Over the past several weeks, I have been writing about the accomplishments of the Bradley County  Sheriff’s Office, as well as the many plans we have in place for the future. I have stressed the fact that our community is growing at a strong and steady pace and pointed out the necessity of keeping up with that growth in order to provide a safe and progressive environment that our children will want to call home.

Last year, Bradley County Trustee Mike Smith gave a very positive annual report detailing the fiscal health of Bradley County. He cited total interest returns of $1,376,162 over the budgeted interest, investments of $25,087,000 (maturity dates from 7/18/07 to 11/15/08), and a bank balance of $30,447,466.93. Mr. Smith also cited other areas of reduced county expenses and increased revenue for the general fund. I believe Mr. Smith is doing a terrific job as Trustee and should be commended.

Last week, during his annual “State of the City” speech before the Kiwanis Club, Cleveland City Mayor Tom Rowland also presented a positive report regarding the financial growth of our community. Mayor Rowland predicted that 2008 will usher in a “retail explosion,” economic expansion, transportation improvements and increased tourism. According to the mayor, we will soon see many  retail outlets coming into the area people have been wanting for a number of years, including  a Target, Kohl’s, Circuit City and more.

My last two columns dealt with some of the accomplishments of the BCSO during 2007. We reduced the number of burglaries and thefts in the county and doubled arrests for those crimes. We shifted existing resources in order to increase patrols and put more deputies on the street. We reduced emergency response time and we reduced the number of outstanding warrants.

Looking ahead to 2008, we will carry on this forward momentum by continuing to manage our resources effectively to maintain and improve services to Bradley County, just as we have done over the past 16 months. Of course, my primary goal is to protect citizens by preventing and reducing crime in our county.

Another priority for this new year will be to continue working toward a merit pay plan in order to attract and retain qualified employees. It is vital that we adopt a more attractive salary and benefits package for our deputies in order to be competitive with other law enforcement agencies. It is detrimental to Bradley County and not in the best interests of our citizens to allow the pay disparity  to continue to grow. With a 23 percent documented pay gap, the BCSO is in danger of becoming a training ground for other law enforcement agencies. It is costly and counterproductive to train deputies and give them hands-on experience, just to have them leave for better pay and incentives after a few years. This creates a huge and unnecessary expense for taxpayers. There is no reason Bradley County cannot and should not be competitive  ~ and I am referring to the entire county, not just the BCSO. We can and should have a countywide merit pay plan like so many other professional, local governments have wisely adopted.

About 24 hours after a man took a pickup truck for a test drive and did not return Bradley County Sheriff’s deputies had the truck and a suspect.

Acting on information from a concerned citizen, patrol deputies and detectives went to an address on White Road on Thursday and found Gavin Woodall II taking parts off of the vehicle. 

Gavin Woodall

A check of the license tag confirmed it was the one stolen from B and C Auto Sales on Wildwood Avenue. The tailgate, bed liner, and a tool box had been removed.

After questioning, Woodall, 18, of Thompson Springs Road, was charged with theft over $1,000.

The owner of the vehicle was contacted and took possession of the vehicle.

Patrol deputies at the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office took a suspect into custody during an investigation into attempts to enter two homes Thursday morning.

Jimmy E. Spears Caught In The Act

The first call came in from 241 Bell Road. The homeowners returned to find a vehicle parked in the driveway with the engine running and driver’s door open. A man walked from behind the house and told the couple he was looking for a friend. He got into the vehicle and left.

Upon investigation, they found fresh pry marks on a rear door. Sheriff’s deputies saturated the area looking for a Ford Ranger pickup truck the suspect was driving.

Not far away, Deputy Daniel Jones saw the vehicle at a house on Pinecrest Drive. But before Jones could turn his vehicle around the truck sped away. As Jones attempted to catch up the truck pulled back into the driveway at 241 Bell Road.

Jimmy E. Spears, 19, of Sweetwater, was arrested.

At the home on Pinecrest Drive deputies found pry marks on a door and they recovered a screwdriver nearby.

Spears is charged with attempted aggravated burglary, possession of burglary tools, possession of a schedule two drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of vandalism, and two counts of criminal trespass.

Other patrol officers responding were Deputies Zech Pike, Casey Kerr and Sgt.Cheryl Holloway.