Desmond Slater
After receiving an anonymous tip, the Oak Ridge Police Department arrested a man who was wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
Desmond Slater was wanted for violation of his federal supervised release, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. His original charge was being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The ORPD received an anonymous tip on Slater’s whereabouts at about 6 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, the press release said. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
A dog was killed in a house fire on Friday afternoon in Briceville.
The fire at the home on Duncan Road was reported at around 3 p.m. Friday, and it was put out by crews from the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department.
The homeowner, Eric Harris, was the only human at home at the time of the fire, and he was able to get out safely. However, a dog was not able to make it out and died in the blaze.
Harris said that he had heard a loud sound outside his window and had looked out to find his front porch on fire. His wife told firefighters that they typically hung heat lamps on and underneath the porch for their outside dogs in cold weather, and firefighters, in turn, told deputies that the fire appeared to have started in that area.
Asante Devon Harris
Note: This story was last updated at 11:42 a.m.
A 23-year-old Oak Ridge man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder for an alleged shooting in the Scarboro neighborhood on March 23.
Asante Devon Harris allegedly used a handgun to shoot at his ex-girlfriend on South Dillard Avenue at about 9:45 a.m. Monday, March 23, according to an arrest warrant filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.
The warrant said the ex-girlfriend was not hit, and the Oak Ridge Police Department said last week that no injuries were reported. [Read more…]
Jeremy Alexander Gambrell
Information from WYSH Radio
The former police officer accused of shooting his ex-wife Saturday, March 21, has had the charges against him upgraded from aggravated assault to attempted second-degree murder, according to Roane County District Attorney General Russell Johnson’s office.
Jeremy Alexander Gambrell, who goes by “Alex,” will still face an aggravated assault charge in connection to him allegedly firing a gun at a second person at his ex-wife Jenny Gambrell’s home. That person was not struck by the gunfire, but Jenny Gambrell was hit several times and, as of last week, was recovering in the hospital.
Alex Gambrell—a 41-year-old former Lenoir City and Tennessee Valley Authority police officer—remains in custody on a $50,000 bond, but that amount is expected to increase following his arraignment on the upgraded charge.
The Oak Ridge Fire Department is encouraging home and business owners to commit to being a leader for weather readiness by signing up on the CodeRed Severe Weather Alert System.
The system is designed to help spread the word about severe weather and make employees and members of the community better prepared, a press release said.
“Know the risks, take action, and be an example by signing up,” a press release said. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge firefighters trained at a controlled burn at a city-owned home on Waddell Place on Friday. (Photo by Kevin Rice)
Oak Ridge firefighters trained in a controlled burn in a home on Waddell Place on Friday.
It’s the second house that firefighters have burned on Waddell Place this year. The first, which was burned in January, was the first that the Oak Ridge Fire Department has burned for training.
The city has one more blighted city-owned home that it could burn on Waddell Place.
The fires require state approval, and they help the city by training firefighters and burning materials that would otherwise have to be demolished and hauled away.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
On Friday, March 27, the Oak Ridge City Council agreed to use the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee to conduct a 30-day review of turnover, morale, and administrative policies in the Oak Ridge Police Department. (File photo)
Note: This story was last updated at 12:30 p.m. March 30.
Despite calls for an investigation, the Oak Ridge City Council on Friday approved a proposal from a University of Tennessee agency to review—rather than investigate—the Oak Ridge Police Department, focusing on turnover, morale, and administrative policies.
A series of motions by City Council member Trina Baughn, who has pushed hardest for an investigation of the ORPD and its police chief, were rejected. Among other things, Baughn’s proposals would have required all Police Department employees to spend at least 10 minutes with the investigator, regardless of whether they wanted to say anything; sought to interview all former workers who have left since May 2011, when Police Chief Jim Akagi was hired; given those interviewed a chance to participate in a “no confidence” vote against the chief; and look into Akagi’s previous history, including his prior employment with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Council also rejected a motion by Baughn to investigate the allegations included in a grievance filed by a former police officer and claims made in letters by former officers.
The 30-day review that was approved Friday was first proposed as a general concept by Oak Ridge City Council member Kelly Callison during a February meeting, with more detail added since then.
A Hillside Road duplex was damaged by fire early Thursday morning by a fire that officials believe was caused by smoking.
A Hillside Road duplex was damaged by fire early Thursday morning by a fire that officials believe was caused by smoking.
The fire at 4:30 a.m. Thursday at 136 Hillside Road forced the evacuation of a father and son. Neither of the residents were injured, and firefighters were able to rescue a pet cat, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.
Fire was visible from the rear of the residence when the Oak Ridge Fire Department arrived, the press release said. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading into the adjacent residence.
The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Feb. 9, agreed to a third-party review of turnover and morale in the Oak Ridge Police Department but rejected requests for two other probes. On Friday, March 27, the Council could consider reviewing or investigating the ORPD—there has been a dispute over which term to use—placing the police chief on administrative leave, or accepting a proposal from the Municipal Technical Advisory Service to conduct a 30-day review. (File photo)
The Oak Ridge City Council will consider whether to review or investigate the Oak Ridge Police Department during a special meeting on Friday, March 27. The Council will also consider whether to place the police chief on administrative leave during the investigation, if one is conducted.
City Council members Trina Baughn and Rick Chinn called for the special meeting earlier this month, and it was set for this Friday, March 27. Baughn and Chinn asked to set the parameters of an investigation and possibly select an investigator during the special meeting. They also asked to discuss and possibly vote on placing the police chief on administrative leave during the investigation.
Once it became clear that the special meeting would be called, Council members Ellen Smith and Charlie Hensley asked to consider selecting a reviewer to conduct the police review, as opposed to an investigation, approved in February. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a Jackson Square office that had been locked down on Thursday morning because of reports of an active shooter, but officers could find no signs of one, a press release said.
The office lockdown was reported at about 11:10 a.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Jacobs Engineering offices on Broadway Avenue. The ORPD received several calls that the offices were locked because of an active shooter, the release said. [Read more…]
Asante Devon Harris
The Oak Ridge Police Department is searching for a man considered armed and extremely dangerous after officers responded to a report of gunfire in the Scarboro neighborhood on Monday, authorities said.
The gunfire was reported at about 9:45 a.m. Monday, March 23, in the 200 block of South Dillard Avenue, the ORPD said.
Officers established a crime scene and recovered evidence that indicated several shots were fired at a person by Asante Devon Harris, 23, of Oak Ridge, the Police Department said. [Read more…]
Jeremy Alexander Gambrell
A former police officer was charged with two counts of aggravated assault after he allegedly shot his ex-wife and shot at another man at a home near Blair Road in Roane County on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
Jeremy Alexander Gambrell, 41, of Harriman, was allegedly armed with a handgun when he went to the home of his ex-wife, Jenny Gambrell, at 142 Bridges Drive on Saturday afternoon, according to arrest warrants filed in Roane County General Sessions Court.
Jeremy’s father David Gambrell told the Roane County Sheriff’s Office that he heard gunshots and saw Jenny on the ground, and Jeremy was next to her holding her hand, the warrants said.
“David stated that Jeremy was apologizing to Jenny, and telling her that he loved her,” the warrants said. [Read more…]
