Josh Peterson

A federal indictment unsealed Friday charged 27 individuals with a host of federal crimes relating to a large scale conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee. Eight others were charged in separate indictments last week and two other individuals had previously been charged. The conspiracy has been ongoing since as early as 2018 and was orchestrated from within the Tennessee State Prison system by Humberto Morales, aka Pelon, 29, of Columbia, Tennessee, who has been incarcerated since 2014. Other charges resulting from this investigation include kidnapping, money laundering, making threats by electronic communication, and firearms violations.

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) previously sought the assistance of federal law enforcement to address criminal activity occurring within the prison system.

The resulting indictments and other court documents allege that the organization had ties to MS-13, Sur-13, and other street gangs and distributed tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills; multiple kilograms of fentanyl and heroin; over fifty pounds of methamphetamine, which was often 95-99 percent pure (commonly referred to as “ice”); as well as smaller quantities of cocaine and marijuana. Court documents also allege that this well-orchestrated conspiracy is linked to at least one murder, horrific assaults, and multiple other crimes of violence.

Morales is alleged to have been the leader of the organization and routinely obtained contraband cell phones which were smuggled into the prison facilities where he was housed. Morales used these phones and encrypted communication services such as WhatsApp to orchestrate activities of the drug distribution network, order acts of violence against individuals, and to direct the flow of cash from drug sales between middle Tennessee and Mexico. Drug proceeds were also used to pay co-conspirators, to pay for drug shipment expenses, bail and legal services, and to purchase firearms.

Notable acts of violence associated with the conspiracy include the severing of a woman’s hand in November 2019, as punishment for losing drug proceeds. During this incident, the woman was kidnapped, driven around Nashville, and then a hatchet was used to chop off one of her hands, before leaving her lying on the street. This incident was recorded on video and sent via encrypted communication on a cell phone. Another incident involved a hitman for the organization who, at the direction of Morales, cut off part of his own pinky finger to prove his continued loyalty to the organization after he lost or stole a small quantity of drugs.

The indictment also charges Morales and Kim Birdsong, 49, of Nashville, with using facilities of interstate commerce (cellular telephones and encrypted messaging services) in an effort to murder a person known as “Pancho”/”Mekaniko,” and that cash, drugs, and the cancellation of a pre-existing drug-related debt were to be provided as payment for that murder. That person was then shot multiple times on April 4, 2019, in Nashville, but survived.

As a result of this investigation, law enforcement seized more than $160,000 in cash drug proceeds and multiple firearms, including a handgun which had been illegally modified to operate as a machinegun, and an operational firearm silencer.

Many of the defendants were charged by criminal complaint as the investigation progressed and have been in custody awaiting indictment. Others were arrested Friday and are in federal custody. Two others are fugitives, including Morales’ girlfriend, Erika Vasquez, 32, aka Chula, of Memphis and Columbia, Tenn., and Magdiel Pina Ramirez, aka Big Show, 28, of Mexico. Ramirez is the person described above who served as a hitman in Mexico and cut off part of his own finger. Both are currently believed to be in Mexico.

Others charged in this investigation are: Jose Juan Alvarado, 44; Oscar Avelar Anguiano, aka Chucky, 33; Grecia Barrios, 33; Kim Lamont Birdsong, aka Bird, 49; Jennifer Cano, 33; Ricardo Davalos-Martinez, 28; Mario Garcia Flores, aka Christhian Colmenares-Ruiz, 33; Jonhy Fernando Jimenez, 38; Antonio Sanchez-Lopez, 23; Jennifer Montejo, 33; Korrine Parker, 43; Luis Ramirez Escudero, 27; Phillip Christopher Smith, aka Felipe, 41; Sinquan D. Smith, 27, all of Nashville; Avigael Cruz, aka Traviesio, 29; Billy Cruz, aka Pee Wee 26; Kevin Oliva-Hernandez, 31; Jairo Rostran, aka Poffi, 28, all of Smyrna, Tenn.; Rico Gross, 38; Armando Lopez, aka Mando, 40; Jesse Sanchez, aka Papi, aka Bori, 31, all of Goodlettsville, Tenn.; Jacob Lee, aka Grenas, 25; Justin Blake Lee, aka Chino, 26; Jasmine Tayor, 26, all of Manchester, Tenn.; Kevin Tidwell, aka Miklo, 27; Melinda Tidwell, both of Ashland City, Tenn.; Terrance Marquette Bobo, 28, of Memphis, Tenn.; Pearline Neal, 31, of Gallatin, Tenn.; Austin Dodd, 25, aka Chucky, of Chapmansboro, Tenn.; Tiffany Messick, 27, of Shelbyville, Tenn.; Stacy Owens, 31, of Decaturville, Tenn.; Zenaida Cano, 42; of Phoenix, Arizona; David Ku, 45, of Inglewood, California; and Gerson Jimenez-Garcia, 38, of Honduras.

Jennifer Montejo, charged in the conspiracy in December 2019, was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in prison. Montejo was arrested at a Nashville bus station as she returned from California after travelling to Los Angeles days earlier. At the time of her arrest, four kilograms of fentanyl, and a kilogram of heroin were discovered in Montejo’s luggage. She pleaded guilty in November 2020.

Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart praised the tremendous efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in this extensive investigation and noted the unparalleled cooperation between the agencies and the significant resources contributed by the Tennessee Department of Correction and its desire to reduce criminal activity by its inmates.

This multi-year Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation is being conducted by numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; IRS Criminal Investigations; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; FBI; Tennessee Department of Corrections-Office of Investigations & Compliance; and others.

If convicted, most defendants face a minimum of 10 years in prison and many face up to life in prison.

All defendants not previously convicted are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

A 19-year-old man is in the Bedford County Jail and facing charges of vehicular homicide after a crash that took the life of a young child last week.

Cristian Ruiz, age 19, has been booked into the Bedford County Jail aand is facing one count of vehicular homicide and two counts of aggravated assault. His bond has been set a $1 million He was arrested on Tuesday, March 30, one week after the date of the accident.

On Tuesday, March 23, Ruiz’s SUV was traveling westbound on Highway 64 when he attempted to pass another vehicle, according to a report from THP. At this point, Ruiz slammed head-on into a sedan traveling eastbound.

Killed was a 5-year old child from Tullahoma. A 6-year old also traveling in the sedan was injured.

Written By Elena Cawley

Child abuse plagues Coffee County, according to those who witness the effects and battle child abuse daily: Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center Director Joyce Prusak, the Child Protective Investigative Team, Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott and Youth Services Director Leanne Eaton.

With the confidential nature of child abuse cases, lack of awareness is the biggest challenge related to fighting the problem. Stigma, misconception that child abuse doesn’t exist, and lack of faith in victims lead to the cycle repeating over and over. But the community can smash child abuse, according to local agencies fighting the issue, and you can help by:

1. Raising awareness – share the stories.
2. Learning about child abuse and its effects– read about the issues and discuss with family and friends.
3. Reporting child abuse – state law mandates anyone suspicious of child abuse to report it.
4. Last year, of the 347 referrals received for services in Coffee County, 40% of the children were 6 years old or younger, 36% between the ages of 7 and 12, and 24% were between 13 and 18, according to Prusak.

While some children fear “pretend” monsters hiding under the bed, others dread real monsters living in their homes. Jennifer was 6 when horror became reality. Instead of finding safety and comfort in her home and parents, she found terror. She lost hope. As a child, she pleaded for help, but no one believed her.

When she was a child, Jennifer Smith, now 34, suffered sexual, physical, mental and emotional abuse from her parents and uncle.

“My dad was abusive,” Smith said. “My mom was abusive emotionally and mentally. My mother stayed with my father and allowed those things to happen.”

As a child, Smith asked for help, but she found no support.

“I remember trying to reach out for help when I was 14,” Smith said. “My parents tried to keep me out of school because my dad had beaten me so bad one night (people could see the bruises). I wrote a letter to my friend next door – his dad was a police officer.”

That letter triggered a futile investigation. Authorities questioned the family.

“They questioned all my sisters – six of them – and my mom, and everyone lied for my father,” Smith said. “(Authorities just) told my parents they had to send me back to school.”

Smith sought support once more three years later.

When she was 17, she again wanted to reveal the abuse.

“I opened up about what happened to me, but no one believed me,” Smith said. “I was abandoned and neglected after that, and nobody wanted anything to do with me…So I had two situations where I wasn’t believed by anybody, and that crashed my voice even more.”

When a child asks for help and is not believed “that crashes them and takes their trust away,” said Smith.

“That makes them continue to feel unheard and unsafe,” she said. “I had nobody to turn to except the next abuser. You try to reach out for help, and you get shut down. You don’t have anyone to reach out to, and that sets you up to be a target for the next abuser. And then you become an adult and you’re trapped in an abusive relationship. And you’re afraid to speak out, so you never reach out.”

Smith left her family when she was 17.

“Right after that, I went with the guy that became my abuser,” she said.
That relationship lasted 14 years.

She has asked herself often why she became trapped in the same situation she was trying to escape, said Smith.

“He said all the right words,” she said. “He had learned about me and said he wouldn’t let anybody hurt me.”

He soon became abusive.

“I was with him until I was 28,” Smith said. “We have three children. Our oldest is 15, and she lives with his mom.”

Debra, 9, and Dale, 8, live with Smith at Blue Monarch.

“I was very protective with them,” Smith said. “I didn’t want them to go through what I did. I tried to spend time with them constantly and give them magical holidays. But they witnessed and heard some of the things he would do to me, and that’s still bad and traumatizing. I knew I couldn’t let that happen and repeat the same (mistakes) my mom did. That’s what got me to the point that I have to get out (of that relationship), or my children will go through the same things I did.”

Trying to break the cycle and provide a safe future for her children, Smith started to look for programs.

“I knew I needed healing,” Smith said. “I was diagnosed with chronic PTSD.”

Studies show that “80% of 21-year-olds who reported childhood abuse met the criteria for at least one psychological disorder,” according to childhelp.org.

“I knew there would have to be more in life for me than that,” Smith said. “I was turned down for program after program. I kept trying. I would freeze up on people. I wouldn’t speak. A year ago, I wouldn’t be talking about that – I would be in an episode if I tried to.”

Finally, Smith found support from Blue Monarch, a nonprofit in Coffee County helping women who have suffered abuse.

“We’ve been here (for 13 months), and I have no flashbacks and no episodes,” Smith said.
Smith now wants to help others find healing and strength.

“I want to be able to help people to speak out,” Smith said. “My purpose will be speaking and helping others speak. (Victims of abuse) have to speak and be heard.”

Don’t ignore a child’s appeal for help, Smith said.

“Look for the signs,” she said. “Look into it. Don’t doubt it. If there’s not much you can do to get them out of the situation, be a voice for them. Be a voice of encouragement and a light in their life. Be someone that’s there, so they can look forward to talking to you and they can trust you. Having that encouraging voice is really helpful and will give children hope, so they don’t give up.”

Smith will raise her children with love and devotion. She had to put her talents and dreams on hold for three decades, robbed by the abusers.

Smith has forgiven her mother.

“Now that I’ve been working on my own journey of healing, I know my mother never had that healing, so I don’t blame her anymore.”

Now, Smith is enjoying life and developing her talents.

“I’ve been singing since I was 8, but my dad used to put that down a lot,” Smith said. “I write country and Christian music,” Smith said. “I wrote a song for Blue Monarch. I sang it at the banquet, and it was a blessing to do that.”

With the help of Blue Monarch, Smith is no longer a victim – she’s a caring mother, singer-songwriter, and advocate. Smith wants to use her voice to reach victims of abuse and to encourage them to speak out. She wants the community to know child abuse is real and that people must pay attention, look for red flags, believe children and report child abuse.

Smith has a message for perpetrators: The community can break the cycle of child abuse in society, just as she is breaking the cycle in her family. Smith is raising her children in a safe environment, with love, support and protection.

“Jennifer has been at Blue Monarch for over a year,” said Kate Cataldo, operations director for Blue Monarch. “Jennifer is a very strong, courageous and determined mother with two wonderful children, who is using her story to fight abuse and help children.”

(PICTURED AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE: Jennifer Smith hugs her children, Debra and Dale.)

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on Wednesday officially released its lineup for this year’s festival – which will be held Sept. 2-5 at The Farm in Manchester.

Headlining for this year’s event includes Foo Fighters, Lizzo and Tyler, The Creator. Also high on the list are Megan Thee Stallion, Grand Ole Opry Featuring Special Guests, Tame Impala, My Morning Jacket, Lana Del Ray and Incubus, among dozens more.

This will be the 19th festival after last year’s was cancelled. Organizers are overlooking that, though, dubbing this year’s festival as “Celebrating 20 Years of Magic on the Farm.”

Last year’s event was postponed and then eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This year’s event was pushed back to September from its normal staple dates in June.
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Tickets are available here https://www.bonnaroo.com/tickets — see full lineup below: 

Unity Medical Center is proud to announce partnership with Blood Assurance for a blood drive in April.

Anyone wishing to donate blood can do so between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, April 12 at Unity Medical Center in the Bloodmobile – which will be located at 481 Interstate Drive.

“As always, we are proud to partner with Blood Assurance for this event to ensure the community has an opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone in need at a critical time,” said Unity CEO Martha McCormick.

Anyone wishing to donate is encouraged to eat a good meal and drink additional water before donating. Please avoid energy drinks and remember to bring your ID.

All donors will receive a t-shirt and donors who give twice in 2-21 will be entered to win a “side-by-side” ATV.

Schedule your donation appointment online at bloodassurance.org/umc412. You can also save time at your appointment by answering health history questions before you arrive at bloodassurance.org/quickscreen

Shelbyville Police Department is asking for the public’s help solving a recent burglary of McGee’s Pharmacy, which occurred on March 24.

The suspect, or suspects, broke a window, gained access to the building and managed to steal a large quantity of Oxycodone.

Anyone with information regarding this burglary is encouraged to contact Shelbyville Police Department Sgt. Sam Jacobs at 931-684-5811 or Crimestoppers at 931-685-4300.