Oak Ridge Today

Federal trial under way for man accused of kidnapping in robbery plots, including at Y-12 FCU

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti

The federal trial is under way for a Pennsylvania man accused of kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob banks and credit unions, including in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.

The trial for Michael Anthony Benanti, 44, of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, started with jury selection on Monday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. It has continued this week.

Benanti and a co-defendant, Brian Scott Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, had been named in a 15-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury in December 2015. They were accused of kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton. The Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge was one of the three financial institutions that was targeted.

Witham pleaded guilty March 1, 2016. He received a 42-year sentence and will be the star witness against Benanti, his co-defendant, according to Jamie Satterfield, a Knoxville News Sentinel reporter.

The trial for Benanti could last up to three weeks. Oak Ridge Today has not been able to cover the trial, but Satterfield has been covering it. You can see four of her News Sentinel stories here: [Read more…]

Norris public safety director to retire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Chief Danny Humphrey, who serves as Norris public safety director, will retire in March, according to the Norris Bulletin.

Humphrey, who has had a 39-year career in law enforcement, is in charge of the Norris Police and Volunteer Fire Department.

He worked for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department for almost 18 years before he joined the Norris Police force, the Norris Bulletin said. Humphrey was named chief by former Norris City Manager Benny Carden in 1999.

See the Norris Bulletin, a weekly publication, for more information. You can email publisher and executive editor Jack Mitchell at norrisbulletin@horizonusa.com.

Benefit spaghetti supper to help ORPD officer

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

David Ridenour Benefit 2017

Information from WYSH Radio

A benefit, all-day spaghetti dinner will be held on Saturday, February 11, at Main Street Baptist Church in Rocky Top for Oak Ridge Police Department Officer David Ridenour.

Last year, Ridenour, while building his new home, had an accident with a nail gun that caused a serious injury to his eye.

Despite numerous surgeries and other treatments to try and save the eye, it had to be removed on January 24. [Read more…]

Man, dog injured after shots fired at home

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A man and dog were injured after shots were fired at a home on Wednesday night, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at 325 Louisiana Avenue at about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The resident, 27-year-old Dylan Squires, told officers that he heard a knock on his front door. When he opened the door, Squires said, he observed a man, dressed in all black clothing and a ski mask, approaching his porch. [Read more…]

Recent sirens were false alarms at ORNL

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

DOE Warning Siren

Several readers have asked why sirens went off in Oak Ridge early Friday, January 20.

On Tuesday, Oak Ridge National Laboratory said three sirens at the lab were unintentionally activated for about 45 seconds during the daily alarm test just before 6 a.m. Friday, January 20. Only the sirens on the ORNL site were affected, ORNL spokesperson David Keim said.

The sirens at other DOE sites and within the city were unaffected, but ORNL immediately notified the city and other U.S. Department of Energy sites of the false alarm at the lab, Keim said. [Read more…]

ACSD investigating cause of Saturday fire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department’s Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the cause of a fire that seriously damaged a mobile home on Norris Freeway on Saturday morning.

After firefighters from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department doused the blaze, investigators spoke with the resident of the single-wide trailer, who told them he was in the process of moving out and had not stayed there in a couple of nights. [Read more…]

Funeral arrangements announced for 3-year-old who died in crash

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jason Robert Braden III

Jason Robert Braden III

Funeral arrangements have been announced for the three-year-old who died after a two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday, January 13.

The crash occurred at about 5:20 p.m. January 13 at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Jason Robert Braden III of Clinton died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville from injuries sustained in the crash, according to his obituary.

It said Jason will be dearly missed by all his family. Jason loved to watch “Tom the Tow Truck” on his tablet, and his favorite dogs on “Paw Patrol” were Marshal and Chase. Jason’s favorite song was “Burning it Down,” and he loved his baby brother, Justyn. [Read more…]

Adults identified in crash that killed 3-year-old; cause not determined yet

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Fatal-Crash-Memorial-Lafayette-Drive-Emory-Valley-Road-Jan-15-2017-3-Web

Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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

The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the adults injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Friday evening, although the cause hasn’t been determined yet.

The crash killed a three-year-old boy. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive in central Oak Ridge. It involved a total of 11 people, including three juveniles.

Besides the three-year-old who died, five other people who were in an SUV that ended up near a stoplight pole on the northeast corner of the intersection were injured and taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The five injured included four adults and one child. One of the adults was released from the hospital over the weekend, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The names of the juveniles involved in the crash are not being released, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The occupants of the SUV were: [Read more…]

Fatal crash: One adult released from hospital; police officers start memorial with stuffed animals

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Fatal-Crash-Memorial-Lafayette-Drive-Emory-Valley-Road-Jan-15-2017-3-Web

Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a three-year-old child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One adult passenger injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday has been released from the hospital, a city official said Saturday. And Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial at the crash site, leaving stuffed animals there Saturday morning.

The fatal crash was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive. Police said the crash killed one three-year-old child and injured another child, and it also injured four adults. The five people who were injured and the child who died were all taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level I trauma center. All six had been in the same vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle.

On Saturday, Sarah Self, spokesperson for the City of Oak Ridge, said one of the adult passengers was released from UT Medical Center.

The condition of the other injured patients (three adults and one child) was not available, Self said.

Five people in the second vehicle involved in the crash, a newer silver Volkswagen sedan, were not injured, Self said. There were four adults and one child in that car. [Read more…]

Child passenger seat checkpoint dates announced

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Child Passenger Seat Checks

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Safe Kids program are hosting six child passenger seat checkpoints in 2017. The first was scheduled for Saturday, January 14.

These events are held for parents and caregivers to receive education material about car seats, have their car seats checked for any manufacturer recalls, and also have the seats examined for proper installation, a media advisory said. The child passenger seat checkpoint is open to the public, and it is free for participants to attend.

All events will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Station Number 2, 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike (near Home Depot), from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The dates are as follows: [Read more…]

Child dies, five injured in crash

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Fatal-Crash-Emory-Valley-Road-Lafayette-Drive-Intersection-Jan-13-2017-Slider

A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. Jan 16.

A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a serious crash in Oak Ridge on Friday evening, authorities said.

The fatal two-vehicle crash involved 11 people. It was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Those taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level 1 Trauma Center, were four adults and two children. One of those children is the three-year-old who died (the child was initially reported to be four). The four adults and two children were all in one vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle, or SUV.

Five people in a second vehicle—four adults and one child—were reported to not have injuries, according to the City of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Police, fire respond to serious crash at Emory Valley Road, Lafayette

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive Crash Jan 13 2017

The intersection of Lafayette Drive and Emory Valley Road was closed Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. after a serious crash that required multiple ambulances. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story has been updated. Please see newer story here.

The intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive is closed as authorities investigate a serious crash Friday evening.

There were, at one point, four ambulances at the crash site, although it’s not clear if they were all used. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded.

The crash was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday. [Read more…]