Oak Ridge Today

TBI investigating alleged rape by police officer or security guard

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TBI Logo

State authorities are investigating an allegation by an adult female that she was raped by someone who appeared to be a police officer or security guard, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Wednesday afternoon.

The woman was interviewed by Oak Ridge police officers on Tuesday. The Police Department then contacted the Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office, which notified the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation of the allegation, the ORPD said.

TBI Public Information Officer Josh DeVine confirmed that the bureau is investigating the allegation, but he said he can’t discuss any details, including when and where the alleged rape is alleged to have occurred or whether it might involve a security guard or police officer.

“It’s very preliminary at this point,” DeVine said.

More information will be add as it becomes available.

Since Saturday, three crashes in Oliver Springs area required Lifestar response

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Oliver Springs Crash Tri County Boulevard

An Oneida woman driving the car above was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after a collision with a truck on Tri County Boulevard in Oliver Springs on Monday afternoon. (Photo by Oliver Springs Police Department/Kenneth Morgan)

For the third time since about noon Saturday, a Lifestar medical helicopter on Monday afternoon picked up a patient injured in a car crash in Oliver Springs.

The 1 p.m. Monday crash involved an Old Dominion truck driven by Steven Mayfield and a car driven by Lyndsay Phillips of Oneida. The truck was turning from eastbound Tri County Boulevard onto Knoxville Highway, or State Highway 62, headed toward Morgan County, Oliver Springs Police Chief Kenneth Morgan said. He said the car was traveling west toward Harriman on the Boulevard.

Phillips was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by Lifestar, Morgan said. [Read more…]

Spotlight: SARG celebrates ‘first run’ of new van with shelter animals

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SARG Animal Shelter Van Group Photo

Pictured in photo from left to right are Row 1: Shirley Auble, Jan Baker, and Sara Walter; Row 2—Robin Biloski, Nicole Ferrara, and Kathy Kirkland; and Row 3— Jeannie Parker, and Julie Armes. Missing from the photo are Michelle Weaver Davis and Beverly Kay, transport coordinators. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

SARG celebrated the first run of its newly acquired van with supporters in May as it was filled with two dogs, six adult cats, and five kittens headed from the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter to their new forever homes in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The van was purchased using the last three years of proceeds from the Paw for Life Gala fundraiser that SARG has sponsored. SARG Vice President and Gala Chairwoman Sara Moore, and photographer of this event, was jubilant; “Raising the funds to buy this van and save all the lives of our unwanted dogs/cats in our community is the best feeling in the world. We thank all that have always supported SARG to share in this joyous occasion. We look forward to continuing our trips to communities who have homes for all our overflow of dogs and cats.”

If you would like to assist SARG in this endeavor or any others relating to their mission, contact Moore at poohbear214@comcast.net or Shirley Auble at shirsarg@comcast.net, or visit Shelter Animal Rescue Group on Facebook or visit the website at www.shelteranimalsrescue.org.

ORPD: Junior Police Academy applications now available

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Junior Police Academy Logo

The Third Annual Junior Police Academy is being offered again by the Oak Ridge Police Department.

This year, the ORPD will offer two separate academies. The Junior Class is designed specifically for middle school students, and it’s scheduled from July 14-18. All Oak Ridge middle school students and rising fifth graders may attend. The Senior Class is designed for high school students, and it’s scheduled from July 21-25. All Oak Ridge High School students and rising ninth graders may attend.

Cadets will be given presentations by several Oak Ridge Police Department officers on topics that include K9 and SWAT operations, traffic stops, and much more. Cadets will also visit the prestigious Law Enforcement Innovation Center, Anderson County Detention Facility, and Oak Ridge Police Department, and they will be given a presentation by the Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention in reference to substance abuse through awareness, and education. [Read more…]

After police standoff, woman charged with going armed while intoxicated

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Patsy Lee Oliver

Patsy Lee Oliver

Note: This story was updated at 1:40 p.m.

The 62-year-old woman arrested after a four-hour police standoff on Jellico Lane on Monday morning has been charged with possession of a handgun while intoxicated.

Patsy Lee Oliver, of 123 Jellico Lane, had allegedly approached a neighbor carrying a “small frame small caliber handgun” on Monday morning, according to an affidavit filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. The victim and a witness who lives at the same address as the victim said Oliver appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicant.

Jellico Lane Standoff Police

The Oak Ridge Police Department responds to a Monday morning standoff on Jellico Lane that started after a report of a disturbance involving a gun.

The victim had a cell phone video of Oliver standing at the end of Jellico Lane concealing something behind her back that appeared to be a small black handgun, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas said in the affidavit.

“Also in the video, defendant’s actions are as that of an intoxicated person,” Thomas said.

ORPD officers responded to the reported disturbance at about 6:48 a.m. Monday. They eventually made contact with Oliver on her porch and “observed that her speech was slurred and slow,” Thomas said in the affidavit. “Her demeanor was at times erratic, and she was slow and shuffling in her movements.” [Read more…]

Lincoln’s to have beer permit suspended at least one week

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Lincoln's Sports Grille

Lincoln’s Sports Grille will have a one- or two-week beer permit suspension depending upon improvements made before a June 9 meeting. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge Beer Board voted on Monday to suspend the beer permit of Lincoln’s Sport Grille for one or two weeks, depending upon improvements made before the board’s June meeting.

Lincoln’s has met with the board four times within the past two years. Monday’s meeting was in response to an April altercation between two male patrons.

The motion to allow Lincoln’s the opportunity for a reduced suspension was passed in a 4-3 vote, with opposition from Theresa Scott, Barton Bailey, and Randy Tedford.

The vote requires that Lincoln’s provide proof that they have made efforts to improve their business before the beer board’s next meeting on June 9. If they can not meet the board’s requirements for improvement, they will face a two-week suspension.

Tedford, who is Beer Board chair, said Lincoln’s must provide “a more comprehensive plan” to fix problems involving over-service and the patio gate at the popular restaurant, and add eight surveillance cameras around the premises and at least two more staff members to make sure the patio is adequately monitored. [Read more…]

Late-night fire forces temporary evacuation of apartment building

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Tara Hills Apartment Fire Evacuation

Oak Ridge Fire Department Capt. Kerry Osborne carries a child from a building that had to be evacuated at the Tara Hills apartment complex on Sunday night. The boy was still in the building with his mother and brother when the fire department arrived. (Photos courtesy ORFD)

 

A fire in a downstairs apartment at the Tara Hills apartment complex on Elmhurst Drive late Sunday night forced the temporary evacuation of roughly 24 apartments, authorities said.

The fire was reported to the Oak Ridge Dispatch office just before midnight, and multiple units from the Oak Ridge Fire Department were dispatched, a press release said. Fire department units arrived to find heavy smoke coming from one of the apartment buildings with several people still inside the building, the release said.

“The fire was on the first floor of the building, but hallways on the second and third floors quickly filled with smoke,” ORFD Deputy Chief Josh Waldo said. [Read more…]

Police standoff that starts with report of gun, disturbance ends peacefully

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Jellico Lane Standoff Police

The Oak Ridge Police Department responds to a Monday morning standoff on Jellico Lane that started with a report of a disturbance and a gun.

 

Woman taken into custody after four hours

Note: This story was updated at 4:07 p.m.

A four-hour standoff between the Oak Ridge Police Department and a Jellico Lane resident that started with a report of a disturbance and a gun ended peacefully Monday morning.

The standoff started at about 6:48 a.m. at 123 Jellico Lane, the ORPD said. Initial reports said a firearm was displayed during the neighborhood dispute, according to ORPD Chief Jim Akagi and Lt. John Kelly. Many officers responded, including several from the department’s Crisis Intervention Team, and tactical personnel were called in to help secure the scene, Kelly said.

A CIT officer trained in crisis negotiation was able to talk to the resident, Patsy Oliver, 62, and she was taken into custody at about 10:41 a.m. Oliver was taken to Methodist Medical Center for treatment of an unrelated laceration on her hand and further evaluation, the ORPD said in a Monday afternoon press release.

“Charges against Ms. Oliver are forthcoming,” the press release said. “No further details will be released at this time.” [Read more…]

Student lights desk on fire; RMS bomb threat appears unfounded, ORPD says

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

Note: This story was last updated at 3:58 p.m.

A 16-year-old student at the Alternative School used hand sanitizer and a lighter to ignite another student’s desktop on Wednesday, authorities said.

Students extinguished the fire, and the suspect was arrested at the Alternative School on Thursday. He was processed at the Oak Ridge Police Department on aggravated arson charges and taken to the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Facility in Knoxville, a press release said.

In a separate incident, authorities determined that a report of an alleged bomb threat at Robertsville Middle School on Monday was unfounded, and no criminal charges are expected.

The ORPD said the desk was set on fire just before dismissal at the Alternative School on Wednesday. The Alternative School is next to the Oak Ridge High School and on the same campus. Staff at the Alternative School notified School Resource Office Sherrill Selby about the incident via e-mail. [Read more…]

Pancake Breakfast on May 17 supports Neighborhood Watch

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Neighborhood Watch Pancake Breakfast

Nick and Pat Imperato are pictured above at a previous Neighborhood Watch pancake breakfast at Applebee’s. (Submitted photo)

Join your neighbors at a Community Pancake Breakfast from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, May 17, hosted by the Oak Ridge Police Department Community Resource Office and the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program.

The breakfast will be held at Applebee’s, 1213 Oak Ridge Turnpike, and tickets are $5. Tickets are available at the door and in advance from Neighborhood Watch district leaders and block captains.

The breakfast offers residents an opportunity to meet Officer Brandan Sharp, the Oak Ridge Police Department’s community resource officer, who serves as a liaison to the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, and to learn more about the city’s Neighborhood Watch crime prevention program. Block captains, district leaders, and police officers will serve breakfast at the event. [Read more…]

Andersonville man finds alcohol, shotgun bad mix

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William Scott Williams

William Scott Williams

Information from WYSH Radio

An Andersonville man was arrested Tuesday night after his wife called deputies to their home following an incident that allegedly involved alcohol and a shotgun.

William Williams, 41, was charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment and remained in custody at last check at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton.

His wife told deputies that her husband had choked her after consuming an excessive amount of alcohol and fired a round from a shotgun through the front door of their mobile home from inside. The woman was not seriously injured and was treated at the scene by emergency personnel, authorities said. [Read more…]

ORFD recognizes 2013 firefighter, officer of year

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Jeff Hackney Firefighter of the Year

Firefighter of the Year Jeff Hackney with his father (Submitted photos)

Oak Ridge Fire Department employees have picked the outstanding firefighter and officer of 2013, Fire Chief Darryl Kerley announced this week. The awards were presented earlier this month at a reception for the employees and their families.

Firefighter of the Year

Jeff Hackney was named the 2013 Firefighter of the Year, a press release said. Hackney is a firefighter and engineer on A-shift, and he was recognized for his significant contributions to the remodeling and repairs to Fire Station No. 1 and No. 2 and his work on the training props and burn buildings at Fire Station No. 3.

Hackney also served as acting captain for several months during the past application process and is in the process of obtaining his fire officer certification.

“Congratulations to Jeff Hackney for outstanding service in 2013,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. [Read more…]