Oak Ridge Today

Sheriff’s supporters want more money, wheel tax

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Anderson County Budget Hearing

Citing the quick response time to a recent shooting, Anderson County Sheriff's Department Lt. Kenny Sharp objects to a proposal to reduce the number of take-home vehicles during a budget hearing Thursday.

CLINTON—Anderson County Sheriff’s Department employees and their supporters made impassioned pleas Thursday for more money to hire jailers, avoid service cuts, and cover higher operating costs.

They also objected to a proposal to cut the number of take-home vehicles for employees. Several said they would support a wheel tax to raise money for the Sheriff’s Department and other critical county services.

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Sheriff plans vehicle safety stops Memorial Day weekend

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The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is taking part in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and the “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaigns by conducting saturation patrols during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a press release said. Saturation patrols have a large number of officers concentrated into a small geographic area.

These safety stops are an effort to decrease the number of impaired drivers and seat belt law violators. Deputies will be focusing on enforcing state laws concerning driving under the influence, speeding, seat belt use, and aggressive driving, the press release said.

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Mother bear and cub last seen west of Y-12

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After almost two days of bear sightings in Oak Ridge, Y-12 National Security Complex workers reported Wednesday night that a mother black bear and cub were last seen before 7 p.m. on the west end of Bear Creek Road.

Earlier in the day, an employee reported that a bear was spotted on the north side of Y-12.

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Black bear passes through Oak Ridge

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Black Bear in Oak Ridge

A young black bear, about 15 months old and 150 pounds, gets ready to jump a fence in a yard on North Purdue Avenue.

A young black bear zigzagged through Oak Ridge Tuesday, hopping fences, crossing busy streets, and avoiding dogs and curious humans as it headed south.

Late Tuesday evening, officers from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency tried to herd the elusive bear away from homes in the Woodland neighborhood, possibly south toward Melton Hill Lake and Y-12 National Security Complex.

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Report: Anderson County arrests have doubled since 2005

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Anderson County Sheriff's Department Report

The Anderson County Sheriff's Department has had modest staffing increases in the last decade or so and significant increases in arrests starting in 2007, particularly burglary and theft arrests. (Chart submitted by Sheriff's Department)

The number of arrests per year in Anderson County has more than doubled since 2005, according to a recent presentation by the Sheriff’s Department.

There have been significant increases in burglary and theft arrests, as well as arrests for drug crimes.

Total arrests have risen from roughly 1,100 or fewer in 2006 and earlier years to more than 2,000 per year from 2008 to 2010.

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Oliver Springs fire damages home

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Firefighters at Oliver Springs Fire

Firefighters from three departments respond to a blaze on Dellwood Drive in Oliver Springs on Wednesday morning. The three departments were Oliver Springs, Oak Ridge, and Blair. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Oliver Springs Fire

The 8:40 a.m. blaze reportedly caused major interior damage.

Dellwood Drive Fire

When the fire started, Oliver Springs Fire Department was preparing a demonstration at the nearby Oliver Springs Elementary School, so the department was able to respond quickly.

Officers who died honored at memorial ceremony

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Peace Officers Memorial

Law enforcement personnel from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff's Department stand at attention Tuesday during a National Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony at the Municipal Building.

A Tuesday memorial service honored law enforcement officers who died while working and paid tribute to those who have died since retiring.

“Their sacrifices will never be forgotten,” Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. Akagi said after the afternoon ceremony at the Municipal Building. “It’s a sacred bond between law enforcement officers.”

Tuesday was National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and this week is National Police Week.

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County crime prevention meeting Tuesday

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The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is having a crime prevention meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Anderson County High School cafeteria.

The meeting will feature current Neighborhood Watch groups as well as those interested in forming their own Neighborhood Watch groups.

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National Police Week memorial on Tuesday

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Local law enforcement agencies will celebrate National Police Week, May 13 through May 19, with a memorial ceremony for fallen officers in Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

The service on Tuesday, which is National Peace Officers Memorial Day, will be at the Oak Ridge Municipal Building. It’s part of next week’s National Police Week ceremonies.

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Man pursued for dark windows, arrested after cocaine allegedly found

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An Oak Ridge man was arrested Friday after a short police chase and a search that allegedly found seven ounces of cocaine on West Pasadena Lane, close to the city’s high school.

Christopher S. Black, 24, has been charged with possession of drugs in a school zone.

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Police could issue new parking tickets next month

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Starting next month, Oak Ridge police officers will begin ticketing motorists who violate new parking ordinances that prohibit parking on curbs and sidewalks.

Police officers will begin issuing the citations on Monday, June 18, and ticketed motorists could face fines and court costs as high as about $159.

The new ordinances, approved by Oak Ridge City Council in March and April, also prohibit vehicles and objects placed inside of them from protruding outside marked parking spaces and clarify that vehicles must be parked in the same direction as the traffic flow.

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Chief: Arsonists started Paragon fire

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Paragon Fire

Oak Ridge firefighters battle a blaze allegedly started by arsonists on Saturday afternoon at the former Paragon Athletic Club on Emory Valley Road. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Arsonists started a Saturday afternoon fire at the former Paragon Athletic Club in Oak Ridge, Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The fire started in a bathroom area in the rear of the building on Emory Valley Road about 5 p.m. Saturday, and it warped steel beams in the ceiling.

Firefighters at Paragon Fire

Firefighters near the front door of Paragon Athletic Club in Oak Ridge during a Saturday afternoon blaze.

Witnesses reported seeing “some kids hanging out there just before the fire,” Kerley said.

“It was an arson fire,” he said.

A fiberglass spa tub had caught on fire and filled the empty, unused building with thick, black smoke. Kerley said it took firefighters eight to 10 minutes to find the fire inside the Paragon and another five to 10 minutes to put it out.

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