Oak Ridge Today

Toddler hospitalized after apparently falling into swimming pool

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Note: This story was updated at 12:26 p.m.

A toddler who apparently fell into a swimming pool on Tuesday morning reportedly remained in an intensive care unit in Knoxville, authorities said.

The Clinton police and fire departments were dispatched to a home on Melton Hill Circle in Clinton at about 8:40 a.m. Tuesday, the Clinton Police Department said in a statement.

“A 911 caller told dispatchers that a two-and-half-year-old boy had, apparently, fallen into a swimming pool,” the statement said.

The CPD said the boy was first transported to Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.

“At last report, the child remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at East Tennessee Childrens Hospital in Knoxville,” the statement said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Clinton’s Scarbrough named ‘Police Chief of the Year’

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Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough

Rick Scarbrough

Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough has been named the 2014 “Police Chief of The Year” by the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

The award was presented Friday night during an awards banquet at the 44th Annual TACP Conference. The event was held at the Marriott Hotel in Chattanooga.

The association is made up of chiefs and command staffs throughout the state.

Scarbrough was selected by his peers to receive the honor.

Sheriff: Aryan Nations member charged in attempted murder of Oak Ridge man

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Cameron Reid Lowry

Cameron Reid Lowry

A Powell member of the Aryan Nations gang has been charged with attempted murder in a gang-related assault on a 31-year-old Oak Ridge man in November, authorities said.

Cameron Reid Lowry, 35, of West Emory Road in Powell, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said. Lowry was arrested Saturday after he was indicted by the Anderson County grand jury, White said. Lowry’s bond has been set at $100,000.

White said the arrest is the result of an investigation that has been under way for several months and involved cooperation between the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and the 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force, which includes officers from the Sheriff’s Department, and the Oak Ridge, Clinton, Lake City, and Oliver Springs police departments, as well as the District Attorney General’s Office. [Read more…]

Three die in Friday night rollover crash on Wolf Valley Road

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Three people died in a single-vehicle crash on East Wolf Valley Road in Anderson County on Friday night when the car went off the road, went airborne, rolled over, and ejected the three occupants, authorities said.

The 2004 Nissan S18 was traveling west on East Wolf Valley Road near White Oak Lane at about 11:30 p.m. Friday when it started to skid as driver Melissa A. Kelley, 44, of Knoxville, tried to go around a slight left curve, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. Kelley was driving too fast for roadway conditions, and the four-door car left the right side of the road before going airborne and rolling over, according to a preliminary report by the THP.

Kelley died. So did her two passengers, William A. Housley, 44, of Clinton, and Kurt J. Miner, 25, of Heiskell. [Read more…]

ORPD: Operation Safe Start starts Monday, first day of school

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The Oak Ridge Police Department will begin Operation Safe Start on Monday, the first day of school.

The ORPD asked motorists to drive safely in and around school zones, especially during arrival and dismissal times. Every division of the Police Department will be used to strictly enforce traffic ordinances in and around school zones, a press release said.

“The beginning of the school year is a time when there is a greater risk of transportation-related injuries to children,” the press release said. “When it comes to the safety of our youth, there can be no margin for error. The well-being of our children is one of the highest of priorities at the Oak Ridge Police Department.” [Read more…]

ORPD: Four shots fired at woman who pointed pistol at officer

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

Three counts of aggravated assault pending against woman; officers on administrative leave

Two Oak Ridge police officers fired four shots at a woman who pointed a pistol at one of them on Saturday night, authorities said.

The woman, who had reportedly threatened to commit suicide, pointed the semi-automatic pistol at Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Leslie Miller after authorities had ordered her to put down the gun, a press release said.

Fearing for her safety, Miller fired one round, while another responding officer, Christopher Carden, fired three shots at the at the woman, Anna King, who fell backwards, the ORPD press release said.

Police responded to the home at 123 Jonathan Lane at about 11:37 p.m. Saturday after King’s boyfriend called police to report that King had threatened to commit suicide. The boyfriend said King had access to several weapons, including a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun. Besides Miller and Carden, Officer Kenneth Prickett was also dispatched to the home to check King’s welfare, the press release said. [Read more…]

Sheriff’s Department seeks police impersonator who stopped driver

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Anderson County Sheriff Logo

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a police impersonator who stopped a female driver on Laurel Road near Clinton on Monday night.

The impersonator pulled over the motorist at about 10 p.m. Monday using a red flashing light on his dash but turned the light off after they stopped, said Mark Lucas, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department chief deputy.

The vehicle was described as a dark-colored late ’90s Chevrolet Lumina, Lucas said. The impersonator was described as a white male, mid-30s to mid-40s, 5’10” to 5’11”, and about 200 pounds, with a stomach that hung slightly over his belt. He had ear-length brown hair, combed to one side, balding on top of the head with a receding hairline and a graying mustache. He was wearing a white button-up shirt with dark dress pants and had a gold- or brass-colored badge on his left side and a revolver in a dark-colored soft holster on his right side. [Read more…]

Feud over food: Documents on jail menus, orders

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Paul White

Paul White

CLINTON—Anderson County Sheriff Paul White and his challenger, Anthony Lay, have had a feud over the food served at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton.

The feud started with a June 26 press release by Lay, a Republican challenging White, a Democrat, in the August 7 election. Lay said the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department appears to be operating a bakery, and he has suggested inmates are eating cookies and cobbler, and pies and pudding.

If elected, Lay said, he would “cut the fiscal fat from the sheriff’s jail budget by cutting out the pie.”

“Jail will be a jail, not a hotel or bakery,” said Lay, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper.

A few days later, White responded in a statement that said “inaccurate and misleading information” was being circulated in the campaign for sheriff.

“The jail does not operate a ‘bakery,’” said White, who is running for his third four-year term as sheriff.

The jail menus are “quite conservative,” White said, and the average meal costs $1.10. [Read more…]

Results announced for fundraising 5k run honoring Colton Stout

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Colton Alexander Stout

Colton Alexander Stout

Results are now available for a fundraising 5k run held at the Oak Ridge Marina Saturday morning in honor of a young firefighter and emergency medical technician who died in a car crash in January.

See the results here: Buy the Ticket Results.

The new Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride 5K Run honors the memory of Colton Stout, an EMT-IV/firefighter. It raises money for the nonprofit Colton Stout Scholarship Fund Inc.

Organizers said this year’s event proceeds will be used for two EMT or paramedic certification scholarships to help selected candidates follow their dream and pursue a career in the first responder field. [Read more…]

Woman points handgun at officers, who fire shots

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Charges pending against suspect

A 46-year-old woman who had threatened to harm herself on Jonathan Lane on Saturday night abruptly pointed a handgun at officers, who responded by firing multiple shots, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. None of the shots hit the woman, who was then subdued and later taken to Methodist Medical Center for evaluation and treatment, a press release said.

Three police officers had responded to 123 Jonathan Lane at 11:38 p.m. Saturday to check on the woman’s welfare, the ORPD press release said. The officers arrived within three minutes and observed a female subject on the sidewalk armed with a handgun, the release said.

“Officers directed her to place the handgun on the ground; however, the subject refused to follow the officers’ commands and alternated holding the handgun to her head and throat,” the release said. “As officers continued to talk to her, she abruptly pointed the handgun at the officers, who responded by firing multiple shots, none of which struck the subject. The subject was then subdued by the officers without further incident. Additional officers and paramedic units responded to the scene, and the suspect was transported to Methodist Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.”

The press release said charges against the suspect are pending, and no more information will be released at this time.

ACSD sued over erroneous arrest

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Information from WYSH Radio

A lawsuit filed last week in Anderson County Circuit Court alleges that a man was injured during what turned out to be his wrongful arrest in September of last year.

The lawsuit was filed last week against the Anderson County sheriff and four deputies by Carlen Reeves. Reeves was a passenger in a car that was pulled over by deputies in September on Highway 61.

The lawsuit states that when the driver pulled over, four deputies approached the vehicle with their guns drawn and ordered the driver and Reeves out of the car with their hands up and ordered them to walk backward toward the sounds of the deputies’ voices. Reeves was ordered to the ground with his hands still in the air, and the lawsuit says that when his knees hit the pavement, he heard a loud pop and then felt sharp pain in his left knee. [Read more…]

Honors: Sheriff White, Lt. Sharp receive Patriot Award for Guard, Reserve support

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Paul White and Kenny Sharp ESGR Award

 

Anderson County Sheriff Paul White and Patrol Lieutenant Kenny Sharp were awarded the Patriot Award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, at the Anderson County Commission meeting on Monday, July 21, a press release said.

Retired Major General John R. D’Araujo Jr. and Retired Lieutenant Colonel John L. Dyess presented the awards on behalf of the ESGR, the release said.

White and Sharp were nominated by Sergeant Charles Beach and were recognized for their commitment and support of the employees of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department who are members of the National Guard or Reserves of the U.S. military. An employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve, or the spouse of a Guard or Reserve member, may nominate individual supervisors and bosses for support provided directly to the nominating service member and his or her family. [Read more…]