Oak Ridge Today





One person flown to hospital, in critical condition after rollover crash

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The Oak Ridge Police Department was investigating a serious rollover crash on Laboratory Road near the exit from Home Depot on Tuesday evening, April 13, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 8:40 p.m.

One person was flown by a medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and is in critical condition after a rollover crash on Laboratory Road near the exit from Home Depot on Tuesday evening.

The crash involved two vehicles, a truck and a car. The truck had rolled over onto its top on the northbound side of the road north of the Home Depot exit. The car was stopped at an angle in the middle of the road at the exit.

A short section of Laboratory Road was closed for hours between Home Depot and Oak Ridge Turnpike as police investigated the crash.

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Man wanted in Ohio hides in Oak Ridge church, but K-9 finds him

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Casey J. Jones

A man who was wanted by law enforcement officers in Ohio fled and hid in an Oak Ridge church after a traffic stop Sunday morning, but an Anderson County K-9 unit found him hiding in a bathroom closet after a two-hour search, authorities said.

The pursuit began after the Oak Ridge Police Department stopped a vehicle on South Tulane Avenue at Wilson Street for a window tint violation at about 10:37 a.m. Sunday, April 11, the City of Oak Ridge said Monday.

After the initial contact with the driver, the driver fled from his vehicle on foot toward the First United Methodist Church at 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, the city said.

A police officer chased the suspect on foot and saw him enter the church, the city said.

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Governor authorizes $10,000 reward in Thomas Thrasher death investigation

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Rolling Hills Apartments Building
The Oak Ridge Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the death of a 29-year-old man found dead in a second-floor apartment at this Rolling Hills Apartments building in Oak Ridge on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has authorized a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible for killing Thomas Steven “T.S.” Thrasher in Oak Ridge on December 8, 2014, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said Monday.

The reward was requested by Clark.

Thrasher was found dead in his home from a gunshot wound more than six years ago. He and his family lived at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive in the Rolling Hills Apartment Complex in Oak Ridge. Thrasher’s death was investigated by the Oak Ridge Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

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Man pursued by police runs into church, taken into custody

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A man pursued by police ran into First United Methodist Church between services in Oak Ridge on Sunday morning, canceling services, according to witnesses and the church. The man was later caught, and no one was injured, the church reported.

There were reports of a large police presence at the church, including Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the building was reportedly evacuated.

The man ran in as churchgoers were leaving the 10 a.m. service. The 11 a.m. service and Worship on the Lawn at 1 p.m. were both canceled as the building was still being searched and cleared, the church said.

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Boy hit by vehicle near JMS

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A 10-year-old boy was hit by a vehicle near Jefferson Middle School on Thursday, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

The collision was reported at about 2:48 p.m. Thursday, April 1, on Fairbanks Road north of Dayton Road near Jefferson Middle School.

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Key Springs Road temporarily closed due to jackknifed truck

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Key Springs Road, which connects north Oak Ridge to Marlow, was closed Monday afternoon, April 5, 2021, because of a jackknifed tractor-trailer. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

Note: This story was updated at 9:15 a.m. April 6.

Key Springs Road was closed due to a jackknifed tractor-trailer on Monday afternoon, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

Key Springs Road is a steep, curvy road with switchbacks that connects north Oak Ridge to Marlow.

It wasn’t clear how long the road will be closed. (Update: At about 2:35 p.m. Tuesday, the ORPD said the roadway had re-opened.)

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Controlled burns in west Oak Ridge

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The Tennessee Division of Forestry and the U.S. Department of Energy will have controlled burns beginning at noon and ending at 7 p.m. Monday, April 5.

The controlled burns will continue Tuesday if necessary, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The controlled burn will be in the area of Wisconsin and Whippoorwill Drive in west Oak Ridge.

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Nine men arrested in undercover human trafficking operation

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Nine men, including at least five who met with undercover agents posing as juveniles, were arrested on trafficking, sex, and prostitution charges in Oak Ridge on Thursday during a two-day undercover operation targeted at human trafficking in East Tennessee.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers said they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.

“The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a press release.

The covert operation included the Oak Ridge Police Department, special agents from the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force (CTF), the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office.

In a press release, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said the operation was conceived by ORPD in response to recent cases where men from other areas have solicited sex from juveniles and traveled to Oak Ridge to meet the girls. The ORPD led the covert operation on Wednesday and Thursday with technical and manpower help from the TBI, CTF, the Sheriff’s Office, and the DA’s Office, Clark said.

“Arrests were made when men came to an Oak Ridge location to pay to have sex with minors,” the DA said.

The operation also focused on identifying potential victims of trafficking. Two adult women were identified and offered services such as housing and counseling through Grow Free Tennessee, a program of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the TBI said.

The covert human trafficking operation was conducted in Oak Ridge. Officers were focused on investigating people who buy sex as well as people engaged in sex trafficking, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Here are the allegations against the defendants charged in cases involving undercover agents posing as juveniles, according to the arrest warrants. The offenses occurred within 1,000 feet of a daycare facility.

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Nine men, including at least five who met with undercover agents posing as juveniles, were arrested on trafficking, sex, and prostitution charges in Oak Ridge on Thursday during a two-day undercover operation targeted at human trafficking in East Tennessee.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers said they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.

“The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a press release.

The covert operation included the Oak Ridge Police Department, special agents from the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force (CTF), the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office.

In a press release, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said the operation was conceived by ORPD in response to recent cases where men from other areas have solicited sex from juveniles and traveled to Oak Ridge to meet the girls. The ORPD led the covert operation on Wednesday and Thursday with technical and manpower help from the TBI, CTF, the Sheriff’s Office, and the DA’s Office, Clark said.

“Arrests were made when men came to an Oak Ridge location to pay to have sex with minors,” the DA said.

The operation also focused on identifying potential victims of trafficking. Two adult women were identified and offered services such as housing and counseling through Grow Free Tennessee, a program of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the TBI said.

The covert human trafficking operation was conducted in Oak Ridge. Officers were focused on investigating people who buy sex as well as people engaged in sex trafficking, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Here are the allegations against the defendants charged in cases involving undercover agents posing as juveniles, according to the arrest warrants. The offenses occurred within 1,000 feet of a daycare facility.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Ray Burney promoted to ORFD battalion chief

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Ray Burney

Ray Burney has been promoted to battalion chief in the Oak Ridge Fire Department.

Burney, who has recently served as an Oak Ridge Fire Department captain, takes on the new role following Eric Rackard’s promotion to fire marshal last month, the city said in a press release.

Burney will be battalion chief of the ORFD’s A Shift.

“I truly do appreciate Chief (Travis) Solomon for giving me this opportunity in my career, and I look forward to working with everyone,” Burney said.

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Oak Ridge man dies in motorcycle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike

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A 66-year-old man died Thursday after police said he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed on Oak Ridge Turnpike, according to the city.

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to the crash, which was in front of Oak Ridge High School, at about 6:13 p.m. Thursday. The initial investigation shows that James Lynch lost control of the motorcycle, which then slid on its side for about 50 feet before hitting the back of a small van, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

Lynch later died at Methodist Medical Center.

Witnesses told investigators the sun was in Lynch’s eyes. Investigators also believe speed was a factor, the press release said. No use of drugs or alcohol are suspected.

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Council to discuss fatal police shooting, Gateway Project

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Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge of a proposed sign along South Illinois Avenue/Pellissippi Parkway (State Route 62)

The Oak Ridge City Council this evening will discuss a fatal police shooting in August and this week’s public meetings about a planned sign at the city entrance on South Illinois Avenue/Pellissippi Parkway (State Route 62).

The Council will meet online in a non-voting work session at 6 p.m. today (Tuesday, February 16).

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DA: No charges will be filed in fatal police shooting

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No criminal charges will be filed against three Oak Ridge Police Department officers after a fatal shooting on Briar Road in August, the county’s top prosecutor said Monday.

Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark released his report about the police shooting on Monday morning.

The report said that the man who died in the shooting, Fred J. Arcera, 25, was a U.S. Army veteran who had mental health problems and was reported to be suicidal—telling officers to kill him—and he had large butcher knives and had threatened officers, moving toward them with the knives that Saturday night.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the shooting, which is common after law enforcement officers fatally shoot someone.

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