A Wilson County man has been arrested for sex charges involving a minor after a lengthy investigation by WCSO detectives.

Daniel V. Fanning, 55, of Lebanon, was arrested Thursday and charged with a count of solicitation of a minor and a count of soliciting the sexual exploitation of a minor. He remains in custody under $50,000 bond. He is currently scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Dec. 8.

The investigation was initiated after a concerned parent contacted the sheriff’s office after the juvenile daughter told her parent she had received several disturbing and unsolicited messages of a sexual nature. After reporting the incident to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation was initiated which soon revealed the identity of the person suspected of sending the disturbing messages.

Fanning was employed by the Rutherford Co. Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer at the time of his arrest. He is a former police officer of the Watertown Police Dept. and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our agency wants clarify that an individual’s profession or status in society has no impact on the determination or our obligation to protect the citizens of Wilson County,” Sheriff Robert Bryan said. “Any person who has been accused of a crime will be investigated thoroughly. If sufficient evidence exists of a criminal violation, that person will be charged accordingly. Anytime a person conducts themselves in this manner is regretful, especially when that person is in a position of public trust. We have no tolerance for this type of behavior in Wilson County.”

The sheriff commended the juvenile victim for her actions. “She did exactly as she should have and notified her parents immediately after receiving these messages,” Sheriff Bryan said. “I would just like to remind parents that their children’s mobile device is a privilege and should be monitored closely. There is a constant threat of offenders preying on children whether it is for sexual or other potentially dangerous intentions. Unfortunately, this is an every-day occurrence in our society.”

Parents are urged to closely monitor any devices in their home, especially those used by their children, and to report any suspicious or concerning activity they notice to their local law enforcement agency.

Sam Shallenberger, Sr. VP Finance for Barrett, presents Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan with a complimentary REC7 DI rifle, one of 95 presented to state sheriffs.

Barrett Firearms presented Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan with a brand new REC7 DI rifle Tuesday as part of a statewide goodwill gesture provided by the Murfreesboro-based Barrett Firearms manufacturer. Barrett Firearms has been on a mission to donate one of its signature rifles to each of the 95 Tennessee sheriff’s offices and departments.

Although many people associate Barrett’s world-renowned weapons with military and civilians from all walks of life, few know the back story behind the family’s 30-year-plus history of building weapons and where it began.

“When the Barrett story is told, folks usually talk about the civilian shooters and militaries around the world that have chosen Barrett long-range precision rifles for more than three decades,” Chris Barrett, Barrett Firearms President explained in his decision for the statewide contribution to sheriffs. “Less-often mentioned is my father’s background as county sheriff’s deputy, our 5.56 carbines and rifles, and the countless law enforcement agencies that choose Barrett. We want to highlight that legacy and show our strong support for law enforcement by donating these Barrett REC7 DI rifles to the sheriffs across our state.”

Sheriff Bryan highly praised the manufacturer for its generosity and dedication to law enforcement a weapon known worldwide for its quality craftsmanship popular with military, sport shooters and gun collectors. “Barrett produces some of the finest weaponry you can find anywhere in the world,” Bryan said. “To be the recipient of such a special gift to our department is truly an honor. We are so proud Barrett has chosen our sheriff’s office to be part of this generous goodwill gesture.”

Mr. Barrett explained he was equally pleased to have Tennessee law enforcement, military and customers universally carrying his family’s product.

“As lifelong Tennesseans and builders of the Barrett Model82A1/M107, the ‘Official State Rifle of the State of

Tennessee’, we are proud to build every one of these rifles in Tennessee. We believe that the sheriffs can use these rifles as they enforce the laws around this great state.”

Barrett is a family-owned and operated company and the world leader in large-caliber rifle design and manufacturing. Barrett products are used by civilian sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, United States military and more than 70 U.S. Department of State-approved countries across the world. For more information about the company, please visit its website at: http://barrett.net/

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Wilson County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the identities of two male suspects believed to have stolen a variety of fishing equipment from a boat at the Misty Cove Lake Drive area. If you have information on the suspects and/or equipment, please notify the WCSO as soon as possible. The theft occurred on Nov. 4 in the northern part of the county. Please call 615-444-1412 to report any information.

 The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting a Drug Take Back Initiative Saturday, Oct. 22, for anyone wanting to dispose of unwanted and/or expired prescription and non-prescription drugs. No questions will be asked. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at drop-off location at the courthouse next to the WCSO Office at 105 East High Street in Lebanon.

“We strongly encourage you to take this opportunity to clean out your medicine cabinets and get rid of expired or medication you are not longer taking,” Sheriff Robert Bryan said. “Your home medicine cabinet is often where young people begin experimenting with drugs. It’s important to recognize this could happen to someone in your home, including your child, your grandchild or your neighbor’s child. Please take precautions to avoid a tragedy involving your prescription drugs.”

People across Wilson County should begin checking their medical supplies in preparation for the Drug Take Back Day. “It’s a good idea to keep track of what kind of medications you have and how many tablets, pills, etc. you have used,” the sheriff said. “Just as you keep other potentially dangerous items in your house away from loved ones, please take care to keep medications out of children’s reach.” You may even consider locking your medication in a cabinet to avoid anyone abusing your medicines.”

Medications you use for legitimate reasons are often subject to theft, and can lead to addiction and ultimately even drug trafficking. Sheriff Bryan noted that there is a national epidemic of prescription drug abuse that is often the motive in numerous crimes. “We appreciate cooperative efforts such as this one, Sheriff Bryan said, noting, “We are happy to be able to provide a place where you safely and conveniently dispose of such medicines when they are no longer needed or wanted.”

Anyone who would like to drop off medication or drugs, prescription or other, can drop it off at the event on Saturday with no questions asked. No syringes are accepted, whether used or new. And no inhalers will be accepted. Thank you for your cooperation.

Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan has promoted four of the Reserve Deputy Program officers because of the countless hours the volunteer deputies have worked, exceeding current standards and responsibilities they have had in any number of assignments.

Sheriff Robert Bryan recognized two WCSO Sheriff’ Deputies for their tireless efforts to their jobs in affecting numerous arrests. The Sheriff cited their hard work and dedication to their jobs during the presentation.  We thank them all for a job well done and congratulations to each!

Pictured (left to right) are: Lt. Earl Ray, Sgt. Chris Redicker, Sheriff Robert Bryan, Sgt. Brian Short and Training Sgt. Michale Cobb.

Pictured (left) are Deputy Joseph Howard and Deputy Brandon Cannon with whom Sheriff Robert Bryan presented with Letters of Commendation written by Patrol Lt. James Lanier, Maj Mike Hale and Chief Deputy Mike Owen.

Wilson County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging anyone who would like to have their child safety restraints inspected for possible damages and/or correct installation to make an appointment early for the event scheduled for 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.

The inspection marks Wilson County Sheriff’s Office’s first of what it plans to become an annual event to take place in the parking lot next to the Sheriff’s Office parking lot located at 105 E. High Street in Lebanon. Deputies who are specially trained will be present to inspect anyone’s vehicle and child restraint device who makes an appointment. There are only eight slots available (approximately 45 minutes apart). Each vehicle inspection takes about 35-40 minutes. The deputies will be inspecting two vehicles at a time.

If you would like to make an appointment, please call the Sheriff’s Office at 615-444-1412 Ext. 280 and give us the make, model and serial number of your car seat to check for any recalls, the year, make and model of your vehicle and a phone number in case of cancellation. We encourage you to reserve an appointment soon as spots are limited.

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office will hold its first child seat safety inspection station from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in the parking lot next to the sheriff’s office. There will eight slots available if you would like to reserve an appointment to have your child’s safety seat inspected. Deputies who are specially trained to inspect child restraints for damage and correct installation will be there for inspections. To reserve an appointment for the approximately 45-minute inspection, please call 615-444-1412, ext. 280. We will need the make, model and serial number of your car seat to check for any recalls. In addition, please provide the year, make and model of your vehicle and a phone number in case of cancellation. We encourage you to call quickly to get an appointment for this safety event.

WCSO’s Lt. Robin Curtis says he has been truly surprised by the number of letters and gifts he has received for his recently retired 9-year-old K-9 partner, a Belgian Malinois named “Rocky.” People from around the area and outside have sent letters and a number of gifts to Rocky in care of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office. “Rocky and I are so thankful to everyone who has sent us a card or gift,” Lt. Curtis said. “That means a lot. I never expected to get this kind of response. This has been a wonderful send-off.”

Lt. Curtis said Rocky was responsible for recovering millions of dollars in cash and illegal narcotics and currency in addition to a number of felony arrests in addition to performing numerous demonstrations to educate young people and adults alike about how K-9 teams work. He retired as one of the most highly decorated dogs in Tennessee.

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce a new, easy way for the public to report traffic problems through our MobilePatrol app or a dedicated email address.

The Sheriff’s Office has been using the MobilePatrol app successfully for quite some time to provide Victim Notification, Inmate Information and Crime Reporting to our community.

Because of growing population, we are seeing a lot more traffic concerns throughout Wilson County, Sheriff Robert Bryan said. “Several of our staff members collaborated to develop a new Traffic Reporting Initiative to give our citizens several methods to easily report traffic concerns. We feel this will assist us in allocating our resources more effectively and we encourage the public to participate through these new easy-to-use features.”

Sheriff Bryan cautioned that the enhanced features will not take the place of emergency reporting. “Please remember to call 911 in a true emergency. This is merely a method to find out where ongoing traffic problems are.”

“It’s like having more eyes in the community to help us all look out for one another. If you have traffic concerns about your neighborhood or a particular area of the county, all you need to do to lodge a complaint is use your smart phone, laptop or desk computer. Our traffic division will rotate out to various reported problem areas and give the public much more saturated coverage where needed.

To submit traffic concerns, submit through the MobilePatrol app or send an email to  trafficwcso@gmail.com.

For tutorial on how to submit traffic related complaints, we have made a YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Kl9cz4yTw

In addition, here is a link to the WCSO YouTube Channel:  https://wcso95.org/website/youtube

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office SROs and K-9 team in conjunction with Lebanon Police Department and members of the 18^th Judicial Drug Task Force performed a simultaneous sweep on the four high schools and charged two students with possession of drugs and paraphernalia in addition to other charges today.

Lt. Scott Moore said the sweep began shortly after 8 a.m. today when SROs and K-9 handlers and dogs met at the WCSO parking lot. The officers spread out across Central, Lebanon and Watertown High School followed by Mt. Juliet High School. Officers found nothing at any of the schools except Mt. Juliet, where two students under 18 years of age were charged. One was charged with possession of Schedule VI drugs (marijuana) with intent to resale and possession of drug paraphernalia. The other student was charged with simple possession of Schedule VI drugs (marijuana) and possession of drug paraphernalia. The event was a routine drug sweep that occurs from time to time within the schools, according to Lt. Moore.

Lt. Robin Curtis along with Patrol Maj. Mike Hale arranged the resources to conduct the sweep. “This was a joint effort, and we appreciate the cooperation of the other law enforcement agencies, “Lt. Curtis, WCSO K-9 handler, said. “Everything went really well. The officers and their dogs did a good job. We appreciate the cooperation of the Wilson County Schools in this matter.”

Lt. Curtis noted that the schools are typically swept simultaneously so that students cannot alert other students via cell phones. Wilson County students are allowed to have their cell phones at school.