Oak Ridge Today

Anderson sheriff joins state, local police in ‘Drive to Zero Fatalities’

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DUI Logo

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will join the Tennessee Highway Patrol and local police agencies in cooperation with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office in a nationwide campaign to reduce traffic fatalities by 15 percent in 2014, a press release said. The Drive To Zero Fatalities was initiated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is being promoted by the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

The Drive to Zero Fatalities campaign is a data-driven effort that will focus on several traffic safety goals, the press release said. Sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, and local police officers will work together to reduce fatalities in Anderson County and to step up enforcement efforts for drunk and impaired drivers, distracted drivers, speeding, and seat belt use. Saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints will be a part of this effort. [Read more…]

Car slams into Dollar General store in Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

In case you have passed by the Dollar General Store on Clinch Avenue in the past week and have wondered why part of the building has been boarded up, it is because last weekend, someone accidentally crashed into the side of the store.

The incident occurred Saturday afternoon at around 1:30 p.m., when Betty Overton, 79, pulled into the parking lot and attempted to pull into an unoccupied parking spot. While doing so, her car struck a parked vehicle and kept going, slamming into the side of the building and creating a large hole.

Several shelves inside the store were knocked over and merchandise damaged, but no injuries were reported even though one woman who left the store before officers arrived was reportedly pinned in between two of the shelving units. No citations were issued in connection with the accident.

ORPD officer resigns to focus on campaign for sheriff

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Randy Myers

Randy Myers

Note: This story was updated at 3:48 p.m. April 11.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Randy Myers is resigning so he can focus on campaigning full-time for sheriff.

His last day on the job will officially be Tuesday, April 15.

“We’re campaigning full-steam,” Myers said Thursday. “We’re fully committed.”

Myers, 48, started with the ORPD in 2007. He is a Republican candidate for Anderson County sheriff in the May 6 primary election, where he has one opponent, Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper Anthony Lay. The primary winner will face the incumbent, Sheriff Paul White, a Democrat, in the Aug. 7 county general election.

[Read more…]

Clinton woman charged with attempted murder after shooting at husband

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Cheryl Ann Freels

Cheryl Ann Freels

Note: This story was updated at 3:10 p.m.

A Clinton woman has been charged with attempted first-degree murder after she allegedly shot at her husband with a 9mm handgun Sunday night, authorities said.

Cheryl Ann Freels, 32, of 226 North Slope Lane, allegedly tried to fire a second time, but the gun jammed, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. Freels’ husband was able to take the gun from his wife after it jammed and leave the home with his juvenile son.

Her husband told Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Samuel Ogburn that he had been watching television in the upstairs living room when he saw his wife standing with the handgun pointed at him. He said his wife fired at him after he stood up. He said he was able to move out of the way of the gun, and the round hit the wall behind him, according to the warrants. [Read more…]

AC man pleads guilty in assault, kidnapping case

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Information from WYSH Radio

On Thursday, a Clinton man pleaded guilty to charges that he threatened a woman with a knife and held her against her will in November.

Eric Jason Lawson, 31, pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault and a reduced charge of attempted aggravated kidnapping and was sentenced to six years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently. As a multiple offender, he will have to serve at least 35 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

The incident occurred in November 2013, and the victim told authorities that Lawson had threatened her with a knife, locked her in a bedroom and a bathroom, and forced her to crawl under a bed. At one point, the woman escaped the home only to be caught by Lawson, who reportedly showed her the knife and said, “This is what I will kill you with.”

Lightning strike may have caused house fire on Graceland Road

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Graceland Road Fire

A lightning strike may have caused a house fire on Graceland Road on Thursday morning. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A Thursday morning fire possibly started by a lightning strike likely destroyed a home in west Oak Ridge and caused a few hundred thousand dollars in damage, authorities said.

The residents of the home at 118 Graceland Road knew their home had been hit by lightning at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. They heard the strike and found siding blown off the side of their house. They used a ladder to climb on the roof and check the home. Then, they re-checked it later before the man who lived there went to work.

But at about 7:45 a.m. Thursday, neighbor Chris Wetherall reported the roof of the house was on fire. The female resident, Yvonne McClellan, remained asleep inside, Kerley said.

Wetherall went to the burning home and banged on the door until McClellan woke up and answered the door, Kerley said. Wetherall moved a pickup truck out of the home’s garage and turned off the power. He took McClellan next door to his house, where she was evaluated by the fire department and Anderson County Emergency Medical Services. [Read more…]

Human skull found near Norman Road in Claxton

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A Claxton resident who lives on Norman Road in Anderson County reported finding a human skull on his property on Tuesday, authorities said. The skull was apparently carried there by an animal.

Investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Regional Forensic Center responded to the scene, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said in a Tuesday afternoon statement.

“The skull was taken to the forensic center for examination to determine the age, sex, and race, along with how long the skull had been exposed to the elements,” Lucas said. “The area was searched by cadaver dogs from the Roane County Sheriff’s Office, but nothing else was located.” [Read more…]

Spotlight: Neighborhood Watch cleanup in Highland View

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Highland View Neighborhood Watch Cleanup

From left to right are Sharon Crane, Oak Ridge Community Resource Officer Brandan Sharp, Theresa Scott, Kenny Crane, and Neighborhood Watch Program President Brad Stephenson. (Submitted photos)

Submitted

Despite heavy rain Saturday, about 21 volunteers turned out to clean up trash in Highland View.

Here are two pictures provided by resident Theresa Scott, pictured at center in the photo at left.

Scott said Pizza Inn provided several pizzas for the volunteers, who also included Pat Imperato, Jerry Creasey, Whitey Hitchcock, Kay Williamson, and Mare Martell. [Read more…]

Teen confesses to starting Linden car fire, police say

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Linden Elementary School Car Fire

An Oak Ridge teenager has confessed to starting a car fire at Linden Elementary School on March 8, and police are investigating other fires near the school that could be linked to the vehicle arson, authorities said Monday. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Note: This story was updated at 7:35 p.m.

An Oak Ridge teenager has confessed to starting a car fire at Linden Elementary School on March 8, and police are investigating other fires near the school that could be linked to the vehicle arson, authorities said Monday.

Jovon Brooks, 18, was identified through a combination of video surveillance tapes from Linden, independent information that the suspect could be an Oak Ridge High School student, and the work of Oak Ridge Police Department school resource officers and the Criminal Investigations Division, a press release said.

ORPD school resource officers reviewed video surveillance tapes from Linden Elementary School, and they showed a young man walking toward the car with a brick in his hand, the press release said.

“The Criminal Investigations Division then developed independent information the suspect was possibly an Oak Ridge High School student, which allowed school resource officers to positively identify the suspect as Jovon Brooks, 18 years of age,” the release said. “(He) resides in the neighborhood surrounding Linden school. Detectives interviewed Mr. Brooks, who confessed to starting the fire.”

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Clinton police solve more cases as crime falls

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Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough

Rick Scarbrough

The percentage of crimes solved by Clinton Police Department officers and detectives was up in 2013, while the total number of crimes was down, authorities said.

“The numbers are moving in the right direction…and that’s good news for everyone in Clinton,” CPD Chief Rick Scarbrough said.

CPD cleared nearly half of the reported crimes in 2013, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation crime statistics, a press release said. The Clinton Police Department’s percentage of crimes cleared is up about 5 percent from 2012 numbers and is higher than most other area agencies.

“That means our officers are solving more cases,” the press release said. A total of 888 substantial offenses were reported to the Clinton Police Department in 2013. That number is down from 1,116 reported in 2012.  [Read more…]

After recent brush fires, ORFD asks residents to be ‘firewise’

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Darryl Kerley

Darryl Kerley

The Oak Ridge Fire Department has responded to an outbreak of brush fires during the past few weeks, and on Thursday, officials asked residents to take precautions to prepare for a potential event in their area.

“Many people associate brush and wildland fires with California and ‘out West’ but that isn’t true,” ORFD Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said. “With the numerous greenbelts, natural areas, and power line clearings here in Oak Ridge, we have several areas that are prone (to) brush fires.”

Most of the recent fires have involved dried kudzu, which burns very rapidly, especially during this time of year when everything is still dry and the daytime humidity isn’t very low, a press release said. Couple the amount of kudzu, fallen pine trees, dead leaves, and undergrowth with the current weather patterns, along with the topography of most of Oak Ridge, and there is a potential for small fires to become out of control very quickly. [Read more…]

Anderson County jail expansion to open soon

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Anderson County Detention Facility

The expanded Anderson County Detention Facility, which has a renovated front entrance, is pictured above in Clinton.

Information from WYSH Radio

Members of the Anderson County Alternatives to Incarceration Committee have been given a tour of the soon-to-be-completed addition to the Anderson County Jail. The expansion is expected to open within the next month or so.

Officials said that when the new maximum-security pod opens, it will give them the ability to properly segregate prisoners as required by state law. The expansion, along with a 128-bed minimum-security dormitory, is expected to meet the county’s needs for the next decade.

The project cost just under $10.7 million and included renovations to the existing jail. Some of those improvements include a new video visitation area and a larger training room for deputies. [Read more…]