Oak Ridge Today

Defendant apprehended overseas after drug, money laundering indictment

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Moshin Agha

Moshin Agha

 

A defendant was apprehended overseas in Dubai after being indicted on drug and money laundering charges in Anderson County, according to court records.

Moshin Agha, 30, was picked up by authorities in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and then brought to the United States, according to a motion to increase bond and set bond conditions that was filed in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on July 18. After being brought to the United States, Agha was turned over to state authorities in New York.

Agha, who has an address listed in India, waived extradition and is now in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, according to court and jail records. It’s not clear when he was apprehended in Dubai and brought to New York.

A writ of criminal capias that had been issued November 2, 2016, ordered Agha to be detained and brought to Anderson County. It was executed with Agha’s arrest by Simon Byrne, acting director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County, on Wednesday, July 18. [Read more…]

Three charged with financial exploitation, theft of more than $60,000

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Johnnie Shane Munsey

Johnnie Shane Munsey

An Andersonville man and two Andersonville women have been charged with financial exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable person and theft of more than $60,000, according to Anderson County court records.

The three are Johnnie Shane Munsey, 46; Phyllis Joan Spradling, 71; and Tammie Jo Munsey, 42. They were indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on July 10. The two exploitation and theft charges are both Class B felonies.

The three defendants, who all live at the same address in Andersonville, are accused of financially exploiting an elderly or vulnerable adult between December 30, 2015, through November 1, 2017, the court records said.

And they are accused of obtaining property, including but not limited to U.S. currency valued at more than $60,000, from the victim, Jimmy Spradling, without his consent, the indictments said. [Read more…]

Updated: State won’t prosecute three misdemeanors in fatal car-motorcycle crash

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Noelle Leigh Patty

Noelle Leigh Patty

Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m. July 25.

The state will not prosecute three misdemeanor charges that had been filed against an Oak Ridge woman after a fatal car-motorcycle crash more than two years ago, but prosecutors will proceed to trial on two felony charges: criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment.

The trial has been scheduled for Tuesday for Noelle Leigh Patty, 41, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. Patty has been charged with homicide in the death of motorcyclist Rufus E. Shephard III, 44, of Oak Ridge.

The court was notified of the state’s decision not to prosecute the three misdemeanor charges last week, and a judgement was filed Tuesday, July 17. The three misdemeanor charges are failure to yield the right of way resulting in death, failure to obey a traffic control device, and failure to provide evidence of insurance.

“The state has elected to go to trial only on the felony charges in Count 1 and 5,” said the state’s notice, filed last week by Seventh Judicial District Assistant District Attorney General Emily Faye Abbott. [Read more…]

Temporary lane closure on Oak Ridge Turnpike this week

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One lane of a short section of Oak Ridge Turnpike will be closed this week.

“Southern Contractors Inc., working under contract to the City of Oak Ridge, will have the outside eastbound lane of Oak Ridge Turnpike from Lafayette Drive to East Division Road closed starting Monday, July 23, at 7 a.m.,” a press release said.

The work is necessary to set new forms along the roadways as part of the Intersection Improvement Project, and it is expected to last until the evening of Wednesday, July 25, the press release said. [Read more…]

DOE bus tour to start at New Hope Center during AMSE move

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DOE Public Bus Tour

A U.S. Department of Energy public bus tour in August 2012. (File DOE photo/Lynn Freeny)

 

Members of the public who want to take the U.S. Department of Energy Facilities Public Bus Tour will need to go to the New Hope Center to register starting Monday, July 30.

The New Hope Center is at 602 Scarboro Road at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

“The American Museum of Science and Energy located at 300 South Tulane Avenue will close its doors for the last time at the close of business on Sunday, July 29, to prepare to move to its new location at 115 Main Street East, which will open this fall,” a press release said. “During the move, bus tour registration will take place at the Y-12 New Hope Center.”

Bus tour registration is offered two ways: 1) online at www.amse.org or 2) walk-in registration the day of the tour with seating first come, first served. [Read more…]

Site work starts for Tire Discounters in front of AMSE

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Site work is pictured above on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, on the lot where a Tire Discounters will be built along South Illinois Avenue in front of the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Site work is pictured above on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, on the lot where a Tire Discounters will be built along South Illinois Avenue in front of the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Site work was under way last week for a Tire Discounters on property south of the American Museum of Science and Energy, the first development on any part of the museum site.

There could be other developments later on the southern 7.4 acres of the 19-acre museum site, possibly including a grocery or retail store of about 55,000 square feet and retail or restaurant space. (See here and here.)

The Oak Ridge City Council unanimously approved a rezoning for the 7.4 acres, which will include the Tire Discounters store, in November.

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission unanimously approved a final master plan for a planned unit development on the property during a special meeting in March. The final master plan was subject to certain conditions. Among them were one requirement to submit a new or revised traffic impact study when the site plan for the grocery store or large “box” store is submitted and one to install sidewalks on the northern boundary of the property. [Read more…]

Anderson County has public workshop on Senior Center on Aug. 7

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There will be a special public workshop about the Anderson County Senior Center building at 205 Main Street on Tuesday, August 7.

The workshop will start at 4 p.m. August 7 in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

“The purpose of the workshop is to discuss the Senior Center building at 205 Main Street,” a notice said. [Read more…]

Tornado watch issued for Anderson County

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Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected tonight. Damaging winds, large hail, and lightning will be the main threats with the storms. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected tonight. Damaging winds, large hail, and lightning will be the main threats with the storms. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

A tornado watch has been issued for Anderson County until 4 a.m. Saturday. In addition to Anderson County, the watch applies to other nearby East Tennessee counties, including Blount, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union.

The tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service in Morristown at 8 p.m. Friday.

A tornado warning has been issued for the areas west of Roane County, between Cookeville and Crossville in Middle Tennessee. Crossville is about 90 minutes west of Oak Ridge and Cookeville is farther west.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said strong to severe thunderstorms are expected Friday night. Damaging winds, large hail, and lightning will be the main threats from the storms, forecasters said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police chief placed on leave

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Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:35 a.m.

Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. Akagi has been placed on administrative leave, and Deputy Chief Robin Smith has taken over daily operations for now, City Manager Mark Watson said Thursday.

Akagi is on leave until Watson can meet with him after returning from a trip to China, the city manager said.

Three anonymous letters were sent in June and July to Watson, Oak Ridge City Council members, other law enforcement officials, and local media outlets. The letters have been reviewed and have been a catalyst for concern, Watson said Thursday.

The letters are not signed, but they said they are from Oak Ridge Police Department employees. One letter said it represented an “overwhelming majority” of ORPD members. Among other things, the letters raised concerns about harassment, a hostile work environment, hostility, retaliation, policy decisions, and turnover. The letters ask for Akagi’s removal or termination, and an investigation by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission or some other “independent and unbiased agency.” They said conditions have not improved since the 2015 review by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee and have gotten worse instead. [Read more…]

Anderson County inmate charged with escape

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Damian Vincent Reynolds

Damian Vincent Reynolds

 

A Wartburg man who allegedly walked out of the Anderson County jail after standing in line with other inmates who were being released from the booking area has been arrested and charged with escape.

Damian V. Reynolds, 39, was brought to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton from Morgan County at about 6:33 p.m. Wednesday, July 11. He was standing in the booking area in his civilian clothes, and several other inmates were being booked out, according to an affidavit filed in Anderson County General Session Court, Division I, in Clinton.

Reynolds stood in line with those other inmates who were being released and proceeded to walk out the jail door without being released, the affidavit said. [Read more…]

TBI investigating inmate death at county jail

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April Michelle Beach

April Michelle Beach

 

Information from WYSH Radio

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an inmate at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on July 4.

April Michelle Beach, 36, of Rocky Top was picked up July 2 by an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy for a probation violation and a violation of her pre-trial release and booked into the jail.

On the morning of July 4, according to a source close to the investigation, she became ill and was transported by paramedics to the emergency room, where she was pronounced dead. [Read more…]

Shop Rite in Rocky Top to close

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Shop Rite Logo

Information from WYSH Radio

Rocky Top’s only grocery store will soon close its doors.

The Shop Rite in Rocky Top (the former Lake City) will close as early as next week, costing 18 employees their jobs and forcing customers to have to drive farther to purchase groceries. [Read more…]