Oak Ridge Today

Police: Forty-nine grams of suspected heroin seized on West Outer after shooting, crash

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Chelsea Reign Lively

Chelsea Reign Lively

Note: This story was last updated at 3:44 p.m.

Police seized 49.2 grams of suspected heroin in a West Outer Drive home during a search after the shooting on Wakefield Road and three-car crash on North Illinois Avenue on Monday, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has also made an arrest in the case. Chelsea Reign Lively, 22, was arrested Thursday, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. She was charged with possessing Schedule I (heroin) and Schedule VI (marijuana) drugs for sale.

Authorities said further charges against Lively are expected.

Police said Larry Dewayne Williams was identified as a person of interest in the shooting when he fled from the ORPD shortly after the shooting and allegedly caused a three-car crash at the intersection of North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive.

Officers—including members of the ORPD, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, the crime task force, and an ACSD K-9 unit—swarmed the area and searched for Williams. That led officers to a home at 612 West Outer Drive, where they said they executed a search warrant on Tuesday and recovered additional evidence. The house is the home of Lively and Williams, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

“The search warrant commanded that all controlled substances be seized as evidence,” said the warrants, filed by ORPD Detective Kevin Craig.
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Man convicted of possessing heroin for sale in school zone

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Charles Randolph Johnson

Charles Randolph Johnson

A man who came to Anderson County from the Detroit area has been convicted of possessing heroin and marijuana for sale in a school zone, and he faces 25 to 40 years in prison, authorities said Wednesday.

Charles Randolph Johnson was found guilty on Friday, September 18, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release. The jury deliberated for 1.5 hours before announcing their verdict after a trial that lasted 1.5 days.

Johnson has a separate November 10 trial for actually selling the heroin, Clark said in the press release. The DA said Johnson has been charged separately for allegedly selling heroin three times on Coconut Lane near Claxton Elementary School. He also has charges pending for allegedly coercing a witness, Clark said.

The DA said the potential 25- to 40-year sentence for the Friday convictions is based on Johnson’s prior felony record and because the jury found that the crime occurred within a school zone. But the specifics of the sentence will be determined by Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge at the November 30 sentencing hearing, Clark said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police seek suspect in Monday night shooting, crash

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Larry Dewayne Williams Wanted Poster

The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified a person of interest in the shooting on Wakefield Road and crash on North Illinois Avenue on Monday, and they consider the suspect to be armed and dangerous, authorities said.

The person of interest has been described as Larry Dewayne Williams, a black male, 28 years old, and 6’1″ and 165 pounds, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

“Extreme caution should be used if he is observed,” the press release said.

Meanwhile, the Oak Ridge Police Department is taking steps to prevent further shootings on Wakefield Road. There were three in 48 hours, and one arrest has already been made.

“We’re working actively with other agenices to suppress vehicle and pedestrian traffic in areas which cause us concern,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said Tuesday. [Read more…]

Third shooting on Wakefield Road in 48 hours, followed by car crash, fleeing driver

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Car Crash at Hilltop and West Outer Drive

Police say the driver of this silver Infiniti fled on foot after a three-car crash at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive on Monday night, just a few hours after a shooting was reported a short distance away on Wakefield Road, the third shooting there in 48 hours. Police have since described the driver as a person of interest in the Monday night shooting and crash. Pictured above at center are ORPD officers James Elkins and Garrett Robbins. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:35 p.m.

A shooting was reported on Wakefield Road on Monday evening, the third shooting on the street in 48 hours. The shooting was followed a few hours later by a three-car crash at the intersection of West Outer Drive and North Illinois Avenue. Police couldn’t immediately say if the two events were connected.

There didn’t appear to be any injuries in the shooting, which occurred sometime between about 8:15 and 8:30 p.m. and left some 21 casings in the street. Residents in one Wakefield Road home said two bullets pierced a bedroom, but fortunately, no one was in it at the time.

Authorities said minor injuries were reported in the crash, which was reported at about 10:15 p.m. near the Ian’s Market gas station and convience store. One person reportedly fled from the crash, and one witness said the man darted into a wooded area behind the east corner of Ian’s Market, headed north toward Oliver Springs.

The Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department swarmed the area. An ACSD canine unit responded to help search for the person of interest, but as of early Tuesday morning, officers hadn’t found the man. [Read more…]

Man arrested after shots fired in two neighborhoods, chase through several counties

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Debriael Hall

Debriael Hall

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

A 20-year-old Oak Ridge man was arrested after police received several reports of shots fired in two neighborhoods in Oak Ridge this weekend and after a high-speed chase that went through several counties and cities on Sunday night, ending in Newport, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said it first received a report that a black male suspect was chasing a male black victim on foot, firing a pistol, at about 11 p.m. Saturday, September 19.

Then, at about 3 a.m. Sunday, the ORPD responded to South Fisk Avenue in Scarboro, where residents reported multiple shots were fired into their home, which was struck at least twice, according to a city press release. The residents said they heard at least a dozen gunshots.

Oak Ridge Police Department Chase Damage

Damage to an Oak Ridge Police Department car is pictured above after a high-speed chase that started in Oak Ridge on Sunday night, Sept. 20, wound through several counties and cities, and ended in Newport after spike strips were deployed. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department via Facebook)

 

In the first incident, the ORPD said, a white Ford Escape with dealer tags was seen in the area, and in the second incident, this same vehicle was seen fleeing the area at a high rate of speed.

Then, at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, ORPD responded to a report of shots fired on Wakefield Road. The complainant said shots were fired toward an apartment building by a male black suspect, and a second male black perpetrator returned fire, which struck the tailgate off a parked truck. Both suspects fled the area, reportedly in a white SUV matching the description of the suspect vehicle in the previous incidents.

The mother of a fourth victim reported her son had been pistol-whipped by a male black suspect earlier that day, but the victim refused to cooperate in identifying the suspect or describing what occurred, the City of Oak Ridge said in the press release. [Read more…]

ORPD offers local alerts, public safety messages through Nixle

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

The Oak Ridge Police Department has partnered with Nixle to implement its Community Notification System to alert residents in real time for localized emergency situations and relevant community advisories.

As a resident, there are several simple ways to register:

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation text to your mobile device. You may also customize your alert settings by going to www.nixle.com and creating a user profile. [Read more…]

City crews working to restore power after early morning electrical failure

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Frank Callaghan Towers Electric Repairs

Oak Ridge Electric Department crews work to restore electricity to Frank Callaghan Towers on Fairbanks Road after a power failure was reported early Friday morning. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Electric Department crews worked to restore electricity to Frank Callaghan Towers on Fairbanks Road after an early morning power failure on Friday.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the report of a fire alarm at Callaghan Towers on 115 Fairbanks Road at approximately 3:31 a.m. on Friday, September 18. When they arrived, ORFD firefighters investigated and found the elevator mechanical room was filled with smoke. ORFD entered into the room using a thermal imaging camera and found elevator motor number one to be smoking and elevator motor number two to be overheating, a press release said.

Firefighters disconnected power to the elevators and set up exhaust fans in the outside doorways to clear the building of smoke. Residents from the first floor were evacuated from the building until the building was cleared of smoke. Residents on floors two through six were sheltered in place in their rooms during the event. [Read more…]

Woman charged with assault in alleged golf club attack on male roommate

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Alaine E. Shultz

Alaine E. Shultz

An Oak Ridge woman is accused of biting her male roommate and hitting him with a golf club early Friday because she thought he had been cheating on her, authorities said.

Alaine E. Shultz, 33, did not respond to verbal commands to leave her apartment on West Vanderbilt Avenue when the Oak Ridge Police Department responded at about 12:25 a.m. Friday, according to court records.

Officers found her roommate, Linus Goodman, sitting by the front door bleeding from his head, according to an arrest warrant for Shultz filed by ORPD Officer Tim Buckner.

“While outside of the door, I could see the reflection of the female through the door glass standing against the wall in the hallway with what appeared to be a golf club as if she was waiting to ambush officers when they came in,” Buckner said. [Read more…]

Police Lives Matter rally on Saturday at Civic Center

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A Police Lives Matter and First Responders Matter rally has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, September 19, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The rally will include Brian Neal singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a police chaplain delivering a prayer, and speaker Russel Langley, organizer Kevin Rice said.

It will also include a march on the sidewalks along Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of the Oak Ridge Civic Center and Oak Ridge High School and then back to the Civic Center. [Read more…]

Police: Hit-and-run driver in stolen vehicle that crashed arrested in woods at ORNL

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Highway 95 Hit and Run Suspect

The Oak Ridge Police Department said officers arrested a suspect, recovered a stolen car, and cleared a crash on State Route 95 between Bear Creek and Bethel Valley roads on Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by ORPD via Twitter) 

 

A Knoxville man who allegedly crashed a vehicle that had been reported stolen was arrested Wednesday afternoon after he fled into an area between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex in west Oak Ridge, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to the single-vehicle crash on State Route 95 at 2:19 p.m. Wednesday, September 16. The crash occurred as the vehicle left the roadway while proceeding northbound, between Bethel Valley Road and Bear Creek Road, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

The driver of the crashed vehicle fled eastbound on foot toward the federal sites before officers arrived, the release said. Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory protective force security officers were notified due to the close proximity to the federal reservations.

“Pro Force Security personnel located and detained the driver of the vehicle almost an hour later in a wooded area on ORNL property, east of Highway 95,” the release said. [Read more…]

Soft lockdown lifted at Preschool, SAB after domestic violence suspect arrested

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Domestic Violence at Geneva Road

A soft lockdown was lifted Wednesday morning at the Preschool and School Administration Building after a domestic violence suspect was arrested a few blocks east on West Geneva Lane. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m. Sept. 17.

A soft lockdown was lifted Wednesday morning at the Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building after a domestic violence suspect was arrested on West Geneva Lane.

The call was reported to have started at 10:21 a.m. on Georgia Avenue, which is east of Jackson Square and Blankenship Field, and a few blocks east of the Preschool and SAB. The Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of a domestic dispute, and suspect Timothy Dickens, 34, of Oak Ridge, allegedly kicked in the front door of a home, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

“Mr. Dickens fled the residence on foot westbound into a densely wooded area,” the release said. [Read more…]

Photos: 9/11 memorial ceremony at ORHS on Sept. 11

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ORHS 9/11 Memorial Moment of Silence

Oak Ridge High School students and staff and police officers and firefighters have a moment of silence at the 9/11 memorial at ORHS on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A September 11 memorial ceremony at Oak Ridge High School paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, and it honored military personnel.

Here are pictures from the Friday morning ceremony.

ORHS 9/11 Memorial Shichen Zhang and Melissa Yuan 2015

Shichen Zhang, Student Council president, left, and Melissa Yuan, Student Council vice president, raise the United States flag to half-staff during a 9/11 ceremony at Oak Ridge High School on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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