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No injuries reported after car crashes above river along Melton Lake Drive

Posted at 9:32 pm February 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, Feb. 2, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, Feb. 2, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported that the single occupant of the vehicle was able to get out of the car on his own before officers arrived.

Pictures posted by the ORPD showed the car off the road, over the Melton Lake greenway, and a short distance down the embankment leading down to the Clinch River. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Clinch River, crash, Melton Lake Drive, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD

Girl donates stuffed animals for children in stressful situations

Posted at 12:53 pm February 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Cynthia Barreira brought dozens of stuffed animals contributed by her 10-year-old daughter to the Oak Ridge Police Department for staff to pass out to children during stressful incidents. Also pictured above are ORPD Chief Jim Akagi, right, and Deputy Chief Robin Smith. (Photo by ORPD)

Cynthia Barreira brought dozens of stuffed animals contributed by her 10-year-old daughter to the Oak Ridge Police Department for staff to pass out to children during stressful incidents. Also pictured above are ORPD Chief Jim Akagi, right, and Deputy Chief Robin Smith. (Photo by ORPD)

 

A 10-year-old girl has donated dozens of stuffed animals to the Oak Ridge Police Department, which staff can pass out to children during stressful incidents.

The stuffed animals were brought to the Police Department by the girl’s mother, Cynthia Barreira. The ORPD reported the donation on Wednesday.

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Cynthia Barreira, donation, Jim Akagi, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Robin Smith, stuffed animals

Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch has annual appreciation banquet on Thursday

Posted at 12:33 pm February 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

 

The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program has its annual appreciation banquet on Thursday, February 8.

The banquet, the 2017 Members Appreciation Banquet, is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Central Baptist Church at 130 Providence Road.

“Join the Oak Ridge Police Department as we celebrate the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, its members, and corporate sponsors,” organizers said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: 2017 Members Appreciation Banquet, annual appreciation banquet, Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, Chasing the Dragon, Neal Morgenstern, Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, Oak Ridge Police Department

Oak Ridge police ask for help identifying burglar

Posted at 12:18 pm February 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department has asked for help identifying a burglar.

The commercial burglary was reported at a liquor store in Oak Ridge on December 24, 2017. The getaway vehicle was an older model white Ford Taurus sedan, the ORPD said.

The Police Department has surveillance photos of the suspect and the getaway vehicle. However, no descriptive details of the male suspect are available.

Anyone with information to share is encouraged to call ORPD Investigator Kevin Craig at (865) 425-3511.

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: commercial burglary, Kevin Craig, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD

Smoke alarms help residents escape fire that destroys home

Posted at 1:18 am February 1, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Smoke alarms helped four people escape from a fire that destroyed a two-story home just west of Clinton on Tuesday morning, Jan. 30, 2018, authorities said. The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. Tuesday at 1604 Hidden Hills Drive, just north of State Route 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton. (Photo by Bill Gallaher)

Smoke alarms helped four people escape from a fire that destroyed a two-story home just west of Clinton on Tuesday morning, Jan. 30, 2018, authorities said. The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. Tuesday at 1604 Hidden Hills Drive, just north of State Route 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton. (Photo by Bill Gallaher)

 

Smoke alarms helped four people escape from a fire that destroyed a two-story home just west of Clinton on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. Tuesday at 1604 Hidden Hills Drive, just north of State Route 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton.

Firefighters determined that the fire started on a porch, although the cause is unknown, said Stephanie Fox, chief of the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department.

All four people inside the home escaped with no injuries, Fox said. Smoke alarms went off and woke up the residents, Fox said Wednesday.

By the time firefighters arrived, the front porch and roof were on fire, or “fully involved,” Fox said. Firefighters fought the fire from outside the home in what is known as a defensive attack. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Andersonville, Front Page News, Marlow, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Adam Warren, Anderson County EMS, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Clear Branch Road, fire, Hidden Hills Drive, Hidden Valley Road, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Robert J. Collins, smoke alarms, smoke detectors, Stephanie Fox

Juvenile facing felony weapons charges after recent explosions

Posted at 11:21 pm January 24, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here on Tuesday morning measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion in mulch at a playground at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here the next morning, Tuesday morning, measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The juvenile arrested Tuesday in connection with recent explosions in Oak Ridge has been charged with two counts of possession or manufacture of prohibited weapons, a Class B felony, authorities said Wednesday.

The juvenile appeared in juvenile court for a detention hearing on Wednesday and was released, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

“The investigation is continuing,” the city said. “No additional information will be released at this time.”

The student, an Oak Ridge High School student who has not been publicly identified because he is a juvenile, was arrested Tuesday after the Oak Ridge Police Department found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Blankenship Field, City of Oak Ridge, explosions, Knoxville Police Department Bomb Squad, Milt Dickens Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Police Department Juvenile Unit, Oak Ridge Schools, ORPD, possession or manufacture of prohibited weapons

Warrants: Man charged with terrorism after threatening to blow up hospital, shoot everyone inside

Posted at 9:30 pm January 23, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Agey Christopher Stamey

Agey Christopher Stamey

 

A Knoxville man who allegedly fought with officers and was carrying a box cutter and pole while acting erratically was charged with committing an act of terrorism after threatening to blow up Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge with dynamite and shoot everyone inside with a shotgun, court records said.

Agey C. Stamey II, 40, of Asheville Highway, was charged with the one count of commission of an act of terrorism and two counts of assault. He was arrested Friday, January 12, and remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Tuesday, with his bond set at $110,000.

Affidavits filed in Anderson County General Session Court in Oak Ridge said Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Tim Nguyen checked on the welfare of a white man wearing a brown jacket and red hat who was carrying a pole and acting erratically while walking on East Tennessee Avenue behind Methodist Medical Center on January 12. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Agey C. Stamey II, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Session Court, assault, commission of an act of terrorism, committing an act of terrorism, Derek Burchfield, Matthew Johnston, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, terrorism, Tim Nguyen

ORPD arrests student after finding evidence related to two recent explosions

Posted at 5:38 pm January 23, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge High School student was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, after police found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said. The Oak Ridge Police Department was helped by the Knoxville Police Department Bomb Squad. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Police Department/City of Oak Ridge)

An Oak Ridge High School student was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, after police found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said. The Oak Ridge Police Department was helped by the Knoxville Police Department Bomb Squad. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Police Department/City of Oak Ridge)

 

An Oak Ridge High School student was arrested Tuesday after police found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said.

The male student is a juvenile and is not being publicly identified.

Investigators with the Oak Ridge Police Department Juvenile Unit detained and questioned a male at Oak Ridge High School while working with Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday morning, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The boy was believed to have knowledge regarding both explosions.

“Further investigation led investigators to determine that potential evidence was still inside the student’s vehicle, which was parked in the front lot of the high school,” the ORPD said. “Investigators immediately identified the vehicle, established a safe perimeter, and requested assistance from the Knoxville Police Department’s Bomb Squad. At no time were any students, staff, or bystanders in danger. Bomb squad personnel were asked to assist out of an abundance of caution.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Blankenship Field, City of Oak Ridge, explosion, Knoxville Police Department Bomb Squad, Milt Dickens Park, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Schools, ORPD

Police investigating reports of explosions at Milt Dickens Park, Blankenship Field

Posted at 10:08 pm January 17, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here on Tuesday morning measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here on Tuesday morning measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:25 a.m. Jan. 19.

The Oak Ridge Police Department is investigating a report of an explosion that left a small crater in the playground and rattled nearby windows at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon. Police recovered physical evidence that indicated an explosion might have occurred, the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement Wednesday.

Police are also investigating a report of an explosion near Blankenship Field on Saturday night. Officers found a concrete picnic table in the area of Blankenship Field that appeared to be damaged as the result of an “over-pressure or impact-related event,” but no physical evidence at the scene definitively indicated that an explosion had occurred or that the initial reporting was the result of an explosive device, the city said.

The Blankenship Field explosion was reported at 9:12 p.m. Saturday, January 13. A witness reported seeing a black vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed just after the incident occurred, the City of Oak Ridge said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Blankenship Field, City of Oak Ridge, explosion, Milt Dickens Park, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD

Road conditions still bad, police say; Y-12 closed

Posted at 8:55 am January 17, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge Public Works Department snow truck is pictured on South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 16, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge Public Works Department snow truck is pictured on South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 16, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 p.m.

Update: Driving conditions on main roads and side streets in Oak Ridge seemed to have improved by about 5 p.m. Wednesday, although there were still patches of ice and snow, including in shopping center parking lots.

Wednesday evening, the Oak Ridge Police Department said conditions had improved on main roads, but side streets were still extremely slick. Drivers should use extra caution if they have to get out tonight. There could be some refreezing on the roads overnight with the low temperatures. Oak Ridge Schools will be closed again on Thursday, January 18, due to the conditions.

A few inches of snow fell Tuesday, and road conditions are still bad Wednesday morning, especially in the city’s neighborhoods, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. The Y-12 National Security Complex and the Uranium Processing Facility offices are closed.

Oak Ridge Public Works Department crews are out clearing and treating the roads.

“If you must go out, please use extreme caution,” the ORPD said.

Y-12 said normal operations will resume Thursday, January 18. [Read more…]

Filed Under: College, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Weather, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, Anderson County Courthouse, City of Oak Ridge, Clinton Public Works, hazardous weather, ice, Lynn Murphy, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Public Works Department, ORPD, road conditions, snow, Tennessee Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, Y-12 National Security Complex

Death-penalty defendant to be taken to psychiatric hospital

Posted at 7:57 pm January 10, 2018
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Valerie Stenson

Valerie Stenson

 

The Oak Ridge grandmother facing the death penalty in a first-degree murder case will be taken to a psychiatric hospital where her competency and mental health can be evaluated, according to Anderson County court records.

The defendant, Valerie Stenson, 53, is currently being held at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville. She will be taken to Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital in Chattanooga for an intake scheduled for 1:30 p.m. January 17, according to an order filed in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday, January 3.

A two-week trial for Stenson had been scheduled for December 2017, but it was canceled and a mental health evaluation was ordered. It’s not clear if or when the trial will be rescheduled.

Court orders filed in August and October called for a psychiatric evaluation of Stenson and a referral to Moccasin Bend, where experts can determine her competency to stand trial and her mental condition at the time of the crime (the insanity defense). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated child abuse, aggravated child abuse and neglect, aggravated child endangerment, aggravated child neglect, Anderson County Criminal Court, competency to stand trial, first-degree murder, insanity defense, Manhattan Inman, mental condition at the time of the crime, mental health evaluation, Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute, Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital, psychiatric evaluation, Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital, Tennessee Prison for Women, Valerie Stenson

ORPD: Roads slippery, crashes reported, Key Springs closed

Posted at 11:49 am January 8, 2018
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Slow down, and use caution, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. "Roads are very slick. Stay home if you don’t need to be out." Several crashes have already been reported this morning, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed. (Photo courtesy ORPD)

Slow down, and use caution, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. “Roads are very slick. Stay home if you don’t need to be out.” Several crashes have already been reported this morning, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed. (Photo courtesy ORPD)

 

Roads are slippery, several crashes have been reported, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning.

“Roads are very slick in Oak Ridge,” the ORPD said. “If you must drive, slow down and use caution! Stay home if you don’t need to be out.”

The icy conditions had led school systems to close—including in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County—and some organization opened late, including the City of Oak Ridge and Roane County Courthouse. The Anderson County Courthouse is closed, and so is Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: icy conditions, Key Springs Road, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD

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