Oak Ridge Today

Jury finds Cromwell guilty of vehicular homicide, aggravated assault

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Lee Harold Cromwell, 68, of Oak Ridge, has been charged with homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault in a fatal parking lot crash at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge after fireworks on July 4, 2015. Cromwell has been on trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton, starting Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, and continuing through Wednesday, Feb. 15. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, of Oak Ridge, was convicted in Anderson County Criminal Court on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, of vehicular homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault in a fatal parking lot crash at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge after fireworks on July 4, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:30 a.m.

CLINTON—An Anderson County jury on Wednesday found Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, of Oak Ridge, guilty of one count of vehicular homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault for killing one person and injuring eight others during a parking lot crash at Midtown Community Center after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015.

The 12-person jury—six men and six women—unanimously returned the guilty verdicts just before 3 p.m. Wednesday. The case had been sent to the jury about four hours earlier, just before 11 a.m.

The jury verdicts came at the end of a three-day trial that started Monday morning in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. Senior Judge Paul Summers heard the case because Judge Don Elledge had recused himself due to liens filed against him by Cromwell.

A sentencing hearing has been set for Cromwell for 9 a.m. April 11. [Read more…]

Fatal July 4 crash: Victim, mechanic again dispute stuck-throttle claim

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Defense attorney James Scott, right, talks to potential jurors in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, during the homicide trial for Lee Cromwell, 67, who is accused of killing a Knoxville man and injuring others as he backed through the crowded parking lot at the Midtown Community Center after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015. Also pictured is Senior Judge Paul Summers, top left, who was appointed to hear the case after Don Elledge recused himself, and Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins, center front. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6 p.m.

CLINTON—On the witness stand on Tuesday, a mechanic and victim again disputed a claim that a stuck throttle might have been the cause of a parking lot crash that killed a Knoxville man and injured other people, including children, after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015.

The two witnesses—victim Michael Eldridge and mechanic David Carey of Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram—were among 15 witnesses who testified from Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon in the homicide trial of Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton.

The witnesses included victims, police officers, and the wife of the man who died as well as the couple’s two young children.

Presentation of the evidence concluded Tuesday afternoon, and closing arguments were given Wednesday morning. The case went to the 12-person jury late Wednesday morning.

Cromwell is accused of killing James Robinson, 37, of Knoxville; injuring others; and crashing into several vehicles as he backed his Dodge Ram pickup truck through the crowded parking lot at Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, after fireworks across the street at Alvin K. Bissell Park. He is facing a vehicular homicide charge and eight counts of aggravated assault. [Read more…]

Homicide trial starts for Cromwell, could last three days

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The trial for Lee Cromwell, 67, the defendant in a fatal parking lot crash in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, has been set for the week that starts Monday, February 13, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—The homicide trial for Lee Harold Cromwell, the defendant in a fatal parking lot crash after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, started Monday in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton.

The trial started with jury selection. About 115 potential jurors received instructions from Senior Judge Paul Summers on Monday morning.

A jury of 12 people and three alternates will be selected from among the 115 potential jurors.

Summers, appointed to hear the case after Judge Don Elledge recused himself because of liens filed by Cromwell, said he expects the trial to last three days, although that is not guaranteed.

The plea deadline for Cromwell was February 3.

The witnesses that are expected to testify include current and former Oak Ridge Police Department officers, victims of the crash, and Julia Robinson, the wife of James Robinson, 37, the Knoxville man who died in the crash.

[Read more…]

Police investigate online activity, but find no credible threat

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Early on Monday, February 6, the Oak Ridge Police Department was notified about some Internet chat room activity that raised its level of concern, authorities said.

After investigating the alleged activity, officers determined there was no threat, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. The Police Department coordinated with Oak Ridge Schools to relay this information. No alert was issued, and the schools did not change their procedure in any way. [Read more…]

Federal trial under way for man accused of kidnapping in robbery plots, including at Y-12 FCU

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Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti

The federal trial is under way for a Pennsylvania man accused of kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob banks and credit unions, including in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.

The trial for Michael Anthony Benanti, 44, of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, started with jury selection on Monday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. It has continued this week.

Benanti and a co-defendant, Brian Scott Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, had been named in a 15-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury in December 2015. They were accused of kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton. The Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge was one of the three financial institutions that was targeted.

Witham pleaded guilty March 1, 2016. He received a 42-year sentence and will be the star witness against Benanti, his co-defendant, according to Jamie Satterfield, a Knoxville News Sentinel reporter.

The trial for Benanti could last up to three weeks. Oak Ridge Today has not been able to cover the trial, but Satterfield has been covering it. You can see four of her News Sentinel stories here: [Read more…]

Benefit spaghetti supper to help ORPD officer

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David Ridenour Benefit 2017

Information from WYSH Radio

A benefit, all-day spaghetti dinner will be held on Saturday, February 11, at Main Street Baptist Church in Rocky Top for Oak Ridge Police Department Officer David Ridenour.

Last year, Ridenour, while building his new home, had an accident with a nail gun that caused a serious injury to his eye.

Despite numerous surgeries and other treatments to try and save the eye, it had to be removed on January 24. [Read more…]

Man, dog injured after shots fired at home

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A man and dog were injured after shots were fired at a home on Wednesday night, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at 325 Louisiana Avenue at about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The resident, 27-year-old Dylan Squires, told officers that he heard a knock on his front door. When he opened the door, Squires said, he observed a man, dressed in all black clothing and a ski mask, approaching his porch. [Read more…]

Funeral arrangements announced for 3-year-old who died in crash

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Jason Robert Braden III

Jason Robert Braden III

Funeral arrangements have been announced for the three-year-old who died after a two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday, January 13.

The crash occurred at about 5:20 p.m. January 13 at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Jason Robert Braden III of Clinton died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville from injuries sustained in the crash, according to his obituary.

It said Jason will be dearly missed by all his family. Jason loved to watch “Tom the Tow Truck” on his tablet, and his favorite dogs on “Paw Patrol” were Marshal and Chase. Jason’s favorite song was “Burning it Down,” and he loved his baby brother, Justyn. [Read more…]

Adults identified in crash that killed 3-year-old; cause not determined yet

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Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the adults injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Friday evening, although the cause hasn’t been determined yet.

The crash killed a three-year-old boy. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive in central Oak Ridge. It involved a total of 11 people, including three juveniles.

Besides the three-year-old who died, five other people who were in an SUV that ended up near a stoplight pole on the northeast corner of the intersection were injured and taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The five injured included four adults and one child. One of the adults was released from the hospital over the weekend, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The names of the juveniles involved in the crash are not being released, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The occupants of the SUV were: [Read more…]

Fatal crash: One adult released from hospital; police officers start memorial with stuffed animals

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Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a three-year-old child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One adult passenger injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday has been released from the hospital, a city official said Saturday. And Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial at the crash site, leaving stuffed animals there Saturday morning.

The fatal crash was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive. Police said the crash killed one three-year-old child and injured another child, and it also injured four adults. The five people who were injured and the child who died were all taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level I trauma center. All six had been in the same vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle.

On Saturday, Sarah Self, spokesperson for the City of Oak Ridge, said one of the adult passengers was released from UT Medical Center.

The condition of the other injured patients (three adults and one child) was not available, Self said.

Five people in the second vehicle involved in the crash, a newer silver Volkswagen sedan, were not injured, Self said. There were four adults and one child in that car. [Read more…]

Child passenger seat checkpoint dates announced

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Child Passenger Seat Checks

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Safe Kids program are hosting six child passenger seat checkpoints in 2017. The first was scheduled for Saturday, January 14.

These events are held for parents and caregivers to receive education material about car seats, have their car seats checked for any manufacturer recalls, and also have the seats examined for proper installation, a media advisory said. The child passenger seat checkpoint is open to the public, and it is free for participants to attend.

All events will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Station Number 2, 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike (near Home Depot), from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The dates are as follows: [Read more…]

Child dies, five injured in crash

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A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. Jan 16.

A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a serious crash in Oak Ridge on Friday evening, authorities said.

The fatal two-vehicle crash involved 11 people. It was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Those taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level 1 Trauma Center, were four adults and two children. One of those children is the three-year-old who died (the child was initially reported to be four). The four adults and two children were all in one vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle, or SUV.

Five people in a second vehicle—four adults and one child—were reported to not have injuries, according to the City of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]