Oak Ridge Today

Teen rescued from cave in Claxton

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A teenager was rescued from a cave in Claxton on Thursday, July 27, 2017, and he was taken to a hospital to be evaluated for back and ankle pain, authorities said. (Photo by Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad)

A teenager was rescued from a cave in Claxton on Thursday, July 27, 2017, and he was taken to a hospital to be evaluated for back and ankle pain, authorities said. (Photo by Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. July 29.

A teenager was rescued from a cave in Claxton on Thursday, and he was taken to a hospital to be evaluated for back and ankle pain, authorities said.

The 16-year-old boy had called 911 to say he was in a cave off Mehaffey Road in Claxton, and he was not able to find his way out, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department incident report.

The cave was in woods behind Spring Hill Baptist Church.

A family member said the boy had previously asked to go into the cave, the report said. On Thursday, he told his grandmother that he was going to a neighbor’s house to mow the lawn but instead went to the cave alone, the report said. [Read more…]

Man indicted on vehicular homicide, other charges after Clinton Highway crash

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Scott Gray, who has been indicted on vehicular homicide and other charges, is pictured above during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division I, in Clinton on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—A Knoxville man has been indicted on vehicular homicide and other charges in the death of a 23-year-old Heiskell woman after a two-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in April 2016.

The specific homicide charge against Scott Allen Gray, 27, is vehicular homicide by intoxication. Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers testified during an August 11 preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division I, in Clinton that Gray smelled of alcohol and said he had been drinking and taken two anti-anxiety pills before the crash. Gray’s passenger, Jessica Miner Taylor, died about a week after the crash.

The Anderson County Grand Jury also indicted Gray on charges of reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) is involved; failure to yield the right of way, resulting in death; failure of provide evidence of insurance; failure to carry a certificate of registration; failure to use due care; violation of the open container law; possession of drug paraphernalia; and possession of marijuana.

Gray had an arraignment and bond hearing scheduled this past Friday in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton.

Charges against Gray were bound over, or sent to the Grand Jury, during the preliminary hearing in August. The indictments were filed May 2. An indictment moves a case from Anderson County General Sessions Court to Anderson County Criminal Court. [Read more…]

WYSH: Two weekend fires deemed suspicious

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Information from WYSH Radio

Two weekend fires in Anderson County are being investigated as suspicious.

The first occurred late Sunday night at a mobile home on Hillvale Road. Deputies reported that the trailer was engulfed in flames upon their arrival at around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Crews from the Claxton and Andersonville Volunteer Fire Departments arrived and doused the flames, after which the on-scene commander told Deputy Matthew Landis that he suspected the cause of the fire was arson.

Neighbors told deputies that the property owner had passed away several years ago and they did not know who owns it now. Neighbors said that they had seen a woman and two men at the house earlier in the evening, and said they suspected that the trailer was being used as a meth lab.

With the cause of the fire deemed suspicious, the case was turned over to the Criminal Investigation Division for follow-up. [Read more…]

Shutting door may have helped contain house fire

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Shutting a door may have helped contain a house fire on East Wolf Valley Road on Sunday night. The fire was reported at 9:33 p.m. Sunday, April 9, 2017, at 885 East Wolf Valley Road in Heiskell, east of Clinton Highway and west of Interstate 75. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Shutting a door may have helped contain a house fire on East Wolf Valley Road on Sunday night. The fire was reported at 9:33 p.m. Sunday, April 9, 2017, at 885 East Wolf Valley Road in Heiskell, east of Clinton Highway and west of Interstate 75. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

HEISKELL—Shutting a door may have helped contain a house fire on East Wolf Valley Road on Sunday night.

The fire was reported at 9:33 p.m. Sunday at 885 East Wolf Valley Road in Heiskell, in Anderson County northeast of Clinton Highway and west of Interstate 75.

It was confined to one room at the front of the house, and to a mattress in a bedroom, said Matthew Burrell, chief of the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.

The homeowner shut the bedroom door and put towels or blankets under the door, Burrell said.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze with a single hose. Damage was limited to about 10 percent of the home, Burrell said.

There were no injuries to residents or firefighters. The cause had not been determined as of Sunday night. [Read more…]

Warrants: Driver who crashed stolen car into river had slurred speech, trouble staying awake

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Darrell Wayne Bouck

Darrell Wayne Bouck

 

CLAXTON—The Knoxville man who crashed a car reported as stolen into Bull Run Creek on Wednesday, prompting a nighttime search of the water with the help of divers, had slurred speech and trouble staying awake, authorities said.

Darrell Wayne Bouck Jr., 38, of Byington Solway Road, has been charged with driving under the influence; theft of more than $1,000; stolen plate; no driver’s license; and a due care violation, according to traffic citations, arrest warrants, and a preliminary crash report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The license plate and the vehicle, identified as a 2003 Honda Civic in the traffic citations, had been reported stolen in Knox County, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 7:53 p.m. Wednesday on New Henderson Road in Claxton, near Bull Run Park. [Read more…]

Knoxville man facing charges after crashing car into Bull Run Creek

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Rescuers respond to a single-vehicle crash off New Henderson Road and into deep water near Bull Run Park on Wednesday evening, March 8, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Rescuers respond to a single-vehicle crash off New Henderson Road and into deep water near Bull Run Park on Wednesday evening, March 8, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAXTON—The 38-year-old Knoxville man who crashed a car into Bull Run Creek on Wednesday night is facing charges that include driving under the influence, theft of more than $1,000, stolen license and due care violations, and a charge of no driver’s license, authorities said.

Darrell W. Bouck Jr. had minor injuries, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a preliminary crash report. It’s not known if he was using a seat belt.

The car he was driving was a 2001 Infiniti I30. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said the vehicle had been reported stolen to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

The THP report said Bouck was driving north on New Henderson Road in Claxton and “failed to maintain the lane of travel.” He and the Infiniti went off the two-lane roadway, which runs parallel to a wide river-like section of Bull Run Creek, and struck two wooden barrier posts. There are barrier posts on the shoulder of the road, which is up an embankment from the creek.

The car then rolled over and entered the water, the THP said. The crash was reported at about 7:53 p.m., according to the THP report. [Read more…]

Driver injured after car, reported as stolen, crashes into water near Bull Run Park

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The Anderson County Rescue Squad searches for a vehicle that was reported to go into the water off New Henderson Road near Bull Run Park just after 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, 2017.

The Anderson County Rescue Squad searches for a vehicle that went off New Henderson Road and into Bull Run Creek near Bull Run Park in Claxton on Wednesday evening, March 8, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. March 9.

CLAXTON—The driver of a car that had been reported stolen was injured when the vehicle plunged off New Henderson Road and into deep water near Bull Run Park in Claxton on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

When deputies arrived, the driver was found lying on the embankment near the water, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

Rescuers received a report that two men working at a nearby home heard the crash and pulled the driver of the car from the water to safety, Lucas said.

Divers from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Anderson County Rescue Squad, and Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad checked the car and surrounding area in the water, but no other occupants were found, according to Lucas and Claxton Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Dusty Sharpe and Lieutenant Mike Dabney.

Authorities said the driver was not initially alert. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Dabney said. The driver’s name, age, and condition weren’t available Wednesday night. [Read more…]

Clinton man dies in mobile home fire

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A Clinton man died Tuesday morning in a residential fire at Cedar Grove Mobile Home Park near Clinton, authorities said.

David Earl Floyd, 25, was found after deputies and fire crews were called to a mobile home fire on Cedar Grove Lane about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said.

Firefighters from the Marlow, Claxton, Andersonville, and Clinton fire departments, along with Anderson County EMS, responded to the blaze. [Read more…]

Two treated for smoke inhalation after Saturday fire in Claxton

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Information from WYSH Radio

Two people were taken to an area emergency room early Saturday following a house fire in Claxton.

The fire was reported at a home in the 600 block of Foust Carney Road in Claxton at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Claxton firefighters and Anderson County deputies responded to the scene, as did members of the Anderson County EMS. [Read more…]

More information on local firefighters, law enforcement responding to Gatlinburg fires

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The Clinton Fire Department is pictured above responding to the fires in Sevier County on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Photo by Clinton Fire Department)

 

We have more information on local firefighters and law enforcement that have either responded to help fight the fires in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park—or remain in standby in case they are needed.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas and other officials said Andersonville, Claxton, Clinton, Marlow, Oak Ridge, and Oliver Springs fire departments all sent resources to the fire.

Anderson County EMS sent its mass casualty response vehicle on Monday night, and they sent three ambulances Tuesday morning, Lucas said.

Lucas said he talked to Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals on Monday night, and Anderson County deputies are on stand-by in case Sevier County needs additional law enforcement personnel. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge volunteer collecting supplies for firefighters

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Oak Ridge resident Tom Giles collects supplies for firefighters at High Places Community Church on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An Oak Ridge volunteer is collecting supplies for firefighters as they battle forest fires across East Tennessee.

Tom Giles set up three days in the past week at High Places Community Church in Grove Center. He has more donation dates scheduled at the church from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, December 3, and Saturday, December 10.

Here are the items needed: water, Gatorade, small packs of peanut butter crackers and cheese crackers, energy bars, beef jerky, etc. Last Saturday, he said the items should not melt. For example, a chocolate snack could melt in a firefighter’s pocket.

On Friday, November 25, Giles said Oliver Springs Fire Department is providing support to fires burning near Petros, north of Oliver Springs.

“If supplies are depleted, we may need to mobilize a donation date before our December 3 event,” Giles said. “I am in contact with officers from OSFD and will provide updates as needed. Thank you for support.” [Read more…]

Firefighters contain brush fire on ridge off Yarnell Road in Claxton

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Firefighters contained a brush fire of about two to three acres on a ridge above Yarnell Road just outside south Clinton on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. Pictured above are two trucks with bulldozers from the Tennessee Division of Forestry. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m. Nov. 17.

CLAXTON—Firefighters contained a brush fire on a ridge off Yarnell Road in Claxton on Wednesday night, authorities said.

The Tennessee Division of Forestry said the fire burned seven acres, and arson was the cause.

It was in a wooded area just outside south Clinton, said Dusty Sharpe, assistant chief of the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department. It was reported at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Most of the firefighters came down from the fire at about 9:40 p.m. Among those who responded were firefighters from Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Claxton Volunteer Fire Department, Clinton Fire Department, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, and the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Sharpe said the fire was contained, but it had a few hot spots that would continue to burn the next few hours. There was no damage to any structures, he said. [Read more…]