Oak Ridge Today

One person dies, four injured in two-vehicle crash near UT Arboretum

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One person died and four people were injured in a two-vehicle crash involving a sedan and an SUV near the University of Tennessee Arboretum on South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, May 26, 2017, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

One person died and four people were injured in a two-vehicle crash involving a sedan and an SUV near the University of Tennessee Arboretum on South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, May 26, 2017, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One person died and four people were injured in the two-vehicle crash near the University of Tennessee Arboretum on South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 2:47 p.m. Friday at Commerce Park Drive, which is across from the Arboretum.

The two vehicles involved were a sedan and a sport utility vehicle, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

Three people were inside the sedan: two adults and one child. The adult passenger was killed. The adult driver and child passenger were injured.

Two adults inside the SUV were injured, the city said.

All of the victims were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Two were taken by UT Lifestar medical helicopters and two by ambulance, the city said. The extent of their injuries and current conditions are unknown. Their identities haven’t been released. [Read more…]

Update: Truck driver was ill, but shipment was routine, posed no threat to public

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Oak Ridge Turnpike re-opened near Big Turtle Park after about 1.5 hours Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 2017, after authorities investigated a possible hazardous materials situation involving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer with two cargo containers marked radioactive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Turnpike re-opened near Big Turtle Park after about 1.5 hours Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 2017, after authorities investigated a possible hazardous materials situation involving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer with two cargo containers marked radioactive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 6:45 p.m.

Authorities investigated a truck shipment labeled radioactive after a driver was reported ill on Wednesday afternoon, and they found the shipment was routine and posed no threat to the public, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the call of the truck driver who was ill on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Newport Drive at about 11:50 a.m. Wednesday.

When they arrived, firefighters saw the truck and its flatbed trailer were transporting hazardous waste, so as they evaluated the patient, the Fire Department said in a City of Oak Ridge press release.

Firefighters also followed procedure to evaluate the shipment to ensure there was no association with the truck driver’s illness, the press release said.

“Officials closed that section of the Oak Ridge Turnpike as a precautionary measure until the patient could be evaluated and transported to the local hospital,” the press release said. “The truck was relocated off of the state highway to a city parking lot for additional evaluation and the highway was re-opened.” [Read more…]

Trees fall, roads flood, driver escapes floodwaters as rains continue

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The driver was reported to have made it out of floodwaters before emergency responders arrived on Saturday afternoon, April 22, 2017, but her black Nissan Altima remained partially submerged on Airport Road near Oliver Springs on Sunday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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

Roads flooded and trees fell—sometimes on homes, power lines, and roads—as rain continued to fall in East Tennessee on Sunday. One driver was reported to have escaped from her car in floodwaters on Airport Road near Oliver Springs on Saturday afternoon, but the black Nissan Altima remained partially submerged in the water on Sunday.

There appeared to have been at least 10 reports of fallen trees in Oak Ridge during the severe thunderstorms that started Saturday afternoon and continued with rain showers on Sunday. Most of those trees were reported to have fallen on homes, power lines, across roadways, or on personal property such as an automobile. There were five reports of fallen trees between about 3 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, including a tree that fell across both lanes of Melton Lake Drive near Calhoun’s restaurant, causing a temporary closure of that two-lane road.

There were more reports of trees that had fallen but not damaged anything.

Large trees are falling due to excess rain, the City of Oak Ridge said Sunday. Electric crews have been out all night, and backup is on the way, the city said, but it may be tomorrow (Monday, April 24) before all power is back.

At various times on Sunday, there were reports of flooding or flood watches across Oak Ridge, including on Vermont Avenue, near Heritage Center (the former K-25 site), on California Avenue, and at Jefferson Avenue and North Jefferson Circle.

There were also reports of trees down and road closures in Clinton. Briceville Highway was reported to be closed in Briceveille due to sinking pavement on Sunday afternoon. Earlier Sunday, State Route 71 in Anderson County was closed for several hours at Norris Dam State Park because trees were blocking the road, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Some school districts have announced they will be closed Monday. Roane County Schools said it will be closed due to “concerning road conditions throughout the county.” Anderson County Schools said it will be closed because of dangerous conditions with flooded roads and trees being down.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said a record for daily rainfall was set at Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport on Sunday. The NWS said 1.89 inches had fallen as of 5 p.m. Sunday, breaking the old record of 1.63 inches in 1977.

[Read more…]

Emergency workers respond to car crash, fallen trees, flooding

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Floodwaters rose close to road level at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue after heavy rains fell in Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon and evening, April 22, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge emergency workers responded to a car crash that injured two people, two fallen trees, and a possible apartment complex evacuation due to flooding during the severe thunderstorms on Saturday.

Heavy rain from the storms led to widespread flooding in Oak Ridge starting late Saturday afternoon. The water appeared to have receded in places a few hours later, or by early Saturday night.

Emergency workers made preparations Saturday evening to possibly evacuate apartments on Royce Circle, where water covered part of the roadway and rose near the first floor of an apartment complex at the northeast end of the circle. The apartments, which are next to Robertsville Road and just east of Willow Brook Elementary School, are in a low-lying area between two creeks that flow down along Jefferson Avenue and intersect with East Fork Poplar Creek, which was swollen with floodwaters on Saturday.

Authorities had made preparations to see how many people lived on the first floor of the Royce Circle apartment complex in case the residents had to be evacuated, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. Of the 10 people there, all but one had another place to go, he said. Authorities were watching the water, Kerley said.

“We think it’s receding,” he said Saturday night. [Read more…]

Using DUI simulation goggles, ACHS students learn how alcohol, drugs impair driving

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The School Resource Unit of the Anderson County Sheriff's Department and Allies For Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP, in cooperation with Anderson County Schools, hosted a DUI Simulation Event on Friday morning, April 21, 2017 for students at Anderson County High School. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff's Department)

The School Resource Unit of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and Allies For Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP, in cooperation with Anderson County Schools, hosted a DUI Simulation Event on Friday morning, April 21, 2017 for students at Anderson County High School. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

The School Resource Unit of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and Allies For Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP, in cooperation with Anderson County Schools, hosted a DUI Simulation Event on Friday morning for students at Anderson County High School.

Using DUI simulation goggles, students were able to see first-hand the effects of driving while under the influence, or DUI. These goggles simulate different levels of blood alcohol in a person’s system, a press release said. Students drove golf carts through a driving course and participated in field sobriety tests. All of the students who were “tested” could see how alcohol and drugs can seriously impair driving and coordination, the press release said.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol, Clinton Police Department, Anderson County EMS, Anderson County Rescue Squad, Andersonville Fire Department, Clinton Fire Department, and Lifestar, along with representatives with Anderson County Schools, were on hand for this event. [Read more…]

Gust of wind blew airplane into trees, and he crashed, pilot says

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Oliver Springs Plane Crash April 15 2017

The pilot of a small experimental or ultralight aircraft was reported to be okay after a crash in a field in Anderson County near Valley Drive in Oliver Springs on Saturday afternoon, April 15, 2017, authorities said. (Photo by Oliver Springs Fire Department)

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—The pilot of a small airplane that crashed near Oliver Springs on Saturday told authorities that a gust of wind blew the plane into trees while he was approaching his grass landing strip, and he crashed.

The crash of the ultralight aircraft was reported at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday in a field off Valley Drive in Oliver Springs, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

The pilot, Timothy Stringer, 40, had attempted to land at his private grass landing strip at his home on Ray Lane. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department located him at his home. He had some visible lacerations but refused any medical treatment, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Adam Warren said in an incident report. [Read more…]

Pilot reported to be okay when small aircraft crashes near Oliver Springs

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Oliver Springs Plane Crash April 15 2017

The pilot of a small experimental or ultralight aircraft was reported to be okay after a crash in Anderson County near Oliver Springs on Saturday afternoon, April 15, 2017, authorities said. (Photo by Oliver Springs Fire Department)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:15 p.m. April 16.

MARLOW—The pilot of a small experimental or ultralight aircraft was reported to be okay after a crash in Anderson County near Oliver Springs on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The pilot was reported to have walked away from the crash and declined medical treatment.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said federal officials have been notified of the crash of the registered aircraft. The cause of the crash isn’t clear. [Read more…]

State asks for 11-year sentence in fatal July 4 parking lot crash

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Lee Harold Cromwell, 68, of Oak Ridge, has been charged with vehicular homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault in a fatal parking lot crash at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge after fireworks on July 4, 2015. Cromwell has been on trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton, starting Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, and continuing through Wednesday, Feb. 15. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, of Oak Ridge, was convicted of vehicular homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault in a fatal parking lot crash at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge after fireworks on July 4, 2015. Cromwell was convicted at the end of a three-day jury trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton, starting Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, and continuing through Wednesday, Feb. 15. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—Prosecutors have asked for an effective 11-year sentence for the Oak Ridge man convicted of one count of vehicular homicide and eight counts of aggravated assault in the fatal parking lot crash at Midtown Community Center after fireworks on July 4, 2015.

The crash killed a father of two, James Robinson, 37, of Knoxville, who was trying to push his daughters to safety, and it injured eight others. It’s one of the worst crashes anyone can remember in Oak Ridge.

Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, was convicted of the vehicular homicide and aggravated assault charges after a three-day trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton in February, and he was scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday. But the sentencing hearing was postponed because Cromwell did not want private attorney James Scott representing him anymore. A public defender has been appointed instead.

A new date hasn’t been set yet for the rescheduled sentencing hearing. The public defender will need time to review the case and the transcript of the three-day trial in mid-February before he or she can represent Cromwell at sentencing. [Read more…]

Driver dies after crash on State Route 95

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A driver died after a crash on State Route 95 near the entrance to the TRU Waste Processing Center north of Interstate 40 on Monday afternoon, April 10, 2017. One vehicle, the dark-colored Saturn Astra at right, went off the road. A second vehicle, the red Mercury Sable in the middle of the road, was reported to have crossed the center line and hit a truck trailer, pictured down the hill at left. The TRU Center is up the hill to the right. This picture is taken facing north. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A driver died after a crash on State Route 95 near the entrance to the TRU Waste Processing Center north of Interstate 40 on Monday afternoon, April 10, 2017. One vehicle, the dark-colored Saturn Astra at right, went off the road. A second vehicle, the red Mercury Sable in the middle of the road, was reported to have crossed the center line and hit a truck trailer, pictured down the hill at left. The TRU Center is up the hill to the right. This picture is taken facing north. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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

The driver of a four-door sedan that crossed over the center line on State Route 95 and hit a semi truck trailer died from his injuries at a hospital, authorities said Monday.

The crash was reported at about 1:57 p.m. Monday in a hilly, curvy section of road near the entrance to the TRU Waste Processing Center north of Interstate 40. The area is south of the western entrance to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The driver of the red Mercury Sable sedan, which was southbound, was taken by ambulance to Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City, where he later died from his injuries, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The Sable had a disabled driver or passenger license plate, although it wasn’t clear if the driver had a medical issue before the crash.

A third vehicle involved in the crash, a dark-colored Saturn Astra car, went off the roadway from the northbound lane, but did not hit the Mercury Sable sedan or the semi truck, the press release said. No other injuries were reported. [Read more…]

Gilmore indicted on homicide charge in crash that killed Roane school employee

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Vickie Gay Gilmore, 62, of Oak Ridge, has been indicted on charges of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence, among other charges, in the death of Christy Duncan, a 37-year-old Harriman mother and Roane County Schools employee, in a three-vehicle crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue on Friday, May 6, 2016. Gilmore is pictured above in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Sept. 29. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Christy Duncan

Christy Duncan

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 a.m. April 10.

An Oak Ridge woman has been indicted on charges of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence in the death of a 37-year-old Harriman mother and Roane County Schools employee in a three-vehicle crash in May.

The vehicular homicide charge alleges Vickie Gay Gilmore, 62, was driving recklessly in the crash that killed Christy Duncan, 37, of Harriman.

Gilmore has also been charged with reckless aggravated assault for injuring Duncan’s daughter Janna, who was four years old at the time of the May 6 crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue.

Gilmore has also been charged with reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle), reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident. She has an arraignment scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, April 28, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton.

The indictments were filed Tuesday by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton. [Read more…]

Seven ‘sovereign citizens’ who filed fraudulent liens arrested in Anderson County

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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, that a year-long investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation resulted in a 320-count indictment, and 10 people were arrested, including seven Anderson County residents, on charges of unlawfully filing liens and making false entries into records. (Photo courtesy TBI)

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced in Nashville on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, that a year-long investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation resulted in a 320-count indictment and 10 people were arrested, including seven Anderson County residents, on charges of unlawfully filing liens and making false entries into records. (Photo courtesy TBI)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:15 p.m. Feb. 17.

Seven “sovereign citizens” from Anderson County, including Lee Harold Cromwell, have been indicted and arrested on charges related to filing fraudulent liens against local officials, law enforcement officers, and public employees, authorities said Thursday.

The sovereign citizens were arrested Wednesday by teams that included agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, according to a press release from Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark in Anderson County.

The TBI said a year-long investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation resulted in a 320-count indictment, and 10 people were arrested on charges of unlawfully filing liens and making false entries into records. Multiple other state, county, and local law enforcement agencies also participated in the arrests.

Dave Clark

Dave Clark

TBI special agents began their investigation at the request of Clark in May 2016. That was about the time that Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge learned that Cromwell had filed a lien against the judge, causing Elledge to recuse himself from a vehicular homicide and aggravated assault case filed against Cromwell. The judge vowed to do everything he could legally, morally, and ethically—both criminally and civilly—to prosecute Cromwell to the full extent of the law.

Elledge said he discussed the liens filed against him by Cromwell with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a federal task force, the Seventh District Attorney General’s Office (the Anderson County DA), and local legislators. [Read more…]

Homicide trial starts for Cromwell, could last three days

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The trial for Lee Cromwell, 67, the defendant in a fatal parking lot crash in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, has been set for the week that starts Monday, February 13, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—The homicide trial for Lee Harold Cromwell, the defendant in a fatal parking lot crash after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, started Monday in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton.

The trial started with jury selection. About 115 potential jurors received instructions from Senior Judge Paul Summers on Monday morning.

A jury of 12 people and three alternates will be selected from among the 115 potential jurors.

Summers, appointed to hear the case after Judge Don Elledge recused himself because of liens filed by Cromwell, said he expects the trial to last three days, although that is not guaranteed.

The plea deadline for Cromwell was February 3.

The witnesses that are expected to testify include current and former Oak Ridge Police Department officers, victims of the crash, and Julia Robinson, the wife of James Robinson, 37, the Knoxville man who died in the crash.

[Read more…]