Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats

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A Secret City Academy student was charged with terrorism and other crimes after allegedly threatening to shoot people and use a bomb at the school on Friday, Anderson County’s district attorney general said. This is the fourth student charged with similar crimes in three incidents this school year.

Seventh Judicial District DA Dave Clark said the alleged oral threat by the juvenile briefly caused restrictions on movements within the school. The Secret City Academy is on the Oak Ridge High School campus.

“Nobody was hurt, and no firearm or explosive device was involved,” Clark said in a press release.

The alleged threats were investigated by the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Schools, Anderson County Juvenile Court, and the DA’s office.

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Woman charged with murder in husband’s death after 7 years

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Samantha Hendley

The wife of Thomas Steven “T.S.” Thrasher has been charged with first-degree murder after his death in 2014, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Samantha Anne Hendley, 35, of Harriman, was indicted last week by the Anderson County Grand Jury, and she was arrested and booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Monday morning, the TBI said. Her bond has been set at $1 million.

The indictment and arrest followed seven years of casework by TBI special agents, the agency said.

Thrasher, 29, was shot and killed inside his home at Rolling Hills Apartments on December 8, 2014.

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Investigators find human remains in vehicle pulled from lake

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Human remains have been located inside a vehicle pulled from Melton Hill Lake on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. The vehicle belonged to Miriam Ruth Hemphill, who was reported missing in Oak Ridge in July 2005, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. (Submitted photo)

Human remains have been located inside a vehicle pulled from Melton Hill Lake on Wednesday. The vehicle belonged to Miriam Ruth Hemphill, who was reported missing in Oak Ridge in July 2005, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

“At this time, Oak Ridge Police Department investigators and the medical examiner’s office are working together to process the vehicle,” a press release said. “The medical examiner’s office is also working to identify the remains. It’s unclear how long it will take to identify them.”

It is not clear whether the remains found in the vehicle are Hemphill’s, the press release said.

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One dies in two-vehicle crash

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One person died after a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike at Wisconsin Avenue late Monday afternoon, Oct. 18, 2021. (Submitted photo)

One person died after a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike at Wisconsin Avenue late Monday afternoon.

The crash was reported shortly after 4:15 p.m. Monday, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately available, and neither was the condition of any other drivers or passengers involved in the crash.

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For members: More than 1,300 suspected pills allegedly found during arrest, search

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Including a March 23 arrest and search and arrests on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, more than 1,300 pills total of suspected controlled substances were found in or near this home on Andover Circle in Oak Ridge, according to lists that officers included in arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

More than 1,000 pills of suspected controlled substances, three bags of suspected ketamine, pill presses, and unidentified precursor chemicals were found during a search of a home in northeast Oak Ridge last week, according to Anderson County law enforcement officers. Two people who live at the home, a man and a woman, were arrested after the search.

The search by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force on Tuesday followed an arrest near the home on Andover Circle in March, when a Knox County woman was detained on a sidewalk near the home with more than 100 pills and other suspected drugs, according to Oak Ridge police.

Including the arrest in March and search and arrests last week, more than 1,300 pills total of suspected controlled substances were found in or near the home, according to lists that officers included in arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. The controlled substances included suspected stimulants and hallucinogens, and drugs used to treat anxiety, panic attacks, and pain.

Here is what officers found at the home on Andover Circle on Tuesday, according to Agent Kenneth C. Woods of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County:

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Including a March 23 arrest and search and arrests on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, more than 1,300 pills total of suspected controlled substances were found in or near this home on Andover Circle in Oak Ridge, according to lists that officers included in arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

More than 1,000 pills of suspected controlled substances, three bags of suspected ketamine, pill presses, and unidentified precursor chemicals were found during a search of a home in northeast Oak Ridge last week, according to Anderson County law enforcement officers. Two people who live at the home, a man and a woman, were arrested after the search.

The search by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force on Tuesday followed an arrest near the home on Andover Circle in March, when a Knox County woman was detained on a sidewalk near the home with more than 100 pills and other suspected drugs, according to Oak Ridge police.

Including the arrest in March and search and arrests last week, more than 1,300 pills total of suspected controlled substances were found in or near the home, according to lists that officers included in arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. The controlled substances included suspected stimulants and hallucinogens, and drugs used to treat anxiety, panic attacks, and pain.

Here is what officers found at the home on Andover Circle on Tuesday, according to Agent Kenneth C. Woods of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County:

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One person flown to hospital, in critical condition after rollover crash

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The Oak Ridge Police Department was investigating a serious rollover crash on Laboratory Road near the exit from Home Depot on Tuesday evening, April 13, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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

One person was flown by a medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and is in critical condition after a rollover crash on Laboratory Road near the exit from Home Depot on Tuesday evening.

The crash involved two vehicles, a truck and a car. The truck had rolled over onto its top on the northbound side of the road north of the Home Depot exit. The car was stopped at an angle in the middle of the road at the exit.

A short section of Laboratory Road was closed for hours between Home Depot and Oak Ridge Turnpike as police investigated the crash.

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Governor authorizes $10,000 reward in Thomas Thrasher death investigation

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Rolling Hills Apartments Building
The Oak Ridge Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the death of a 29-year-old man found dead in a second-floor apartment at this Rolling Hills Apartments building in Oak Ridge on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has authorized a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible for killing Thomas Steven “T.S.” Thrasher in Oak Ridge on December 8, 2014, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said Monday.

The reward was requested by Clark.

Thrasher was found dead in his home from a gunshot wound more than six years ago. He and his family lived at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive in the Rolling Hills Apartment Complex in Oak Ridge. Thrasher’s death was investigated by the Oak Ridge Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

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Man pursued by police runs into church, taken into custody

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A man pursued by police ran into First United Methodist Church between services in Oak Ridge on Sunday morning, canceling services, according to witnesses and the church. The man was later caught, and no one was injured, the church reported.

There were reports of a large police presence at the church, including Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the building was reportedly evacuated.

The man ran in as churchgoers were leaving the 10 a.m. service. The 11 a.m. service and Worship on the Lawn at 1 p.m. were both canceled as the building was still being searched and cleared, the church said.

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Nine men arrested in undercover human trafficking operation

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Nine men, including at least five who met with undercover agents posing as juveniles, were arrested on trafficking, sex, and prostitution charges in Oak Ridge on Thursday during a two-day undercover operation targeted at human trafficking in East Tennessee.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers said they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.

“The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a press release.

The covert operation included the Oak Ridge Police Department, special agents from the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force (CTF), the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office.

In a press release, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said the operation was conceived by ORPD in response to recent cases where men from other areas have solicited sex from juveniles and traveled to Oak Ridge to meet the girls. The ORPD led the covert operation on Wednesday and Thursday with technical and manpower help from the TBI, CTF, the Sheriff’s Office, and the DA’s Office, Clark said.

“Arrests were made when men came to an Oak Ridge location to pay to have sex with minors,” the DA said.

The operation also focused on identifying potential victims of trafficking. Two adult women were identified and offered services such as housing and counseling through Grow Free Tennessee, a program of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the TBI said.

The covert human trafficking operation was conducted in Oak Ridge. Officers were focused on investigating people who buy sex as well as people engaged in sex trafficking, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Here are the allegations against the defendants charged in cases involving undercover agents posing as juveniles, according to the arrest warrants. The offenses occurred within 1,000 feet of a daycare facility.

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Oak Ridge, TN 37831

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Nine men, including at least five who met with undercover agents posing as juveniles, were arrested on trafficking, sex, and prostitution charges in Oak Ridge on Thursday during a two-day undercover operation targeted at human trafficking in East Tennessee.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers said they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.

“The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a press release.

The covert operation included the Oak Ridge Police Department, special agents from the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force (CTF), the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office.

In a press release, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said the operation was conceived by ORPD in response to recent cases where men from other areas have solicited sex from juveniles and traveled to Oak Ridge to meet the girls. The ORPD led the covert operation on Wednesday and Thursday with technical and manpower help from the TBI, CTF, the Sheriff’s Office, and the DA’s Office, Clark said.

“Arrests were made when men came to an Oak Ridge location to pay to have sex with minors,” the DA said.

The operation also focused on identifying potential victims of trafficking. Two adult women were identified and offered services such as housing and counseling through Grow Free Tennessee, a program of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the TBI said.

The covert human trafficking operation was conducted in Oak Ridge. Officers were focused on investigating people who buy sex as well as people engaged in sex trafficking, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Here are the allegations against the defendants charged in cases involving undercover agents posing as juveniles, according to the arrest warrants. The offenses occurred within 1,000 feet of a daycare facility.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Large transmission tower knocked down, causing power outages

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A large electrical transmission tower was knocked down in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, Jan. 22, 2021, causing widespread power outages. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 1:30 a.m. Jan 23.

A large high-voltage transmission tower was knocked down in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, causing widespread power outages.

Power went out in sections of Oak Ridge at about 4:30 p.m. Friday. Stoplights were not operating, and South Illinois Avenue was closed to traffic in a section north and south of the University of Tennessee Arboretum. Traffic was backed up for miles, and drivers were redirected to alternate routes.

A heavily damaged white pickup truck was at the crash site. An overturned Bobcat was behind the pickup truck.

The City of Oak Ridge said the pickup truck hit the transmission tower. The driver of the truck involved in the crash and a passenger had injuries that were not life-threatening, the city said. Both were taken to local hospitals.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

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Robbery reported at One Bank

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A bank robbery was reported at One Bank in Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, and the Oak Ridge Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching for a suspect. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A bank robbery was reported in Oak Ridge on Friday, and the Oak Ridge Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching for a suspect.

The robbery was reported by a silent alarm at One Bank on Oak Ridge Turnpike at about 8:35 a.m. Friday, and dispatchers then received a phone call reporting the robbery, a press release said.

Officers responded and determined a white male, in his 20s, wearing a black knit watch cap, red face mask, black or dark gray hoodie, and blue jeans presented a note to tellers advising it was a bank robbery and demanding money, the press release said.

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Baby boy found dead near river bank in March remains unidentified

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The Oak Ridge Police Department and Police Chief Robin Smith are offering a $1,500 reward for information about the baby boy found dead near the river bank along Melton Lake Greenway on Thursday, March 26, 2020. The Oak Ridge Police Department has named the baby boy “Wyatt,” which means “little warrior,” the city said. On Thursday, April 2, ORPD officers and the Oak Ridge Fire Department set up a memorial in baby Wyatt’s name near the parking area on Melton Lake at Edgemoor Road. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The baby boy found dead near the river bank along Melton Lake Greenway in March remains unidentified, and the Oak Ridge Police Department is offering a $1,500 reward for information about the boy.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has named the baby boy “Wyatt,” which authorities have said means “little warrior.”

Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith has pledged $500 of the $1,500 reward being offered by the police department for information about the boy.

The ORPD has received $950 in community donations to use for a memorial for baby Wyatt. ORPD officers and the Oak Ridge Fire Department set up a memorial in baby Wyatt’s name near a parking area along the Clinch River at Edgemoor Road in April.

The baby boy’s body was found near the river bank just north of the Edgemoor Road bridge on Thursday, March 26. The boy’s umbilical cord was still attached before he was placed in the water, Smith said in a Facebook video in April. A piece of clothing was with Wyatt, although it’s not being described for investigative reasons.

[Read more…]

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