requested a check ran on the tag and the vehicle came back as stolen out of Cumberland County. The vehicle was towed to the White County Sheriff's Department and the incident is under investigation.

On November 30, 2007, the White County Sheriff's Office confiscated nearly 40 weapons from a residence in White County. According to Sheriff Oddie Shoupe; several of the guns were listed as stolen. The incident is still under investigation.

A tip given to Sheriff Shoupe from a concerned citizen led to the recovery of several stolen items with the appromimate value being $23,000. Some of the items are believed to have been stolen from a Putnam County residence. Authorities are presently attempting to locate the rightful owners. Sheriff Shoupe would like anyone having any information about this crime or others to please contact The White County Sheriff's Office at 836-3207. The investigation is continuing.

On October 11, 2007 at approximately 11:25 p.m., Deputy John Meadows of White County Sheriff's Office was on routine patrol when he observed a vehicle run off the shoulder of the road. He continued to follow vehicle and after watchful observation, Deputy Meadows inniated a traffic stop. Sean Micheal Wynn of Donelson was the driver of the vehicle. Meadows noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Wynn's breath. Wynn told Meadows he had been drinking at the Gentlemans Club in Smithville. After several sobriety tasks were completed unsuccessfully, Wynn was placed under arrest.

Jorge Gonzalez Castaneda was charged with drug and weapon charges Monday morning after Deputy Dale Bumbalough initiated a traffic stop after

he witnessed the subject not wearing a seatbelt and speeding. Deputy Bumbalough  of White County Sheriff's Department, stopped the vehicle and came into contact with the driver. The subject then advised Bumbalough he had a 380 automatic weapon "wrapped in a shop towel in the driver's side floorboard." K-9 unit arrived on the scene and "indicated" on the vehicle, which means the canine detected drugs. Casteneda told Bumbalough he was carrying 14 ounces of cocaine in the vehicle, under the passenger seat. Casteneda was charged with possession, sell, delivery of schedule II (cocaine) and unlawful possession of a weapon. He was transported to the White County Jail awaiting his court date. This incident occurred on September 17, 2007 at approximately 10:50 a.m. in White County.

In September, three men from Nashville were charged with the 2005 murder of Oulay Chantharack. Chantharack's body was found in the Northern end of White County in 2005 with multiple gunshot wounds. T.B.I. along with White County Sheriff's Department have been working together to solve this crime. Gregory Sweeney, Kenneth Miller Jr., amd Joe Nathan Jones were all indicted by the White County Grand Jury in September. All three have been charged with first degree murder, felony murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder and are being held on $250K bond and will appear in court in White County on October 9, 2007 to face charges.

On September 2, 2007 at approximately 3:00 a.m., Deputy Marcus Caldwell of the White County Sheriff's Department was dispatched to the area of Highway 136 in reference to a drunk driver. After Marcus arrived in the area, he discovered a truck and proceeded to follow. After watching and following the truck a short distance, the truck crossed the centerline several times. Caldwell initiated a traffic stop and came in contact with the driver, Christopher Dale Scott of Gainesboro who was accompanied by one adult female, two juvenile males and one juvenile female. When Caldwell spoke to Scott, he noticed a strong odor of alcohol about his breath. After Scott submitted to several field sobriety task and failed, he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, first offense, and driving on suspended license, second offense.

On September 3, 2007 at approximately 10:00 p.m., Deputy Kyle Herren was dispatced to the Bakers Crossroads about a "suspicious vehicle." After arriving and talking with a nearby homeowner, Herren discovered two brown paper sacks and two boxes of tops rolling papers. Inside the bags were loose tobacco in clear ziplock bags. According to Herren, the witness alleged the tobacco and papers were placed there for inmate workers to obtain when they picked up trash.

On August 17, 2007, Officers along side of Sheriff Shoupe and Chief Clemente collected more than 450 plants, in various stages of development. A tip by a concerned resident revealed this patch. According to Shoupe, when he ran for office, he told dealers he would not tolerate them growing, making, selling or using drugs in the county and he was going to do everything within his power to stop this. With the help of concerned citizens, Sheriff Shoupe and his department can wipe them out one by one. The street value would have been somewhere around $3000.00. The plants were destroyed by law enforcement. This incident is under investigation. If anyone has any information concerning this case, please contact the White County Sheriff's Department at 836-2700.

Sheriff Shoupe received a tip on Monday night concerning individuals living in unfit conditions. Sheriff Shoupe immediately went enroute to the scene and called City and County Law Enforcerment in as well. After Shoupe and authorities arrived on the scene, they discovered four men living in unfit and deplorable conditions. Shoupe and other Officers believed the temperature to exceed 100 degrees. The windows were sealed up with plastic with no air flow. The four men are mentally challenged with ages ranging from 33-65. Both local and state investigation is ongoing. The facility houses mentally challenged individuals. This incident occurred on August 6, 2007 at approximately 8:00 p.m.

After nearly six months of investigation, two Sparta women were arrested on drug charges on June 12, 2007. Katrina Kirby and Teresa Simmons were taken into custody and transported to the White County Jail. The multi-department investigation involved Officers from the Sparta City Police Department, 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force, Middle Tennessee Drug Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and White County Sheriff's Department. The "bust" happened at approximately 3:00 p.m. on June 12, 2007. The search of the premises revealed numerous items. Sheriff Shoupe said, "We need everyone to be watching for any type of illegal activity and to let us know. The drug problem we have did not happen overnight." Shoupe goes on to say, "Drug dealers need to be asking themselves whether they need to be doing what they've been doing or not, because they are going to be caught. We do not care if it is only one seed, they are not going to continue to sell drugs in White County."

On April 9, 2007, Floyd Jones was arrested and charged with drug possession and the manufacture, sale and delivery of methamphetamine. Sheriff Shoupe said that an investigation ensued, which led to the arrest of Jones. During the search, law enforcement officers discovered multi-layered liquids, red phosphorus and several additional hazardous items consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine. A second man was arrested on the scene after he drove up while officers were present. Gregory Hobbs was charged with driving on a revoked license. Hobbs was transported to the White County Jail. Since September 11, 2006, the Sheriff's Department has found 11 meth labs- seven active labs and four non active labs. "We will continue to work on finding meth labs and anything else we can do to decrease drug activity throughout the county." said Sheriff Oddie Shoupe. Anyone with information or concerns about possible illegal activity is urged to contact White County Sheriff's Department at 836-3607. Identities will be kept confidential.