Oak Ridge Today

Pilot robbery suspect arrested in Rocky Top

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Walter John Meachum

Walter John Meachum

A Caryville man suspected of robbing a Pilot Travel Center in east Knox County on Tuesday was arrested at a motel in Rocky Top in Anderson County on Wednesday, authorities said.

They said Walter John Meachum, 21, has been charged with aggravated robbery for an alleged armed robbery just before 2 a.m. Tuesday at the Pilot Travel Center at 1915 East Raccoon Valley Road in Knox County.

On Tuesday, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect was armed with a black and silver weapon, according to the initial investigation. Authorities said the suspect fled west on Raccoon Valley Road in a silver convertible with a black top after receiving an undisclosed amount of money from the business. He was described as wearing a skull mask, black hooded jacket, white shirt, and blue jeans at the time of the robbery.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said Meachum was arrested early Wednesday morning at the Scottish Inn in Rocky Top by its Major Crimes Unit in conjunction with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, and Rocky Top Police Department. As of Wednesday, Meachum was being held at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on a $20,000 bond. [Read more…]

Two flown to hospital by Lifestar, more taken by ambulance after Friday crash in west Knox

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Multiple people were taken to the hospital on Friday night after a crash in west Knox County that resulted in at least three people being pinned in a vehicle or vehicles, authorities said.

Officers from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 610 Canton Hollow Road just before 8:30 p.m. Friday after two vehicles were involved in a crash. [Read more…]

Knox sheriff searches for suspect in Farragut Pharmacy robbery

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Farragut Pharmacy Robbery Suspect

Source: Knox County Sheriff’s Office

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the man who robbed the Farragut Pharmacy located at 11424 Kingston Pike on Thursday evening.

The reported robbery happened just after 6 p.m. when the suspect entered the store, jumped the counter, demanded pills, and stole money from the register, the Sheriff’s Office said. He was armed with a handgun and is believed to have fled on foot toward Kohl’s department store.

He is described as a white male, 6’2”-6’4”, with a medium build. He was wearing a dark hoodie, black pants,black tactical boots, and a black backpack at the time of the robbery. [Read more…]

Body found in Andersonville; death ruled suicide

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Information from WYSH Radio

A 56-year-old Knoxville woman committed suicide in the woods off of Indian Gap Road in Andersonville, according to a report from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a gravel pull-off on Indian Gap found the car unoccupied on Tuesday evening with a woman’s identification and other personal belongings inside the vehicle.

Deputies contacted the Knox County Sheriff’s Office since her information identified her as a Knox resident, and they learned that the woman and her husband had been involved in a domestic dispute the previous night. Her husband told investigators that he had called the KCSO, but that his wife had left their home before deputies arrived. [Read more…]

Updated: Andy Allen, missing ORHS senior, had been lost in woods

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Andy Allen

Andy Allen

Note: This story was updated at 11:20 a.m.

Andy Allen, the 17-year-old Oak Ridge High School senior who had been missing since Saturday night, has been found safe after getting lost in the woods, authorities said Tuesday morning.

Allen told deputies that he was unable to find his way out of the woods, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said.

Allen had been missing since early Sunday morning after leaving his father’s home in west Knox County on foot. He was reunited with his parents on Tuesday morning.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said a witness saw Allen walk out of the woods on Hart Road in Knox County around 8 a.m. He then walked to the Weigel’s on Northshore Drive off Pellissippi Parkway.

“A second person identified him and called 911,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “When Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived, he had been taken to a back room at the store. Rural Metro examined him and then he was sent home with his parents.”

[Read more…]

Knox County Sheriff helps hunt for missing ORHS senior

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Andy Allen Search Party

Volunteers meet Monday morning at Concord Park to help search for Andy Allen, an Oak Ridge High School senior who was last seen at his father’s home in west Knox County on Saturday night. (Photos by Kathryn Howe)

 

Andy Allen Missing Poster

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is helping to hunt for Andy Allen, a 17-year-old senior at Oak Ridge High School.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is helping in the hunt for a west Knox County teenager and Oak Ridge High School senior who has been missing since early Sunday morning, authorities said.

Andy Allen, 17, left his home at Westland and Northshore on foot around 1 a.m. Sunday, and he was last spotted in the Northshore/Pellissippi area around 3 a.m. Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Airwatch is assisting in the search.

Allen is a white male, 5’9”, and 165 pounds, and he attends ORHS, where he is a senior.

Anyone with information is asked to call the KCSO at (865) 215-2243.

Volunteers are also helping in the search effort. Family friend Betsy Coleman and ORHS teacher Deni Sobek have coordinated that effort.

See previous story here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Oak Ridge hit-and-run suspect crashes motorcycle in Knox County

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An Oak Ridge hit-and-run suspect is in the hospital after crashing his motorcycle on East Emory Road in Knox County this morning, authorities said.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office was alerted by the Oak Ridge Police Department to be on the lookout for hit-and-run suspect James F. Mitchell, 43, of Oak Ridge, on Friday morning, according to the initial investigation.

A KCSO officer saw Mitchell traveling eastbound on West Emory Road at 7:42 a.m. The officer got behind Mitchell and activated his emergency equipment, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said. Mitchell tried to negotiate a curve too fast and ran off the right side of the road into a ditch at 9638 East Emory Road at 7:43 a.m. He was thrown from the motorcycle, authorities said. [Read more…]

Clinton police contribute to arrests on federal charges after Burger King robbery

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Two Lenoir City residents face federal charges for their roles in a Jan. 30 robbery of a Burger King in Lenoir City, and the Clinton Police Department contributed to the arrests, federal officials said Thursday.

In a press release, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said Joshua Hayworth, 23, and Timothy E. Chudley, 35, both of Lenoir City, were charged Feb. 5 with federal Hobbs Act violations for their roles in the January robbery of the Burger King restaurant in Lenoir City.

Chudley was arrested in Knoxville on Feb. 5 without incident, and he appeared in federal court the same day, the press release said. Hayworth was arrested on state charges on Feb. 3 following a series of events which also resulted in federal carjacking charges against Hayworth. He will appear in federal court at a later date. [Read more…]