Oak Ridge Today

Norris Lake boating crash leaves operator in serious condition

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Norris Lake Boat Crash

TWRA Investigator Matt Majors stands at the engine’s lower unit, which was torn from the boat during an accident at Heatherly’s point on Norris Lake late Thursday night. The vessel traveled about 69 feet after striking the point. (Photo by TWRA)

 

LAFOLLETTE—A LaFollette boater remains in serious condition following a boating accident that happened on Norris Lake late Thursday night, authorities said.

Just before midnight, Jimmy Arnold, a 52-year-old white male from LaFollette, was operating an open bow 24-foot Chaparral boat on Norris Lake when the accident occurred just downstream of Shanghai Marina, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said.

According to witnesses on a nearby houseboat, Arnold, who was the vessel’s sole occupant, was headed to their location at Heatherly’s point when the vessel ran aground, sending it about 69 feet onto the point. Witnesses onboard the houseboat dialed 911. [Read more…]

TBI: Morgan Co. woman charged with attempted murder in husband’s shooting

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Jennifer Darlene Smith

Jennifer Darlene Smith

A Morgan County woman has been charged with attempted murder in the alleged shooting of her husband on Friday, authorities said.

Jennifer Darlene Smith, 39, faces one count of attempted second-degree murder, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. She was being held in the Morgan County Jail on Saturday morning, and her bond has been set at $100,000, the TBI said.

The alleged shooting occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Friday at the family’s home on Morgan County Highway in Sunbright, the TBI said. When authorities responded, they found 61-year-old Leroy James Smith Jr. suffering from a gunshot wound, the TBI said in a press release. [Read more…]

TBI asks for public’s help identifying body found in Monroe County creek

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TBI Logo

CHATTANOOGA—Special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are asking for the public’s help in identifying a woman whose body was found in a creek in Monroe County on Wednesday night.

At the request of 10th District Attorney General Steve Crump, TBI special agents, in a joint investigation with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, responded to a report of a woman’s body found in a creek off Tellico Lake near Sloan Road. It is unknown how long the body had been there.

Agents have been unable to determine the identity of the woman and hope someone may be able to identify her by some of her physical features. The victim is believed to be a white female, possibly in her 40s. She is believed to be about 5’6″, with medium to dark hair. She does not have any natural teeth. The victim has multiple ear piercings, and has a healed-over eyebrow and bellybutton piercing. She has a tattoo of a small flower on her right shoulder blade and another of three Asian markings on her left leg between the ankle and the calf. Additionally, she has a scar on her abdomen.

Anyone who can provide information as to the identity of the woman found in the creek near Vonore on Wednesday night is encouraged to call the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Attorney: Police chief did not violate federal law by carrying firearm

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

Note: This story was last updated at 10:05 p.m.

Answer pending on question of state law; POST has no current investigation

Federal officials have concluded that Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi did not violate federal law while carrying a firearm during divorce proceedings several years ago, the chief’s attorney said in a letter received by state officials this month.

In April, the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, or POST, asked state and federal authorities to investigate whether Akagi violated state and federal laws by possessing a firearm after being issued an ex parte order of protection during divorce proceedings in Blount County three years ago.

Tasha C. Blakney, Akagi’s attorney, summarized a conversation with Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Cook about the inquiry in a June 12 letter that was copied to Ray Farris, assistant director of POST. On Monday, Oak Ridge Today requested an update from POST, which certifies law enforcement officers in Tennessee, and received a copy of the letter.

[Read more…]

Body of missing five-year-old boy found in pond near family home

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Olin Elwood Fitton

Olin Elwood Fitton

The body of the five-year-old boy who went missing Wednesday afternoon was found in a pond near his family’s home in Anderson County, authorities said.

Ground search teams working with K-9s tracked the missing child, Odin Elwood Fitton, to a pond in the creek near the family home on Brushy Valley Road, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

“Our dive team was called to search the water, and sadly, the child’s body was found,” Lucas said Wednesday night.

Odin was reported missing at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, and ground and air searches began shortly after that. His family’s home is in the 1600 block of Brushy Valley Road near Interstate 75. [Read more…]

Bear spotted in Rocky Top on Friday

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Bear in Rocky Top on June 19, 2015

A bear was spotted at 320 Norris Freeway in Rocky Top, across from the Dollar Store, at about 12:30 p.m. Friday. (Photo courtesy Raymond Jobe)

A bear was spotted in Rocky Top on Friday.

Authorities received a report of a bear near the intersection of U.S. 441 (Norris Freeway) and North Main Street at about noon Friday, a Rocky Top dispatcher said. It was across from Advance Auto Parts.

Dispatchers contacted the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which recommended leaving the animal alone. TWRA said the bear was probably looking for food, and berries will “come out” in about another two to three weeks.

The dispatcher said the bear drifted off from that intersection downtown and was seen elsewhere around Rocky Top (the former Lake City) before disappearing. [Read more…]

TWRA: Removing white-tailed fawns from wild does more harm than good

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White-tailed Deer Fawn

Safe and sound. While many people might consider it abandoned, the mother is nearby nourishing herself while the fawn rests in a safe place in thick cover. (Photo credit: TWRA/Sterling Daniels)

 

MORRISTOWN—Calls reporting abandoned white-tailed fawns are pouring in, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is reminding people to think twice before removing them from the wild in an attempt to rescue them, even when it seems like they’ve been abandoned.

TWRA Wildlife Biologist Sterling Daniels offers this information to those who may be considering “rescuing” a fawn that in most cases, would have been better left alone: “White-tailed deer have a very effective survival strategy for their offspring that may be misinterpreted by many people and it is very rare for a doe to ever abandon a fawn. Fawns are typically born May through July, with June being the most common month. For the first weeks of a fawn’s life, the mother will keep her distance from the bedded newborn only returning for just a few hours each day for nursing. This survival strategy reduces the chance of leading predators to their location. If someone encounters a fawn, the best thing to do is leave it alone.” [Read more…]

ETTP emergency exercise to be held Tuesday, June 16

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An emergency exercise will be conducted at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16.

The emergency exercise is being conducted by URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC, or UCOR.

The exercise, which should conclude no later than 1 p.m., is being conducted in coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, a press release said. It will involve participants from multiple state agencies; the city of Oak Ridge; and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties. [Read more…]

TWRA identifies man who died while tubing on Norris Lake

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TWRA at Norris Lake Boating Accident

TWRA Boating Accident Investigators Matt Majors and George Birdwell, along with Officer Clint Smith, use a remote operated vehicle to locate the body of Roman Weaver, who died in a boating incident on Norris Lake on Sunday. (Photo by TWRA)

 

State officials have identified the man who died in a boating accident on Norris Lake on Sunday as Roman Martin Weaver, 29, of Jonesville, Virginia.

Investigators from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said that Weaver was killed after falling from an inner tube being towed behind a rented pontoon boat being operated by Blake Oliver, age 28, also of Jonesville.

According to investigators, Weaver fell from the inner tube around 1:30 p.m. Sunday and could not be located by Oliver or bystanders who helped. [Read more…]

Man dies after falling off inner tube towed by boat on Norris Lake

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Authorities have recovered the body of a 29-year-old man who went missing after falling from an inner tube that was being towed behind a boat on Norris Lake on Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred near Sugar Camp Lane in Sharps Chapel in Union County, a press release said.

The victim, whose identity is being withheld until relatives are notified, was riding on an inner tube that was being towed behind a rented pontoon boat that was operated by a single occupant, the press release said. According to investigators, the victim fell from the inner tube around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. After a failed rescue attempt, the operator got help from nearby citizens who were also unsuccessful at locating the victim,

Rescue crews from Union County and Paulette Rescue Squads were joined by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency investigators who used a remote operated vehicle, or ROV, to find the victim in 60 feet of water at about 8:05 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

ACSD: Daughter’s boyfriend charged with murder in Andersonville shooting

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William James McMillan

William James McMillan

Note: This story was updated at 11:33 a.m.

An Andersonville man has been charged with murder in a shooting that allegedly killed his girlfriend’s mother early Wednesday, authorities said.

William James McMillan, 48, is accused of fatally shooting Karen Zahrobsky, 66, according to authorities. They said McMillan, Zahrobsky, and Zahrobsky’s daughter, Christin Dixon, 45, all lived at 460 Lone Mountain Road in Andersonville, where the shooting allegedly occurred.

The shooting was reported at about 4:45 a.m. Wednesday. Zahrobsky was dead when deputies arrived.

McMillan was charged by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which helped investigate. McMillan was booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, and he is being held on $625,000.00 bond. [Read more…]

Drug Awareness Day at Oak Ridge Pool on Saturday, June 6

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Drug Awareness Day at the Oak Ridge Pool

The Third Annual Drug Awareness Day is at the Oak Ridge Municipal Pool on Saturday, June 6.

It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. The pool is located at 172 Providence Road, near Oak Ridge High School.

Drug Awareness demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. June 6 inside the pool area. Hundreds of prizes will be given away to those participating in a drug awareness activity, a press release said. Some of the prizes include T-shirts, coloring books, and Frisbees.

This event is a partnership with Anderson County Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge City Recreation and Parks Department, Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition, and the Tennessee Meth and Pharmaceutical Task Force. [Read more…]