Oak Ridge Today

Apartment building evacuated after carbon monoxide leak found

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Oak Ridge firefighters check apartments at Rolling Hills Apartments after a carbon monoxide leak was found in one building on Tuesday night, Dec. 15, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:05 a.m.

A three-story apartment building was evacuated and a 56-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after firefighters found a carbon monoxide leak in a boiler in the basement of the building on Tuesday night.

The cause of the leak in the boiler on Vanderbilt Drive wasn’t immediately clear. The boiler is used to heat water in that building, and it won’t be used again until it’s repaired and re-inspected, authorities said.

At about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Oak Ridge Fire Department received a call that a woman who lives directly above the boiler at Rolling Hills Apartments was dizzy and throwing up. Her father, who uses oxygen, told ORFD Captain Ray Burney that the family’s dog was “acting funny.” [Read more…]

Officers investigating stolen car catch suspect after foot chase, helicopter search

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Air-Watch-Helicopter-Search-Dec-15-2015

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office used a helicopter to help the Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department search for a suspect in the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge on the north side of Oak Ridge on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect was captured just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, at Cedar Hill Park in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:30 p.m.

A 19-year-old man being questioned about a car stolen from Nashville fled from police as they tried to arrest him in Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, and more than 30 officers and deputies spent more than two hours searching for him by foot, car, and helicopter. The Oak Ridge Preschool was briefly locked down during the search, and the suspect, Elijah McDowell, 19, was tracked for more than four miles on foot before being captured at Cedar Hill Park near Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive in north-central Oak Ridge.

One Oak Ridge Police Department officer sustained non-life threatening injuries while chasing McDowell into the park.

Elijah Malik McDowell

Elijah Malik McDowell

McDowell’s charges include three counts of property theft, with one between $10,000 and $59,999; assault; resisting arrest; evading arrest; and probation violation, according to Anderson County Sheriff’s Department jail records. His address lists him as a resident of Dandridge.

Before McDowell was caught, Oak Ridge Police Department officers and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies swarmed roads on the north side of Oak Ridge and down into Marlow while searching for the suspect. They combed the roads and woods along Outer Drive, Key Springs Road, Bacon Springs Road, and Oliver Springs Highway, among other streets. A Knox County Sheriff’s Office Airwatch helicopter flew low circles over the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge, which is on the north side of Oak Ridge.

The pursuit started after Oak Ridge officers were dispatched to a home at 102 Marion Road at 11:47 a.m. Tuesday. They were trying to locate a black 2008 Dodge Charger reported stolen from Nashville, a press release said. The vehicle was being tracked remotely by the Metropolitan Nashville Metropolitan Police Department. [Read more…]

City buys blighted home that burned in July on Waddell Circle

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147-Waddell-Circle

The City of Oak Ridge purchased 147 Waddell Circle, which had a fire in July, using Community Development Block Grants. The property, which sustained more than 75 percent fire damage, is slated for immediate demolition. It was purchased from an owner-occupant who did not have the means to remove the structure, officials said. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge has purchased a home that burned in July on Waddell Circle.

The blighted property at 147 Waddell Circle was purchased through the Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, program. It is slated for immediate demolition, officials said.

The home, which sustained more than 75 percent fire damage, was purchased from an owner occupant who did not have the means to remove the structure, the City of Oak Ridge said. [Read more…]

Smith named deputy police chief

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Jim Akagi and Robin Smith

Former Captain Robin Smith, right, has been promoted to deputy chief of the Oak Ridge Police Department. Smith is pictured above with ORPD Chief Jim Akagi. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Former Captain Robin Smith has been promoted to deputy chief of the Oak Ridge Police Department.

Smith was promoted on November 8. City officials said he will still oversee the ORPD Patrol Division and SWAT Team.

“He is a valuable member of the ORPD executive and senior leadership teams,” the City of Oak Ridge said of Smith. “Both the ORPD and the Oak Ridge community are very fortunate to have him as a deputy chief, and look forward to his leadership and talent in improving public safety for all of the great Oak Ridge citizens.” [Read more…]

Driver okay, but car totaled in single-vehicle rollover crash on Scarboro Road

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The driver was okay, but his vehicle was reported to be totaled when it rolled over in a single-vehicle crash on Scarboro Road on Monday afternoon, Dec. 14, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The driver was reported to be okay, but his Honda Civic was reported to be totaled when it rolled over in a single-vehicle crash on Scarboro Road on Monday afternoon.

The crash occurred up the hill from Union Valley Road and the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex. Authorities reported that the roadway was slick.

The Oak Ridge Police Department briefly closed the road while the crash was investigated and the car towed away.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Scarboro-Road-Car-Roll-over-Police-Fire-Dec-14-2015

The driver was reported to be okay, but his Honda Civic was reported to be totaled when it rolled over in a single-vehicle crash on Scarboro Road on Monday afternoon, Dec. 14, 2015. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Report: One man robbed, carjacked during ‘bad drug deal’; another shot in foot

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Anderson County Sheriff Patch

One man was allegedly robbed and carjacked on Laurel Road in Anderson County early Monday morning, while another was reportedly shot in the foot as the result of a bad drug deal in Campbell County, authorities said.

Authorities received a report that a 2007 Kia Sportage had been stolen at gunpoint on Laurel Road at about 2 a.m. Monday. The vehicle was reported to be possibly headed to Oak Ridge or Oliver Springs after the alleged carjacking and robbery.

The vehicle was recovered by the Oak Ridge Police Department at Manhattan Apartments on North Purdue Avenue.

Darien Noe of LaFollette told Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Michael A. Poole that two suspects held guns on him and stole his vehicle, shoes, and other items, forcing him to leave the vehicle on Laurel Road, according to an incident report. Noe went to a house on Laurel Road to ask for help, and that resident called 911.

An alert was sent out to other law enforcement agencies to tell them to watch out for the stolen vehicle. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police seize more than 70 pounds of marijuana

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Nicholas Ryan Salpas

Nicholas Ryan Salpas

With help from other agencies, the Oak Ridge Police Department seized more than 70 pounds of marijuana on Wednesday, authorities said.

Police searched a home on Carlisle Lane in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, December 9, with help from the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

They seized more than 70 pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags, as well as one vacuum-sealed bag of suspected concentrated THC resin, a press release said.

Nicholas Salpas, 30, the resident and sole occupant of the home at 102 Carlisle Lane, was arrested at the scene, the release said. He was charged with three counts of manufacture, delivery, sale, or possession of a controlled substance, with an enhancement for this activity occurring within a drug-free school zone; possession of drug paraphernalia; theft of property; and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. [Read more…]

Clinton man dies after two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

A Clinton man died after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Thursday, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 8:22 p.m. Thursday, December 10, at the intersection of the Turnpike and Wisconsin Avenue, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

Charles Edward Smith, 75, of Clinton was extricated from his vehicle by the Oak Ridge Fire Department and flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by a UT Lifestar medical helicopter. He later died from his injuries, the ORPD said.

Smith had been driving a 2012 Volkswagen.

The second vehicle, a 1998 Cadillac, was driven by Janet Eileen Kelley, 61, of Harriman. Kelley was treated at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

The investigation remains ongoing and no further details will be released at this time, the ORPD said.

Man sentenced to 30 years for possessing heroin for sale in school zone

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Charles Randolph Johnson

Charles Randolph Johnson

A man convicted in September of possessing heroin and marijuana for sale in a school zone has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, authorities said.

Charles Randolph Johnson was sentenced by Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Donald R. Elledge on Monday, November 30, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release.

Johnson, a Michigan native, was convicted by a jury on September 18. He was found guilty of possessing heroin with the intent to sell it within 1,000 feet of a school, possessing marijuana with the intent to sell it, and possessing drug paraphernalia, Clark said.

Authorities said Johnson possessed a large amount of heroin and marijuana inside a mobile home near Claxton Elementary School. He was arrested on January 31 when a search warrant was executed after a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force. [Read more…]

She alleges abuse, imprisonment, Sharia law; he cites immigration as possible motive for claims

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The wife of a city employee has alleged that she has essentially been held captive in a home that operates under Sharia law, been physically abused, not allowed to work or go to school, and deprived of food and medical care.

But her husband, an Oak Ridge Electric Department project manager, said he can prove that the charges are unfounded. He called the allegations, which were publicized in a newspaper story last month, “salacious accusations.” The allegations sparked a social media backlash against the city employee, Oak Ridge Electric Department Project Manager Ardo Isma Ba.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has investigated some of the allegations against Ba, including the charge that he held his wife, Madina Sall, against her will for the past three years. That information was reported to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, where Ba is a reserve deputy.

Ba was not charged after the investigation. Officers said Sall’s definition of abuse is different than what is defined in Tennessee law. Also, detectives appeared to have questions about the accuracy of some of the information, and they warned Sall of the consequences of reporting false information to law enforcement.

“The matter did appear to be a non-criminal matter due to the initial information given to (the Knox County Sheriff’s Office) not being accurate and no proof that any physical abuse has occurred,” the ORPD said. [Read more…]

Weather: 24 non-injury crashes, 12 trees down, four roads under water

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High Water

From Friday through Wednesday morning, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department responded to several weather-related incidents due to the heavy rain, authorities said.

There have been 24 reported crashes, none of which involved injury, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. There have been 12 reports of trees that have fallen across roadways.

As of Wednesday morning, there were three roads in the county that were impassable due to high water: Irwin Mill Road off Sinking Springs Road, Bacon Springs Road in the Marlow community, and Airport Road near Oliver Springs. Offutt Road at Offutt Spur Road in the Medford community is also flooded.

“Motorists are advised to use caution while driving even after the rain ends today,” Lucas said. “The saturated ground may cause more trees to fall, and water may continue to rise in low-lying areas near creeks and streams.”

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Woman, 80, rescued after being trapped overnight in wrecked car

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Joiner-Hollow-Road-Crash-Nov-30-2015

Roane County emergency workers rescued an 80-year-old woman on Monday who had been trapped overnight in a car that traveled about 250 feet from from the road, down an embankment, and into a creek, authorities said. (Photo by Roane County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook)

 

Roane County emergency workers rescued an 80-year-old woman on Monday after she was trapped overnight in a car that traveled about 250 feet from the road, down an embankment, and into a creek, authorities said.

Roane County mail carrier Kathy Payne noticed the vehicle in the wood line while on her route on Joiner Hollow Road on Monday, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office said. Payne called 911.

Roane County Sheriff’s Office Captain Tim Hawn stopped to investigate while on patrol on Joiner Hollow Road. Hawn said he heard someone crying for help, and he climbed down the embankment and discovered an 80-year-old female who was pinned in her vehicle, the RCSO said in a Facebook post.

The woman was able to speak, and she asked Hawn if he was there to get her out.

“Hawn said that he was there to help her and promised her that they would get her out,” the Sheriff’s Office said. [Read more…]