• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

FBI agents will continue working if part of government shuts down

Posted at 1:25 pm December 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

FBI Knoxville

FBI Knoxville on Dowell Springs Road is pictured above in August 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation will continue working if there a partial government shutdown because of a lapse in funding starting at midnight, but they will work without pay.

There is a disagreement involving Congress, President Donald Trump, Republicans, and Democrats over whether to include $5 billion in funding for a wall on the border with Mexico in spending legislation for a number of federal departments. So far, the parties haven’t agreed on a bill that could pass the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and be signed by Trump.

If an agreement isn’t reached, funding will expire for nine federal departments and a number of agencies. The departments include the U.S. Department of Justice, which includes the FBI. The FBI field office in Knoxville covers Anderson, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union counties, among others. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: FBI, FBI field office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, government shutdown, Jason Pack, Knoxville, U.S. Department of Justice

Controlled burns scheduled in North Boundary Greenway Area

Posted at 12:13 pm November 17, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Controlled burns are scheduled soon on part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.

DOE’s Oak Ridge Office said it will start controlled burns of woodland areas of the Oak Ridge Reservation that are within the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement East Tract and Parcel ED-6 along North Boundary Road and Wisconsin Avenue in west Oak Ridge.

“Firebreak installation activities supporting these burns will begin in the near future, with ignitions taking place as soon thereafter as weather conditions permit and continuing through December 2018,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, U.S. Tagged With: Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, controlled burns, DOE, North Boundary Greenway, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA, U.S. Department of Energy, UT-Battelle/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Low-flying helicopters part of emergency exercise Wednesday

Posted at 1:34 pm September 17, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

There will be an emergency exercise on Wednesday, and it will include low-flying helicopters, a press release said.

The emergency exercise is being conducted by emergency responders from the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, along with state and local emergency management personnel.

“The public may observe emergency responders simulating response activities in the area surrounding the Oak Ridge Reservation,” a press release said. “Additionally, low-flying National Guard helicopters will be performing training in the area. The helicopters will be flying in the Melton Hill Lake area near ORNL. These activities are part of the exercise.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Police and Fire, State, Top Stories, U.S., U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: DOE, emergency exercise, emergency management, emergency responders, helicopters, Melton hill lake, National Guard helicopters, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy

Oak Ridge man sentenced to 14 years for child pornography

Posted at 7:07 pm March 28, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 3 Comments

James Edward Hiatt

James Edward Hiatt

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:38 p.m.

An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on Wednesday for distributing and possessing child pornography, authorities said.

James Edward Hiatt, 33, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

He had been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of distributing and possessing child pornography on February 17, 2016.

A sentencing memorandum filed September 11, 2017, said seized computer equipment found that Hiatt had about 2,900 digital images of child pornography and 1,400 digital videos. The child pornography included prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit activity, including “disturbing depictions of sadistic conduct, bondage, and bestiality involving very young children,” the sentencing memorandum said.

Hiatt consented to be interviewed during a search and admitted to knowingly downloading child pornography, the sentencing memorandum said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Police and Fire, U.S. Tagged With: child pornography, distributing and possessing child pornography, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, James Edward Hiatt, Knoxville Police Department, Matthew Morris, Project Safe Childhood, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Court

Anderson County residents among 44 indicted in meth distribution conspiracy

Posted at 8:28 pm March 26, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A group of Anderson County residents was part of an alleged methamphetamine distribution ring that involved 44 people and a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in East Tennessee and elsewhere, federal officials said Monday.

A 30-count indictment was returned against the 44 people by a federal grand jury in Greeneville in East Tennessee on January 9. Among those indicted were nine residents of Clinton, Oliver Springs, Powell, and Rocky Top, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Eastern District of Tennessee on Monday. There were also four Knoxville residents indicted and a dozen in Bristol and Kingsport in upper East Tennessee, among other defendants in Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Clinton Police Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, and Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County were among the agencies that helped with the investigation, the press release said.

Here are the people that were indicted in the alleged methamphetamine distribution conspiracy: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Front Page News, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: 30-count indictment, Anderson County, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Christal Gale Bean, Clinton Police Department, conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, Crystal Mcguire, David Alan Emery, David Dunlap, East Tennessee, Eastern District of Tennessee, Elizabeth Jean Patterson, federal grand jury, firearms charge, Gerald Brummett, J. Gregory Bowman, Kristen Perkins, Larkin Henry Hensley, Lashawn Johnson, Leon Jordan, Leslie William Steelman, meth, meth distribution, meth distribution conspiracy, methamphetamine, methamphetamine conspiracy, methamphetamine distribution, methamphetamine distribution ring, Mitchell Chadwick Dorris, Oak Ridge Police Department, OCDETF, Oliver Springs Police Department, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Randall Wood, Robert M. Reeves, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Stacy Jo Ferguson, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Court

Anderson County woman could face federal charges in alleged mail theft

Posted at 10:45 pm November 30, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Tina May Carroll

Tina May Carroll

 

After mail thefts had been reported in the area, an Anderson County deputy found about 150 pieces of U.S. mail from more than 40 different addresses in a pickup that he searched on Beets Valley Road on Wednesday, an incident report said.

The 32-year-old woman who was arrested in the case could now face federal charges, according to the incident report, which was from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputy Adam Warren responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle, a red 1989 Chevrolet Silverado pickup partially parked in the road on Beets Valley Road, at about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Beets Valley Road is west of Lake City Highway (US 25W) between Clinton and Rocky Top (the former Lake City).

As he approached the truck, Warren said he noticed several pieces of mail in the grass close to the driver’s side door. He saw a female, later identified as Tina May Carroll, asleep behind the wheel of the truck with the keys in the ignition, according to the incident report. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: Adam Warren, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Beets Valley Road, driving without a license, Huckleberry Lane, Lake City Highway, littering, mail theft, no proof of insurance, possession of drug paraphernalia, property theft between $0 and $1000, simple possession, Tina May Carroll

Nuclear engineer receives two years in prison for violating Atomic Energy Act

Posted at 10:23 am September 3, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice

KNOXVILLE—On Thursday, Szuhsiung Ho, also known as Allen Ho, 66, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan to serve 24 months in prison and one year of supervised release. Upon his release, he will be supervised by U.S. Probation for one year. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $20,000.

Ho pleaded guilty in January 2017 to conspiracy to unlawfully engage or participate in the production or development of special nuclear material outside the United States, without the required authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy, in violation of the Atomic Energy Act, a press release said.

An April 2016 indictment charged Ho; China General Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), the largest nuclear power company in China; and Energy Technology International (ETI), a Delaware corporation, with these offenses. At the time of his indictment, Ho was a nuclear engineer, employed as a consultant by CGNPC, and he was also the owner of ETI. CGNPC specialized in the development and manufacture of nuclear reactors and was controlled by China’s State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Police and Fire, U.S., U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Allen Ho, Atomic Energy Act, Bart Slabbekorn, Casey T. Arrowood, CGNPC, Charles E. Atchley Jr., China, China General Nuclear Power Company, Dana J. Boente, DOE, Eastern District of Tennessee, Energy Technology International, ETI, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jeffrey M. Smith, Nancy Stallard Harr, National Nuclear Security Administration, National Security Division, Renae McDermott, special nuclear material, State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Szuhsiung Ho, Tennessee Valley Authority—Office of the Inspector General, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations

Benanti gets four life sentences, plus 155 years, in bank extortion, robbery spree

Posted at 8:27 pm July 18, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a kidnapping and attempted robbery at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced Tuesday to four consecutive life sentences in federal prison, plus an additional 155 years, for his convictions involving a violent bank extortion and robbery spree in four states and several cities, including Oak Ridge and Knoxville, authorities said.

Michael Anthony Benanti, 45, of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Varlan in Knoxville on Tuesday.

Benanti had been convicted by a jury after a trial in U.S. District Court in February 2017. The jury found him guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit robbery and armed bank extortion, two counts of attempted armed bank extortion, one count of armed bank extortion, three counts of carjacking, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and 10 counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

“Often, severe federal penalties, such as mandatory minimum sentences, are the most effective tool to protect the American public from a violent criminal like Benanti,” U.S. Attorney Nancy Harr said in a press release. “The consecutive sentences received by Benanti for firearms violations ensure he will never again be able to victimize families in East Tennessee or elsewhere. The U.S. Attorney’s office is, and remains committed to, prosecuting these crimes and seeking the highest penalties possible to help keep the American people safe.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Knox County, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: bank extortion, Brian Scott Witham, carjacking, David P. Lewen Jr., FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kelly A. Norris, kidnapping, Michael Anthony Benanti, Nancy Harr, Oak Ridge Police Department, Renae McDermott, robbery, robbery spree, SmartBank, Steven H. Cook, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. District Court, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Ohio couple sentenced in fraud conspiracy involving Oak Ridge company

Posted at 1:19 pm July 18, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Photo by U.S. District Court

Photo by U.S. District Court

An Ohio couple was sentenced Friday for their roles in a conspiracy involving an Oak Ridge company, its owners, and more than $350,000 in unauthorized purchases, authorities said.

Christy A. Greider, 40, and Jason A. Greider, 42, both of Huber Heights, Ohio, were sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud by U.S. District Court Judge Pamela L. Reeves. Christy Greider will serve 33 months in federal prison, and Jason Greider will serve 27 months, United States Attorney Nancy Stallard Harr said in a press release.

The Greiders both pleaded guilty in February 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, the press release said. Christy Greider worked as the bookkeeper for M-3 Construction Inc., located in Oak Ridge. She also helped the company’s owners keep track of their personal finances, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, U.S. Tagged With: Christy A. Greider, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jason A. Greider, Kelly A. Norris, M-3 Construction Inc., Nancy Stallard Harr, Oak Ridge Police Department, Pamela L. Reeves, U.S. District Court

FBI investigates Kingston Pike bank robbery, describes suspect

Posted at 9:18 am April 5, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The FBI is investigating a bank robbery at the U.S. Bank at 8845 Kingston Pike in Knoxville at about 5 p.m. April 4, 2017. (Photo: FBI)

The FBI is investigating a bank robbery at the U.S. Bank at 8845 Kingston Pike in Knoxville at about 5 p.m. April 4, 2017. (Photo: FBI)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating a bank robbery reported at a U.S. Bank on Kingston Pike in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon.

The robbery was reported at the U.S. Bank at 8845 Kingston Pike at about 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The FBI reported that a white man entered the bank and demanded money with a note.

“After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money from the bank, the robber fled in a white, four-door sedan,” the FBI said.

The robber is described as a white male with gray hair down to his collar, and he is estimated to be about 6’0” and weigh about 250 pounds. He could be between 45-55 years old, and he was wearing a gray hooded sweat shirt, dark-colored sweat pants, white sneakers, glasses, and a dark-colored knit cap, the FBI said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Knox County, Knoxville, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: bank robbery, Blount County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, FBI Safe Streets Task Force, FBI’s Knoxville Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knox County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Knoxville FBI Office, Knoxville Police Department, U.S. Bank

Oak Ridge spent about $22,000 responding to Sevier County fires

Posted at 12:09 am March 8, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Fire Department mitchell-rd Sevier County

People being removed from vehicles while Oak Ridge Fire Department crews helped respond to the Sevier County wildfire starting Monday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Photo by Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley)

 

Oak Ridge spent about $22,000 responding to the wildfires in Sevier County in November and December, but the city doesn’t want to seek reimbursement.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department sent fire crews to Pigeon Forge on November 28 and 29, and then to Gatlinburg from November 30 to December 4. The ORFD provided structural and wildfire suppression, and search and rescue services in Sevier County, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said in a February 6 memo to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson.

Besides the emergency services that were provided, four employees of the Oak Ridge Fire Department provided incident management services in the Gatlinburg fire command center, serving as logistics and communications specialist on the state Incident Management Team, Kerley said.

He said it cost about $22,000 in staff, equipment, and fuel to respond to the mutual aid request for the historically large, deadly Sevier County fires, which were started by the Chimney Top 2 fire and fueled by high winds, dry conditions, and downed power lines. The money for the city’s firefighting aid came out of the Oak Ridge Fire Department salary, overtime, and fuel budget. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: City of Oak Ridge, Darryl Kerley, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Sevier County, Sevier County fires, wildfires

TBI has press conference today on fraudulent liens, arrests in East Tennessee

Posted at 1:18 pm February 16, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will have a press conference this afternoon (Thursday, February 16) to discuss an investigation into fraudulent liens and arrests made in East Tennessee.

It’s not clear how many arrests were made or where, and who was arrested. But WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that local, state, and federal law enforcement officers assisted the TBI in arresting a suspect in South Clinton on Wednesday.

Oak Ridge Today received a report that the TBI and Federal Bureau of Investigation were both at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton on Wednesday during the trial for Lee Harold Cromwell. Cromwell is a 67-year-old Oak Ridge man convicted Wednesday in Anderson County Criminal Court of vehicular homicide and aggravated assault for a fatal parking lot crash at the Midtown Community Center after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015. It has been alleged, including in court hearings, that Cromwell is a sovereign citizen, or someone who might not recognize certain government authorities, although neither he nor his defense attorney have acknowledged in court hearings that he is.

Officials haven’t confirmed whether the investigation into fraudulent liens by the TBI includes the $137 million in liens filed by Cromwell against local law enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service, or Social Security, but they did announce after his convictions on Wednesday that Cromwell had been indicted in Davidson County, where the TBI is based. Cromwell’s bail was revoked, and he was immediately taken into custody. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Clinton, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Roane County, State, Tennessee, U.S. Tagged With: Anderson County Courthouse, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Clinton Police Department, Code Red, Federal Bureau of Investigation, fraudulent liens, Jason Locke, Lee Cromwell, Lee Harold Cromwell, liens, Mark Gwyn, Rick Scarbrough, South Clinton Elementary School, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, WYSH Radio

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

Recent Posts

  • ORISE announces winners of 2025 Future of Science Awards
  • SL Tennessee Supports New Anderson County Chamber Headquarters
  • ORAU 2025 Pollard Scholarship recipients announced
  • Democratic Womens Club Hosts State Rep. Sam McKenzie
  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Womens Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karens Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need, said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way taking care of each other. ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today