Oak Ridge Today

Man sentenced to one year, 9 months for fatal hit-and-run 

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Dannon Cole pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving a death or injury in Anderson County Criminal Court on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Note: This story was updated at 1 p.m. Dec. 13.

CLINTON—A 51-year-old man was sentenced to one year and nine months when pleading guilty Monday to a fatal hit-and-run crash between a pickup truck and motorized bicycle in Clinton about one year ago.

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TBI: Man fatally shoots woman, denies aid

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Nathan Newport

A 60-year-old Oliver Springs man allegedly killed a 52-year-old woman with a shotgun Monday morning and, during a police standoff, refused to let officers give her medical aid, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The man, Nathan Newport, 60, has been charged with criminal homicide—first-degree murder. He is alleged to have killed Janice Newport, 52, in a home in Oliver Springs at about 6:30 a.m. Monday.

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Fire damages home on Lansing Road

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A fire on Friday afternoon damaged a home on South Lansing Road, according to the City of Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the fire at 12:45 p.m. Friday.

“Multiple callers to 911 reported fire was visible through the windows and roof,” the city said in a press release. “ORFD crews arrived within five minutes of the call with 17 personnel. The first unit arrived on scene and found heavy fire from the rear of the structure. A hose line was taken in the home to begin suppression efforts. The Oak Ridge Electric Department also responded to secure power to the affected building. The fire heavily damaged one half of the building, while the other half had smoke and water damage.”

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Appeals court upholds 30-year robbery sentence

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A Tennessee appeals court this summer upheld a 30-year prison sentence against an Oliver Springs man convicted of aggravated robbery in Clinton, finding that the Anderson County trial court did not err in sentencing him as a career offender.

Wallace Wade Tidwell, 44, had been accused of robbing a Shell gas station on Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton in June 2015. A clerk testified at trial in April 2019 that Tidwell came out of the store’s bathroom, ordered her to give him the money in the cash register, lifted his shirt, and showed her what she thought was the butt of a gun in his waistband, according to a 14-page opinion filed by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Knoxville.

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Second man arrested after gas station robbery

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James Hunter Oran

A second Oak Ridge man was arrested after a robbery was reported at a gas station on Lake City Highway on Monday.

James Hunter Oran, 21, has been charged with facilitation of a felony and accessory after the fact. He is alleged to have driven the 21-year-old man charged with the robbery, Carlos Hernandez, to and from the Rocky Top 76 gas station and waited for Hernandez while he was in the store, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

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Oak Ridge man charged with gas station robbery

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Carlos Hernandez

A 21-year-old Oak Ridge man was arrested and charged with robbery, kidnapping, and theft after allegedly holding two gas station employees at gunpoint and taking money from a cash register at Rocky Top 76 on Lake City Highway on Monday.

Carlos Hernandez was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, theft of $1,000 to $2,500, and tampering with evidence.

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Two die in Edgemoor Road crash

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Two people died in a crash between a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer truck on Edgemoor Road on Thursday.

The crash was reported at New Henderson Road in Claxton at about 6:22 p.m. Thursday.

A preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol said Jordan K. Scott, 29, of Knoxville, was driving a 1991 Ford F150 pickup truck north on New Henderson Road when he pulled out in front of a 2019 Peterbilt tractor-trailer truck driven by Rex A. Sparks, 56, of Cedar Bluff, Virginia. Sparks had been driving east on Edgemoor Road, toward Clinton Highway.

Scott’s two passengers in the pickup truck died in the collision. The THP identified them as Gregory L. Sweet, 57, of Oak Ridge, and Marion M. West, 54, of Clinton.

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Drop off expired, unused meds on Oct. 29

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The Oak Ridge Police Department is participating in the National Drug Enforcement Administration Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29.

On that day, anyone in the community can drop off their expired or unused medications at the Oak Ridge Police Department at 200 South Tulane Avenue. The drug take-back is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 29.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the most common method of obtaining pills is through family and friends, a press release said.

“Prescription drugs could be easily stolen at home when they are left in unlocked cabinets and drawers,” the release said.

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Norton Road home destroyed by fire

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A home on Norton Road in Oak Ridge was destroyed in a fire on Sunday, and a resident had injuries that were not life-threatening. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

A home on Norton Road in Oak Ridge was destroyed by a fire on Sunday, and a resident had injuries that were not life-threatening.

The house fire was reported at about 5 p.m. Sunday, September 4. When Oak Ridge firefighters arrived, they saw a large amount of smoke and fire coming from the home, a press release said.

“The fire was under control within 20 minutes of arrival, but fire crews remained on scene for the next several hours to put out hot spots,” the press release said.

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Man sentenced to 8 years after fleeing, crashing, attempting carjackings

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An Oak Ridge Police Department officer was injured in a crash and children were taken to the hospital as a man fled from police on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, authorities said. (File photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

An Oak Ridge man received an eight-year sentence Tuesday when he pleaded guilty to seven charges after fleeing from police on South Illinois Avenue four years ago, crashing, and attempting two carjackings in the Panera Bread drive-through.

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An Oak Ridge Police Department officer was injured in a crash and children were taken to the hospital as a man fled from police on South Illinois Avenue around Panera Bread on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, authorities said. (File photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

An Oak Ridge man received an eight-year sentence Tuesday when he pleaded guilty to seven charges after fleeing from police on South Illinois Avenue four years ago, crashing, and attempting two carjackings in the Panera Bread drive-through.

Khristoff Deshawn Lee, 29, pleaded guilty in Anderson County Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon to two counts of attempted carjacking, two counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a weapon, and evading arrest.


An Oak Ridge Police Department officer was injured in a crash and children were taken to the hospital as a man fled from police on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, authorities said. (File photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

An Oak Ridge man received an eight-year sentence Tuesday when he pleaded guilty to seven charges after fleeing from police on South Illinois Avenue four years ago, crashing, and attempting two carjackings in the Panera Bread drive-through.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or 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 We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here. We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Three Ohio residents die in two-vehicle crash

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Three Ohio residents died in a two-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road at Old Emory Road in Claxton on Friday, July 22.

The three Ohio residents were all in the same vehicle, a 2018 Honda CRV, and they were all from Mansfield, Ohio, according to a preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The driver was Peter Webel, 75, and the two passengers were Linda Webel, 76, and Frieda Gottschling, 80.

The other vehicle, a 2004 GMC Sonoma, was driven by a juvenile male from Knoxville.

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TBI investigating man’s death

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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of a 39-year-old man during an interaction with Oak Ridge police officers in the Hendrix Creek subdivision on Sunday afternoon.

Oak Ridge Police Department officers had made contact with the man, Tyler Jones, after receiving a report of a suspicious person around Heritage Drive, the TBI said. He began showing signs of distress, and medical personnel were called.

“At some point during the encounter, after medical personnel arrived, Jones became unresponsive,” the TBI said. “Officers immediately rendered aid until paramedics arrived. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.”

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