Oak Ridge Today

THP investigates fatal crash on Clinton Highway near Anderson-Knox county line

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A short section of Clinton Highway was closed at Mehaffey Road going into Knox County on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016 as the Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated a fatal crash. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 5:40 p.m.

Clinton Highway was shut down in both directions near the Anderson-Knox county line on Friday afternoon as the Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated a fatal crash, authorities said.

The road will be closed “until further notice,” the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said early Friday afternoon. “Please avoid this area.”

It’s a multi-vehicle crash, said Mark Nagi of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. [Read more…]

Motorcycle ride Saturday to help Wyrick, injured in August crash

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Brandon Wyrick

Brandon Wyrick (Photo courtesy James Brooks)

A motorcycle ride that starts in Oak Ridge on Saturday will help with medical expenses for Brandon Wyrick, a motorcyclist injured in an August collision with an Oak Ridge Electric Department utility truck.

The Ride for Brandon starts at Oak Ridge High School on Saturday and ends at Tennova North in Powell. Registration at ORHS begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, and “kickstands up” is at 1 p.m., said James Brooks, Brandon’s brother.

Wyrick was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after the August 14 crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. He was reported to be in critical condition after the crash and has had several surgeries.

Brooks said his brother, who graduated from Oak Ridge High School, is in better condition than he was, “but he’s still got a very long way to go.” Wyrick has since been transferred to Tennova North.

The motorcycle ride on Saturday will help offset the costs of medical treatment. All proceeds will be given to Brandon’s parents at the end of the ride, Brooks said. [Read more…]

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department joins U.S. Marshals’ Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force

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Six deputies from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department have been sworn as special deputy U.S. marshals and form an Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) Unit. The ACE Unit is made up of Sergeant Wally Braden, Corporal Rick Coley, and deputies Charles Relford, Jason Leach, Shawn Williams, and Matt Forsyth. They will work part-time as needed with the Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service. Also pictured above at left is Chief Deputy Mark Lucas. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

Six officers from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department have been sworn in as task force officers with the United States Marshals Service’s Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force, or SMFTF.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is the latest local law enforcement agency to become part of the specialized fugitive apprehension team, which is made up of the East Tennessee agencies listed at the end of this press release.

Task force officers are state and local police officers who receive special deputations with the Marshals Service, the press release said. While assigned to the SMFTF, these officers can exercise U.S. Marshals’ authorities, such as crossing jurisdictional lines.

Jimmy Fowler, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, administered the oath of office to the deputies at the Marshals Service office in Knoxville.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department,” Fowler said in the press release. “Our communities are safer when local, state, and federal officers get to work together, and that is what the Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force is all about. The Task Force is made up of great officers from throughout East Tennessee. From Chattanooga to Bristol, these officers work together to ensure the safety of everyone by apprehending dangerous fugitives and reducing violent crime.” [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School student confesses to making social media threats, ORPD says

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An 11-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School confessed to making potential threats of violence on Friday morning, authorities said.

The threats were made over social media and were against students who attend Jefferson Middle School, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

When it learned of the threats, the ORPD Support Services Unit, or SSU, was sent to Jefferson to protect the property while an investigation was started by ORPD’s Criminal Investigations Division, or CID, a press release said. SSU officers and CID detectives coordinated with Oak Ridge Schools staff to interview several students who may have had knowledge of the threats, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State graduate’s 9/11 tribute gains national attention

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Roane State paramedic graduate Jason Harding said he was “absolutely amazed at the response” to his 9/11 tribute. Early on the morning of Sept. 11, Harding strapped on 75 pounds of firefighter gear and climbed 110 stories on a stair climbing machine at the Maryville Planet Fitness. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

Roane State paramedic graduate Jason Harding said he was “absolutely amazed at the response” to his 9/11 tribute. Early on the morning of Sept. 11, Harding strapped on 75 pounds of firefighter gear and climbed 110 stories on a stair climbing machine at the Maryville Planet Fitness. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

 

A public safety officer at McGhee Tyson Airport never dreamed his solitary, early-morning tribute on the anniversary of a national tragedy would gain so much attention.

Jason Harding’s unique way to observe the 15 anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks went viral on social media and caught the attention of national news outlets, from People magazine to Fox News.

Harding, who completed Roane State Community College’s paramedic program in September 2011, is a certified police officer, paramedic, and firefighter for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

He went into Maryville’s Planet Fitness at 6 a.m. September 11, wearing 75 pounds of firefighting gear, and asked permission to use one of the gym’s stair climbing machines. [Read more…]

Shots-fired call on Tuesday was due to blank cartridges, police say

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The Oak Ridge Police Department searched a home in east Oak Ridge after they responded to a shots-fired call and set up a perimeter around the house Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 20, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Police responding to a shots-fired call in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday determined that two blank cartridges had been fired inside a home, according to police records.

The shots-fired call was reported at 1:29 p.m. Tuesday. Multiple police units responded, including patrol and K-9 officers, detectives, and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force truck.

Officers couldn’t make contact with the residents at 118 East Arrowwood Road, and they set up a perimeter and sent an entry team, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. [Read more…]

Two Anderson County students charged with social media threats

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Two Anderson County High School students, a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, are being charged in Anderson County Juvenile Court with making threats on social media after an investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, authorities said.

Sheriff’s Department investigators and school resource officers began to follow up on reports of threats posted on a social media site that ultimately led to the identification of these students as those responsible, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said. Both girls have been expelled from school pending a hearing by school administrators.

These threats were similar to those being made across the country, including yesterday in Claiborne County, concerning “clowns” coming to do harm in schools. [Read more…]

New rope rescue system helps save two people in one week

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On Sept. 17, 2016, the Oak Ridge Fire Department was dispatched to help a woman with serious injuries who had fallen from a retaining wall in a back yard. First responders found the woman lying 60 feet down a slope in a wooded area. The rapid deployment of the rope system helped the fire crew and Oak Ridge police officers move the injured woman up the steep slope to the ambulance. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

In less than one week, firefighters have used new rope rescue equipment to save two lives in Oak Ridge.

The equipment was recently purchased for each Oak Ridge Fire Department engine, and crews just started training last month. The quick deployment 3-to-1 rope haul system is designed to move injured people up steep slopes or through confined spaces where it is difficult to lift or carry a person. In the last seven days, the department has used the new equipment twice.

On September 5, firefighters were dispatched to an unconscious person in an attic of a house. On arrival, the fire crew found a man lying in the 120 degree attic, disoriented and unable to move. The crew rigged the rapid deployment rope system and, in a matter of minutes, was able to move him through the roof trusses and down the attic access opening to the waiting ambulance crew. [Read more…]

After text message scam, consumers receiving fraudulent phone calls, credit union says

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First, consumers received text messages falsely claiming to be from Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union. It was a scam designed to get personal information.

Now, they are receiving phone calls and additional text messages, the credit union said in an update posted on its website on Tuesday.

“Consumers are now receiving phone calls informing them of past due payments,” the credit union said. “They are given a number to call back and asked to give personal information. These calls are not from the credit union. Please do not give out personal sensitive information!”

On Monday, the credit union said members and non-members received text messages resembling the ones from this past weekend, but asking recipients to click a link instead of calling a phone number. [Read more…]

Police search home, one detained after shots-fired call Tuesday afternoon

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The Oak Ridge Police Department searched a home in east Oak Ridge after they responded to a shots-fired call and set up a perimeter around the house Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 20, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department searched a home in east Oak Ridge after they responded to a shots-fired call and set up a perimeter around a house Tuesday afternoon.

The call was reported at 1:29 p.m. Multiple police units responded, including patrol and K-9 officers, detectives, and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force truck.

Officers couldn’t make contact with the residents at 118 East Arrowwood Road, and they set up a perimeter and sent an entry team, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. [Read more…]

Sheriff’s Department warns of text message scam

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The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department warned on Monday that cell phone users across the area are receiving text messages claiming to be alerts from Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union.

“These messages are not from the credit union, and the credit union says they will not contact consumers in this manner and ask for personal information,” the Sheriff’s Department said.

If you have called the number in the message and given them any information, you are urged to call the credit union at (800) 554-8969 to close your debit card and order a new one.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Show appreciation for first responders Saturday

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Police Lives Matter Rally Crowd

About 65 people attended a Police Lives Matter rally last year at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Second Annual First Responders Appreciation Day is Saturday in Oak Ridge.

There are two events: an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast in the morning to raise money for the family of Maryville Police Department Officer Kenny Moats and a ceremony in the evening to honor local first responders.

The First Responders Appreciation Day is on Saturday, September 17, at Swifty’s Atomic Bar & Grill at 119 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The fundraising pancake breakfast is from 8 a.m. to noon at Swifty’s. The donation is $10. Moats was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call in late August. [Read more…]