Thanks to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Macon County residents can now renew or replace a driver’s license at the County Court Clerk’s office in the Macon County Courthouse, since the recent installation of the self-service kiosk.

“The process is fast, easy and automatic,” said County Court Clerk James Ralph Howser. “People can renew and replace their driver’s license without driving out of town and waiting in long lines at driver’s license testing centers.”

Howser says the process is simple and takes only minutes. “The individual pays at the kiosk by credit or debit card and poses for a photo, which is then compared with the person in the previous license photo to prevent fraud. A receipt will then be printed out with your photo which will serve as a temporary driver’s license until your permanent license arrives in the mail five to seven days later.”

Safety Department spokesperson Dalya Qualls stated that by utilizing these kiosks, it will help reduce wait time at centers across the State of Tennessee.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public.

“We are certainly lucky to have this kiosk here in Lafayette,” added Howser. “Hopefully it will be a tremendous help to Macon County residents.”

Macon County Schools convened two hours late on Monday, January 14, after Mother Nature brought heavy rains and flooding on Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures during the last few days more like spring than winter. Then the old gal socked us with a blast of frigid air later in the night that dropped the temperature to 28 degrees by Monday morning.

The heavy rains moved thru over the weekend leaving swollen creeks and some roads temporarily impassable due to the approximately three inches of rainfall.

When I contacted Regina Flippin, of the Macon County Highway Department, on Monday morning, she said a crew got out around 5:45 a.m. to fix a couple of trouble spots on Highland Road and Addison Hollow, to allow the buses to pass.

“We are actually in better shape since the 2010 flood, due to the extensive work we did two years ago on all the problem areas,” Regina said. “Of course in Macon County there are some places that are so low there is really nothing you can do except wait for the water to run off.”

Forecasters are predicting the possibility of frozen precipitation and ice on the roads, with the system winding down by Wednesday.

Red Boiling Springs police arrested the parents of two small children on Thursday, January 3, after they discovered two active meth labs on their property.

According to Red Boiling Springs Chief of Police Terry Tuck, officers arrived at 203 Sunset Drive to execute an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Chester Leroy Loudy.

“We knocked on the door repeatedly and received no response,” Chief Tuck stated. “So we proceeded to walk to the back of the house and located a meth lab inside a truck tire on the back porch.”

After gaining entry into the house, officers discovered Mr. Loudy, 22-year-old Rachael Elisabeth York and the couple’s two children – a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old.

Chief Tuck stated that officers requested to search the vehicle parked outside the home, but Miss York refused their request, and Macon County Sheriff’s Department drug K-9 Gordy and his handler Michael Veatch were called to the scene.

“The dog hit on the vehicle, and we were able to locate a second meth lab inside the trunk of the car,” Chief Tuck remarked.

Loudy and York were arrested on charges of promotion of meth manufacture, intent to manufacture methamphetamine and aggravated child abuse/neglect of a child under 6 years of age. Bond was set at $50,000.

The Department of Children’s Services arrived on the scene to take custody of the two children and the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force was called in to assist in the clean up of the ‘shake-and-bake’ labs.

A male individual that fatally shot a Macon County man and wounded his cousin outside of a hotel in Dickson, Tenn., on New Year’s, was captured close to his home in west Tennessee on Sunday, January 6. The female person of interest, who is allegedly the shooter’s girlfriend, was apprehended on Saturday.

The incident began on Tuesday night, January 1, around 11:20 p.m. when shots were fired by Justin Keith Treece outside of the Holiday Inn Express on Highway 46 in Dickson, killing 29-year-old Matthew Aaron Draper, of the Green Grove Community and wounding his cousin 23-year-old Cody Jackson, in what is believed to be a drug deal gone bad.

Treece, age 23, and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Jessie Mulder, who was also at the scene of the crime, reportedly left the hotel in a Chevy Blazer.

Detective Chad Fussell, of the Dickson Police Department, told the Macon County Chronicle that a female drove the two men in their personal vehicle to Horizon Medical Center, where Matthew Draper was pronounced dead. Cody Jackson was transferred to Vanderbilt Medical Center to be treated for a gunshot wound to the arm. He has since been released.

Officials will not say where Mulder was found, but they say she has been interviewed and is cooperating.

“Justin Treece was taken into custody by McNairy County law enforcement,” stated Detective Fussell, “but he has been transported back to Dickson County. He is charged with felony murder and attempted first-degree murder. A court date is scheduled for Thursday, January 10^th.”

Funeral services for Matthew Aaron Draper of the Green Grove Community in Macon County, were conducted Saturday, January 5, at 1:00 p.m. from the chapel of Alexander Funeral Home with Bro. Jerry Gammon officiating. He was buried in the Drury Cemetery.

Matthew was born in Gallatin, Tn., on May 23, 1983 to J.R. Sanders and the late Mary Agnes Draper Sanders. He never married or had children, but his family and especially his nieces and nephews meant everything to him.

Besides his father, he is survived by sisters, Marie (Kerry) Young, Shelia (Tony) Gammons, and Susan (Mike) Gregory; brothers, J.R. (Connie) Sanders, and Robert Sanders; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Alexander Funeral Home, Directors, in charge of arrangements.