Oak Ridge Today

County, school officials start campaign to protect children from online predators

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Officials in Anderson County and at local schools have announced an educational campaign designed to protect children from online sexual predators.

Among the concerns are sexting, or the exchange of explicit photos, usually using smart phones, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release.

Clark is working with Anderson County Sheriff Paul White and the Anderson County, Clinton, and Oak Ridge school systems. He said a letter is being sent out to the parents of every child in grades five through 10 in those three systems.

“We want to make parents aware of the dangers posed by online predators and provide them with some strategies to help keep their families safe,” Clark said. [Read more…]

Horses seized, Anderson County man charged

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Clinton man was arrested Wednesday on animal cruelty charges after two horses described as underfed and very thin were seized from his property.

The horses were seized from the property of Jason Shipley on Wednesday by Anderson County Animal Control officers and taken to the University of Tennessee Veterinary School for evaluation. The horses were then turned over to Horse Haven of Tennessee, where they are said to be doing well.

Shipley was charged with two counts of animal cruelty, and he was also picked up on several outstanding warrants unrelated to Wednesday’s incident.

AC man accidentally shoots own hand

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Information from WYSH Radio

An Anderson County man accidentally shot himself in the hand Sunday night when he tried to force the wrong caliber of ammunition into his pistol.

Carlie Indmon Phillips, 45, sustained the wound Sunday night at a home on Hillbilly Way and was taken to Methodist Medical Center for treatment of an injury to his left index finger, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department report.

Phillips had been called to his sister’s nearby home by his sister, who thought she had seen a prowler on the property. He grabbed his .357 Magnum revolver and went to her house but had no ammunition for the gun. His sister gave him .38 caliber ammo, and when he tried to force the round into the weapon by tapping it with his pocketknife, the round went off, striking him in the hand. [Read more…]

Fire causes damage to auto repair garage in Marlow

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Jackson Paving Co. Fire

Oliver Springs firefighter Adam Daugherty uses a thermal imaging camera to check for fire in the overhead area. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A fire caused major damage to a truck being repaired in a large garage in Marlow, and it caused moderate damage to repair equipment and the building.

The fire at Jackson Paving Co. on Oliver Springs Highway occurred at about 10:15 a.m. Friday.

The fire at the large auto repair garage occurred in the Marlow Fire Department area. But mutual aid was requested from the Oliver Springs and Oak Ridge fire departments because of the combustible nature of the materials used. [Read more…]

Supreme Court says Anderson County jail not responsible for inmate attack

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The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that Anderson County is not liable for damages beyond medical costs after an inmate sustained injuries from an attack by cellmates.

Kenneth E. King, a Claxton resident, had spent the night in the Anderson County Detention Facility after being arrested on Oct. 27, 2009, for driving on a suspended license—a charge that ultimately was in error, according to the opinion and a press release posted on the state courts website Thursday. His release was ordered at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 28, but it took more than three hours for the pretrial release officer to process the paperwork.

During that time, King was severely beaten, causing permanent injuries to his eye. King sued the county seeking monetary damages for the attack, stating that Anderson County was negligent in not releasing him in a timely manner and should have known that there was a danger of him being attacked. [Read more…]

Small fire causes minor damage at Anderson County jail expansion

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Anderson County Detention Facility Fire

A small fire Monday morning caused minor damage to a section of the Anderson County jail that is being expanded. (Photo courtesy Larry Davidson/Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

CLINTON—A small fire Monday morning caused minor damage to a section of the Anderson County jail that is being expanded.

A construction worker on the roof of the 212-bed expansion was welding with a torch at about 11:15 a.m. Monday when it set insulation on the outside of the building on fire, Anderson County officials said. The insulation was between vinyl siding and concrete block, said Larry Davidson, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department captain and acting chief jailer.

The fire was contained to the outside of the Anderson County Detention Facility, and no one was injured. There was no water or smoke damage, but the fire burned a small hole in the side of the building, Davidson said. [Read more…]

Anderson County Chief Jailer Avery Johnson retires

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Avery Johnson Retirement

Chief Jailer Avery Johnson, center, has retired after working for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department for almost 33 years. Also pictured are Anderson County Sheriff Paul White, right, and Chief Deputy Mark Lucas. (Submitted photo)

Chief Jailer Avery Johnson has retired after working for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department for almost 33 years.

Anderson County Sheriff Paul White announced the retirement this week.

Johnson began his career with the department in February 1981, a press release said. After working in patrol, Johnson was assigned to the jail, and he was promoted to sergeant in charge of the jail operations in March of 1984. As the responsibilities of the jail operations increased, Johnson was promoted through the ranks of lieutenant, captain, and later, chief jailer. [Read more…]

Arson suspected in AC fire

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Information from WYSH Radio

Firefighters from the Andersonville and Medford Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a fire this morning that destroyed a mobile home on Stephens Lane.

No injuries were reported, but the fire is being investigated as a case of arson after authorities discovered what were described as suspicious items at the scene.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Thursday night fire destroys vacant mobile home in Marlow

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Pine Ridge Road Mobile Home Fire

A fire destroys a vacant mobile home on Pine Ridge Road in Marlow on Thursday night. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A fire destroyed a vacant mobile home on Pine Ridge Road in Marlow on Thursday night.

The fire was reported at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday at 221 Pine Ridge Road.

About 20 firefighters responded from the Marlow and Oliver Springs fire departments. Anderson County Emergency Medical Services and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department also responded.

Here are three more pictures from photographer Tom Scott: [Read more…]

After burning 71 acres, Walden Ridge fire contained

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Walden Ridge Fire

Smoke plumes rise above Walden Ridge northeast of Oliver Springs on Tuesday, where a fire first reported Sunday burned about 71 acres before being contained.

OLIVER SPRINGS—The Walden Ridge fire first reported Sunday burned about 71 acres, but it is contained now, a state forester said Wednesday afternoon.

Fire crews have been able to use a bulldozer to clear a line around the blaze and contain it, said Nathan Waters, assistant district forester for the Tennessee Division of Forestry. They also used leaf blowers to move leaves—which can serve as light fuel—away from homes along Dutch Valley Road and to help build fire lines.

Waters said firefighters, who have left Walden Ridge, will check back again this afternoon and also tomorrow. They could continue to check back until the area gets a significant rain. [Read more…]

Walden Ridge fire near Oliver Springs grows to more than 30 acres

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Walden Ridge Fire

Smoke plumes rise above Walden Ridge northeast of Oliver Springs, where a fire first reported Sunday afternoon had grown to more than 30 acres by Tuesday morning.

OLIVER SPRINGS—A fire that was first reported Sunday afternoon on Walden Ridge a few miles northeast of Oliver Springs had grown to more than 30 acres by Tuesday morning, a state forester said.

The fire is on a steep hillside north of Dutch Valley Road between a Marlow Volunteer Fire Department fire station and Fox Lane.

The cause hasn’t been determined, but it was most likely arson, said Nathan Waters, assistant district forester for the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

He said the fire was originally reported as a campfire, but it appears to have started away from any trails or burn pits, and there was no lightning on Halloween, when smoke was first reported in the area. [Read more…]

Two taken to UT hospital after five-vehicle crash between Clinton, Oak Ridge

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Two people were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center after a five-vehicle crash on State Highway 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

The collision occurred at about 3:30 p.m. on SR 61 near Old Tacora Road, in front of Gibbs Ferry Park. According to preliminary information, it appears an elderly female was traveling eastbound on Highway 61 when she drifted across the center line and into oncoming traffic, said Dalya Qualls, public information officer for the Tennessee Department of Safety. The woman attempted to swerve back into her lane when she struck a Chevrolet pickup truck, Qualls said. [Read more…]