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For members: Man sentenced to 14 years after taking van from woman in wheelchair

Posted at 12:59 pm September 19, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bradley Allan Thomas

 

A Knoxville man was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday after he stole a van from a woman in a wheelchair in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant in Oak Ridge last year. Authorities had alleged that the man pushed the woman out and took the van through force or intimidation while using a deadly weapon (a large knife).

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Bradley Allan Thomas, carjacking, Emily Faye Abbott, evading arrest, Jonathan Acker, Nathan Gibson, Oak Ridge Police Department, plea, plea deal, Red Lobster, Seventh Judicial District, Tennessee Highway Patrol

Rocky Top woman charged with three counts of first-degree murder

Posted at 12:59 pm March 20, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The criminal homicide charge filed against Christy Viola Comer, 37, left, was sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Christy Viola Comer, 38, of Rocky Top, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the death of J.C. Copeland, an 83-year-old man, during an alleged robbery in August. Comer, left, is pictured above during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A Rocky Top woman has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the death of an 83-year-old man during an alleged robbery in August.

Christy Viola Comer, 38, faces one count of first-degree murder for the premeditated and intentional killing of J.C. Copeland, according to an indictment filed by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on March 5.

Comer faces two more charges of first-degree murder for allegedly killing Copeland while committing two other crimes, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, according to the indictment.

The five-count indictment also charged Comer with those two other crimes, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. Comer took Copeland’s property violently through the use of a deadly weapon, and she entered Copeland’s home without permission, intending to commit a felony, according to the indictment.

Comer has an arraignment scheduled for the five felony charges on March 29 in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Christy Viola Comer, criminal homicide, Dave Clark, Drew Winstead, Emily Faye Abbott, first-degree murder, J.C. Copeland, John Hannon, Knoxville Police Department, preliminary hearing, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Police Department, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Clinton store clerk, accomplice arrested after robbery reported

Posted at 3:03 pm February 11, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image by Clinton Police Department

Image by Clinton Police Department

 

Clinton Police Department officers arrested a Lee’s Travel Center clerk and another man in connection with the report of an aggravated robbery of the convenience store on February 5, the CPD said in a post published on Facebook.

Reports said Justin Pennington was working at the store at 2233 North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton when a masked man pulled out a knife and told him to open the cash register or he would stab him, the CPD said.

Clinton Police Department Investigator Sergeant Scott Gregory, after reviewing store surveillance and gathering more information, discovered that the masked man, who was identified as Jacob T. Maiden, took money from the cash register and then placed two bags of suspected narcotics on the counter and left the scene, the CPD said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Front Page News, Police and Fire Tagged With: aggravated robbery, Clinton Police Department, CPD, criminal conspiracy, Jacob T. Maiden, Justin Pennington, Lee’s Travel Center, manufacture/delivery/sale/possession of methamphetamine, possession of schedule II drugs, robbery, Scott Gregory, theft of property

Carjacking suspect arrested after hospital release

Posted at 10:05 pm June 28, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bradley Allen Thomas

Bradley Allen Thomas

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:30 p.m.

The suspect in the carjacking of a van occupied by a woman in a wheelchair on Saturday, followed by a police chase and crash, was arrested after he was released from a hospital on Thursday, authorities said.

Bradley Allan Thomas, 30, of Knoxville, was arrested by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies when he was released from the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. Thomas, who was seriously injured, had been taken to UT Medical Center after the Saturday afternoon crash at Clinton Highway and Powell Drive in Knox County.

Thomas is the suspect charged in the carjacking in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon, Lucas said.

“Oak Ridge Police officers served their warrants related to the carjacking, and Thomas was also served with warrants on the pursuit by deputies,” Lucas said after Thursday’s arrest. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated robbery, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, arrest, Bradley Allan Thomas, carjacking, chase, crash, driving on a suspended license, especially aggravated kidnapping, evading arrest, failure to maintain lane, improper passing, Jonathan Acker, Mark Lucas, Mary Rose Jackson, Oak Ridge Police Department, obedience to traffic control signal, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, Red Lobster, Tennessee Highway Patrol, University of Tennessee Medical Center

Man indicted on robbery, kidnapping, assault charges in Hibachi Burger robbery

Posted at 12:58 pm May 6, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

 

An Oak Ridge man has been indicted on aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault charges after an alleged robbery at Hibachi Burger in Grove Center in January 2017.

A 19-count indictment was filed against Dominique Leshawn Gordon, 22, by the Anderson County Grand Jury on April 3.

Gordon pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on April 30.

His indictment includes one count of aggravated robbery; one count of especially aggravated kidnapping with a weapon when a child, who was then two years old, was involved; eight counts of aggravated kidnapping while committing a felony, confining the victims and interfering with their liberty; and nine counts of aggravated assault while using a gun. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Derek Burchfield, Dominique Leshawn Gordon, especially aggravated kidnapping, Hibachi Burger robbery, Hollie Green, indictment, Marvell Moore, Nang Crossno, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Wanda Reagan

Man accused of robbing pregnant woman, kicking her in stomach

Posted at 7:43 pm March 20, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Jordan Lamar Young

Jordan Lamar Young

 

An Oak Ridge man allegedly broke into an apartment on Utica Circle on Monday, threatened a pregnant woman while brandishing a folding pocket knife, and demanded prescriptions and cash, Anderson County court records said. When the woman resisted, the court records said, she was thrown to the ground and kicked in the stomach, and the man jammed his knee into her back to try to get her to comply.

“The victim was in fear of great bodily harm or death to herself or her unborn child,” according to affidavits filed Tuesday in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

The affidavits, filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Investigator A. Marvell Moore, said the victim is seven months pregnant.

After the alleged home invasion robbery, the suspect, Jordan Lamar Young, 31, of Tuskegee Drive, fled the apartment with the pregnant woman’s prescription medication and $301 in cash, the affidavits said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: A. Marvell Moore, aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, home invasion robbery, Jordan Lamar Young, Oak Ridge Police Department, tampering with evidence, theft, Utica Circle

Two charged in alleged robbery that started with car sale

Posted at 6:56 pm March 6, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Michael Sharp

Michael Rodney Sharp

 

Two people have been charged in an alleged robbery that started with a car sale, court records said.

The robbery was reported to have occurred on Bolin Road on the west side of Rocky Top on Thursday, February 22.

The two people charged with aggravated robbery in the case are Michael Rodney Sharp, 50, and Stephanie Jean Hoskins, 29, who both live on Bolin Road, according to Anderson County jail records.

The victim reported going to Bolin Road to buy a car from Sharp, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Gregory Stanley.

While she was talking to Sharp, the victim said, Hoskins hit her in the back of the head with a stick, knocking her unconscious, according to the affidavits. The victim said she was unconscious for about five minutes. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated robbery, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Bolin Road, Gregory Stanley, Michael Rodney Sharp, robbery, Stephanie Jean Hoskins

Claxton woman indicted in alleged backpage.com robbery

Posted at 11:53 pm December 30, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Lindsay Elaine Pressley

Lindsay Elaine Pressley

 

A Claxton woman has been indicted in an alleged robbery at gunpoint in Claxton in 2016 that authorities said started with an advertisement for escort services posted on backpage.com.

Lindsay Elaine Pressley, 27, was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on November 7. She was arrested Thursday and remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility on Saturday night, with her bond set at $100,000.

The grand jury indicted Pressley on four charges: aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, and conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping.

In July, the grand jury indicted a Knoxville man, Richard Norman Pressley, 31, in the case. He was also charged with aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping using a weapon, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, and conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping. The Pressleys had been identified as husband and wife in a press release from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department after the alleged robbery and kidnapping in a mobile home on Queen Street in Ben’s Mobile Home Park off Edgemoor Road in Claxton on May 21, 2016. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, backpage.com robbery, Bradley Prewitt, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, Lindsay Elaine Pressley, Richard Norman Pressley, robbery

Kidnapping, assault charges sent to grand jury in Hibachi Burger robbery

Posted at 4:11 pm December 10, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

 

Sixteen assault and kidnapping charges in a robbery reported at gunpoint at Hibachi Burger in Oak Ridge in January were sent to a grand jury on Tuesday.

An aggravated robbery charge was dismissed due to a technical issue with a warrant, but that charge is expected to also be considered by the Anderson County Grand Jury. An indictment by the grand jury would move the case from Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge, where it has been, to Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton.

The armed robbery was reported at about 6:10 p.m. Tuesday, January 10, at the Hibachi Burger restaurant, which is in Grove Center.

The defendant, Dominique Leshawn Gordon, 22, allegedly entered Hibachi Burger while displaying a firearm, and he demanded money from the register while showing the gun to several employees and customers, “placing them in fear of serious bodily injury,” according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

After getting the money, Gordon fled on foot, but he was caught a short time later by Oak Ridge Police Department patrol officers, the affidavits said. Officers who searched him after his arrest found the money that had been taken from the restaurant, according to the affidavits, which were filed by ORPD Detective A. Marvell Moore. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: A. Marvell Moore, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, armed robbery, assault, Christopher Clowers, Derek Burchfield, Dominique Leshawn Gordon, Hibachi Burger, Hollie Green, kidnapping, Lauren Clowers, Lauren Mayes, Matthew Tuck, Nang Crossno, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, robbery, Roger Miller, Vickie Bannach, Wanda Reagan

Knoxville man indicted in alleged robbery that ended in shooting

Posted at 3:23 pm September 9, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Matthew Allen Mashburn

Matthew Allen Mashburn

 

A Knoxville man has been indicted in an alleged robbery that was reportedly set up through social media and resulted in a man being shot in the legs on East Holston Lane in Oak Ridge in November.

Matthew Allen Mashburn, 28, of Knox Lane in Knoxville, has been charged with especially aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, and aggravated assault. He was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on Tuesday, September 5.

The indictments said that the victim, Wesley Arnold, was seriously injured and assaulted while a handgun was displayed, and Mashburn had conspired with Nicole Brewer to plan the aggravated robbery during a drug transaction.

Mashburn has an arraignment scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, September 29, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, criminal conspiracy, drug deal gone bad, especially aggravated robbery, John Criswell, Marvell Moore, Matthew Allen Mashburn, Nicholas Strickland, Nicole Brewer, Oak Ridge Police Department, robbery, shooting, Wesley Arnold

Man indicted in alleged backpage.com robbery in Claxton

Posted at 10:25 pm August 7, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Richard Paul Pressley

Richard Pressley

A Knoxville man was indicted last month on robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy charges for his role in an alleged robbery at gunpoint in Claxton in 2016 that authorities said started with an advertisement for escort services posted on backpage.com.

Richard Pressley, 31, has been indicted on charges of aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping using a weapon, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, and conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping. He was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on July 11.

The alleged robbery and kidnapping occurred in a mobile home on Queen Street in Ben’s Mobile Home Park off Edgemoor Road in Claxton on May 21, 2016, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release after Pressley and his wife, Lindsay Pressley, were arrested last year.

Affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on May 23, 2016, said the alleged victim, Cody Monroe, traveled from Athens to the address provided in the backpage.com ad. Monroe “made small talk” with the female, later identified as Lindsay Pressley, for about five minutes when a man brandishing a handgun, later identified as Richard Pressley, entered the living room and ordered Monroe onto the ground, according to the affidavits. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, backpage.com robbery, Bradley Prewitt, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping using a weapon, Lindsay Pressley, Richard Pressley

Kidnapping, assault charges added in Hibachi Burger robbery

Posted at 5:56 pm March 4, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

 

The Oak Ridge man charged in an alleged armed robbery at Hibachi Burger on January 10 also faces charges of especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault, according to court records.

Dominique Leshawn Gordon, 21, of Hamilton Circle, faces one charge of aggravated robbery, one charge of especially aggravated kidnapping, eight charges of aggravated kidnapping, and nine charges of aggravated assault.

The alleged robbery at the Grove Center business occurred at about 6:10 p.m. Tuesday, January 10. Warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge said Gordon entered Hibachi Burger with a handgun.

“The defendant demanded money from the register while displaying the firearm to several employees and patrons, placing them in fear of serious bodily injury,” Oak Ridge Police Department Detective A. Marvell Moore said in affidavits attached to arrest warrants. “After obtaining the money, the defendant fled on foot.”

He was caught a short time later by patrol officers. A search found the cash taken from Hibachi Burger, according to the warrants. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: A. Marvell Moore, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Dominique Leshawn Gordon, especially aggravated kidnapping, Hibachi Burger, Oak Ridge Police Department

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Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING … [Read More...]

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Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) (DOE/EA-2144), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings

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