Oak Ridge Today

TBI investigating officer-involved shooting in Roane County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating a shooting that involved a Roane County officer on Saturday morning. Ninth District Attorney General Russell Johnson requested the help of TBI agents, a press release said.

Preliminary information indicates the incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, when deputies from the Roane County Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident at 352 Mays Valley Road, the TBI said.

“Deputies arriving at the scene were confronted with a male individual with a weapon, and that man, since identified as David Daugherty, 47, was shot during that confrontation,” the TBI said. Daugherty was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment, the TBI said. No deputies were injured during the incident.

Mays Valley Road is west of Oliver Springs and Blair Road, north of the western part of Oak Ridge, and south of Harriman Highway (State Route 61), which connects Oliver Springs and Harriman. [Read more…]

Oliver Springs: No injuries when gas causes explosion

Posted at
By 7 Comments

Oliver Springs Fire Department

Oliver Springs Fire Department

 

The Oliver Springs Fire Department said it responded to a report of an explosion on Tri County Boulevard at Mahoney Road on Sunday evening.

“On arrival, members found a large brush pile that was on fire,” the Fire Department said in a post online. “The cause of the explosion was due to the use of gasoline as a source for ignition.”

There were no injuries or property damage. The fire was extinguished by Oliver Springs Fire Department personnel.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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 2017 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Meth, heroin thrown out car window, patrol cars hit, THP says

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Clarissa Sharee Tindell

Clarissa Sharee Tindell

 

Sixty-three grams of methamphetamine were thrown out of a car window and two patrol vehicles were hit during a police chase that started in Clinton and ended in Rocky Top on Sunday, July 30, authorities said. The vehicle occupants also threw out about one-half gram of heroin, and the car they were in almost hit two Anderson County patrol vehicles head-on, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said.

That afternoon, THP Trooper Isaiah Lloyd tried to stop a black Honda sedan for failure to yield the right of way and a turn signal violation at the intersection of State Route 61 (North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard) and Longmire Road in Clinton, near the Clinch River and Anderson County Detention Facility, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

The 1992 Honda Accord had cut off a red pickup truck at the intersection, Lloyd said.

But the car refused to stop after he activated his emergency equipment, Lloyd said.

While the Honda was traveling down Longmire Road, the car occupants threw two items out the window, according to Lloyd:

  1. a baby formula can that contained a jar with about 63.93 grams of methamphetamine, and
  2. a black metal box that contained a set of scales, 0.53 grams of heroin, and multiple plastic bags.

[Read more…]

Photos: Junior ROTC Color Guard at Blankenship Field on Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge High School Navy Junior ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) Color Guard is pictured above on Blankenship Field at the Oak Ridge-West football game on Friday, September 15, 2017. (Photo by Linda Ripley)

The Oak Ridge High School Navy Junior ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) Color Guard is pictured above on Blankenship Field at the Oak Ridge-West football game on Friday, September 15, 2017. (Photo by Linda Ripley)

 

Here are photos by Linda Ripley of the Oak Ridge High School Navy Junior ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) Color Guard on Blankenship Field at the Oak Ridge-West football game on Friday, September 15. The photos are used here with Ripley’s permission.

Ryan Nicholls is the Navy JROTC teacher.

[Read more…]

Man stabs dog, then starts fire, police say

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Sklyer Christian Griffin

Sklyer Christian Griffin

 

An Oak Ridge man stabbed a dog, which died from its wounds, and then started a fire in the living room of a home on Villanova Avenue on Friday, according to police.

Skyler C. Griffin, 19, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, aggravated arson, and vandalism, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kenneth Prickett said Griffin came through the front door of an apartment on Villanova Avenue on Friday and physically attacked a 10-year-old male beagle mix that lives there.

“Griffin admitted to striking the dog with his hands and closed fists before pulling out his pocket knife and stabbing the dog in the neck and in the lower abdomen,” Prickett said. “The dog ran from the living room area and onto the outside balcony, where it succumbed to the stab wounds.” [Read more…]

Celebration of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary started Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORHPA city 75th Birthday Celeb Flyer 2

A reminder: The 14-month celebration of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary starts today (Friday, September 15).

Today’s celebration will feature guest speaker Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City” and “The Last Castle,” at 6 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater. There will be a book signing, and Kiernan’s book will be available for sale.

Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during the top-secret Manhattan Project in World War II, will be the honored guest from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Family members Don and Emily Hunnicutt will present a slide show of Westcott photos with a question-and-answer session.

“You will never grow tired of Ed’s photographs, which tell the enormous Oak Ridge Manhattan Project story,” according to the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, which is presenting the celebration.

The celebration starts with historical displays at 2 p.m. There will be a wide variety of artifacts, posters, and displays for you to enjoy, the ORHPA said. [Read more…]

Man pleads guilty to homicide in fatal crash, but not clear if he had heart attack

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during a plea agreement hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, are Danny Lee Bean, right, and Tom Marshall, public defender in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above during a plea agreement hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, are defendant Danny Lee Bean, right, and Tom Marshall, public defender in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—A Marlow man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two charges of vehicular homicide in a fatal crash on Oliver Springs Highway in Marlow in November 2012, but it’s not clear if he might have had a heart attack, possibly before the crash.

Danny Lee Bean, 59, received an effective 10-year sentence for his guilty pleas in the head-on three-vehicle crash that killed Alberta Farrer, 56, and Pat Smith, 62.

Bean’s sentence was suspended, and he was placed on supervised probation. He had to surrender his driver’s license, and he can’t drive.

Bean had hydrocodone and alprazolam in his system, but he had prescriptions for those medicines at therapeutic levels, attorneys said at a plea agreement hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday morning. Hydrocodone is a narcotic pain-reliever, and alprzazolam can be used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It’s not clear whether a doctor had advised Bean to not drive after taking either medication.

Before the plea, a question had been raised about whether Bean had experienced a heart attack around the time of the crash, possibly before it. [Read more…]

ORAU awards $36,000 in education grants to local teachers

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Teachers representing 14 schools in Anderson County received STEM teaching tools, new technology, and grant funds worth $36,000 on Sept. 11 at the 2017 ORAU Education Grants Award Ceremony & Reception in Pollard Technology Conference Center. (Submitted photo)

Teachers representing 14 schools in Anderson County received STEM teaching tools, new technology, and grant funds worth $36,000 on Sept. 11 at the 2017 ORAU Education Grants Award Ceremony & Reception in Pollard Technology Conference Center. (Submitted photo)

 

ORAU awarded 38 teachers from 14 East Tennessee schools more than $36,000 on Monday at the 16th annual ORAU Education Grants ceremony.

Educational materials and equipment purchased with the grant awards—such as iPads, computer software, robotics kits, and more—will help teachers continue to meet state-wide curriculum standards and enhance the learning experience of their students in STEM subjects, a press release said.

“ORAU is proud to support schools in Anderson County by helping local educators obtain the resources and tools required to engage students of all ages in STEM subjects while enriching their education,” ORAU President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Page said. “These educators never fail to demonstrate their dedication to student success.”

Since beginning the Education Grant program in 2002, ORAU has provided more than $487,000 to area schools to fund educational projects that complement its mission of enriching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Police allegedly find pills, meth, marijuana, cash, ammo

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Samuel McCoy Wade

Samuel McCoy Wade

A police search of a home on Marion Road on Friday found pills, methamphetamine, marijuana, cash, and ammunition, authorities said.

The home at 102 Marion Road was searched by the 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force and Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT team on Friday, September 8, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

During a search of the home, officers, who had a search warrant, found two bags containing about 34.7 grams of methamphetamine, about one pound of marijuana in various bags, and a bag of pills that included five alprazolam, five methylphenidate hydrochloride, and 19 two-milligram Xanax pills, the affidavits said.

Police also found cash, drug paraphernalia, a sealed bag of marijuana, .380 ammunition, and a Mercedes C20 car reportedly purchased with money from drug sales, according to the affidavits. [Read more…]

Anderson County man charged with attempted murder

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jason Bradley Braden

Jason Bradley Braden

 

An Anderson County man was charged with attempted first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, and carjacking, among other charges, in indictments filed September 5.

Jason Bradley Braden, 28, of Longmire Road, is also facing theft, burglary, and trespassing charges.

The indictments said Braden intentionally tried to kill Marietta Banks on August 12, and he seriously injured her during the assault. Braden also assaulted Melissa Byrge, seriously injuring her, the indictments said.

The assaults were committed while Braden was displaying a crowbar and a knife, according to the indictments.

It’s not clear from the indictments if the alleged assaults occurred at the same time. [Read more…]

CNS names four to Fellows Program, recognizing technical expertise

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC has chosen four employees for its Fellows Program, one from the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and three from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. They are Vincent Lamberti, top left; Alan Moore, top right; and Glenn Pfennigwerth, bottom left, all of Y-12, and Lorelei Woods of Pantex. (Submitted photos)

Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC has chosen four employees for its Fellows Program, one from the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and three from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. They are Vincent Lamberti, top left; Alan Moore, top right; and Glenn Pfennigwerth, bottom left, all of Y-12, and Lorelei Woods of Pantex. (Submitted photos)

 

Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC has chosen four employees for its Fellows Program, one from the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and three from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

The program recognizes technical staff members at Pantex and Y-12 who achieved status as a national or international expert in their field, a press release said. Each fellow serves a renewable two-year term acting as the technical expert in their competency area and mentor to other staff.

Those chosen are Pantex Component Analysis/Surveillance Fellow Lorelei Woods, Uranium Fellow Glenn Pfennigwerth, Metallurgy Fellow Alan Moore, and Y-12 Component Analysis/Surveillance Fellow Vincent Lamberti. [Read more…]

DOE: Construction could start next month at AMSE space at Main Street

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

former-sears-roebuck-co-oak-ridge-jan-2-2017-web

An agreement signed Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, by the U.S. Department of Energy and City of Oak Ridge calls for the American Museum of Science and Energy missions to be relocated within about one year to 18,000 square feet of space in a two-story building that once housed a Sears Roebuck store next to JCPenney at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Construction could start next month at the new home of the American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge, a federal official said Monday.

But much of the work will be inside the facility, and it may not be visible from outside the building, said John Shewairy, assistant manager for administration in the  U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office.

AMSE is relocating to space that will be renovated in a two-story building that once housed a Sears Roebuck store next to JCPenney at what is now Main Street Oak Ridge. That planned move is part of an agreement that was signed by the city and DOE in December. Under that agreement, the 17-acre AMSE site was to be transferred from the U.S. Department of Energy to the City of Oak Ridge.

The city is, in turn, transferring the AMSE property in two phases to TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC. That company was set up by RealtyLink, the developer of Main Street Oak Ridge at the former Oak Ridge Mall. [Read more…]