Oak Ridge Today

NAACP has forum on voting rights restoration on Thursday

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Tom Marshall

Tom Marshall

Have you been convicted of a crime and are now unable to vote, or having trouble getting a job?

On Thursday, the Oak Ridge/Anderson County chapter of the NAACP will present the first in a series of public forums designed to help you. The forum starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at Spurgeon Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church at 100 South Benedict Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Tom Marshall, District 7 Public Defender, will provide information on how people having served their sentence can potentially get their voting right restored and their record expunged, a press release said. Additional agencies are providing information. [Read more…]

Cocke County says case closed after widow releases suicide note, but parents dispute note

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Alexander John Heitman

Alexander John Heitman

Officials say it was suicide. But the parents are skeptical.

So questions linger almost four years after Alexander John Heitman, 29, of Knoxville, was found dead in Cocke County after being reported missing by Oak Ridge Schools. Heitman reportedly died on Tranquility Ridge Drive outside Newport on July 25, 2011. Officials said it was suicide, a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

But Heitman’s parents, Don and Annette Heitman of Adams, Wisconsin, find it hard to believe. They aren’t the only ones. Some current and former Oak Ridge residents, including City Council member Trina Baughn, are also skeptical of the official cause of death.

Heitman’s widow, Kristie Heitman, is not. In February, she released a suicide note that she believes Alex, who was the supervisor of business and support services for Oak Ridge Schools, wrote the day before he died.

Neither is Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes. In March, he said the case is closed, and there is no reason to continue pursuing it. Investigators found no evidence that anyone else was involved, Fontes said.

But Don and Annette continue to seek answers. They started a website in October 2013 and used it to raise questions about the case. They’ve also asked for the death investigation to be re-opened, hired attorney Hugh Ward to help them, and won the support of Baughn and others. They’ve also asked the FBI to investigate. [Read more…]

Robbery warrant against Bartley recalled, dismissed

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Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley

The aggravated robbery warrant against Kenneth Stuart Bartley has been recalled and dismissed, authorities said.

Bartley, 23, had been identified as a suspect in a Sunday morning robbery in Anderson County. The alleged robbery occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, June 14, at the Marathon Station on Lake City Highway near Rocky Top (the former Lake City).

But authorities said Bartley was located in Vienna, Virginia, on Sunday night, and his family said he had been in Virginia.

On Sunday evening, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said its investigators would travel to Vienna to interview Bartley and work with Virginia authorities to determine if “Bartley was indeed in Virginia at the time of (the Sunday morning) robbery.” [Read more…]

ETTP emergency exercise to be held Tuesday, June 16

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An emergency exercise will be conducted at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16.

The emergency exercise is being conducted by URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC, or UCOR.

The exercise, which should conclude no later than 1 p.m., is being conducted in coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, a press release said. It will involve participants from multiple state agencies; the city of Oak Ridge; and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties. [Read more…]

Update: Bartley located in Vienna, Va.

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Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Bartley, who has been identified as a suspect in a Sunday morning robbery in Anderson County, was located in Vienna, Virginia, on Sunday night, authorities said.

“We are aware his family is saying he has been in Virginia,” Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. “Therefore, our investigators will be traveling there this evening (Sunday evening) to interview Bartley and work with Virginia authorities to determine if Bartley was indeed in Virginia at the time of this morning’s robbery. We will update everyone tomorrow (Monday, June 15) as to the results of the follow-up investigation.”

Bartley, 23, served time for homicide after a school shooting in Campbell County in 2005.

On Sunday afternoon, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said Bartley was the suspect in an armed robbery near Rocky Top on Sunday morning. The alleged robbery occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, June 14, at the Marathon Station on Lake City Highway near Rocky Top (the former Lake City). [Read more…]

Bartley wanted in aggravated robbery near Rocky Top, authorities say

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Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley, who served time for homicide after a school shooting in Campbell County in 2005, is the suspect in an armed robbery near Rocky Top on Sunday morning, authorities said.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said the alleged robbery occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, June 14, at the Marathon Station on Lake City Highway near Rocky Top (the former Lake City).

“The suspect entered the store, brandished a black handgun, and robbed the market of cash,” Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. “He was described as a white male with brown to black facial hair wearing glasses, black toboggan, black jacket, and blue jeans. No vehicle was seen leaving the store.” [Read more…]

ACSD: Daughter’s boyfriend charged with murder in Andersonville shooting

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William James McMillan

William James McMillan

Note: This story was updated at 11:33 a.m.

An Andersonville man has been charged with murder in a shooting that allegedly killed his girlfriend’s mother early Wednesday, authorities said.

William James McMillan, 48, is accused of fatally shooting Karen Zahrobsky, 66, according to authorities. They said McMillan, Zahrobsky, and Zahrobsky’s daughter, Christin Dixon, 45, all lived at 460 Lone Mountain Road in Andersonville, where the shooting allegedly occurred.

The shooting was reported at about 4:45 a.m. Wednesday. Zahrobsky was dead when deputies arrived.

McMillan was charged by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which helped investigate. McMillan was booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, and he is being held on $625,000.00 bond. [Read more…]

One dies in single-vehicle crash on I-75

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Note: This story was last updated at 5:15 p.m.

Information from WYSH Radio

One person died in a single-vehicle crash on I-75 South in Anderson County on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The crash, which was investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, involved a Ford pickup truck, and it occurred at about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

WBIR-TV in Knoxville has reported that the driver was Scott Davis, 46, of Jacksboro, Tennessee. [Read more…]

Fire destroys AC mobile home

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Sunday evening fire destroyed a mobile home on Cedar Grove Lane in Anderson County.

The fire was extinguished by crews from the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department with assistance from both the Clinton and Oak Ridge fire departments, and no injuries were reported.

The resident of the mobile home, Michelle Turnbill, told an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy that she had grilled hot dogs on a small grill on the front porch. She said she checked it when she was done to make sure that the coals were out, and she told the deputy that it appeared to be cool to the touch. After going back inside, she heard what sounded like the grill turning over, and she looked out to see the indoor/outdoor carpet on the front porch ablaze.

She and her family made it out safely and called 911. She told investigators that there had been three dogs and a cat inside the home at the time of the fire, but the report does not indicate their fate.

Report: Discarded cigarette starts fire in truck’s cargo area on I-75

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A discarded cigarette that was still lit started a fire in the cargo area of a commercial truck on Interstate 75 on Friday night, authorities said.

The cigarette was discarded by an unknown motorist who threw it out of an unknown vehicle, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Steve Owens said in a report. It landed in the cargo area of a 2013 Ford F3D commercial truck owned by Classic Installs of Knoxville and driven by employee Ryan A. Johnson, the report said.

Johnson was driving south on I-75 near mile marker 121, just south of the Clinton exit, when he saw flames coming from the cargo area of his truck. He quickly pulled over to investigate and called for police and fire help at about 10 p.m. Friday. [Read more…]

ORFD, AC EMS, UT Lifestar honored for helping to save cyclist

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Oak Ridge Fire Department at Star of Life 2015

Members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department at the 2015 Star of Life Awards in Nashville in May. Among those honored from Region 2 were Oak Ridge firefighters (starting at second from left) Marty Griffith, Eric Mocsari, Steven London, Duane Chase, and Thomas Giles. (Submitted photo)

 

NASHVILLE—The Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County Emergency Medical Services, and University of Tennessee Lifestar have been honored for helping to save a cyclist after a medical emergency on Bethel Valley Road in March 2014.

Thomas Berg experienced a sudden medical emergency while on a bicycle ride on March 30, 2014, causing him to crash in the middle of Bethel Valley Road, a press release said.

David Smallwood was riding with Berg, and Smallwood called 911 and began CPR as soon as he saw the crash. Emergency crews from the Oak Ridge Fire Department and Anderson County EMS responded, and they found Berg in cardiac arrest, the release said.

Berg was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by UT Lifestar.

“Today, Mr. Berg has made a full recovery and is once again enjoying cycling,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Anderson County EMS to start Academy for employees

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Anderson County EMS

By Nathaniel D. Sweet

The development of an Academy for Anderson County Emergency Medical Services is phase one of a three-phase plan to improve how we can find the best professionals to provide the best care to achieve the best outcomes for every patient. This plan will add to what is already considered one of the most thorough hiring processes for an ambulance service in Tennessee. Currently, we conduct an initial assessment center that is comprised of a 100-question written test, a driving test, medical scenario, a timed physical agility test, and a panel interview.

Passing candidates are scored and placed in order for a job offer, and once a job offer is accepted, the candidate then must go through a fingerprint background check, DMV record check, and physician-performed physical with urinalysis. In the past, once this was all concluded, the candidate would go through two office training days and a month of orientation on the ambulance with a field training officer before being cleared to perform their duties unassisted. [Read more…]