Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge man arrested after alleged store robbery

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An Oak Ridge man was arrested Sunday night after allegedly robbing the J & C Market on East Tennessee Avenue, police said.

Tyrone N. Partridge, 43, reportedly displayed a handgun and demanded the contents of the register at the market at around 9 p.m. Sunday, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. An initial investigation showed that, during the robbery, Partridge pushed the clerk to the ground and fled the store on foot, police said.

Oak Ridge Police Department officers interviewed the clerk and canvassed the neighborhood before receiving a tip from a citizen about a suspicious vehicle nearby, the press release said. A man matching the description of the robbery suspect, later identified as Partridge, was contacted inside and then fled on foot, the press release said.

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Woman dies in Clinton crash

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A 37-year-old woman died in a two-vehicle crash in Clinton on Friday, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

The head-on collision was reported Friday evening on North Main Street in front of the Anderson County Health Department building in Clinton.

The crash killed Elizabeth Rau of Clinton and injured the driver of the second vehicle, Stanley Slover of Rocky Top, WYSH reported.

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Solomon named Oak Ridge fire chief

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Travis Solomon (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge has named Travis Solomon as its new fire chief.

Solomon, who previously served as Oak Ridge Fire Department fire marshal, has served as interim fire chief since former Chief Darryl Kerley’s departure in August. Solomon begins serving as fire chief immediately, a press release said.

“Oak Ridge has always been the model and leading fire service,” Solomon said in the press release. “I want to continue that and enhance the services we provide to better our ability to serve the public.”

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For members: Mason sentenced to 28 years for gun, drug charges after allegedly trying to shoot deputy

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019
One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, now 53, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. Mason was sentenced to more than 28 years on federal gun and drug charges in the case in a U.S. District Court hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 1:40 p.m. Dec. 10.

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.

Rocky Top man indicted for Oak Ridge bank robbery

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A bank robbery was reported at One Bank in Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A Rocky Top man has been indicted for allegedly robbing One Bank in Oak Ridge in October.

Warren Calvin Lavender, 31, was charged in a one-count indictment filed by a federal grand jury in Greenville, Tennessee, on November 18.

Lavender entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment on December 3, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Lavender will remain in custody pending trial, which has been set for December 28 in front of United States District Court Judge Travis McDonough, the press release said.

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Temporary road closure on Saturday for Halloween House

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A temporary road closure is planned along part of Nebraska Avenue for Saturday, October 31, for the annual residential “Halloween House,” a press release said.

The temporary, partial road closure is scheduled for about seven hours, between 5 p.m. Saturday and 12 a.m. Sunday. It is necessary to create a safer environment for drivers and pedestrians expected to visit the “Halloween House,” which is on Nebraska Avenue between Newridge Road and Newhaven Road, the press release said.

“The small stretch of road will be blocked to through traffic,” the press release said. “However, residents will still be able to get to and from their homes during this time.”

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Charges pending after head-on crash on South Illinois

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Charges are pending against one driver after a head-on crash on South Illinois Avenue early Sunday caused one vehicle to start on fire and pinned a driver in a second vehicle, Oak Ridge police said.

The crash occurred on South Illinois Avenue at about 1:35 a.m. Sunday, when the Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of a vehicle traveling the wrong way. The vehicle was described as a silver sport utility vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes. 

When they arrived, police officers found a head-on traffic crash in the southbound lanes of State Route 62, South Illinois Avenue, near Centrifuge Way. It involved the same vehicle (a silver 2016 Subaru) and a 2007 Toyota, the ORPD said.

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Robbery reported at One Bank

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A bank robbery was reported at One Bank in Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, and the Oak Ridge Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching for a suspect. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A bank robbery was reported in Oak Ridge on Friday, and the Oak Ridge Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching for a suspect.

The robbery was reported by a silent alarm at One Bank on Oak Ridge Turnpike at about 8:35 a.m. Friday, and dispatchers then received a phone call reporting the robbery, a press release said.

Officers responded and determined a white male, in his 20s, wearing a black knit watch cap, red face mask, black or dark gray hoodie, and blue jeans presented a note to tellers advising it was a bank robbery and demanding money, the press release said.

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Smoke lingers over west Oak Ridge due to barn fire

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Smoke was lingering over west Oak Ridge today (Wednesday, October 21) due to a barn fire off Johnson Road in Oliver Springs yesterday.

The smoke was lingering over west Oak Ridge because of heavy fog Wednesday morning, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

Baby boy found dead near river bank in March remains unidentified

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The Oak Ridge Police Department and Police Chief Robin Smith are offering a $1,500 reward for information about the baby boy found dead near the river bank along Melton Lake Greenway on Thursday, March 26, 2020. The Oak Ridge Police Department has named the baby boy “Wyatt,” which means “little warrior,” the city said. On Thursday, April 2, ORPD officers and the Oak Ridge Fire Department set up a memorial in baby Wyatt’s name near the parking area on Melton Lake at Edgemoor Road. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The baby boy found dead near the river bank along Melton Lake Greenway in March remains unidentified, and the Oak Ridge Police Department is offering a $1,500 reward for information about the boy.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has named the baby boy “Wyatt,” which authorities have said means “little warrior.”

Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith has pledged $500 of the $1,500 reward being offered by the police department for information about the boy.

The ORPD has received $950 in community donations to use for a memorial for baby Wyatt. ORPD officers and the Oak Ridge Fire Department set up a memorial in baby Wyatt’s name near a parking area along the Clinch River at Edgemoor Road in April.

The baby boy’s body was found near the river bank just north of the Edgemoor Road bridge on Thursday, March 26. The boy’s umbilical cord was still attached before he was placed in the water, Smith said in a Facebook video in April. A piece of clothing was with Wyatt, although it’s not being described for investigative reasons.

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Two killed in car-motorcycle crash

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Two people died in a collision between a car and motorcycle on Clinton Highway on Thursday afternoon, law enforcement officers said.

The crash was reported at about 2:46 p.m. Thursday at East Wolf Valley Road.

Zachary Johnston, 29, of Clinton, and Stephanie Whitaker, 31, of Knoxville died in the crash, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report.

Johnston was driving a 2004 Honda Shadow Aero motorcycle, and Whitaker was a passenger, the report said.

The THP said the other vehicle, a 2001 Honda Accord car, was driven by Casey Hall, 38, of Heiskell.

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Anderson County man charged with robbing credit union

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Joshua Ryan Hutchins

An Anderson County man was arrested Tuesday night after he allegedly robbed a credit union in Oak Ridge.

The alleged robbery of Enrichment Federal Credit Union on South Illinois Avenue was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Joshua Ryan Hutchins, 27, was arrested less than seven hours later, just before midnight, by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

According to a court affidavit, Hutchins allegedly entered the credit union during the Tuesday evening robbery and presented a note to a teller that said, “This is a Robbery…”

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