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Three people shot, two arrested, one charged with attempted murder

Posted at 10:13 pm June 26, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Adrian C. Curb

Three people were shot in Oak Ridge on Thursday, four bystanders were allegedly in imminent danger, and two people have been arrested, with one facing two charges of attempted first-degree murder, according to police and court records.

Adrian Conan Curb, the 40-year-old Oak Ridge man charged with attempted murder after the shooting, allegedly had a handgun with a drum-style magazine attached, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

The shooting was reported at about 8:39 p.m. Thursday on South Dillard Avenue in Scarboro.

The three people who were shot were taken to hospitals with injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a press release Friday.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: accessory after the fact, Adrian Conan Curb, aggravated assault, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, attempted first-degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, Marvell Moore, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, possessing a firearm, reckless endangerment, Scarboro, shooting

Jail population down, mostly due to COVID-19

Posted at 2:59 pm April 12, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County Detention Facility
The Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton is pictured above.

The number of inmates at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton has fallen significantly, mostly due to COVID-19, a law enforcement official said last week.

On Wednesday, there were 297 inmates at the jail, which was more than 100 inmates below the average, said Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

“This is predominantly a result of COVID-19,” Mayes said. COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

No one had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday, Mayes said.

He said local jails across Tennessee are seeing similar reductions in the number of inmates as low risk, non-violent offenders are being placed on pre-trail supervision or being released on a low bond.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, COVID-19, Front Page News, Health, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, COVID-19, inmates, jail population, Tyler Mayes

Sheriff’s Office checking temperatures at jail, cleaning cells, patrol cars

Posted at 11:00 am March 16, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County Detention Facility Pod Construction
The Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton is pictured above.

Hoping to prevent the infection or spread of COVID-19, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said it is checking the temperature of everyone entering the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton and is using a hospital-grade disinfectant to clean the jail and patrol cars.

If a person has a fever and symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the Sheriff’s Office said it will make a decision on whether to admit them on a case-by-case basis while talking to the office of Seventh District Attorney General Dave Clark.

The Sheriff’s Office said its maintenance staff is cleaning the cells, walls, and floors of the Detention Facility more frequently than normal using a hospital-grade disinfectant that will help kill germs.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, COVID-19, Front Page News, Health, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, COVID-19

Warrants: Man charged with attempted murder after pointing gun at deputy, pulling trigger

Posted at 11:42 pm May 21, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Edward Mason

An Anderson County man is facing 24 charges, including attempted murder, after he allegedly showed a gun, threatened several people, refused to let two of them call for help, and pointed the weapon at responding deputies and pulled the trigger twice, officers said.

The gun did not fire after Charles Edward Mason, 51, pointed it at a deputy because Mason’s T-shirt got caught in the gun, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jake Stone.

The charges filed against Mason include:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, attempted first-degree murder, Black Oak Road, Charles Edward Mason, drug violations, Jake Stone, methamphetamine

For members: Man sentenced to 10 years in shooting death of girlfriend’s mother

Posted at 11:14 am May 18, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

William James McMillan

An Andersonville man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday when he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his girlfriend’s mother four years ago.

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If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Andersonville, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Don Elledge, Gregory P. Isaacs, Karen Zahrobsky, Lone Mountain Road, plea agreement, plea deal, Seventh Judicial District, shooting death, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tony Craighead, voluntary manslaughter, William James McMillan

For members: Drug case involved thousands of pills, overseas apprehension, possible deportation

Posted at 4:34 pm May 4, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

CLINTON—A drug case that started with an online search for Xanax ended with a police search that found more than 10,000 pills in an Anderson County home, an overseas apprehension, three plea deals, and a possible deportation.

The third and final plea deal was entered during a hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton late Friday morning. The defendant, who had been brought to the United States after being detained at an airport in Dubai in July, wants to be deported, his attorney said.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today.  Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here. Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here: Basic

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If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, clonazepam, conspiracy to sell Schedule IV drugs, deportation, drug case, Gene McKinley Miller, international extradition, Kevin Angel, lorazepam, Moshin Agha, plea deal, possession of Schedule IV drugs for resale, Ryan Spitzer, Seventh Judicial District, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Shelley Dawn Hicks Robbins, tramodol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, zolpidem

Trial set for man charged with vehicular homicide in death of 3-year-old

Posted at 12:38 pm April 1, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A plea agreement has not been reached, and trial dates were set during a plea agreement hearing for Jason Robert Braden, center, in Anderson County Circuit Court on Friday, March 29, 2019. At left is defense attorney David Stuart, who represents Braden in a vehicular homicide case from a crash that killed a three-year-old boy in Oak Ridge in January 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A plea agreement has not been reached, and trial dates were set during a plea agreement hearing for Jason Robert Braden II, center, in Anderson County Circuit Court on Friday, March 29, 2019. At left is defense attorney David Stuart, who represents Braden in the vehicular homicide case from a crash that killed a three-year-old boy in Oak Ridge in January 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—Prosecutors and the defense have not been able to reach an agreement on a plea deal, so a two-day trial has been set for Jason Robert Braden II, the 25-year-old Anderson County man charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, among other charges, in the death of a three-year-old boy, Jason Robert Braden III, in a crash in Oak Ridge in January 2017.

Braden had two plea agreement hearings scheduled in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton last month, one on Friday, March 1, and the other on Friday, March 29. But no agreement was announced during either hearing. The date was rescheduled during the March 1 hearing, and on Friday, defense attorney David Stuart said the defense and the state wouldn’t be able to reach an agreement.

At the start of Friday’s hearing, Stuart said an issue had come up. Braden had requested copies of the discovery, potential evidence that could be used at trial, so copies were made and delivered to the jail, Stuart said. But they went to the wrong Jason Braden, and Jason Robert Braden thinks that’s an ethics breach, Stuart said.

Stuart said he would have to self-report the breach if he thought he had done something wrong. Other legal officials, such as the judge and district attorney general, would also have to report him if they thought he had done something wrong, Stuart said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Circuit Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County grand jury, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, crash, criminally negligent homicide, David Stuart, Don Elledge, driving under the influence, driving without a license, Emory Valley Road, Jason Robert Braden II, Jason Robert Braden III, Lafayette Drive, Melissa Denny, plea agreement hearing, reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved, Seventh Judicial District, speeding, two-vehicle crash, vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, violation of the child restraint law

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

(For members) Man sentenced to 35 years in assaults against women

Posted at 2:33 pm March 7, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Jason Bradley Braden

 

CLINTON—A Clinton man was sentenced to 35 years in prison when he pleaded guilty on Wednesday to attempted second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault in a series of assaults that involved four female victims in three cases.

One of the victims, a grandmother in her 70s, was hit in the face with a crowbar and had a fractured skull and teeth knocked out, according to facts cited in Anderson County Criminal Court during the plea agreement hearing in Clinton on Wednesday.

The defendant, Jason Bradley Braden, 30, was ordered to serve 100 percent of his 35-year sentence.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today. 

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Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Anthony Craighead, assault, attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, Brennan Lenihan, carjacking, Don Elledge, especially aggravated kidnapping, Jason Bradley Braden, plea agreement, Randy Lewis, Rodney Minor, Seventh Judicial District, Sharon Baird

Man charged with aggravated child abuse

Posted at 11:22 pm January 26, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Brady Hutton

Brady Hutton

 

The Anderson County Grand Jury has indicted Brady Daniel Hutton, 27, on charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect after a child who is less than eight years old was reported to have had serious injuries.

Hutton was arrested at his work last week by the United States Marshals Service and taken to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, a press release said.

Before his arrest, the Sheriff’s Department had received a referral from the Department of Children’s Services on October 24 about a severe child abuse complaint they received from the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital staff in Knoxville, the press release said. At the hospital, Hutton was interviewed by DCS and ACSD Detective Darrell Slater, and it was determined there was enough probable cause to present the case to a grand jury, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Police and Fire Tagged With: aggravated child abuse and neglect, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Brady Daniel Hutton, Darrell Slater, Russell Barker, United States Marshals Service

(For members) Testimony: Defendant in homicide case had planned to rob man

Posted at 2:41 pm January 24, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The homicide charge filed against Christy Viola Comer, 37, middle, 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)

CLINTON—The defendant in a criminal homicide case in Rocky Top in August had planned to rob the 83-year-old man who died because “it would be easy,” according to court testimony Tuesday.

The body of the victim, J.C. Copeland, who has been described as a “sweet old man,” was found partially wrapped in a pink blanket underneath a porch at a mobile home on Jacksboro Avenue on August 31, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent John Hannon. Copeland is believed to have been strangled until he died, according to court records. There was white rope around Copeland’s neck and other parts of his body, including his wrists and ankles, Hannon testified during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday.

Inside Copeland’s home, investigators found a fresh brown stain on the floor near his front door, white strings similar to the material found around his neck, and in one possible sign of a struggle, cigarettes on the floor, according to Hannon’s testimony. An acrylic painted press-on fingernail was found in the living room, Hannon said. It’s similar to the type of press-on fingernail that a woman might wear, Hannon said when questioned by prosecutor Emily Faye Abbott.

Outside the home, Copeland’s vehicle was missing.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today. 

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Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Rocky Top, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Christy Viola Comer, criminal homicide, Dave Clark, Don Layton, Drew Winstead, Emily Faye Abbott, homicide, J.C. Copeland, Jim Shetterly, John Hannon, Knoxville Police Department, Leslie Hunt, Mitch Wade, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Police Department, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

TBI investigating jail death

Posted at 12:53 pm January 18, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of an inmate at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton.

Here is what TBI spokesperson Leslie Earhart said: “At the request of Seventh District Attorney General Dave Clark, TBI special agents are investigating the apparent hanging death of an inmate at the Anderson County jail. On Wednesday, January 9, 24-year-old Michael Allen Matlock was found unresponsive in his cell. The investigation remains active and ongoing.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, Dave Clark, death of an inmate, jail death, Leslie Earhart, Michael Allen Matlock, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

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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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