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Fire destroys Brushy Valley home; no injuries reported

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Information from WYSH Radio

A home on Brushy Valley Road in the Heiskell community was destroyed by a fire Wednesday night.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Adam Warren responded to the home shortly before 8:30 p.m. and made contact with the occupants, home owner David Neely and his son Dillon. Both made it out safely.

Warren reported that the house was completely on fire when he arrived, and that while he was on the scene, several explosions could be heard. David Neely explained that his wife, who was not home at the time of the fire, had several oxygen bottles inside and that there was a propane tank on the back porch.

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Report: Shots fired from bridge over I-75

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Information from WYSH Radio

A truck driver reported that someone was firing a gun off the Fourth Street Bridge over Interstate 75 South in Rocky Top early Thursday morning.

Just after midnight, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Adam Warren responded to the scene, where he met up with Rocky Top Police Department officers already there. Dairy truck driver William Burk, of London, Kentucky, told Warren that he had been headed south on I-75 and spotted what he described as a “large vehicle,” either a truck or a sport utility vehicle, parked on the bridge without any lights on. As he neared the bridge, Burk said that he heard four distinct gunshots.

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TBI: Man reportedly pointed gun at officers before they fatally shot him

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Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark, center, talks to the media after a fatal shooting involving officers on West Broad Street near the city limits of north Clinton on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Also pictured are Anderson County Sheriff Russell Barker, left, and Clinton Police Chief Vaughn Becker, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Aug. 15.

CLINTON—A man who was reported to be suicidal had reportedly pointed a gun at officers before they fired their guns, fatally striking him, during a standoff with police near the city limits of north Clinton on Tuesday evening, authorities said.

On Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man as Jerry Orlando Weaver, 51, of Clinton.

A 911 caller had reported a suicidal man with a firearm in the 600 block of West Broad Street at about 5:40 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. The man was reported to be near the roadway with a gun, according to the TBI, which is investigating the officer-involved shooting.

The Clinton Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force responded. There were reported to be more than a dozen officers at the site. There was a standoff of about 15 to 20 minutes, said Dave Clark, district attorney general in the Seventh Judicial District in Anderson County.

When they arrived, officers made contact with the man, who was threatening to harm himself, the TBI said.

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Updated: Man identified in drowning at Bull Run Park

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Note: This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 15.

A person was pulled from the water at Bull Run Park in a possible drowning on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The man was identified on Wednesday as Anthony Wayne Daniels, 45, of Clinton.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the park at about 8:10 a.m. Tuesday, said Tyler Mayes, ACSO director of administrative services.

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Rocky Top woman allegedly started fire at home with children inside

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Sharon Lee Braden
Sharon Lee Braden

A Rocky Top woman allegedly started a fire at a home north of Clinton with an adult and two children inside in June, and she was arrested Monday, authorities said.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said Sharon Lee Braden, 48, of Rocky Top, was arrested on charges of aggravated arson, three counts of aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment. Those charges are related to a June fire at a home on Offutt Road, which is east of Lake City Highway (Highway 25/State Route 9) between Clinton and Rocky Top.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sean Flynn issued arrest warrants as a result of evidence collected during his investigation and statements made by an eyewitness, a press release said.

“The witness reported that he saw Braden start the fire, and when he approached her, she fled,” the press release said.

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For members: Judge finds probable cause in attempted murder of deputy

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, 52, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—One charge of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of aggravated assault, among other charges, were sent to the grand jury after a two-hour preliminary hearing in July for an Anderson County man accused of pointing a revolver at two deputies and pulling the trigger two or three times.

The defendant, Charles Edward Mason, 52, had faced 24 charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder, eight counts of aggravated assault, three counts of aggravated kidnapping, and weapons and drug charges, among other violations. Eleven charges were sent to the grand jury, although it is possible that the grand jury could consider the charges that have been dismissed.

Mason, who unsuccessfully sought to represent himself during the hearing, has a violent crime history. He has previously pleaded guilty to two homicides, one in Knox County, Kentucky, in 1994 and the other in Anderson County, Tennessee, in 2010.

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DA receives $240,000 federal grant for Family Justice Center

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Family Justice Center Site Coordinator Melissa Miller and Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark are pictured above at the signing of the grant contract for the Anderson County Family Justice Center in July 2019. (Submitted photo)

The district attorney general in Anderson County has received a $240,000 federal grant to set up a family justice center.

The Anderson County Family Justice Center will help combat child abuse, domestic abuse, and elder abuse, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said in press release on Tuesday. It will be organized and formed during the first year or two of the grant contract, Clark said.

“Upon opening the actual center, there will be a location where (Anderson County residents) with abuse issues can go to get services from a variety of providers who will all have a representative located in the Family Justice Center,” Clark said. “In addition, referrals may be made by the Family Justice Center to other organizations that can provide help.”

Melissa Miller has been hired as the site coordinator of the Family Justice Center.

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NTSB investigating fatal aircraft crash

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The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the fatal crash of a small aircraft near Oliver Springs Airport on Saturday.

The crash of the experimental light sport aircraft was reported at about 5:18 p.m. Saturday near Smith Road. That’s just east of the airport and on the other side of a tree line, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department report.

The Quicksilver MXII had crashed into a field, and its nose was down into the ground, ACSD Sergeant Kenneth L. Bradley wrote in the report.

The pilot who died has been identified as Patrick Lucas, 45, of Morristown. He appeared to be the only occupant of the aircraft, the report said.

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45-year-old man died in aircraft crash

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Note: This story was updated at 10:20 a.m. July 15.

The man who died in an aircraft crash along Smith Road east of Oliver Springs Airport on Saturday has been identified as Patrick Scott Lucas, 45, of Morristown.

Family members have been notified, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Federal Aviation Administration will start a crash investigation today (Sunday, July 14), said Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

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One dies in hang glider crash near OS Airport

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Note: This story was updated at 11:15 a.m. July 14.

One person died in a hang glider crash near Oliver Springs Airport in Anderson County on Saturday, authorities said.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the crash just after 5 p.m. Saturday, said Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Sheriff’s Office. But it’s not clear what time the crash occurred.

The crash was along Smith Road east of the airport. It’s not clear if the hang glider had any connection to the airport.

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Clinton man charged with attempted murder

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Terry Lee Crawford

The Clinton man who allegedly shot at two people before one of them, his son, shot back, has been charged with attempted murder, according to court records.

The Anderson County Grand Jury indicted Terry Lee Crawford, 62, on two counts of attempted second-degree murder on June 4. Those charges allege that Crawford tried to kill Joshua Crawford and Ashlee Crawford. The alleged shooting was reported at a home adjacent to Crawford’s on Lee Lane in Clinton on December 26.

Crawford was also charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. The aggravated assault charges allege that Crawford caused Joshua and Ashlee Crawford to fear imminent bodily injury because of the gun, and the reckless endangerment charges allege that Terry Crawford engaged in reckless conduct that placed Joshua and Ashlee Crawford in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury through the use of a deadly weapon.

Crawford faces two other charges as well: being a convicted felon who possessed a handgun and vandalism between $1,000 and $2,500. The vandalism charge alleges that Crawford damaged the exterior of Joshua and Ashlee Crawford’s home, causing more than $1,000 in damage.

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Oak Ridge has Water Safety Day on Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its second annual Water Safety Day on Saturday, June 22, 2019, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its second annual Water Safety Day on Saturday, June 22, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.

Water Safety Day is a partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department, as well as the Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, a press release said. Demonstrations will include boating and lifejacket safety, open water rescues, lifeguard skills, and more.

“Please note that the pool’s open swim schedule has been adjusted due to the event and will begin immediately following Water Safety Day activities,” the press release said. Those who participate in the event will be eligible to stay for open swim at no cost.

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