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Dodson sought for burglary
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Delbert Dodson
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Lisa Benton

The Warren County Sheriff’s Department responded to a burglary in progress on Feb. 28 on Northcutts Cove Road in McMinnville. Deputies arrived on the scene and found that the residence had reportedly been broken into. Glass was shattered by the door and the house appeared ransacked. A witness at the scene reported seeing two vehicles just before the sheriff’s deputies arrived. 

The witness at the scene gave a description of the vehicles and Grundy County Sheriff’s Office was informed and told to be on the lookout. Grundy County officers informed Deputies Vincent Cooley and Jackson Franks they had encountered the vehicles and they were currently at a home in Grundy County. 

Warren County Investigators Gary Kemper and Spencer Pryor began investigating and a search warrant was obtained for the residence in Grundy County. Stolen items belonging to the victim of the theft were reportedly recovered in the area. Lisa Annette Benton and Delbert Dewayne Dodson were found to be responsible for the burglary and property theft. Arrest warrants for both have been issued. Benton has already been arrested and remains in custody at the Warren County Jail. A search is currently underway for Dodson. 

Delbert Dewayne Dodson is the father of Delbert Odean Dodson who was arrested on methamphetamine-related charges last year in Anderson, S.C. Both Dodsons are listed as residing in Grundy County. The suspect already apprehended, Benton (also a Grundy County native), was previously arrested on Dec. 2 last year in McMinn County. Investigator Pryor with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department explained an outdated mugshot from a booking photo from May 2000 shared by the sheriff’s department online served as a placeholder until they could find a more recent photo, shown above.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Department asks anyone with any information regarding the possible whereabouts of Delbert DeWayne Dodson to please contact Investigator Pryor or Investigator Kemper at (931) 473-8032, or through the non-emergency number for the 911 Center at (931) 668-7000. 

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community