Ben Stickle Ben Stickle MTSU Professor

MTSU professor lands $950K in grants to study crime trends during COVID

MTSU associate criminal justice administration professor Ben Stickle took six-years’ worth of policing experience from patrol to the classroom when he changed careers to become a professor. “While completing research for my Ph.D., I realized I could marry my policing skills and academic skills to research crime and develop methods to actually prevent the crimes,”…

Police shut down drug operation at a local hotel

Police shut down drug operation at a local hotel; two people arrested

Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD) Special Investigation Division narcotics detectives arrest a man and woman at a Murfreesboro hotel on drugs and gun charges on Tuesday, March 8. The two are also persons of interest in an East Tennessee homicide case. Derek Peterson, 34, and Emily Owenby, 19, were arrested at the Super 8 hotel on…

BOLO Burglary Suspects

BOLO: Detectives need help identifying persons in a auto/garage burglary

Detectives need assistance in identifying two males who are persons of interest in an auto burglary at a home on Alexander Blvd. on January 28 at 1 a.m. The garage opener was taken from a car in the driveway and used to gain access to the garage of the home. A hunting backpack with binoculars,…

deputies recover $46,000 worth of methamphetamine

15 pounds of meth worth $46,000 seized in traffic stop

More than 15.5 pounds of methamphetamine worth $46,000 was seized during a traffic stop Thursday outside a La Vergne convenience store, a Rutherford County Sheriff’s lieutenant said. After Deputy Cody O’Donnell approached the driver, a clerk told him a woman from the same vehicle left drugs in the restroom, said Lt. Derek Oeser. O’Donnell asked…

Murfreesboro Police

Police investigating several car break-ins in a Murfreesboro neighborhood

Murfreesboro Police Department Criminal Investigation Division Property Crimes Unit is investigating several car break-ins in a NW Murfreesboro neighborhood. Detectives are asking residents to lock their cars. Two individuals were recorded on video checking for unlocked cars on Butterfly Bend off Florence Road on Feb. 28 around 3:30 a.m. A third person is also seen…

Rutherford County Sheriff

Student Assaulted at Stewarts Creek High School

A 15-year-old student suffered injuries when allegedly assaulted by another student Friday at Stewarts Creek High School, a Rutherford County Sheriff’s supervisor said. School Resource Officer Shane Vaughn said administrators and SROs were notified and rushed to the hallway, arriving within a few seconds. “It happened outside the nurse’s office and the nurse was right…

Kristen Tweed

Smyrna Police Department arrest resident charged with second degree murder

Smyrna Police Department (SPD) detectives arrested Kristen Tweed of Smyrna, TN, on charges of second degree murder and felony drug sales. On March 23, 2021, SPD officers were dispatched to Sleep Inn, located on Highwood Blvd in Smyrna, regarding a deceased female. The subsequent investigation revealed a drug overdose was the cause of death. SPD’s…