Oak Ridge Today

Updated: Preschool, SAB locked down after robbery reported at nearby medical office

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Oak Ridge Medical Clinic Robbery

A robbery was reported at Oak Ridge Medical Clinic on West Tennessee Avenue early Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:50 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Preschool was temporarily locked down on Tuesday afternoon after a robbery was reported at a nearby medical office.

The robbery was reported at about 1:03 p.m. Tuesday at Oak Ridge Medical Clinic at 170 West Tennessee Avenue, on the north side of Methodist Medical Center and about a block away from the preschool. A woman reported that she was robbed of her purse and contents worth an estimated $300.

“The victim had parked her vehicle in the parking lot of the medical center, and as she was walking into the building, the suspect approached, violently grabbed her purse, and knocked her to the ground,” a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

The Oak Ridge police and fire departments and Anderson County EMS responded, and police set up a perimeter around the area. A canine unit was sent to help search for the suspect.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said the suspect fled on foot, running northbound through residential lots toward the Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building at 304 New York Avenue.

[Read more…]

Knoxville woman dies after South Illinois Avenue crash

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South Illinois Avenue Crash on Aug. 24, 2015

A Knoxville woman died after a three-vehicle crash on South Illinois Avenue on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

 

A Knoxville woman died after a three-vehicle crash on South Illinois Avenue on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said more information could be released later today (Tuesday, August 25). The female’s husband has been informed of the fatality, Akagi said.

There were multiple injuries in the crash, which was near the Centrifuge Way interchange, and one person was flown by a UT Lifestar medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. [Read more…]

Three-vehicle crash with injuries reported on South Illinois at Centrifuge

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South Illinois Avenue Crash on Aug. 24, 2015

Injuries were reported and one person was flown to a hospital by a medical helicopter after a three-vehicle crash on South Illinois Avenue on Monday afternoon.

 

A three-vehicle crash with injuries was reported on South Illinois Avenue near Centrifuge Way on Monday afternoon.

One vehicle was upside down, resting on its roof, and one person was reportedly flown by a UT Lifestar medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were involved, how many were injured, or how many others were taken to the hospital.

The crash was just down the hill toward Oak Ridge from the Centrifuge Way overpass. [Read more…]

Authorities save man from drowning in west Oak Ridge on Friday

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Blair Road River Rescue

Photo by Roane County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook

 

Authorities helped save a man from drowning in west Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The Roane County dispatch center received a report that a man had fallen in the water near Blair Road, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Captain Tim Hawn was less than one mile away when the call was dispatched.

“Captain Hawn immediately put himself at risk in order to save the guy that was in the water,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a post published on Facebook. “Captain Hawn was able to retrieve the guy and pull him to safety.” [Read more…]

Thirteen people, eight vehicles involved in two crashes on Edgemoor Road

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Edgemoor Road Bridge Crash

One driver was possibly injured and cited for a failure to use due care after this three-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road on Friday afternoon left one vehicle partially stuck on the concrete rail of the bridge over the Clinch River. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Thirteen people in eight vehicles were involved in two of the three crashes reported on Edgemoor Road on Thursday and Friday last week.

But only one person had possible injuries in those two crashes, according to Oak Ridge Police Department reports.

The first crash, a five-vehicle wreck, was reported on Edgemoor Road about two-tenths of a mile west of Lakeview Circle at about 5:39 p.m. Thursday, August 13. None of the 10 occupants of the five vehicles was injured, according to reports.

ORPD Officer Shane Tilley reported that a 1991 Chevrolet pickup driven west on Edgemoor Road, also known as State Route 170, by Jeremy P. Bentley, 46, of Knoxville, was unable to stop when traffic stopped in front of him.

Bentley then struck the rear of a 2014 Dodge pickup driven by Charles E. Dishman, 35, of Clinton, which in turn hit the rear of a 2012 Hyundai sedan driven by William M. Cunningham of Maryville. Cunningham’s sedan then hit the rear of a 2008 Nissan Altima driven by Chong Kim, 74, of Knoxville, which hit the rear of a 2009 Nissan Altima driven by Deena A. Chase, 48, of Knoxville. [Read more…]

FBI asks for public’s help catching suspects in kidnappings, extortions at two banks

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Ed Reinhold

Edward Reinhold, special agent in charge for FBI Knoxville, asks for the public’s help catching two suspects involved in two alleged kidnapping and extortion plots at banks in Oak Ridge and Knoxville. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

KNOXVILLE—The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help in catching the suspects involved in the kidnappings and extortions involving Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge and SmartBank in Knoxville. The FBI is also working with bank employees to ensure they know what to do in the future and to be aware of their surroundings.

On Wednesday, the FBI announced a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the identification and arrests of the suspects. They’ve released descriptions of two white male suspects.

“The only way we can prevent this from happening is to catch these guys,” said Edward Reinhold, special agent in charge at the FBI Knoxville. The FBI had a Thursday afternoon press conference at its Knoxville office on Dowell Springs Road.

Agents are asking members of the public who might know anything to step forward. [Read more…]

FBI offers reward up to $20,000 for info on kidnapping, extortion at Y-12 FCU, SmartBank

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Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Oak Ridge Police Department officers were at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning (April 28, 2015). The branch will remain closed Wednesday, although the credit union’s headquarters will be open. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:10 a.m.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the identification and arrests of the suspects in the kidnappings and extortions involving Y-12 Federal Credit Union and SmartBank.

The FBI, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and Oak Ridge Police Department are asking the public to help identify and locate the people responsible for the kidnappings and extortions.

The FBI said that on April 28, at approximately 8:15 a.m., a Y-12 Federal Credit Union employee and his family were kidnapped from their residence and held hostage at gunpoint.

While the family was held hostage, the employee was coerced to attempt to remove money from the Y-12 Federal Credit Union at 501 Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Neighborhood Watch volunteers helping Comfort Inn thank ORFD, ORPD

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Volunteers for the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will help thank the Oak Ridge police and fire departments on Tuesday morning, a press release said.

It’s part of National Waffle Day, and it’s hosted by Kate Groover and the Comfort Inn in Oak Ridge.

The “Say Thank You with Waffles” event is from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, August 18, at Comfort Inn at 433 South Rutgers Avenue. [Read more…]

ORPD officer, a former Vandy standout, terminated as statutory rape allegation investigated

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ORPD Cassen Garrison

Witnesses said ORPD Officer Cassen Garrison used his hands to break out a back window of an Emory Valley Center van and rescue a client from the back of it after a May 12, 2015, crash at Northwestern and North Purdue avenues. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:25 a.m. Aug. 18.

A probationary Oak Ridge police officer who once played football for Vanderbilt University and the Kansas City Chiefs has been investigated, terminated, and will be prosecuted for allegations of statutory rape of a 16-year-old girl and other charges, authorities said Monday.

The victim’s stepfather, who was in custody at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, made an allegation that the officer, Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 30, had engaged in inappropriate contact with his stepdaughter, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release. The allegation was made to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy investigator at the jail.

Clark said Garrison was one of two officers who met the victim when he responded to the victim’s home in connection with a domestic violence complaint. The victim’s stepfather was arrested because of that complaint and remains jailed at the ACDF, Clark said. [Read more…]

Edgemoor Road bridge temporarily closed after crash leaves car stuck on rail

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Edgemoor Road Bridge Crash

The right rear tire of a vehicle was stuck on the concrete rail of the Edgemoor Road bridge over the Clinch River after a two-vehicle crash between Oak Ridge and Claxton on Friday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The right rear tire of a vehicle was stuck on the concrete rail of the Edgemoor Road bridge over the Clinch River after a two-vehicle crash between Oak Ridge and Claxton on Friday afternoon.

The crash was reported at about 1:55 p.m. Friday. Authorities temporarily shut down Edgemoor Road at the bridge. Emergency workers were able to pull the vehicle off the rail at about 2:50 p.m. The stuck vehicle appeared to a compact SUV.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Concrete Rail at Edgemoor Road Bridge

The concrete rail on the Oak Ridge side of the Edgemoor Road bridge. The Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton is pictured in the background.

 

Oak Ridge firefighters receive national designation

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Four members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department have been notified that they have received the Fire Officer Designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

Captain Eric Mocsari, Firefighter Paramedic Steve London, Firefighter Engineer Thomas Giles, and Firefighter Engineer Ben Taylor have received notification from the CPSE that their professional portfolios have been peer reviewed for evaluation of knowledge, community involvement, professional contribution, and plans for future advancement. The Fire Officer Designation was awarded from that review, a press release said.

“A professional designation is recognition of broad career and educational professional accomplishments,” the release said.

Designations offered by the Commission on Professional Credentialing are internationally-recognized third-party verification of professional competence in fire and emergency services. [Read more…]

Smith of ORFD named Roane State paramedic student of year

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Joey Smith Roane State Paramedic Student of Year

Roane State paramedic student of the year Joey Smith (center) is congratulated by Roane State President Chris Whaley (left) and Roger Brooksbank with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Joey Smith of the Oak Ridge Fire Department has been named Roane State Community College’s paramedic student of the year.

Roger Brooksbank with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine presented the award to Smith during Roane State’s annual Knoxville paramedic program luncheon. Students completing the paramedic program were recognized at the event, which was sponsored by TeamHealth.

Smith has been an emergency medical technician for eight years. He decided to go back to school last fall to become a paramedic. Smith said he appreciated the support he’s received from the Oak Ridge Fire Department and from his family as he has juggled work and school. [Read more…]