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ORNL FCU will lease space to Anderson County Family Justice Center

Posted at 3:49 pm February 27, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Pictured above are Melissa Miller, site coordinator for Anderson County Family Justice Center; Colin Anderson, president and chief executive officer, ORNL Federal Credit Union; and Dave Clark, district attorney general in Anderson County. (Photo courtesy ORNL FCU)

ORNL Federal Credit Union recently announced that the Anderson County Family Justice Center would lease office space in its building located on Broadway Avenue in Oak Ridge. The credit union also underwrote a number of improvements to make the space more conducive to the nonprofit’s needs, a press release said.

In July 2019, the Anderson County Family Justice Center was created by a state-funded grant aimed at helping to combat child abuse, domestic abuse, and elder abuse, the press release said. There are a total of 13 centers throughout the state. The organization’s purpose is to provide a safe, convenient location to help victims of abuse break the cycle of violence and become thriving survivors.

The Anderson County Family Justice Center partners with 15 local organizations—such as Helen Ross McNabb, YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, and the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s office in Anderson County—to offer free and confidential resources to victims, the press release said. The types of services offered include law enforcement, mental health, legal assistance, and temporary housing.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Courts, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Family Justice Center, Colin Anderson, Dave Clark, Melissa Miller, ORNL Federal Credit Union

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CASA coordinator to discuss programs to help children

Posted at 9:02 am February 16, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Amanda Brackett

A CASA coordinator will discuss programs to help children during an online meeting at noon today (Tuesday, February 16).

The speaker will be Amanda Brackett, Program Coordinator for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Anderson County.

She will speak during the lunchtime meeting of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. To watch the presentation, send an email to [email protected]. Later, you will be able to watch the recorded session on the League’s website at https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Courts, Front Page News, Top Stories Tagged With: Amanda Brackett, CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League

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DA: No charges will be filed in fatal police shooting

Posted at 11:49 am February 8, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

No criminal charges will be filed against three Oak Ridge Police Department officers after a fatal shooting on Briar Road in August, the county’s top prosecutor said Monday.

Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark released his report about the police shooting on Monday morning.

The report said that the man who died in the shooting, Fred J. Arcera, 25, was a U.S. Army veteran who had mental health problems and was reported to be suicidal—telling officers to kill him—and he had large butcher knives and had threatened officers, moving toward them with the knives that Saturday night.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the shooting, which is common after law enforcement officers fatally shoot someone.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Corey Fritz, Dave Clark, Fred J. Arcera, Jeremy Phillips, Joseph Gibson, Oak Ridge Police Department, police shooting, shooting, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

For members: Mason indicted on attempted murder, assault charges

Posted at 2:16 pm January 29, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man with two homicide convictions and a 28-year prison sentence for federal drug and gun convictions has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, among other charges, after he allegedly tried to shoot a deputy in April 2019.

Charles Edward Mason, 53, was indicted on the one count of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and other charges in November. The other charges are two counts of interfering with a 911 call and one count of resisting arrest. Mason pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on Thursday.

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man with two homicide convictions and a 28-year prison sentence for federal drug and gun convictions has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, among other charges, after he allegedly tried to shoot a deputy in April 2019.

Charles Edward Mason, 53, was indicted on the one count of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and other charges in November. The other charges are two counts of interfering with a 911 call and one count of resisting arrest. Mason pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on Thursday.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: aggravated assault, Anderson County Circuit Court, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, attempted first-degree murder, attempted murder, Charles Edward Mason, Dave Clark, indictment, Matthew McGhee, resisting arrest, Thomas Phillips, U.S. District Court

With exceptions, Anderson County courts suspend in-person cases until January

Posted at 5:09 am December 10, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County courts announced on Monday that they will suspend in-person appearances and cases, with certain exceptions, starting Wednesday and continuing until early January.

The suspension of those in-person appearances and cases due to COVID-19 was announced by county judges, the district attorney general, district public defender, and child support magistrate.

The exceptions to the suspension of in-person hearings include “important emergency hearing exceptions or constitutionally-mandated processes such as the setting of bail and arraignment of those in custody,” according to a press release from the judicial officials. The courts will remain open for any constitutionally required function, and exceptions to the suspension of in-person business could include matters that are urgent or involve important rights such as personal liberty, the press release said. 

The other in-person appearances and cases will be suspended after the close of business Wednesday, December 9, through January 4, 2021.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, COVID-19, Front Page News, Health, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County courts, COVID-19

For members: Mason sentenced to 28 years for gun, drug charges after allegedly trying to shoot deputy

Posted at 11:52 pm December 9, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: Alan Randa, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Brent N. Jones, Charles Edward Mason, Chris Conner, Jake Stone, Josh Hedrick, LaToyia Carpenter, Matt McGhee, Randy Seay, sentencing hearing, Thomas Phillips, U.S. District Court

Rocky Top man indicted for Oak Ridge bank robbery

Posted at 1:25 pm December 5, 2020
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A bank robbery was reported at One Bank in Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A Rocky Top man has been indicted for allegedly robbing One Bank in Oak Ridge in October.

Warren Calvin Lavender, 31, was charged in a one-count indictment filed by a federal grand jury in Greenville, Tennessee, on November 18.

Lavender entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment on December 3, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Lavender will remain in custody pending trial, which has been set for December 28 in front of United States District Court Judge Travis McDonough, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S., United States Tagged With: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oak Ridge Police Department, One Bank, robbery, United States District Court, Warren Calvin Lavender

Evaluation ordered for Finnegan at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute

Posted at 4:44 pm September 15, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Sean Finnegan, one of two defendants in a series of gruesome alleged crimes in Oak Ridge some time between December 2019 and August 2020, including murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping, is pictured above in a mugshot from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

A forensic evaluation has been ordered for Sean Finnegan—one of two defendants in a murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping case in Oak Ridge—at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute.

The forensic evaluation was ordered last Tuesday by Anderson County General Sessions Court Judge Roger Miller. The order was based upon a petition by the defense and a recommendation from Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services. Finnegan, 52, had an evaluation scheduled at Ridgeview in Oak Ridge on August 31.

Under the new order, he is to be evaluated at the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute—Intensive Services Program for a maximum of 30 days regarding his competency to stand trial and his mental condition at the time of the alleged crimes (the insanity defense).

IQ testing is to be included in the evaluation, the order said. The mental health evaluation is also expected to include a finding about whether Finnegan meets specific criteria for being committed.

It’s not unusual for defendants in homicide cases to have a mental health evaluation of this type. The results are generally not available to the public.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: abuse of a corpse, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, aggravated sexual battery, Anderson County General Sessions Court, first-degree murder, forensic evaluation, Jennifer Gail Paxton, kidnapping, Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute, murder, Oak Ridge Police Department, Rebecca Dishman, Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services, Roger Miller, Sean Finnegan, tampering with evidence

Warrants: Claxton couple allegedly bought 20 grams of heroin per day for resale

Posted at 1:48 pm September 14, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Timothy Duane Fritz

A husband and wife in Claxton allegedly told police officers during a narcotics-related search on Wednesday that they bought 20 grams of heroin per day for resale, and they had been selling the illegal drug for about six months, according to Anderson County court records.

Agents who searched the home on King Street with a warrant last week found a suspected fentanyl-heroin compound that weighed about 10 grams, according to court affidavits and Simon Byrne, director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

The agents also found seven guns, suspected marijuana, drug paraphernalia that included baggies and scales, ammunition and magazines, and a large amount of cash, according to the affidavits, which were filed by CTF agent Perry Lewis.

The suspected heroin was in several bags, and it tested positive for a fentanyl compound, said the affidavits, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. The husband and wife, Timothy Duane Fritz, 48, and Atosha Leann Fritz, 41, said they got the heroin from an unknown man in Knoxville, according to Lewis.

The weapons found during the search on Wednesday included a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun, a Lorcin .22-caliber handgun, an Anderson AR15 rifle, a Taurus Curve .380 handgun, a Smith and Wesson .22 revolver, a Colt Police Positive .38 handgun, and an Escort Magnum 12-gauge shotgun, the affidavits said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County General Sessions Court, Atosha Leann Fritz, CTF, Dave Clark, fentanyl, heroin, King Street, Matt Tuck, Perry Lewis, Russell Barker, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Simon Byrne, Timothy Duane Fritz

Ice cream truck driver charged with aggravated kidnapping allegedly had gun

Posted at 11:12 am September 14, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Troy Allen Stansberry, 29, of Knoxville, was arrested Aug. 27, 2020, after he allegedly kidnapped a 15-year-old Clinton girl in an ice cream truck and took her to a hotel in Caryville “for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity,” according to the Clinton Police Department. (Photo courtesy CPD)

The ice cream truck driver who allegedly kidnapped a Clinton girl in July had a pistol and threatened to shoot the girl if she didn’t get into his vehicle, according to a court affidavit.

Troy Allen Stansberry, 29, of Knoxville, took the 15-year-old girl, who had been reported as missing, from a Clinton neighborhood to a Budget Host Inn in Caryville “for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity,” according to the affidavit and the Clinton Police Department.

The girl, who is not being publicly identified, told police that she entered the Pela Ice Cream truck after Stansberry showed her the pistol and threatened to shoot her if she did not get in, according to the affidavit. The girl did not want to make Stansberry mad, so she got into the vehicle, said the affidavit, which was filed by Clinton Police Department Sergeant Scott Gregory.

Stansberry has been charged with aggravated kidnapping. Stansberry took the girl without consent or permission, the affidavit said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Clinton, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated kidnapping, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Clinton Police Department, Leslie Hunt, Scott Gregory, Troy Allen Stansberry

Oak Ridge celebrating 65th anniversary of school desegregation

Posted at 4:36 pm September 5, 2020
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Four of the “Oak Ridge 85” students at a recent music event. From left to right are Larry Gipson (Oak Ridge 85), Eric Dozier (musician), Deloise Mitchell (Oak Ridge 85), Emma McCaskill (Oak Ridge 85), and Mary Guinn (Oak Ridge 85). (Photo by Barbara McCord)

Oak Ridge is celebrating the 65th anniversary of its school desegregation this weekend.

“Sixty-five years ago this September, 85 brave and dedicated young African American students entered all-white classrooms in the Oak Ridge High School and the Robertsville Junior High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in a historic school system desegregation,” organizers said in a press release.

It wasn’t the first public school desegregation in the nation, but organizers said it was the first public school desegregation in the Southeast.

“As such, it challenged the racist and sometimes dangerous Jim Crow culture,” the press release said. “This desegregation stands as an important milestone in American civil rights history.”

The anniversary events are being held with the Oak Ridge school system. Public participation in some events had to be scaled back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Education, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, History, K-12, Slider, United States Tagged With: desegregation, Emma McCaskill, Harold Middlebrook, Larry Gipson, Margret Strickland Guinn, Martin McBride, Mary Ellen Mahone Bohanon, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge 85, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Schools, public school desegregation, Robertsville Junior High School, Rose Weaver, school desegregation

For members: Charged with attempted murder, man pleads guilty to aggravated assault

Posted at 6:30 pm September 4, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A Knoxville man was sentenced to eight years in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault after originally being charged with attempted first-degree murder in Oak Ridge.

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A Knoxville man was sentenced to eight years in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault after originally being charged with attempted first-degree murder in Oak Ridge.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County General Sessions Court, attempted first-degree murder, attempted murder, Daniel Ray Price, Dave Clark, Don Elledge, John Thomas, Maxim Fridman, Oak Ridge Police Department, Ryan Spitzer

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