Oak Ridge Today

Fatal July 4 crash: Victim, mechanic again dispute stuck-throttle claim

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Lee-Cromwell-Trial-Paul-Summers-James-Scott-Ben-Higgins-Feb-13-2017-Web

Defense attorney James Scott, right, talks to potential jurors in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, during the homicide trial for Lee Cromwell, 67, who is accused of killing a Knoxville man and injuring others as he backed through the crowded parking lot at the Midtown Community Center after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015. Also pictured is Senior Judge Paul Summers, top left, who was appointed to hear the case after Don Elledge recused himself, and Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins, center front. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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

CLINTON—On the witness stand on Tuesday, a mechanic and victim again disputed a claim that a stuck throttle might have been the cause of a parking lot crash that killed a Knoxville man and injured other people, including children, after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015.

The two witnesses—victim Michael Eldridge and mechanic David Carey of Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram—were among 15 witnesses who testified from Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon in the homicide trial of Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton.

The witnesses included victims, police officers, and the wife of the man who died as well as the couple’s two young children.

Presentation of the evidence concluded Tuesday afternoon, and closing arguments were given Wednesday morning. The case went to the 12-person jury late Wednesday morning.

Cromwell is accused of killing James Robinson, 37, of Knoxville; injuring others; and crashing into several vehicles as he backed his Dodge Ram pickup truck through the crowded parking lot at Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, after fireworks across the street at Alvin K. Bissell Park. He is facing a vehicular homicide charge and eight counts of aggravated assault. [Read more…]

Trial for Cromwell, defendant in fatal July 4 parking lot crash, set for Feb. 13

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

lee-cromwell-motion-hearing-sept-21-2016-2-web

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

 

CLINTON—The trial for Lee Harold Cromwell, the defendant in a fatal parking lot crash after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, has been set for the week that starts Monday, February 13, 2017.

The trial will be in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. Tennessee Senior Judge Paul G. Summers has been appointed to hear the case.

Officials expect that the trial could last at least four days. The plea deadline is 5 p.m. February 3.

Cromwell, 67, is accused of killing one person and injuring 11 others when he backed his Dodge Ram pickup truck through the crowded parking lot at the Midtown Community Center on July 4, 2015, after fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park. [Read more…]

Man charged with aggravated assault after allegedly pointing handgun at two people

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

David Janis

David Janis

 

An Oak Ridge man was charged with two counts of aggravated assault after allegedly pointing a handgun at two people near Tacoma Road and California Avenue on Thursday, authorities said.

One resident in the area said he he came outside his home to see who was in his yard at about 7:45 p.m. Thursday, and he saw a man with a gray hooded sweatshirt, black vest, dark pants, dark long hair, and a tattoo on his left cheek pointing a black handgun at him, yelling, “You hawked me, b—-, come to 122,” as he walked around behind a home on East Tennessee Avenue, according to a warrant filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

The resident feared for his life and ran back into his home and called 911, the warrant said. [Read more…]

Robbery that ends in shooting arranged through social media, described as ‘drug deal gone bad,’ warrants say

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Tuesday afternoon shooting on East Holston Lane was allegedly a robbery arranged through social media, and it was described by the alleged shooter as a “drug deal gone bad,” authorities said. The three defendants are, from left, Nicole Brewer, 19, of Oak Ridge; Nicholas Strickland, 25, of Oak Ridge; and Matthew A. Mashburn, 27, of Knoxville. (Photos by Anderson County Sheriff's Department)

The Tuesday afternoon shooting on East Holston Lane was allegedly a robbery arranged through social media, and it was described by the alleged shooter as a “drug deal gone bad,” authorities said. The three defendants are, from left, Nicole Brewer, 19, of Oak Ridge; Nicholas Strickland, 25, of Oak Ridge; and Matthew A. Mashburn, 27, of Knoxville. (Photos by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

The Tuesday afternoon shooting on East Holston Lane was allegedly a robbery arranged through social media, and it was described by the alleged shooter as a “drug deal gone bad,” authorities said.

The shooting, which injured Wesley Arnold of Peach Orchard Road in Clinton, occurred at about 12:58 p.m. Tuesday at 104 East Holston Lane. Arnold had two gunshot wounds, one to each leg. He was hit as he attempted to flee the East Holston Lane home, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Marvell Moore.

After the shooting, three people were quickly arrested and charged with especially aggravated robbery, a Class A felony; aggravated assault, a Class C felony; and criminal conspiracy, a Class B felony. They are Nicholas Strickland, 25, of South Benedict Avenue in Oak Ridge; Nicole Brewer, 19, of Highland Avenue in Oak Ridge; and Matthew A. Mashburn, 27, of Knox Lane in Knoxville.

Brewer told Moore that she arranged the robbery, and she contacted Arnold, the victim, through a social media site to conduct the deal, Moore wrote in the warrants.

“She (Brewer) advised the drug deal was supposed to be a ‘rip,’ meaning there wasn’t going to be any money exchanged for the substance (methamphetamine),” Moore said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man indicted on aggravated robbery, aggravated assault charges

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Duran Maszae Lee

Duran Maszae Lee

An Oak Ridge man has been indicted on charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated assault for an alleged home-invasion robbery on Dewey Road three years ago.

Duran Maszae Lee, 32, has been charged with aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and possession of more than 14.175 grams of marijuana. The indictments were returned by the Anderson County Grand Jury on October 4.

Lee has an arraignment scheduled for Monday in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton.

He remains jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, according to jail records.

Arrest warrants filed after the alleged robbery on Dewey Road on November 22, 2013, said an Oak Ridge man was allegedly hit in the head and face with a pistol and a woman who was nine months pregnant at the time blacked out from fear when a suspect pointed a silver revolver at her during the Friday night home invasion.

The suspects allegedly stole a Sentry safe containing $3,000 from a closet and fled in a vehicle before officers arrived, according to affidavits attached to the arrest warrants and filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Second homicide charge added, preliminary hearing set in crash that killed school employee

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

vicki-gilmore-status-hearing-2-sept-29-2016-web

Vicki G. Gilmore, 62, of Oak Ridge, is facing three more felony charges, including a second vehicular homicide charge, in the death of a 37-year-old Harriman mother and Roane County Schools employee in a fatal three-vehicle crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue on May 6, 2016. A preliminary hearing for Gilmore, who is pictured above on Thursday, Sept. 29, has been set for 10 a.m. Oct. 21 in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An Oak Ridge woman is facing three more felony charges, including a second vehicular homicide charge, in the death of a 37-year-old Harriman mother and Roane County Schools employee after a three-vehicle crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue in May.

The new charges, filed against Vicki G. Gilmore, 62, on September 29, also include aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. The new homicide charge is vehicular homicide (recklessness).

The original charges filed against Gilmore, who is suspected of using a narcotic pain-reliever, were vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, reckless driving, failure to maintain a single lane, leaving the scene of an accident, violation of the implied consent law, and duty upon striking a fixture. The original charges were filed in May.

A preliminary hearing has been set for 10 a.m. October 21 in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. During a preliminary hearing, a judge can hear from victims, witnesses, and investigators, and determine whether charges should be bound over, or sent to a grand jury for its consideration. An indictment by a grand jury bumps a case from general sessions court to criminal court. [Read more…]

Attempted second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping charges dismissed

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

Four charges against an Oak Ridge man that included attempted second-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping were dismissed in July after a victim or state witness failed to appear, according to court records and court officials.

Jacob Lynn Rutherford, 22, had also been charged with aggravated assault and assault. Those charges were also dismissed.

Rutherford had been charged in two separate alleged assaults this year, one on February 25 and another on April 28. Police responded to both alleged assaults at 101 Locust Lane, where Rutherford lives.

Rutherford allegedly used a metal rod in one of the beatings, authorities said, and he was also accused of hitting the woman in the head with a gun and forcing her into his vehicle at gunpoint, according to arrest warrants.

The charges were dismissed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge on July 26, when a state witness or victim did not appear. Judgements on the aggravated assault and especially aggravated kidnapping charges said the victim failed to appear. That’s the same victim as in the attempted second-degree murder charge. [Read more…]

Driver in alleged hit-and-run with pedestrians faces more charges

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Steven Ray Buxton

Steven Ray Buxton

The driver in an alleged hit-and-run that injured two female pedestrians on East Tennessee Avenue on Monday afternoon is facing more charges, in addition to aggravated assault, according to court records.

Steven Ray Buxton, 62, of Jefferson Avenue in Oak Ridge, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence, and failure to maintain a lane, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

The women were struck by a vehicle on East Tennessee Avenue near Towne Road at about 1:30 p.m. Monday as several pedestrians were crossing the road from Gallo Loco restaurant, which is on the south side of East Tennessee, to the north side of the road, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

In a press release earlier this week, the ORPD said a black truck had stopped for the pedestrians while they crossed the street. A beige Toyota Corolla, which was traveling behind the black truck, drove onto the sidewalk, passing the black truck, and struck two women, the press release said. The Toyota Corolla then allegedly fled the scene. [Read more…]

Georgia man, woman indicted in Check Into Cash robbery

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Check Into Cash

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported that a robbery was reported at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—A Georgia man and woman have been indicted in a robbery at Check Into Cash in Oak Ridge in June 2015.

Arvenzio Clyde Miles, 24, and Kianna Denise Hill, 22, were indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on July 6, 2016. They had arraignments in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton on Friday.

Miles and Hill are both charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, a Class B felony; especially aggravated kidnapping with a gun, a Class A felony; and aggravated assault while displaying a firearm, a Class C felony.

Hill and Miles are accused in an armed robbery at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015. They were arrested less than two weeks later in East Point, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta, on Wednesday, July 8, 2015.

The indictments allege that Hill and Miles confined Calvin Murray, a store manager, and employees Morgan Gist and Joy Jennings, and took their cell phones while displaying a firearm. All three were forced into a restroom at gunpoint against their will, and they were held captive there until the robbery was complete, according to arrest warrants filed in July 2015. The warrants alleged that the cell phones were taken to prevent the victims from calling the police. [Read more…]

Man charged with attempted 1st-degree murder after allegedly shooting sister

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Eric Joe Wilson

Eric Joe Wilson

 

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault after allegedly shooting his sister, hitting her in the ear, during an argument on Pacific Road in April, court records said.

Eric Joe Wilson, 42, allegedly got a handgun from his bedroom during the April 19 argument at 107 Pacific Road after stating he was going to shoot his sister, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

“The defendant fired one shot in victim’s direction, striking her in the ear,” according to the affidavits, which were filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Kevin Craig.

The sister, Suzan Stiles, had a gunshot wound to the ear, the two affidavits said. She was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville to be treated. [Read more…]

Claxton couple arrested Sunday after robbery, prostitution investigation

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Richard Paul Pressley

Richard Paul Pressley

A Claxton husband and wife were arrested Sunday after a robbery and prostitution investigation in Ben’s Mobile Home Park off Edgemoor Road, authorities said.

Around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, deputies were called to meet with a 32-year-old victim who said he had been robbed at gunpoint at a mobile home on Queen Street after replying to a Backpage.com advertisement for escort services, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release. The victim told deputies he had met a female at the residence, and after a short time a male entered, brandished a handgun, and robbed him of cash, the press release said.

He was then tied up and left in a bedroom, authorities said. The victim was able to free himself and flee out a window.

Deputies responded and, after an investigation, the two residents of the mobile home, Lindsay Elaine Pressley, 26, and her husband, Richard Paul Pressley, 29, were both charged with several felony offenses related to the robbery as well as prostitution. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man accused of assaulting two women, one with metal rod

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

 

Note: This story was updated at 8:15 a.m. April 30.

An Oak Ridge man is accused of assaulting two women in two separate incidents, and he allegedly used a metal rod in one of the beatings, authorities said. Jacob Lynn Rutherford, 21, is also accused of hitting one of the women in the head with a gun and forcing her into his vehicle at gunpoint, according to arrest warrants.

Rutherford has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, and assault, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

The first alleged assault occurred on February 25 and the second on April 28, the warrants said. Police responded to both alleged assaults at 101 Locust Lane, where Rutherford lives.

In the first case, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kenneth Prickett said the victim, a Powell woman, showed signs of bruising around her right eye and blood around her nose.

“(She) also showed bruising around her right wrist and swelling in her right hand,” Prickett said in an arrest warrant. [Read more…]