Oak Ridge Today

Maine man pleads guilty to murder charge in OS drug deal that ended in death

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Scott-Benjamin-Pike-Nov 21-2014

Scott Benjamin Pike (November 2014 photo by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

A 32-year-old Maine man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the death of an Oliver Springs man after a drug deal in May 2011.

Scott Benjamin Pike, of Lewiston, Maine, entered the guilty pleas in Anderson County Criminal Court on Friday, January 29.

Pike received a 20-year sentence on the second-degree murder charge, a Class A felony, and a 12-year sentence on the aggravated robbery charge, a Class B felony. There is no probation on either count, according to court records. The sentences will run concurrently. He will receive credit for time served.

Pike was indicted on a first-degree murder charge on February 7, 2012, by the Anderson County Grand Jury. Also indicted were Ronny Blake Hamrick of Oliver Springs and Tristin Jane Dayon of Lewiston, Maine. A first-degree murder charge could include a premeditated killing or an unlawful death that occurred during a robbery or attempted robbery, according to the indictments. [Read more…]

Four young adults indicted in alleged plot to rob a woman for rent money

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Raymond R. Gray

Raymond R. Gray

Four young Oak Ridge adults have been indicted in an alleged plot to rob a woman for rent money.

The alleged armed robbery occurred on Highland Avenue at about midnight April 1, 2015, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins said in warrants filed last year in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

The victim said three men who had their faces covered robbed her at gunpoint and fled in a black Chevy sedan, the warrants said. The victim followed them north on Highland Avenue.

ORPD Officer Ray Steakley located the car at the intersection of State Route 61 and State Route 62, and he pulled over the car on Midway Road in Oliver Springs.

Christopher D. Ramsey

Christopher D. Ramsey

One of the defendants, Whitney T. Stewart, 22, of Oak Ridge, was driving, Higgins said. The other three co-defendants—Raymond R. Gray, 21; Christopher D. Ramsey, 21; and Tevin M. Springs, 20; all of Oak Ridge—were in the car, Higgins said.

The four were arrested after the alleged robbery last year and charged with aggravated robbery and criminal conspiracy.

They were indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on Tuesday, January 5. [Read more…]

Man charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery after allegedly using gun to steal from ex-girlfriend

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Dmantiz-Bowser

Dmantiz Bowser

An Oak Ridge man was charged with kidnapping and aggravated robbery after he allegedly held a gun to the back of his ex-girlfriend’s head before stealing her cell phones and $1,200 in cash, authorities said.

The robbery was reported at about 9:16 a.m. Friday, December 11, at a home on Northwestern Avenue.

The ex-girlfriend told Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kevin Merritt that she awoke to a loud noise and found Dmantiz A. Bowser, 21, in the back bedroom. She asked him what he was doing, according to warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

“She said the defendant then pulled a small black gun out of his front pocket, grabbed her by her right arm and twisted it behind her back,” the warrants said. “She said he then shoved her face down in the couch, putting his knee on her back, and putting the pistol to the back of her head. [Read more…]

Warrants: Robbery suspect allegedly hit worker on head with gun before taking cash

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Kianna D. Hill

Kianna D. Hill

The two Georgia residents accused of robbing a check cashing store in Oak Ridge in June allegedly ordered employees to the rear of the store at gunpoint and demanded that a male manager open the safe, authorities said. When the manager didn’t move fast enough, authorities said, the male suspect allegedly hit the employee on the head several times with the handgun while the female suspect yelled at the male suspect, “Just shoot him!”

One of the two suspects, Kianna Denise Hill, 21, of East Point, Georgia, was brought to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Friday. She faces three counts of aggravated robbery and one count of especially aggravated kidnapping.

The other suspect is Arvenzio Clyde Miles, 22, of Riverdale, Georgia. He apparently hasn’t been extradited yet; he is not listed as an inmate at the Anderson County jail.

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. Authorities said the store was allegedly robbed by two suspects armed with handguns. Hill and Miles were arrested in East Point, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta, on Wednesday, July 8. [Read more…]

Man accused of robbing store with large knife, warrant says

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Yorlin Alverez Castillo

Yorlin Alverez Castillo

An Oak Ridge man remained jailed on Friday on a charge that he robbed the Tienda Nony Marketplace on Bus Terminal Road with a large knife on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Yorlin Alverez Castillo, 23, is accused of robbing the store at about 1:06 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest warrant filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

A store employee told police that she had her 11-year-old son at work with her at the time, and the boy was behind the counter with her. Castillo allegedly came in the front door armed with a large knife, a deadly weapon, “placing the victims in fear,” Oak Ridge Police Department Detective William Weaver wrote in the warrant.

The employee told Weaver that Castillo’s face was covered with a bandana, and he wore a gray sweatshirt and sweat pants.

“He went up to the counter and stated, ‘It’s a robbery,'” the warrant said. “The victim stated, ‘Yorlin, don’t do this, my son is here.'” [Read more…]

Robbery warrant against Bartley recalled, dismissed

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Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley

The aggravated robbery warrant against Kenneth Stuart Bartley has been recalled and dismissed, authorities said.

Bartley, 23, had been identified as a suspect in a Sunday morning robbery in Anderson County. The alleged robbery occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, June 14, at the Marathon Station on Lake City Highway near Rocky Top (the former Lake City).

But authorities said Bartley was located in Vienna, Virginia, on Sunday night, and his family said he had been in Virginia.

On Sunday evening, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said its investigators would travel to Vienna to interview Bartley and work with Virginia authorities to determine if “Bartley was indeed in Virginia at the time of (the Sunday morning) robbery.” [Read more…]

Clinton police arrest robbery suspect

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Clinton Police Department detectives have arrested a Knoxville man, 37-year-old Wallace Wade Tidwell, in connection with a weekend convenience store robbery, authorities said.

Reports indicate that a clerk at the Clinton BP at 2228 North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard flagged down a patrol car at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday and told the officer she had just been robbed, the CPD said in a release. The clerk said a white male went into the restroom of the store, and when he came out, he walked up to the cash register and demanded all the money, the release said. [Read more…]

Update: Bartley located in Vienna, Va.

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Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Bartley, who has been identified as a suspect in a Sunday morning robbery in Anderson County, was located in Vienna, Virginia, on Sunday night, authorities said.

“We are aware his family is saying he has been in Virginia,” Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. “Therefore, our investigators will be traveling there this evening (Sunday evening) to interview Bartley and work with Virginia authorities to determine if Bartley was indeed in Virginia at the time of this morning’s robbery. We will update everyone tomorrow (Monday, June 15) as to the results of the follow-up investigation.”

Bartley, 23, served time for homicide after a school shooting in Campbell County in 2005.

On Sunday afternoon, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said Bartley was the suspect in an armed robbery near Rocky Top on Sunday morning. The alleged robbery occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, June 14, at the Marathon Station on Lake City Highway near Rocky Top (the former Lake City). [Read more…]

Bartley wanted in aggravated robbery near Rocky Top, authorities say

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Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley

Kenneth Stuart Bartley, who served time for homicide after a school shooting in Campbell County in 2005, is the suspect in an armed robbery near Rocky Top on Sunday morning, authorities said.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said the alleged robbery occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, June 14, at the Marathon Station on Lake City Highway near Rocky Top (the former Lake City).

“The suspect entered the store, brandished a black handgun, and robbed the market of cash,” Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. “He was described as a white male with brown to black facial hair wearing glasses, black toboggan, black jacket, and blue jeans. No vehicle was seen leaving the store.” [Read more…]

Man arrested for alleged robbery in hotel parking lot

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Jhavon T. Parker

Jhavon T. Parker

An Oak Ridge man allegedly robbed three people in a hotel parking lot on Monday and was arrested a short time later, authorities said.

The alleged robbery occurred at the Holiday Inn Express at about 11:49 p.m. Monday, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

The three victims told officers that a male had robbed them at gunpoint and fled on foot, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. More officers responded, inspected the area, and conducted interviews.

The press release said Jhavon T. Parker, 19, of Oak Ridge, was arrested a short time later and taken to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, where he was charged with three counts of aggravated robbery. [Read more…]

Pilot robbery suspect arrested in Rocky Top

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Walter John Meachum

Walter John Meachum

A Caryville man suspected of robbing a Pilot Travel Center in east Knox County on Tuesday was arrested at a motel in Rocky Top in Anderson County on Wednesday, authorities said.

They said Walter John Meachum, 21, has been charged with aggravated robbery for an alleged armed robbery just before 2 a.m. Tuesday at the Pilot Travel Center at 1915 East Raccoon Valley Road in Knox County.

On Tuesday, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect was armed with a black and silver weapon, according to the initial investigation. Authorities said the suspect fled west on Raccoon Valley Road in a silver convertible with a black top after receiving an undisclosed amount of money from the business. He was described as wearing a skull mask, black hooded jacket, white shirt, and blue jeans at the time of the robbery.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said Meachum was arrested early Wednesday morning at the Scottish Inn in Rocky Top by its Major Crimes Unit in conjunction with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, and Rocky Top Police Department. As of Wednesday, Meachum was being held at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on a $20,000 bond. [Read more…]

Four charged with aggravated robbery in alleged plot to steal rent money

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Raymond R. Gray

Raymond R. Gray

Four young Oak Ridge adults have been charged with aggravated robbery and criminal conspiracy in an alleged plot to rob a woman for rent money, authorities said.

The alleged armed robbery occurred on Highland Avenue at about midnight April 1, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins said in warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

The victim said three men who had their faces covered had robbed her at gunpoint and fled in a black Chevy sedan, the warrants said. The victim followed them north on Highland Avenue. [Read more…]