Anderson County Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Sheriff: Suspected heroin, cocaine, marijuana found in Claxton arrest

Posted at 5:08 pm December 10, 2018
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Kayvin James Grate

Note: This story was updated at 11:05 p.m.

Authorities found several types of drugs—including suspected heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and hydrocodone—and arrested a Powell man in Claxton on Thursday on multiple charges of possessing drugs for sale, a press release said.

Agents from the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County were conducting surveillance around the Bread Box gas station on Edgemoor Road in Claxton when, just before 5 p.m. Thursday, they saw Kayvin Grate, 28, of Powell, conduct a hand-to-hand transaction with an unidentified male at the rear of the business, the press release said.

Immediately after that, an Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived in the parking lot of the gas station, said the press release, which was from the office of Sheriff Russell Barker.

“Once Grate spotted the deputy’s marked vehicle, Grate turned quickly and began walking away from the gas station and into a wooded area,” the press release said. “Grate was given verbal commands to stop and was quickly detained. Prior to be detained, Grate dropped multiple items on the ground, which were determined to be a cell phone and two plastic baggies containing suspected heroin. After search of his person, a Ford key fob was recovered.” [Read more…]

Jury duty scammer uses name of ACSO deputy

Posted at 4:34 pm December 10, 2018
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The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a jury duty scammer that is using the name of a deputy currently employed with the Sheriff’s Office.

The scammer called a Clinton woman on Monday claiming to be Sheriff’s Office employee Kenny Sharp, a press release said. The scammer told her she missed jury duty and would be arrested if she did not pay $729.00.

The Clinton resident went to her credit union, and after she explained what had happened, they advised her to go to the Sheriff’s Office because they believed she had been scammed, the press release said. [Read more…]

CTF: 53 grams of suspected meth found in hotel room search

Posted at 11:56 am December 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bobby M. Baucum

About 53 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine were found during a hotel room search in Clinton in October, authorities said.

Bobby M. Baucum, 47, of Knoxville, was arrested after the search, which was led by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force of Anderson County, according to Anderson County court and jail records. Baucum was charged with possession of schedule II drugs (methamphetamine) for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Baucum had been using a hotel room at the Red Roof Inn and Suites on Buffalo Road in Clinton, according to affidavits filed by Jonathan Wilson of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force. Officers, who had a search warrant, searched the room on October 3, the affidavits said.

The search of the hotel room found the roughly 53 grams of suspected meth and a digital scale and plastic bags, Wilson said in the affidavits. [Read more…]

Updated: Man shot in leg while allegedly trying to steal trailer

Posted at 8:02 pm November 27, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 8:55 p.m.

A man was shot in the leg early Tuesday while attempting to steal a utility trailer and rail buggy in Anderson County, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at about 2:19 a.m. Tuesday when two men tried to steal the utility trailer and hook it up to a vehicle on Sulphur Springs Road, said Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

The property owner told Deputy Randy Seay, that after hearing noises, he and his son went outside and saw a dark vehicle backed up to their utility trailer, which was loaded with a rail buggy. The property owner noticed two people, later identified as Bret Weaver, 40, and Joey Seiber, 27, trying to hook up the trailer to their vehicle, Mayes said in a media release. [Read more…]

Man apprehended after barricading himself, falling through ceiling

Posted at 8:58 pm November 21, 2018
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A man who barricaded himself in a house in Anderson County on Wednesday was apprehended after he fell through a ceiling as officers tried to remove him, authorities said.

The incident started just after 5 p.m. Wednesday. An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department officer who was patrolling the area spotted the subject, William Sharp, in the yard at 388 Boyer Road in Andersonville, according to a statement from Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Sheriff’s Department.

The officer knew that Sharp had an active violation of probation warrant in Union County, the statement said.

“When the officer pulled into the residence to make contact with the subject, he ran into the home and barricaded himself inside the attic,” the statement said. “Mr. Sharp was the only subject barricaded in the home.” [Read more…]

Homeowner receives minor injuries in gas explosion in AC

Posted at 4:35 pm November 12, 2018
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A homeowner received minor injuries during a gas explosion on Hidden Hills Drive in Marlow early Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff's Department)

A homeowner received minor injuries during a gas explosion on Hidden Hills Drive in Anderson County early Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

A homeowner received minor injuries during a gas explosion in Anderson County on Monday.

The possible gas explosion was reported on Hidden Hills Drive between State Route 61 and Laurel Road northeast of Oak Ridge at about 12:39 p.m. Monday.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department found significant property damage when deputies arrived, said Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the department. [Read more…]

ACSD: Juvenile suspect confesses to making bomb threat at Claxton Elementary

Posted at 5:28 pm November 1, 2018
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A juvenile suspect has confessed to making the bomb threat that forced the evacuation of Claxton Elementary School on Tuesday, authorities said.

The bomb threat to the elementary school was reported to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department just before noon on Tuesday.

The school was immediately evacuated, and students and staff were placed off property at Zion Baptist Church. Students were not able to return to school and were dismissed from the church, according to a press release from Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. [Read more…]

Claxton Elementary evacuated Tuesday after bomb threat; nothing found

Posted at 8:18 am October 31, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 a.m.

Claxton Elementary School was evacuated Tuesday when a bomb threat was reported, and the school was searched but nothing was found, authorities said.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to the school after the bomb threat was reported just before noon Tuesday.

All students were evacuated and moved to Zion Baptist Church on the other side of the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department on Clinton Highway, said Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. [Read more…]

Rocky Top man charged with child abuse after infant found unresponsive

Posted at 4:14 pm October 7, 2018
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Cameron Tommy Beard

A Rocky Top man has been charged with aggravated child abuse and child abuse after an infant who was reported to have a brain injury was found unresponsive on Old Lake City Highway in Anderson County in March, authorities said.

Cameron Tommy Beard, 19, was arrested by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department after he was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release Friday. The indictment of Beard charged him with aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child less than eight years old, and two counts of child abuse of a child less than eight, Clark said. [Read more…]

Warrants: Clinton man arrested after AC man shot in leg, stomach

Posted at 4:17 pm September 25, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Alexander William Carter

A Clinton man has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after an Anderson County man was allegedly shot in the stomach and left leg after an argument early Monday morning, court records said.

The shooting was reported at about 3:30 a.m. Monday on Leach Lane in Anderson County, north of Clinton and west of Highway 25.

The injuries to the male victim, Nathan Robert Gifford, appeared to be non-life threatening, according to a Monday press release from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. Gifford was alert and taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he had to have a surgery to treat his injuries, the press release said.

Warrants filed in the case said the alleged shooter, Alexander William Carter, 20, had been arguing with Gifford, who lives in the Leach Lane home, when Gifford told Carter to leave.

Carter left but returned less than five minutes later and started shooting, said the warrants, which cited Gifford. One bullet struck Gifford in the stomach, and another round hit him in the left leg, the warrants said. [Read more…]

Anderson County EMS, ‘Ambus’ respond to help with hurricane in South Carolina

Posted at 4:03 pm September 11, 2018
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Anderson County EMS and Knoxville Fire Department representing State of Tennessee EMS (Emergency Management Services) Region 2 and headed to Charleston, S.C., on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, to help with Hurricane Florence. Pictured above Scott Prosise and Bobbi Jo Henderson of Anderson County EMS, and Brian Buchanan of KFD. (Photo by Anderson County EMS)

Anderson County EMS and Knoxville Fire Department representing State of Tennessee EMS Region 2 and headed to Charleston, S.C., on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, to help with Hurricane Florence. Pictured above are Scott Prosise and Bobbi Jo Henderson of Anderson County EMS, and Brian Buchanan of KFD. (Photo by Anderson County EMS)

Anderson County Emergency Medical Services has responded to a deployment request from the state of South Carolina to aid in evacuations ahead of the anticipated landfall of Hurricane Florence.

Anderson County EMS is part of the Region II EMS Directors Association, which is comprised of 30 ambulance, fire, rescue, aeromedical, and hospital agencies located in 16 counties throughout East Tennessee.

The Anderson County team responded to South Carolina’s call for help with the “Ambus,” a regional asset from Region II EMS Directors Association, that is housed, maintained, and operated by Anderson County EMS, a press release said.

The Ambus is designed to accommodate 20 or more low-acuity patients from one location, the press release said. It is not designed for the most critical patients, although the unit can adapt to any situation that is encountered. The transport kit was provided by the state and installed into a school bus donated by Morgan County Schools. [Read more…]

Woman sentenced to eight years after drugs discarded during police chase

Posted at 1:09 pm September 8, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Clarissa Sharee Tindell

A Knoxville woman who fled from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in a car in Anderson County last year as methamphetamine and heroin were discarded from the moving vehicle pleaded guilty to four charges and was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday.

About 60 grams of methamphetamine and less than a gram of heroin were thrown out of a car window and two patrol vehicles were hit during the police chase, which started in Clinton and ended in Rocky Top on Sunday, July 30, 2017, according to court proceedings and affidavits.

The plea agreement hearing for the driver of the 1992 Honda Accord, Clarissa Sharee Tindell, 25, was Tuesday in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. Her plea was by information, meaning she entered a plea before she was formally charged in an indictment by the Anderson County Grand Jury. Early pleas can lead to agreements more favorable to defendants.

Tindell, who was represented by defense attorney Paul Sexton of Oak Ridge, had been charged earlier in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton in a case that included additional counts such as aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony, speeding (117 mph in a 45 mph zone), and failure to yield the right of way, among other charges. Those charges were waived to the Grand Jury on June 6. [Read more…]