Lee Harold Cromwell (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
In depth: Cromwell gets new trial in fatal July 4 fireworks crash
Alcohol involved in nearly half of all deadly crashes on July 4
Alcohol leads to nearly half of all deadly crashes on July 4, according to information provided by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.
“Every year, Americans head out on our nation’s highways to celebrate the Fourth of July at picnics, parties, parades, and more,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a press release. “Regrettably, for many, the celebrating includes drinking alcohol, which often leads to drunk driving on one of the most heavily traveled holidays of the year.”
To crack down on drunk driving around Independence Day, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will be out in full force, aggressively targeting those who put lives in danger, the press release said. [Read more…]
Exclusive: Cromwell, co-defendants sentenced to 20-50 years for fraudulent liens
Oak Ridge resident Lee Harold Cromwell, 68, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on 28 counts of forgery and filling fraudulent liens during a criminal court hearing in Nashville on Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
BBQ Lunch for Lucas for Sheriff campaign on Saturday
Paul and Wanda White will host a BBQ Lunch in support of the Mark Lucas For Sheriff campaign on Saturday, a press release said.
The lunch is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Underwood-McRae Pavilion on the Anderson County Fairgrounds on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton, the press release said.
“Please join us for good food and meet Mark Lucas for him to share his vision when elected sheriff of Anderson County,” the press release said.
Carjacking suspect arrested after hospital release
Bradley Allen Thomas
Note: This story was updated at 10:30 p.m.
The suspect in the carjacking of a van occupied by a woman in a wheelchair on Saturday, followed by a police chase and crash, was arrested after he was released from a hospital on Thursday, authorities said.
Bradley Allan Thomas, 30, of Knoxville, was arrested by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies when he was released from the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. Thomas, who was seriously injured, had been taken to UT Medical Center after the Saturday afternoon crash at Clinton Highway and Powell Drive in Knox County.
Thomas is the suspect charged in the carjacking in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon, Lucas said.
“Oak Ridge Police officers served their warrants related to the carjacking, and Thomas was also served with warrants on the pursuit by deputies,” Lucas said after Thursday’s arrest. [Read more…]
More charges pending after carjacking, chase, crash
The driver of a vehicle allegedly stolen from a woman in a wheelchair in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 23, 2018, fled from law enforcement officers, running red lights and passing vehicles in the turn lane at high speed, before crashing into a car and a traffic light pole on Clinton Highway at Powell Drive in Knox County, an incident report said. (Submitted photo)
More charges are pending after a carjacking of a van occupied by a woman in a wheelchair in Oak Ridge on Saturday led to a police chase and crash on Clinton Highway in Knox County.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department has already said it would seek warrants against the suspect, Bradley Allan Thomas, 30, of Knoxville, and the Oak Ridge Police Department said criminal charges are pending.
Now, in a preliminary crash report, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said it is filing its own charges. They include reckless endangerment, reckless driving, obedience to traffic control signal, failure to maintain lane, improper passing, and driving on a suspended license.
“These are all THP charges and do not include outside agencies’ pending charges,” the crash report said.
An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department incident report said deputies would seek warrants against Thomas for evading arrest and reckless endangerment. [Read more…]
Driver of van stolen from woman in wheelchair fled, crashed
The driver of a van allegedly stolen from a woman in a wheelchair in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 23, 2018, fled from law enforcement officers, running red lights and passing vehicles in the turn lane at high speed, before crashing into a car and a traffic light pole on Clinton Highway at Powell Drive in Knox County, an incident report said. (Submitted photo)
Note: This story was updated at 10:15 a.m. June 28.
The driver of a van allegedly stolen from a woman in a wheelchair in Oak Ridge on Saturday fled from law enforcement officers, running red lights and passing vehicles in the turn lane at high speed, before crashing into a car and a traffic light pole on Clinton Highway in Knox County, an incident report said.
The carjacking was reported in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant on South Illinois Avenue at about 1:50 p.m. Saturday, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. During the carjacking, a female passenger, who was not injured, was forced from her wheelchair and the van, a 2003 Chevy Venture.
Alerted to the carjacking, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Corporal Jonathan Acker went to Oak Ridge Turnpike and Melton Lake Drive to watch for the vehicle. After a few minutes, he saw it traveling east on Oak Ridge Turnpike, and he turned to get behind it.
The driver, later identified as Bradley Allan Thomas, 30, of Knoxville, began speeding up and passing cars on the shoulder, Acker said in the incident report. [Read more…]
ORPD: Man forces woman from wheelchair & vehicle in reported carjacking
A woman was forced from her wheelchair and vehicle during a carjacking reported in Oak Ridge on Saturday, and the suspect crashed after a police chase into Knox County, authorities said.
The carjacking was reported in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant on South Illinois Avenue at about 1:50 p.m. Saturday, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.
“It was reported that a man forcibly took a vehicle that was occupied by an adult female passenger in a wheelchair,” the ORPD said. “After taking the vehicle, the suspect forced the passenger from her wheelchair and from the vehicle in the restaurant parking lot. The victim was not injured.” [Read more…]
First Water Safety Day will have demonstrations on life jackets, water rescues
A first-ever Water Safety Day in Oak Ridge will feature demonstrations on boating and life jacket safety, open water rescues, lifeguard skills, and more, a press release said.
The Water Safety Day was announced by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool.
Water Safety Day is a partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department, as well as the Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the press release said. [Read more…]
Part of Melton Lake Drive to be closed Thursday for USA Cycling races
Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge
A large part of Melton Lake Drive will be closed Thursday for the USA Cycling Individual Time Trial National Championship, which is being held in Oak Ridge.
The planned road closure was announced by the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Police Department.
The closure is necessary to provide a safe, closed-loop course for athletes, volunteers, and spectators, a press release said. [Read more…]
Black bear reported in Clinton on Friday
An archived file photo of a black bear at Anderson County High School on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Archived file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today
A black bear was spotted wandering through Clinton on Friday.
The city sent out a Code Red Alert to part of the city on Friday morning indicating that the bear had been spotted in the vicinity of JD Yarnell Industrial Parkway and the 1200 block of Seivers Boulevard, heading in the general direction of the Clinton Home Center.
Authorities say that if you see the bear, you should give it a wide berth and notify the Clinton Police Department at (865) 457-3112.
It’s not unusual to occasionally see black bears in East Tennessee in the summer, including in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and the Great Smoky Mountains. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has previously said that Oak Ridge and Knoxville are surrounded by very good bear habitats—including the largest black bear preserve in the world—and it’s not unusual to see up to a half-dozen bears come through the Oak Ridge area each year and at least that many in the Knoxville area. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge man charged with attempted murder
McKinley Earl McGee
An Oak Ridge man has ben charged with attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed a woman in the torso with a knife during a dispute over money in January, according to Anderson County court records.
McKinley Earl McGee, 49, was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on May 1. His charges include attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault that resulted in serious bodily injury.
McGee has an arraignment scheduled for June 25 in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton.
The alleged stabbing occurred in an apartment on Utica Circle in Oak Ridge on January 12, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court by Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Chris Wallace. [Read more…]
