• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Warrants: Police find about three ounces of suspected meth

Posted at 10:12 am September 24, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Otis Kevin Aslinger
Otis Kevin Aslinger

Two men have been charged with a Class A felony drug crime after police allegedly found about three ounces of suspected methamphetamine during a search of a vehicle in Oak Ridge in August, according to court records.

Warrants filed in the case said the vehicle, a pickup truck, was searched after agents of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force and officers of the Oak Ridge Police Department conducted surveillance along South Illinois Avenue at about 6 p.m. Monday, August 5.

“A black Chevrolet step-side pickup truck was observed pulling into the parking lot of Big Lots (at) 250 South Illinois Avenue,” the warrants said. “The female driver of the vehicle parked while a male passenger exited and got into the passenger side of a newer model Ford F-150 pickup.”

Agents identified both the driver of the F-150 and the passenger, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge by CTF Agent S. Perry Lewis.

The passenger, Otis Kevin Aslinger, 45, of Anderson County, was known to have several outstanding warrants in Anderson County, which was confirmed by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department dispatchers, Lewis wrote in the warrants.

After a short time, Aslinger got out of the Ford pickup truck and back into the Chevrolet pickup, Lewis said.

Agents watched the Chevy until it pulled into a convenience store on Oak Ridge Turnpike, the warrants said.

CTF agents and ORPD officers then surrounded the pickup truck and took Aslinger into custody, the warrants said.

“Aslinger was gripping a grocery bag with three approximate one-ounce bags of a crystal substance believed to be methamphetamine when he was taken into custody,” the warrants said. “The substance was in plain view in the seat of the vehicle and was photographed in place prior to collection.”

Aslinger was taken into custody for his outstanding warrants, and he was also charged with manufacturing, selling, delivering, or possessing methamphetamine, the warrants said.

He was within the 1,000-foot buffer of the Oak Ridge Early Headstart, making the charge a violation of the drug-free school zone, the warrants said. Manufacturing, delivering, selling, or possessing methamphetamine in a drug-free school zone is a Class A felony in Tennessee.

The female driver of the Chevrolet pickup truck was located inside of the store and detained. She was released after a warrants check was completed, Lewis said.

Rayshawn Lee Freeman
Rayshawn Lee Freeman

Police later learned that the person whom Aslinger met in the Big Lots parking lot was Rayshawn Lee Freeman, 24, of Oak Ridge, according to the warrants. His identification was consistent with what agents observed the day of the surveillance, the warrants said, and the ORPD found Freeman driving the Ford pickup truck on August 7.

Like Aslinger, Freeman has been charged with manufacturing, selling, delivering, or possessing methamphetamine in a drug-free school zone, a Class A felony. He possessed the narcotics within the 1,000-foot buffer of the Gold’s Gym daycare on South Illinois Avenue, a violation of the drug-free school zone, the warrants said.

Freeman has also been charged with criminal conspiracy, a Class B felony, according to the warrants.

Freeman was stopped in a Ford F-150 pickup truck on South Illinois Avenue on Wednesday, August 7, and a large amount of money was recovered and seized, according to warrants filed by CTF Agent Timothy Buckner. The F-150 had the wrong tag on it, and it was seized as part of the drug investigation, Buckner said.

Buckner went to Freeman’s home on Fisk Avenue as part of the investigation and for a probation check, and Freeman agreed to allow officers to search his home, the warrants said.

In the warrants, Buckner said agents found two prescription pills, one identified as oxymorphone and the other identified as lisinopril; multiple cell phones; corner “baggies”; multiple boxes of sandwich bags; and a vacuum sealer machine.

“Given my training and experience, these items are used to package illegal narcotics,” Buckner said.

But agents did not find any items that would be used with these bags in either the refrigerator or cabinets, Buckner said.

Outside the home, agents found a utility trailer valued at $1,696 that was reported stolen from Home Depot in Knox County, the warrants said.

Freeman was charged with felony property theft and simple possession or casual exchange.

Freeman also faces a probation violation charge, according to court and jail records.

He was released from the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on bonds of $232,500 and $75,000 on August 9, according to court and jail records.

But he was booked into the Knox County Jail on August 20 on a probation violation charge there, and bond was denied there, according to jail records.

Freeman has a court date scheduled for Tuesday morning, September 24, in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Bond for Aslinger has been set at $100,000 in both Anderson County general sessions courts. Separate from the Oak Ridge case, Aslinger has other charges pending from a different case in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton, and he has been charged with violation of probation.

Aslinger remains jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton. His next court date in Oak Ridge has been set for October 29.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

You can contact John Huotari, owner and publisher of Oak Ridge Today, at (865) 951-9692 or [email protected].

Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. You can see what we cover here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2019 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County General Sessions Court, criminal conspiracy, CTF, drug crime, drug-free school zone, manufacturing selling delivering or possessing methamphetamine, meth, methamphetamine, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Otis Kevin Aslinger, Perry Lewis, probation violation, Rayshawn Lee Freeman, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Timothy Buckner

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Police and Fire News

Two fires reported early Friday

Oak Ridge Fire Department firefighters responded to two structure fires early Friday. No one was injured in either fire. The first fire was reported at 12:42 a.m. Friday at 109 Houston Avenue. When they arrived, Oak … [Read More...]

AC man charged with attempted murder after alleged shooting

A 24-year-old Anderson County man was charged with attempted murder Friday after an alleged shooting following an argument in Clinton on Wednesday sent another man to a hospital with a gunshot wound on the right side of … [Read More...]

Blount County man dies in single-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge

A Blount County man died Thursday night in a single-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge. William F. Alldis, 34, of Louisville, Tennessee, was pronounced dead at the crash site, the City of Oak Ridge said in a news … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge announces Independence Day concert, fireworks

The City of Oak Ridge is sponsoring its annual fireworks show to celebrate Independence Day. The display will be held in Alvin K. Bissell Park on July 4, and it is scheduled to begin at dark, around 9:45 p.m. The Oak … [Read More...]

ORFD to unveil Safe Haven Baby Box

The Oak Ridge Fire Department will unveil a new Safe Haven Baby Box on Wednesday, June 12. It will be a place where mothers can safely and anonymously drop off their newborn babies during a crisis, a media advisory … [Read More...]

More Police and Fire

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Search Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today