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Man wanted in Ohio hides in Oak Ridge church, but K-9 finds him

Posted at 10:08 pm April 12, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Casey J. Jones

A man who was wanted by law enforcement officers in Ohio fled and hid in an Oak Ridge church after a traffic stop Sunday morning, but an Anderson County K-9 unit found him hiding in a bathroom closet after a two-hour search, authorities said.

The pursuit began after the Oak Ridge Police Department stopped a vehicle on South Tulane Avenue at Wilson Street for a window tint violation at about 10:37 a.m. Sunday, April 11, the City of Oak Ridge said Monday.

After the initial contact with the driver, the driver fled from his vehicle on foot toward the First United Methodist Church at 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, the city said.

A police officer chased the suspect on foot and saw him enter the church, the city said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Churches, Community, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Casey John Jones, First United Methodist Church, Jon Acker, K-9 Baron, Oak Ridge Police Department

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Man pursued by police runs into church, taken into custody

Posted at 3:52 pm April 11, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A man pursued by police ran into First United Methodist Church between services in Oak Ridge on Sunday morning, canceling services, according to witnesses and the church. The man was later caught, and no one was injured, the church reported.

There were reports of a large police presence at the church, including Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the building was reportedly evacuated.

The man ran in as churchgoers were leaving the 10 a.m. service. The 11 a.m. service and Worship on the Lawn at 1 p.m. were both canceled as the building was still being searched and cleared, the church said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Churches, Community, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, First United Methodist Church, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Police Department

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THP report: Child hit by pickup walked into travel lane

Posted at 10:01 am April 8, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 2:55 p.m.

The seven-year-old girl hit by a vehicle Wednesday evening had been in the turn lane with two other pedestrians before walking into the eastbound lane of Edgemoor Road and being struck by a pickup truck, according to a preliminary report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

No charges have been filed against the driver, and none are pending, the THP said.

The crash was reported just before 7 p.m. Monday at Mooncrest Lane. It was near the Breadbox gas station and convenience store in Claxton.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: crash, Edgemoor Road, Tennessee Highway Patrol

Girl hit by vehicle on Edgemoor Road

Posted at 7:56 pm April 7, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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

A seven-year-old girl was hit by a vehicle on Edgemoor Road in front of the Breadbox gas station and convenience store in Claxton, and the child was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, law enforcement officers said.

The crash was reported at about 6:56 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which is investigating the collision.

The investigation continues, and no additional information is available at this time.

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.


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Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Edgemoor Road

Nine men arrested in undercover human trafficking operation

Posted at 2:55 pm March 28, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Nine men, including at least five who met with undercover agents posing as juveniles, were arrested on trafficking, sex, and prostitution charges in Oak Ridge on Thursday during a two-day undercover operation targeted at human trafficking in East Tennessee.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers said they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.

“The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a press release.

The covert operation included the Oak Ridge Police Department, special agents from the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force (CTF), the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office.

In a press release, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said the operation was conceived by ORPD in response to recent cases where men from other areas have solicited sex from juveniles and traveled to Oak Ridge to meet the girls. The ORPD led the covert operation on Wednesday and Thursday with technical and manpower help from the TBI, CTF, the Sheriff’s Office, and the DA’s Office, Clark said.

“Arrests were made when men came to an Oak Ridge location to pay to have sex with minors,” the DA said.

The operation also focused on identifying potential victims of trafficking. Two adult women were identified and offered services such as housing and counseling through Grow Free Tennessee, a program of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the TBI said.

The covert human trafficking operation was conducted in Oak Ridge. Officers were focused on investigating people who buy sex as well as people engaged in sex trafficking, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Here are the allegations against the defendants charged in cases involving undercover agents posing as juveniles, according to the arrest warrants. The offenses occurred within 1,000 feet of a daycare facility.

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Nine men, including at least five who met with undercover agents posing as juveniles, were arrested on trafficking, sex, and prostitution charges in Oak Ridge on Thursday during a two-day undercover operation targeted at human trafficking in East Tennessee.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers said they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.

“The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a press release.

The covert operation included the Oak Ridge Police Department, special agents from the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force (CTF), the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office.

In a press release, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said the operation was conceived by ORPD in response to recent cases where men from other areas have solicited sex from juveniles and traveled to Oak Ridge to meet the girls. The ORPD led the covert operation on Wednesday and Thursday with technical and manpower help from the TBI, CTF, the Sheriff’s Office, and the DA’s Office, Clark said.

“Arrests were made when men came to an Oak Ridge location to pay to have sex with minors,” the DA said.

The operation also focused on identifying potential victims of trafficking. Two adult women were identified and offered services such as housing and counseling through Grow Free Tennessee, a program of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the TBI said.

The covert human trafficking operation was conducted in Oak Ridge. Officers were focused on investigating people who buy sex as well as people engaged in sex trafficking, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Here are the allegations against the defendants charged in cases involving undercover agents posing as juveniles, according to the arrest warrants. The offenses occurred within 1,000 feet of a daycare facility.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Alex E. Hickey, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Darron C. Hickman, Dave Clark, human trafficking, Jeremy R. Williams, Jose W. Salguero, Joshua D. Winningham, Joshua S. Wilson, Juan N. Gomez, Michael J. Houck, Michael J. Slover, Oak Ridge Police Department, prostitution, Robin Smith, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Victim of Claxton shooting reported to be in critical but stable condition

Posted at 6:29 pm March 5, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The victim of a shooting in Claxton on Thursday was reported to be in critical but stable condition on Friday.

The shooting was reported Thursday on Edgemoor Road at Mooncrest Lane, across from the Dollar General Store.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Claxton, Edgemoor Road, shooting

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.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor 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: 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

Oak Ridge man charged with second robbery

Posted at 6:17 pm January 8, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Tyrone Partridge

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with a second robbery, this one of a gas station in Claxton.

Partridge, 43, had already been charged by the Oak Ridge Police Department this month with the robbery of J&C Market on East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Now, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office has charged him with aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and theft in the December 29 robbery of the Marathon gas station on Edgemoor Road in Claxton, a press release said. The felony warrants were obtained by Sheriff’s Office detective Josh Cardwell. Partridge reportedly brandished a firearm and demanded the Marathon employee empty the cash register, the press release said. He fled the scene with cash before deputies arrived, the release said. The Marathon employee was able to provide a physical description and a video recording showing the incident, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Josh Cardwell, Marathon gas station, Oak Ridge Police Department, robbery, Tyrone Partridge

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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Temporary

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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

Two killed in car-motorcycle crash

Posted at 12:51 am October 2, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Two people died in a collision between a car and motorcycle on Clinton Highway on Thursday afternoon, law enforcement officers said.

The crash was reported at about 2:46 p.m. Thursday at East Wolf Valley Road.

Zachary Johnston, 29, of Clinton, and Stephanie Whitaker, 31, of Knoxville died in the crash, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report.

Johnston was driving a 2004 Honda Shadow Aero motorcycle, and Whitaker was a passenger, the report said.

The THP said the other vehicle, a 2001 Honda Accord car, was driven by Casey Hall, 38, of Heiskell.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: car-motorcycle crash, Casey Hall, Clinton Highway, crash, East Wolf Valley Road, Stephanie Whitaker, Tennessee Highway Patrol, THP, Zachary Johnston

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

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