Two 21-year-old Martin men were arrested last week for allegedly operating a methamphetamine lab out of a garage.

Cory G. Muenzer and Dustin Micha Roberts, both of 4266 Sidonia Road, were arrested on charges of promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine. Muenzer was also charged with being a fugitive from justice.

    According to a report filed by Ptl. John K. Cross of the Martin Police Department, at approximately 10:11 p.m., Thursday, March 19, Ptl. Cross and Lt. Jason W. Arant were dispatched to 114 Carter Street in reference to an investigation concerning a stolen car.

    When the officers arrived at the residence, Ptl Cross spoke with the resident, concerning the whereabouts of her son, Cory Muenzer. After receiving permission, the officers searched the premises for Muenzer, but he was not inside the residence.

    The officers then asked her permission to search a detached garage for Muenzer and also for stolen property. The resident told the officers they would need to ask the owner, Jimmy Smith, to get permission to search the garage. Smith agreed to the search and accompanied Lt. Arant to the garage. As the officers entered the garage, Muenzer and Roberts were found standing inside. A warrants search on Muenzer revealed there is an active warrant out on him in Kentucky for a parole violation. This is in addition to a warrant issued for him in Weakley County General Sessions Court for failure to appear.

    While conducting a security sweep of the garage, Lt. Arant discovered materials and paraphernalia consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine.

    Both defendants were placed under arrest at the scene and transported to Martin Police Department for booking procedures.

 

(Read the rest of this story in the March 25th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

  

    Nine fire departments from three counties assisted in fighting a blaze at a rural Greenfield plastics recycling center last week that was totally destroyed by fire.

    According to Greenfield Fire Chief Bob Dudley, the fire call was received at approximately 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18. He stated the fire broke out at a 90,000 square foot warehouse owned by Charles Birdwell located at 290 Airport Road, which was used for recycling plastics and cardboard. Roughly 80 percent of the building was filled with plastics and cardboard when the fire ignited. Four of the buildings were connected and a fifth structure was located approximately 10 feet away.

    Mr. Birdwell recently purchased the property and was in the process of cleaning it up. “He was burning debris in a fire pit just west of the building,” Chief Dudley said. “It was a controlled, legal burn. He had a permit from the state.” Chief Dudley stated the winds carried burning embers from the fire pit and ignited the westernmost building.

    He stated the Tennessee Forestry Division was first on the scene, followed by the Greenfield Fire Department.

    “Due to the high winds of 30 miles per hour or more, by the time we arrived, one structure was already fully involved,” Dudley said. “It was a rural area of the county and we had to carry all of our resources with us out there.”

    He stated it would have taken about 4,000 gallons per minute just to contain it when Greenfield firefighters arrived, but they didn’t have enough water at that time, since all they had was on their trucks. More water was needed and other fire departments were called in to provide mutual aid.

    He stated a total of 13 agencies responded to assist the Greenfield Fire Department in working the emergency, including: Martin F.D., Gleason F.D., Sharon F.D., McKenzie F.D., Pillowville F.D., Bradford F.D., Gibson County F.D., Weakley County EMS, Weakley County Rescue Squad, Weakley County Emergency Management Agency, Weakley County 911, Weakley County Municipal Electric, and the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department. State agencies responding were the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), and Tennessee Forestry Service out of Dresden.

    “We had a total of 76 personnel on the scene,” Dudley said. “We had nine tankers and four pumpers. And we shuttled 122,000 gallons of water.”

    Chief Dudley expressed his appreciation to all of these responding agencies in helping during the emergency.

(Read the rest of this story in the March 25th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

   

    Members of the Weakley County Commission discussed several budget transfers and heard committee reports, during their regular monthly meeting Monday, March 23, at the Weakley County Courthouse in downtown Dresden. Among those resolutions considered by the commission were budget amendments to fund the purchase of new equipment for the Highway Department, an upgrade to the HVAC system at Dresden K-8 School, approval for submitting an application to receive grant funding for the Palmersville Volunteer Fire Department and other important business.

 

Resolutions

 

    The commission approved three separate Highway Fund resolutions. The first authorizes a budget amendment transferring funds from within the budget to the “highway equipment” line item, which is in need of extra funds for the purchase of a dump truck costing $35,000. It moves $10,000 out of the “unemployment” line, $8,000 out of the “gasoline” line item, and $17,000 out of the line item for “diesel” fuel. The resolution explains extra funds are available in the “unemployment” line, due to those laid off obtaining other jobs instead of drawing unemployment. Additional funds are available in the “gasoline” and “diesel” line items, due to lower fuel prices for a few months. This resolution passed by a vote of 17-1, with Commissioner Stewart casting the only dissenting vote.

    Stewart asked if it was wise to pull the funds out of the fuel line?

    Weakley County Highway Supervisor Kermit Hopper said, “It is whenever I’m needing a truck as bad as I am, and have the excess in diesel.” Stewart argued the funds should be taken out of fund balance, rather than shifting it out of the line item for fuel.

    Commissioner Larry Taylor, who serves on the Public Works Committee that previously approved the transfer request, stated if it later becomes necessary to shift funds out of fund balance to balance the budget, this can be done, but the line item transfer request is no different than transfers made in other county departments and no objections were made concerning those transfers, so why single out the Highway Department? “We’re not increasing this budget,” Taylor said. “We’re moving money around.”

    A second Highway Fund resolution authorizing the addition of a 0.4-mile long section of roadway along UT Farm Road to the county’s road maintenance system was approved by a 17-1 vote, with Commissioner McAlpin casting the only dissenting vote.

    Commissioner James Westbrook, Jr. asked, “Who’s asking for this?” Road Supervisor Hopper stated Mr. George Bunch, who resides at the end of the road, asked for the road to be added to the county’s road maintenance system.

 

(Read the rest of this story in the March 25th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)