Oak Ridge Today

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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Pictured above are, from left in top row, Alex Hickey, Darron C. Hickman, Jeremy Williams, Jose W. Salguero, and Joshua Wilson, and from left in bottom row, Joshua Winningham, Juan Gomez, Michael Houck, and Michael J. Slover. (Photos by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)

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 covert 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.

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:

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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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Eric Rackard is new Oak Ridge fire marshal

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Eric Rackard

The City of Oak Ridge has named Eric Rackard as its new fire marshal.

Rackard, who has recently served as an Oak Ridge Fire Department battalion chief, takes on the new role following Travis Solomon’s promotion to fire chief last month. Rackard joined the department in November 2007, a press release said.

“I am honored by this promotion and greater opportunity to serve the citizens of Oak Ridge,” Rackard said in the press release.

In the role of battalion chief, Rackard managed daily operation requirements for the Fire Department’s A Shift, including staffing, overtime, training, and logistics. 

“I was also responsible for command and control on all major incidents on A Shift,” Rackard said. “I also lead a lot of trainings, including coordinating state commission training and serving as the hazardous materials team leader.”

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ORFD photographer dies at 88

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Tom Scott (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Tom Scott—photographer for the Oak Ridge Fire Department who kept historic fire trucks, equipment, and literature at his home—died Saturday. He was 88.

Scott was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, but he spent the last three decades in Oak Ridge serving as the fire department’s official photographer, the City of Oak Ridge said Thursday. Scott also took photos at other fires and crashes in the area, including in Blair, Marlow, and Oliver Springs.

Scott had moved to Oak Ridge in the 1970s to work on the development of the gas centrifuge process for enriching uranium.

In 1974, he joined the Oliver Springs Volunteer Fire Department, and in 1990, he joined the Oak Ridge Fire Department as their official photographer, the city said. That happened after ORFD responded to a large structure fire where Scott was taking pictures. When the fire chief at the time, William “Bo” Harris, saw the pictures, he decided the ORFD needed to have an on-site photographer at all incidents to document the fires for training, media, and historical preservation, the city said. Harris asked Scott to lead the effort.

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Tower rebuilding complete, South Illinois re-opened overnight

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The replacement of a large high-voltage transmission tower was completed Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)

The rebuilding of a large high-voltage transmission tower in Oak Ridge was completed Sunday, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight.

The 155-foot steel lattice tower that had to be replaced was knocked over when a pickup truck crashed into it at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. The tower, which is at Union Valley Road, carries high-voltage Tennessee Valley Authority transmission lines and city transmission and distribution lines.

The four-lane road, the main connection between Oak Ridge and Knox County, was closed for about two days after the crash while crews removed and replaced the damaged transmission tower.

TVA said the crash also caused damage to three smaller structures, and they were repaired.

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