Oak Ridge Today

Adjusted 911 rates to take effect Jan. 1

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911 Decal

A new state law that takes effect on Thursday, January 1, will result in changes to 911 surcharges on residential and business lines and cellular phones.

The Anderson County Emergency Communications District said the new law, the 911 Funding Modernization and IP Transition Act of 2014, passed the Tennessee General Assembly in April. It changes the way 911 surcharges are collected and paid and affects all 911 districts in Tennessee, including Anderson County.

“It updates the existing model for funding 911 to account for changes in technology and consumer choice by establishing a single, uniform 911 surcharge rate across the state,” the Anderson County Emergency Communications District said in a press release. [Read more…]

DA: No suspect, no charge in alleged rape by officer or security guard

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Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Note: This story was last updated at 8:40 p.m.

The six-month investigation of an alleged rape by a security guard or police officer has been completed, and no suspect has been identified and there is no basis for a criminal charge, Anderson County’s top prosecutor said. Also, the credibility of the alleged victim is in doubt, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a Tuesday letter to Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi.

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported the alleged rape in June. An adult female had reported that she was raped by a uniformed man who appeared to be a police officer or security guard, although it wasn’t clear if a specific agency was ever named. The woman reported that she was handcuffed and raped behind Oak Ridge Mall in the back seat of a police-type cruiser.

The woman was interviewed by Oak Ridge police officers, and the ORPD then contacted the Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office, which notified the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation of the allegation.

“Due to the nature of the allegation, Chief Akagi thought it would be best to have another agency conduct the investigation,” Clark said in a two-page investigative report.

The TBI investigation of the high-profile case is now complete. [Read more…]

TBI: Robbery suspect on most wanted list captured in Myrtle Beach

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Lonnie Vann

Lonnie Vann

A Jacksboro man who is a robbery suspect on the state’s most wanted list was captured Friday night in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, authorities said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Lonnie Vann is wanted by the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office and the TBI on two counts of armed robbery from a December 5 incident on Deerfield Way in Lafollette.

Vann, a Jacksboro resident and former Campbell County middle school teacher, was added to the TBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list one week ago. He was the most recent addition to the list.

In a press release Saturday, the TBI said special agents developed leads that Vann was in South Carolina. At about 7:30 p.m. Friday, Myrtle Beach police officers spotted the white Chevy Captiva that Vann was driving on Highway 501, the release said. [Read more…]

DA: Criminal investigation under way in apartment death, but so far, no arrest, charges

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Dave Clark

Dave Clark

A criminal investigation is under way in the death of a 29-year-old man at an apartment in Oak Ridge early Monday, but there has not been an arrest yet and no charges have been filed, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said Thursday.

Thomas Steven Thrasher Jr., 29, was found dead in a second-floor apartment when the Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a report of a possible intruder at about 4:40 a.m. Monday at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive.

Clark said an autopsy has been performed by the Anderson County medical examiner.

“As a result of the circumstances, the Oak Ridge Police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been conducting a criminal investigation,” Clark said. “There has been no arrest or charges filed at this time.” [Read more…]

Anderson County woman dies in crash on Lake City Highway

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Information from WYSH Radio

An Anderson County woman died in a single-vehicle crash on Lake City Highway Tuesday morning, authorities said.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 71-year-old Marianna Pearson of Clinton had been headed south in a Mazda 626 at around 9 a.m. Tuesday when she lost control of the car while negotiating a right-hand curve near Pumphouse Lane. The car went off the left side of the road and struck an embankment.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Driver stable with minor injuries after car rolls, hits tree

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Oliver Springs Highway Crash

The male driver of this Ford Taurus was stable with minor injuries after going off Oliver Springs Highway, rolling down a drop-off, and hitting a large tree, authorities said. The driver had to be extricated and was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. (Photos by Tom Scott)

 

Rescuers had to extricate the male driver of a car that rolled down a drop-off alongside Oliver Springs Highway and hit a large tree Tuesday morning, and the man was in stable condition with minor injuries, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 6:50 a.m. Tuesday on Oliver Springs Highway near Bill Key Lane.

The Ford Taurus was headed toward Oliver Springs when it rolled a few times down a 10- to 15-foot drop-off alongside the highway, said Stephanie Fox, assistant chief of the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department. The car stopped when it hit a large tree, she said. [Read more…]

Driver escapes before train hits pickup on railroad tracks

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Pickup Truck and Train Crash on Dutch Valley Road

The driver escaped from this pickup truck before it was hit by a train on railroad tracks alongside Dutch Valley Road in Marlow on Sunday afternoon. (Photos by Tom Scott)

 

A driver was able to escape from a pickup truck before it was hit by a train on railroad tracks alongside Dutch Valley Road in Marlow on Sunday afternoon, a fire official said.

The Chevrolet S-10 pickup had apparently hit the ditch alongside Dutch Valley Road, went airborne, and landed on the tracks, where it was stuck, said Stephanie Fox, assistant chief for the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department.

It wasn’t immediately clear how much time elapsed before the truck was hit by the train near Smith Road. The crash was reported at about 2:50 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

State officials, local agencies to crack down on seat belt use, impaired driving

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Kendell Poole

Kendell Poole

Traffic fatalities in Anderson County are up significantly this year, and Tennessee officials and local law enforcement agencies will announce a campaign on Monday to crack down on drivers not using seat belts or driving while impaired during the holidays.

The announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, November 10, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Among those participating will be Kendell Poole, director of the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office, and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, as well as representatives of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, and Rocky Top police departments.

“There have been 16 traffic fatalities in Anderson County in 2014, which represents a 77 percent increase compared to 2013,” a press release said. “This is the third highest year-to-date difference in fatalities that an individual county has seen in Tennessee. Seventy-five percent of the fatalities were unrestrained. In an effort to prevent additional fatalities and injuries, Anderson County agencies will be increasing enforcement and conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.” [Read more…]

Powell man struck, killed along Clinton Highway

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Powell man was killed Saturday afternoon when he was struck by a vehicle while walking along Clinton Highway.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Kenneth Miller, 66, was walking north along Clinton Highway when it happened around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. A vehicle also headed north crossed onto the shoulder just south of Stanley Road and hit Miller. THP said the driver was 77-year-old Patsy Kirby of Powell.

While alcohol and drugs are not believed to have played a role in Saturday’s accident, the THP report indicates that citations and/or charges are pending.

Updated: Anderson County building commissioner faces charges in TBI case

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David Lynn Crowley

David Lynn Crowley

Note: This story was updated at 3 p.m.

Anderson County Public Works Director David Lynn Crowley was arrested Thursday morning by agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on five charges of violating state laws dealing with having the proper licenses to perform building inspections.

In a press release, the TBI said Crowley, 62, of Clinton, is accused of performing building inspections he wasn’t certified to do. Crowley was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury. He is charged with five misdemeanor counts of violating the state’s building official certification law.

Crowley was booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton at 9:45 a.m. Thursday and released on a $1,000 bond a little more than an hour later. [Read more…]

THP: Jacksboro man killed in I-75 crash

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Information from WYSH Radio

One person died in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 North in Anderson County on Thursday afternoon.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to the scene just before 3:30 p.m. at exit 129, the Rocky Top (Lake City) exit.

The THP report indicates that a 1998 Ford pickup left the right side of the roadway, traveled into a ditch and flipped, partially ejecting the driver, 29-year-old William Overton of Jacksboro. Troopers say he was not wearing a seatbelt.

FBI involved in missing woman case

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Nichole Burgess

Nichole Burgess

Information from WYSH Radio

The FBI is now helping investigate the disappearance of a Tennessee mother with Anderson County ties. Metro Nashville police said they have sent some evidence in the case of Nikki Burgess to the agency for review.

Burgess, who authorities believe has been murdered, was last seen alive on May 23 when she dropped her son off at school. Later that same day, she sent a text message to a friend indicating that she was having an altercation with her 10-year-old son’s father, Caleb Cannon of Andersonville. Cannon picked the boy up from school later that day.

In June, Nashville investigators searched his home for evidence. Detectives have named him a person of interest in Burgess’ disappearance, but so far no arrests have been made.