Oak Ridge Today

Updated: Homicide charge in drug-related fatality could be a first in Anderson County

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Troy Andrew Venable

Troy Andrew Venable

 

This story was last updated at 5:30 p.m.

The reckless homicide charge filed against an Oak Ridge man in a grand jury indictment after a drug-related fatality could be a first in Anderson County, a law enforcement official said.

Troy Andrew Venable, 29, was indicted in April on a reckless homicide charge in the death of Lauren Alexandra Fritts, 26.

Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said it is, as far as he knows, the first time in Anderson County that someone has been indicted on a homicide charge in a drug-related fatality. [Read more…]

Shooting victim in serious condition at UT Medical Center

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William Molette

William Molette

The woman who was shot on Walsh Lane on Friday night, possibly five times around her torso, is in serious condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting at 104 Walsh Lane was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday. It started with a grudge over a puppy, according to affidavits filed Tuesday in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

William Antwon Molette, 43, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in the case. He tried to incapacitate or kill the victim, Kathy Griffin, by pointing a small, black .380 caliber Ruger LCP at Griffin and firing numerous times, until the magazine was empty, “with the sole intent of killing the victim,” according to the court affidavits, which were filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective A. Marvell Moore. The facts as alleged in the affidavits were based on witness statements and officer statements and observations, Moore said.

Griffin had life-threatening injuries because of the shooting, and she had to be airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Trauma Center in Knoxville, Moore said.

“Medical personnel observed multiple (five) defects to or about the victim’s torso that were believed to have been created by high-velocity projectiles,” Moore said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police warn of scam phone calls

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has warned area residents to be on the lookout for “spoofed” phone calls that appear to come from the police department, but are actually from scammers.

Local residents have notified officers that they are receiving calls that appear to originate from the police department’s non-emergency line at (865) 425-4399. These calls are not legitimate. The department will never contact you by phone in an attempt to collect money or financial information.

Residents have also advised officers that the scam calls sometimes threaten arrest, jail time, and other legal action if payment is not made, a press release said. [Read more…]

Man charged with attempted murder in Walsh Lane shooting

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William Molette

William Molette

 

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in a shooting on Walsh Lane that sent a woman to a hospital with life-threatening injuries on Friday night, authorities said.

William Molette, 43, has been charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of possessing a firearm while committing a dangerous felony.

The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday.

“It was reported that a female had been shot, and the male suspect was still at the scene,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement earlier Saturday. “When officers arrived minutes later, they saw the suspect leaving the scene in a vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect and detained him a short distance away from the scene.” [Read more…]

Woman has life-threatening injuries after being shot on Walsh Lane

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A woman has life-threatening injuries after reportedly being shot at a home on Walsh Lane on Friday night, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday.

“It was reported that a female had been shot, and the male suspect was still at the scene,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement. “When officers arrived minutes later, they saw the suspect leaving the scene in a vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect and detained him a short distance away from the scene.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Police Department will host National Night Out on Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Police Department K9 Officer Ray Steakley is pictured above at a K9 demonstration at the 2016 National Night Out at Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge Police Department K9 Officer Ray Steakley is pictured above at a K9 demonstration at the 2016 National Night Out at Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department is teaming up with the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program to host a National Night Out celebration on Tuesday, October 3.

The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Alvin K. Bissell Park behind the Oak Ridge Civic Center. National Night Out is a free community gathering that heightens awareness of local efforts to prevent crime, violence, and drug use while generating support for and participation in anti-crime programs, a press release said. [Read more…]

Mental evaluation ordered in alleged dog stabbing, arson

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Sklyer Christian Griffin

Sklyer Christian Griffin

 

An evaluation of competency and mental capacity has been ordered in the case in which police say a 19-year-old man fatally stabbed a 10-year-old dog and then started a fire in the living room of an apartment on Villanova Road in Oak Ridge.

The evaluation at Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital was ordered Tuesday by Judge Roger Miller of Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, in Oak Ridge.

The evaluation should include a determination of the mental capacity of the defendant, Skyler C. Griffin, at the time of the alleged crime, his competency to stand trial, and his ability to assess the nature of his conduct, according to the order.

Griffin had a court hearing on Tuesday afternoon in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. He now has a status hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. November 7. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department’s Then & Now Parade part of 75th anniversary celebration

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Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott

Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department will be hosting a fire prevention celebration on Saturday, October 7, as part of the city’s 75th anniversary.

In the 1940s, Oak Ridge hosted a parade during Fire Prevention Week every October to help spread the word about fire safety. ORFD hopes to rekindle this tradition in honor of the City’s milestone anniversary, a press release said.

The celebration will kick off with a Then and Now-themed parade at ORFD Fire Station Number 3 on Tuskegee Drive and end at Alvin K. Bissell Park. Lineup for participants will begin at 9 a.m., with the parade getting underway at 10 a.m., the press release said.

Following the parade, everyone is invited to gather in A.K. Bissell Park at 11 a.m. for opening ceremonies that will include static displays of emergency services equipment, bounce houses, safety information booths, and emergency services demonstrations. [Read more…]

Lunch with the League features police chief on Tuesday

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will host Lunch with the League on Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The speaker will be Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi.

The public is invited, and there is no cost to attend.

The lunch, which will last until about 1 p.m. Tuesday, will be in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Akagi will talk about current issues in the City of Oak Ridge and surrounding areas that are affecting police activities—including opioid usage, immigration, and school safety, a press release said. [Read more…]

Y-12 has emergency management exercise on Wednesday

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Emergency response personnel from the National Nuclear Security Administration and Consolidated Nuclear Security—along with federal, state, and local emergency management personnel—will conduct an emergency management exercise Wednesday, September 20, in and around the Y‑12 National Security Complex.

During this exercise, people near Y-12 may observe police and other emergency response vehicles, as well as responders simulating activities, a press release said. These activities are part of the exercise, the release said.

This event is one of several emergency management exercises conducted on a regular basis at the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration facilities in Oak Ridge. These exercises test the ability of emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations and ensure that the public, Y-12 employees, and the environment would be protected in the event of an actual emergency occurring on the Oak Ridge Reservation, the press release said.

Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration.

Man stabs dog, then starts fire, police say

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Sklyer Christian Griffin

Sklyer Christian Griffin

 

An Oak Ridge man stabbed a dog, which died from its wounds, and then started a fire in the living room of a home on Villanova Avenue on Friday, according to police.

Skyler C. Griffin, 19, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, aggravated arson, and vandalism, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kenneth Prickett said Griffin came through the front door of an apartment on Villanova Avenue on Friday and physically attacked a 10-year-old male beagle mix that lives there.

“Griffin admitted to striking the dog with his hands and closed fists before pulling out his pocket knife and stabbing the dog in the neck and in the lower abdomen,” Prickett said. “The dog ran from the living room area and onto the outside balcony, where it succumbed to the stab wounds.” [Read more…]

Police allegedly find pills, meth, marijuana, cash, ammo

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Samuel McCoy Wade

Samuel McCoy Wade

A police search of a home on Marion Road on Friday found pills, methamphetamine, marijuana, cash, and ammunition, authorities said.

The home at 102 Marion Road was searched by the 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force and Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT team on Friday, September 8, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

During a search of the home, officers, who had a search warrant, found two bags containing about 34.7 grams of methamphetamine, about one pound of marijuana in various bags, and a bag of pills that included five alprazolam, five methylphenidate hydrochloride, and 19 two-milligram Xanax pills, the affidavits said.

Police also found cash, drug paraphernalia, a sealed bag of marijuana, .380 ammunition, and a Mercedes C20 car reportedly purchased with money from drug sales, according to the affidavits. [Read more…]