Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – A vigilant police officer stopped an intoxicated driver that was travelling the wrong direction on an Interstate off-ramp. Around 11:05 p.m. on May 16, 2015, a Mt. Juliet police officer noticed a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix turn off of Providence Way onto the Interstate 40 East 226-C exit ramp, going the wrong way. The officer was able to quickly stop the Pontiac prior to entering the Interstate.

After stopping the Pontiac, the officer made contact with the driver, Robert Benter, 59, of Hermitage. The officer believed Benter was possibly driving under the influence, so field sobriety testing was conducted.

Benter was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Driving Under the Influence – 2^nd Offense. He was also issued a citation for travelling the wrong direction on a one-way street and for open container. A 40 ounce open beer bottle was located in a cooler in the front passenger seat area of Benter’s car. Benter is set to appear in court on August 8, 2015.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – In alcohol compliance checks conducted on Thursday, May 14, 2015, an underage person, supervised by members of Mt. Juliet’s Crime Suppression Unit, visited all 38 beer retailers in Mt. Juliet. In all cases, the clerk asked for an ID and refused to sell the beer to the underage person.

Alcohol compliance checks are a type of prevention that deters beer and liquor retailers from selling alcohol to underage persons. Mt. Juliet Police conduct random checks throughout the year in hopes of decreasing alcohol sales to underage persons, which hopefully reduces alcohol-related problems and crime among youth.

“It is imperative that we keep alcohol out of the hands of kids. These results show that strong efforts are being made by our alcohol retailers to ensure only those of proper age are successful at purchasing alcohol,” stated Chief James Hambrick. “I am very pleased to know that not one 1 out of 38 alcohol retailers in our community sold alcohol to the underage informant. The business owners and staff should be applauded for passing the checks.”

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Mt. Juliet Police want to ensure the community is aware of a scam that is going around using the name of West Wilson Utility District. The scammers are calling individuals and businesses, identifying themselves as an employee of West Wilson Utility District. During the call, the scammer is threatening to turn off the customer’s water if they do not pay a past-due bill. The scammer then attempts to get the business or individual to make payment through a third-party processing agency.

The police department reached out to West Wilson Utility District regarding the scam. They stated that they never call and ask for businesses or individuals to remit payment through a third-party processing agency.

If anyone has any questions about their water service or West Wilson Utility District, they can be reached at (615) 758-5682 or, after hours, at (615) 758-2840. West Wilson Utility District encourages the community to never make a payment or give out their personal information unless they confirm the identity of the person they are speaking with.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Investigators are hoping someone in the community will recognize the suspect who robbed Mapco early this morning. On Tuesday, May 5, 2015 around 12:30 a.m. an unknown man entered Mapco, located at 11247 Lebanon Road, and demanded money from the register. During the robbery, he handed a clerk a plastic bag and told her to give him all the money in the cash drawer. The man told the clerk that he had a gun in his pocket, but he never displayed a gun. After retrieving the money, the man also told the clerk to give him cartons of cigarettes.

After the robbery, the man ran away towards Lebanon Road. Officers conducted a thorough search of the area, but they could not locate him. He left with an undisclosed amount of cash and two cartons of cigarettes. His actions were caught on Mapco’s video surveillance system, and investigators are hoping someone will recognize him.

The man was described as a tall black male, approx. 40 years-old, and he was wearing a blue stocking-cap with a long sleeve gray shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with any information regarding this crime is encouraged to call the Mt. Juliet Police Department at (615) 754-2550. Information can also be given anonymously by calling (615) 754-TIPS (8477) or via the Mt. Juliet Police Department website at http://www.mjpd.org/ .

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Mt. Juliet Police is joining the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office to deliver a reality-based portrayal of a distracted driving car crash and the subsequent response by first responders, emergency medical personnel, and law enforcement. The first crash will take place today at 12:00 p.m. at Mt. Juliet Christian Academy. This event is a joint-effort with the school, Wilson County Sheriff, Wilson County Emergency Management Agency, Fire Department of Mt. Juliet, and Mt. Juliet Police Department. The crash will bring the consequences of distracted driving to reality before prom season.

The first mock crash will take place today, Thursday, April 30, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. at Mt. Juliet Christian Academy. The second mock crash event will take place on Friday, May 15, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at Mt. Juliet High School. During the simulated response, the public should expect to see emergency vehicles and a medical helicopter in the area of the schools.

Agencies participating in the event are: Mt. Juliet Police Department, Fire Department of Mt. Juliet, Wilson County Emergency Management Agency, and Vanderbilt Lifeflight. Hamblen’s Wrecker Service of Mt. Juliet is providing the crashed vehicles for the exercise.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Two, on-duty restaurant employees are charged with drug possession after undercover Mt. Juliet Police Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) officers watched a drug deal in the restaurant parking lot. On April 7, 2015 around 1:00 p.m. a patrol officer witnessed suspicious behavior near Burger King, located at 11547 Lebanon Road, and he notified undercover officers of the activity.

After undercover officers arrived and established surveillance at the restaurant, they watched a man, identified as Dennis Shae Caruthers, 29, of Old Hickory, exit the back door of the restaurant and get into the passenger seat of a Buick parked in the parking lot. He was in the Buick for less than a minute, and Caruthers and the driver, identified as Tre DeWayne Bates, 21, of Mt. Juliet, got out of the car. Bates went into the restaurant’s customer entrance, and Caruthers got into the passenger seat of a Nissan nearby, which was occupied by a female, identified as Amanda Fajkus, 24, of Mt. Juliet.

As CSU officers made contact with Caruthers and Fajkus, they noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the Nissan’s interior. As Fajkus exited the Nissan, a bag of marijuana and a bag of crack cocaine fell out of her restaurant uniform.

Further investigation revealed that Bates just sold marijuana to Caruthers. A search of Bates’s car revealed two separate bags of marijuana. Officers found more marijuana and crack cocaine on Caruthers’s person. Caruthers and Fajkus were working for Burger King and in full-uniform at the time of the incident. A total of 49 grams of marijuana, 7 grams of crack cocaine, $1,032.00 in cash, and a 1998 Buck Park Avenue was seized in this incident.

Caruthers was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Possession of a Schedule II Drug for Resale and Simple Possession of a Schedule VI Drug. Bates was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Possession of a Schedule VI Drug for Resale. Both are set to appear in court on July 28, 2015.

Fajkus was issued citations and released, charged with Simple Possession of a Schedule II Drug and Simple Possession of a Schedule VI Drug. She is set to appear in court on July 23, 2015.

“We are committed to ensuring illegal drugs stay out of our community, and good police-work like this ensures that we are successful in our commitment,” stated Police Chief James Hambrick.

 

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Three shoplifters were apprehended this afternoon after they ran out of JCPenney with over $2,000 in merchandise concealed under their clothes. Around 2:45 p.m., Mt. Juliet’s Police & Fire Communications Center received a call from JCPenney loss prevention because they were watching a group of three shoplifters concealing items under their regular clothing.

An undercover Mt. Juliet Crime Suppression Unit officer was in the Providence MarketPlace mall, and he was able to quickly establish surveillance to apprehend the thieves. Loss prevention was able to provide a detailed description of the shoplifters to officers, and they were apprehended as they ran from the store. In an attempt to conceal their thievery, the shoplifters hid the merchandise under their clothing. However, it was very obvious to officers, due to the amount of items stuffed under their clothing, that they were the thieves. $2,218 worth of childrens’ clothing, stolen from JCPenney, was recovered from the group and returned to JCPenney.

Further investigation revealed an additional $1,300 worth of unclaimed merchandise in their car. Those items were from Claire’s, Old Navy, and Children’s Place. Officers attempted to make contact with those area stores. However, they were unsuccessful in determining what store those items were stolen from.

Dereka Conway ($8,500 bond), 19, Rickeita Butler ($7,500 bond), 23, and Terra Braden ($7,000 bond), 18, all from Nashville, were arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Theft of Merchandise. They are all set to appear in court on June 25, 2015.

“Our strong-partnership with local merchants and strong-bond with loss prevention staff continues to pay off, and we successfully apprehended this group that was stealing from our community,” stated Chief James Hambrick. “Our department has zero tolerance for this type of activity, and we will continue to ensure efforts are made to prevent shoplifting.”

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Large egg hunts will bring traffic to N. Mt. Juliet Road and a crowd to Charlie Daniels Park on Saturday, April 4, 2015 during the day. The public should be aware of this event so they can avoid any traffic inconvenience it may cause. N. Mt. Juliet Road is expected to be congested this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. around Charlie Daniels Parkway as people take part in this event.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and use Woodridge Place to access the school parking lots for parking. There is very limited parking inside Charlie Daniels Park.

PARKING INFO:

EVENT MAP:

EVENT INFO:

EVENT WEBSITE:

The Great Easter Bash

Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Investigators are in the process of looking into an arson at Mt. Juliet’s Charlie Daniels Park after burned trashcans were discovered in two different restrooms. On Sunday, March 22, 2015, a park employee found the fire damage while doing a routine check of the facilities.

The suspect(s) ignited two separate trashcans in separate restroom buildings, which caused smoke and fire damage to the walls. Thankfully, the damage was isolated in and around the trashcans. It is believed that the arson occurred sometime late on Saturday, March 21, 2015, and two males were caught on camera acting suspiciously. The suspects on camera appear to be white males and possibly between 13 to 20 years of age. They also possibly arrived and left in a silver Kia Soul. Investigators hope someone will recognize the possible suspects on camera.

Anyone with any information regarding this crime is encouraged to call the Mt. Juliet Police Department at (615) 754-2550. Information can also be given anonymously by calling (615) 754-TIPS (8477) or via the Mt. Juliet Police Department website at http://www.mjpd.org/ .

 

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – The community has a chance to get an inside, in-depth look of Mt. Juliet’s police operations in an upcoming Citizens Police Academy session. The Mt. Juliet Police Department is currently accepting applications for the academy session that will begin on April 15, 2015 and will continue every Wednesday night until June 24, 2015. Class sessions start at 6:30 p.m. and conclude by 8:30 p.m.

Mt. Juliet’s popular Citizens Police Academy offers city residents an inside look at aspects of law enforcement most have never seen, in a series of free lectures, demonstrations, and discussions. This program is directed towards citizens who live or work in the Mt. Juliet community. The program’s goal is to increase the understanding between citizens and their police department. Citizens are not trained to be police officers. However, after completion of the citizens academy, participants are able to become a citizen volunteer within the department.

Applicants must live, work or volunteer in the City of Mt. Juliet, be 21 years of age or older, and have no felony or domestic violence convictions. The application can be found online at www.mjpd.org, and the last day to apply is Wednesday, April 8, 2015. There is no cost to participate. For more information regarding the Citizens Police Academy, Cpl. James Christensen can be reached at (615) 754-3907 or jchristensen@cityofmtjuliet.org.

Online Application: Citizens Police Academy Application

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