Oak Ridge Today

FBI, Clinton PD searching for suspected bank robber

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Clinton Police Department are looking for a man suspected of robbing the Ft. Sill Bank inside the Walmart in Clinton on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (Photo courtesy FBI)

Note: This story was updated at 11:40 a.m. May 22.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Clinton Police Department are looking for a man suspected of robbing a bank in Clinton on Tuesday afternoon.

The FBI and CPD said a man robbed the local branch of the Fort Sill National Bank inside the Walmart in Clinton. The man entered the bank at 4:15 p.m. and demanded money, the FBI said.

“Reports say a suspect entered the bank, located inside the Walmart store, and passed a note demanding money,” the CPD said.

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For members: Man sentenced to 10 years in shooting death of girlfriend’s mother

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William James McMillan

CLINTON—An Andersonville man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday when he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his girlfriend’s mother four years ago.

The charge against William James McMillan, 52, was reduced from second-degree murder, a Class A felony, to voluntary manslaughter, a Class C felony, as part of the plea deal.

William James McMillan

An Andersonville man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday when he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his girlfriend’s mother four years ago.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today.  Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here. Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here: Basic

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If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

ACSO helps Florida agency with child sex abuse arrest

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David Cox

On April 4, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office arrested David Andrew Cox, 55, on a warrant from Gilchrist County, Florida, alleging Cox engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 12 by a family member or custodial authority. The bond on the arrest was $1 million with nationwide extradition.

In late November, detectives with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office were contacted by Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office about a possible child sex abuse act that occurred in their county, the ACSO said in a press release Thursday. The victim, a minor child, became pregnant after the alleged abuse. They advised that the alleged perpetrator, Cox, was living in the Oliver Springs community in Anderson County. The alleged act took place while Cox was visiting his family in Florida.

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OSPD arrests man after burglaries, vehicle theft

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Marcus Lively

The Oliver Springs Police Department arrested a 22-year-old man on Tuesday after investigating store burglaries, a home burglary, and a vehicle theft, police said Wednesday.

The OSPD investigated a report of a vehicle theft at 1410 East Tri County Boulevard on Sunday, May 12, and a burglary at Oscars Market at 1304 East Tri County Boulevard on Tuesday, May 14, the department said in a press release sent by Police Chief Kenneth Morgan.

During the investigation, police officers followed up on information that led to a suspect identified as Marcus Lively, 22, of Oliver Springs, the press release said.

“The investigation suggested that Mr. Lively was responsible for both incidents inside the city as well as a burglary of Gingers Market in the Briceville area of Anderson County,” the press release said.

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Today: ORPD has Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony

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The Oak Ridge Police Department Peace Officers Memorial in 2018 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies across the country in celebrating National Police Week, May 12-18. As part of the week-long observance, the department will host a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony on Wednesday, May 15, to honor law enforcement personnel.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in front of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building. The keynote speaker will be Rick Scarbrough, executive director of the University of Tennessee’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center in Oak Ridge and former chief of the Clinton Police Department. The public and all law enforcement officers are invited to attend, a press release said.

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DA: Granddaughter in murder case was malnourished, smothered

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Valerie Stenson

The young granddaughter who died in Oak Ridge in 2011 was malnourished and had been smothered, District Attorney General Dave Clark said Friday, after the child’s grandmother pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last Tuesday.

Emergency workers and law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call at Teller Village Apartments around 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, 2011. The grandmother, Valerie Stenson, now 54, was trying to revive her granddaughter, Manhattan Inman, using cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, Clark said in a press release Friday.

“An autopsy reveled that the child was malnourished, and the cause of death was smothering,” said Clark, who is DA in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County).

Manhattan was two years and nine months old when she died, Clark said.

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Driver identified in fatal crash on Edgemoor Road

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The driver killed in the two-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road on Monday morning has been identified as Michelle Garcia, 61, of Clinton, police said.

The head-on collision, which killed Garcia and injured the other driver, was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Monday near Haw Ridge Park. The name of the other driver hasn’t been released yet.

“The crash remains under investigation,” the Oak Ridge Police Department said Friday. “No other details will be released at this time.”

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Grandmother sentenced to 30 years in murder plea deal

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Valerie Stenson

A grandmother pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in the death of her young granddaughter in Oak Ridge eight years ago, and she was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Valerie Stenson, 54, who has an address listed in Knoxville, was ordered to serve 100 percent of her sentence.

Stenson had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her granddaughter, Manhattan Inman, who was 18 months old when she was found dead in a home on Teller Village Lane on April 17, 2011.

The first-degree murder charge was reduced to second-degree murder as part of the plea deal entered in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Tuesday.

Prosecutors had once sought the death penalty against Stenson, but it was withdrawn in March 2018. Prosecutors cited mental health issues, expense, and the strain put on the local court system in death penalty cases.

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One person dies in Edgemoor Road crash

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Note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m.

One person died in a two-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road on Monday, police said.

The head-on collision was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Monday near Haw Ridge Park. The Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department responded.

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For members: Drug case involved thousands of pills, overseas apprehension, possible deportation

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Moshin Agha

CLINTON—A drug case that started with an online search for Xanax ended with a police search that found more than 10,000 pills in an Anderson County home, an overseas apprehension, three plea deals, and a possible deportation.

The third and final plea deal was entered during a hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton late Friday morning. The defendant, who had been brought to the United States after being detained at an airport in Dubai in July, wants to be deported, his attorney said.

CLINTON—A drug case that started with an online search for Xanax ended with a police search that found more than 10,000 pills in an Anderson County home, an overseas apprehension, three plea deals, and a possible deportation.

The third and final plea deal was entered during a hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton late Friday morning. The defendant, who had been brought to the United States after being detained at an airport in Dubai in July, wants to be deported, his attorney said.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today.  Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here. Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here: Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Friday: NBC’s ‘Dateline’ to focus on bank heists by Benanti, Witham

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Matthew Yussman (Photo courtesy Dateline NBC)

A new two-hour “Dateline” on Friday will focus on the bank heists by Michael Benanti and Brian Witham, two men who pleaded guilty to or were convicted of their roles in a violent bank extortion and robbery spree in four states and several cities, including Oak Ridge and Knoxville, NBC News said this week.

Oak Ridge Today covered the case, and the Knoxville News Sentinel had extensive coverage.

Here is the official listing and preview link:

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More than 550 pounds of medicines collected during Drug Take Back Days

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More than 550 pounds of unused and expired medications were collected during Drug Take Back Days in April, according to ASAP of Anderson.

ASAP of Anderson partnered with local businesses and police departments to collect unused and expired medications throughout the community, a press release said.

“A total of 582.2 pounds of medication was collected at six different Drug Take Back sites in April,” ASAP said in the press release. Collected medications are safely handled by police officers, turned over to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration representatives, and then incinerated to ensure they do not find their way back into the community.

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