Police and Fire Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Motorcyclist airlifted to UT after crashing into power pole

Posted at 9:54 am August 8, 2018
By John Huotari 3 Comments

A motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, Aug. 8, 2018. authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 2:50 p.m.

A 20-year-old motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash, which was a few blocks east of North Illinois Avenue in an area with a curve and a hill, was reported at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday. The motorcycle was heading west when it left the roadway and struck a utility pole, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

After the crash, the male motorcyclist was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville from Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, said Eric Rackard, battalion chief for the Oak Ridge Fire Department. [Read more…]

Officer injured in crash released from hospital

Posted at 2:30 am April 7, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge Police Department officer was injured in a crash and children were taken to the hospital after a fugitive crashed a car as he fled from police on Wednesday, April 5, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

The Oak Ridge Police Department officer injured in a crash allegedly caused by a fugitive who was fleeing from police on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, has been released from the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a spokesperson said Friday. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

Note: This story was last updated at 9:55 a.m.

The officer injured in a crash allegedly caused by a fugitive who was fleeing from police on Wednesday has been released from the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a spokesperson confirmed Friday.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Nathan Gibson was injured while trying to make a traffic stop and serve a warrant on Khristoff Deshawn Lee, 24, of Oak Ridge, on South Illinois Avenue at about 12:37 p.m. Wednesday, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Gibson has been discharged, UT Medical Center spokesperson Susan Wyatt said Friday afternoon. No information is available on his present condition.

It’s not clear what charges might have been in the warrant Gibson was trying to serve on Lee on Wednesday, but a writ of criminal capias had been issued for Lee after he failed to appear at a plea agreement hearing on attempted first-degree murder and robbery charges, among other pending charges, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on August 14. [Read more…]

Officer injured, children taken to hospital after fugitive flees from police

Posted at 5:57 pm April 5, 2018
By John Huotari 2 Comments

An Oak Ridge Police Department officer was injured in a crash and children were taken to the hospital after a fugitive crashed a car as he fled from police on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

An Oak Ridge Police Department officer was injured in a crash and children were taken to the hospital after a fugitive crashed a car as he fled from police on Wednesday, authorities said.

The ORPD learned that a known felony suspect was in the area just before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.Shortly after they received the information, officers located the vehicle that they believed contained the fugitive and they attempted to conduct a traffic stop near the intersection of South Illinois Avenue and Woodland Terrace.

But the driver refused to stop, entered the Panera Bread and Aubrey’s Restaurant parking area and proceeded through the lot at an unsafe rate of speed, striking at least one other vehicle, the city said.

The fugitive, Khristoff Lee, was initially a passenger in the vehicle, but he forced the female driver to switch seats with him upon seeing officers, the press release said. [Read more…]

Man charged with homicide in crash that killed 3-year-old boy

Posted at 10:22 am March 22, 2018
By John Huotari 4 Comments

Jason Robert Braden II

An Anderson County man has been charged in an 11-count indictment that includes vehicular homicide by intoxication after a crash that killed a three-year-old boy and injured at least three other people in Oak Ridge last year.

Jason Robert Braden III, 3, died in the two-vehicle crash, which was considered a mass casualty event. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Charged in the 11-count indictment is Jason Robert Braden II, 24, of Bush Road in Marlow. The charges against Braden include vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, four counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) is involved, driving under the influence, driving without a license, speeding, and violation of the child restraint law.

The Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton indicted Braden on February 27. He was arrested March 4. His bond has been set at $125,000, and he was released from the Anderson County Detention Facility on Monday, March 19. He has an arraignment set for Monday morning, March 26, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. [Read more…]

Criminal charges pending in fatal crash in Poplar Creek

Posted at 12:40 pm March 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A 50-year-old Rocky Top man died when a 2006 Mazda car crashed off Poplar Creek Road and into Poplar Creek just north of west Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A 50-year-old Rocky Top man died when a 2006 Mazda 3 car crashed off Poplar Creek Road and into Poplar Creek just north of west Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

ROANE COUNTY—A 50-year-old Rocky Top man died and one person was injured when a car crashed off Poplar Creek Road and into Poplar Creek just north of west Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, and criminal charges are pending, authorities said.

The man who died, Warner D. Martin, was a passenger in a silver 2006 Mazda 3 four-door car driven by Rebecca L. Vanasse, 26, of Oak Ridge, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Carrying three people, the car swerved on the narrow, curvy road and overcorrected, the THP said in a fatality report. Because of the overcorrection, the vehicle went down an embankment along the westbound side of the road and into the creek, where it became fully submerged, the THP said.

The single-vehicle crash was reported on Poplar Creek Road a few miles east of Blair Road at about 11:04 a.m. Tuesday. The front end of the car appeared to have plunged into the creek first. [Read more…]

Student arrested after threatening to ‘shoot up’ school

Posted at 3:55 pm February 22, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 4:40 p.m.

A Robertsville Middle School student was arrested Thursday after threatening to “shoot up the school,” authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of the threat at 9:59 a.m. Thursday. The alleged threat came during a moment of silence for the victims of the school shooting in Florida, the ORPD said.

The 13-year-old male student was immediately removed from class and taken to the principal’s office where two ORPD officers conducted an interview, according to a statement from police. The student admitted to saying he was going to “shoot up the school,” but he apologized and told officers he was joking and did not mean it, the statement said.

Officers also interviewed a parent of the student who confirmed that the teen does not have access to any firearms at home. [Read more…]

Updated: Fisherman finds body of missing man at Bull Run Park

Posted at 8:09 pm February 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Rescue Squad and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department helped retrieve a body found under water in Bull Run Creek at Bull Run Park in Claxton on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 21, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 10:45 a.m. Feb. 22.

CLAXTON—A fisherman found a body under about four feet of water at Bull Run Park in Claxton on Wednesday afternoon, and it has been identified as the man reported missing from Karns in Knox County on Sunday morning, authorities said.

The body of Freddy Shultz, 66, was located on the slope of the bank of Bull Run Creek at Bull Run Park at about 3:48 p.m. Wednesday, according to information from Anderson County Sheriff Paul White and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. The body was located near the New Henderson Road bridge after four days of searching.

Divers from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and a boat with personnel from the Anderson County Rescue Squad assisted in the recovery, said Mark Lucas, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department chief deputy.

White said identification in the man’s wallet identified him as the missing man. His black pickup truck had been found parked alongside New Henderson Road across the creek from Bull Run Park at about 12:45 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

Updated: Smoke alarms help six escape house fire

Posted at 7:59 am February 6, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A minor injury was reported and several people escaped from a house fire on Tiffany Place in central Oak Ridge on Monday evening, Feb. 5, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m.

Smoke alarms helped six people escape a house fire on Tiffany Place in central Oak Ridge on Monday evening, authorities said. One person had minor injuries.

The fire was reported just before 7 p.m. Monday. It started in the home’s garage, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. The cause was not immediately known.

Oak Ridge Fire Department crews were able to knock it down quickly. But the fire burned a bedroom above the garage. It also burned the engine of a vehicle in the driveway. Authorities said the home received extensive smoke damage.
[Read more…]

ORPD accepting applications for Citizen Police Academy

Posted at 1:15 pm February 5, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department will be conducting a Citizen Police Academy in 2018. Classes will start Feb. 27, 2018. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. Pictured above in the Citizen Police Academy in 2012. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

The Oak Ridge Police Department will be conducting a Citizen Police Academy this year. Classes will start February 27 and continue through May 8. Applications will be accepted until February 21 at 5 p.m.

Class will be held on Tuesday of each week with the exception of two sessions that will be conducted on Saturday. Each class will start at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. The Saturday classes will be scheduled to fit the needs of the students, a press release said.

“Students will learn the policies and procedures of the Oak Ridge Police Department and experience firsthand how the department operates,” the press release said.

It said the mission of the Citizen Police Academy is to debunk myths about law enforcement as well as open lines of communication between officers and civilians. [Read more…]

No injuries reported after car crashes above river along Melton Lake Drive

Posted at 9:32 pm February 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, Feb. 2, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported that the single occupant of the vehicle was able to get out of the car on his own before officers arrived.

Pictures posted by the ORPD showed the car off the road, over the Melton Lake greenway, and a short distance down the embankment leading down to the Clinch River. [Read more…]

Updated: Two injured in Claxton shooting

Posted at 7:39 pm January 13, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department investigates a shooting at 3008 Clinton Highway, at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Lonesome Dove Road in Claxton, on Saturday evening, Jan. 13, 2018. Two people were reported to have non-life threatening injuries. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 2:20 p.m. Jan. 14.

CLAXTON—Two people were shot at a home in Claxton on Saturday, and they both appear to have non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at about 5:24 p.m. Saturday. One of the victims was at the BreadBox Market on Edgemoor Road in Claxton, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

When they arrived at the BreadBox, deputies learned the shooting had taken place at a home on Clinton Highway, Lucas said. When deputies went to that house at 3008 Clinton Highway, they found a second person who had been shot, Lucas said. [Read more…]

Cromwell’s motion for new trial is denied

Posted at 4:52 pm July 16, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, the Oak Ridge man convicted of vehicular homicide in a fatal parking lot crash at Midtown Community Center after July 4 fireworks two years ago, was sentenced to 12 years in prison during a hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court on Monday, June 19, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A judge has denied the motion for a new trial for Lee Harold Cromwell, the man convicted of vehicular homicide in a 2015 fireworks crash at Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge.

Cromwell, 67, was convicted of one count of vehicular homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault after a three-day trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton in February. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in June.

The crash occurred when Cromwell backed his Dodge Ram pickup truck through the crowded parking lot of the Midtown Community Center after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015. The crash killed James Robinson of Knoxville, a husband and father of two young girls, and it injured at least eight others. It’s one of the worst crashes anyone can remember in Oak Ridge.

Cromwell’s motion for a new trial was heard by Senior Judge Paul G. Summers in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on June 27.

Summers denied the motion for a new trial that day. He issued an order July 5.

The case has been appealed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Knoxville. [Read more…]