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Dave Clark the featured speaker at next Neighborhood Watch meeting

Posted at 12:15 pm August 26, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Dave Clark

Dave Clark

The next Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program meeting will feature Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark as guest speaker, an event notice said.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 5, in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater. Everyone is invited to attend, the notice said.

Clark will talk about how the District Attorney’s Office handles cases involving Oak Ridge and Anderson County, the event notice said. He will also take questions from the audience.

“We have had several related questions at earlier meetings, so take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about how criminal cases are handled in our area,” the notice said. “If you have specific questions for General Clark, please submit them…in advance so he can prepare a response. We have a rare opportunity to talk directly to our district attorney.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County District Attorney General, Barbara Brower, Dave Clark, Neighborhood Watch, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program

Briceville man charged with murder in fatal shooting at Clinton Walmart

Posted at 4:25 pm May 18, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Robert Keith Myers

Robert Keith Myers

 

A Briceville man has been charged with murder and attempted murder in two separate violent incidents this year, one a fatal shooting at Walmart in Clinton in April and the other a serious alleged beating and shooting in February that left a woman with cuts, broken bones, and a brain injury, authorities said Thursday.

Robert Keith “Robbie” Myers, 32, was indicted during a special grand jury session Tuesday. He was arrested Wednesday night by the Clinton Police Department.

In the first case, Myers has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the death of Marshal Pinsly, 23, of Blaine, from a single gunshot wound in the parking lot of the Walmart in Clinton on Friday, April 28. Pinsly was married to the the ex-wife of Myers.

“The two are believed to have been involved in a disagreement over child visitation,” Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a Thursday afternoon press release. “Mr. Pinsly approached Mr. Myers’ vehicle in the Walmart parking lot, and Mr. Myers is accused of shooting Mr. Pinsly without legal justification.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, attempted first-degree murder, Brandy Moneymaker, Clinton Police Department, Dave Clark, fatal shooting, fatal shooting at Clinton Walmart, grand jury, Marshal Pinsly, Paul White, Rick Scarbrough, Robert Keith "Robbie" Myers, Robert Keith Myers, second-degree murder, shooting, Tommy Dearing

DA: Crime down 1 percent in Anderson County in 2015

Posted at 8:04 pm November 2, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Crime was down 1 percent in Anderson County in 2015, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said Wednesday.

In a press release, Clark said crime in Anderson County and its cities has continued to drop during the last nine years. He cited Tennessee Bureau of Investigation statistics.

Clark called it good news issued on behalf of the law enforcement leaders of Anderson County.

“Crime is down in Anderson County by 43 percent over the last nine years,” Clark said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County District Attorney General, crime, criminal justice statistics, Dave Clark, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

DA’s office also recused from July 4 fatal crash case because of liens filed by defendant

Posted at 9:05 pm July 26, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County Criminal Court Lee Cromwell Jim Scott July 25 2016

Lee Cromwell, right, who has been charged with vehicular homicide and 16 other charges after a fatal parking lot crash at Midtown Community Center after fireworks on July 4, 2015, huddles with his family and defense attorney James Scott, left, after an arraignment in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Monday, July 25, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 11:47 a.m. July 27.

CLINTON—First the judge recused himself and now the district attorney general’s office has been recused in a homicide case filed against an Oak Ridge man after a fatal crash in the crowded parking lot of Midtown Community Center after fireworks on July 4, 2015.

Both recusals were because of liens filed by the defendant, Lee Harold Cromwell, 66. The recusals mean another judge has already been appointed, and another DA will have to be appointed. A lien is a claim that one person owes something to another person.

Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Donald R. Elledge recused himself during a June 3 arraignment because of an $8 million lien filed against him by Cromwell.

“It was upsetting that he filed a frivolous lien against me,” Elledge said Monday. “I’m going to do everything I can legally, morally, and ethically to prosecute him criminally and civilly to the full extent of the law.”

Then, during a rescheduled arraignment on Monday, defense attorney James K. Scott asked for Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark and the DA’s office to also be recused. That was because of liens that Cromwell filed against the DA and another member of his office in “misplaced mindset” in a “misguided effort, out of desperation, to advocate for his innocence without the knowledge or advice of counsel,” Scott said in a motion to recuse. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Adam Ghassemi, Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County DA, Anderson County District Attorney General, arraignment, Ben Higgins, Curtis Booker, Dave Clark, Donald R. Elledge, Elizabeth Eldridge, fraudulent lien, homicide, indictments, Ja’Shalin Porter, Ja’Taalia Henderson, Jackie Robinson, Jaide Robinson, James K. Scott, James Robinson, Jim Akagi, Julia Robinson, La’Ruis Henderson, Le’Meire Porter, Lee Cromwell, Lee Harold Cromwell, Michael Eldridge, Michele Wojciechowski, Midtown Community Center, Mortisia Corey, Oak Ridge Police Department, parking lot crash, Paul G. Summers, sovereign citizen, Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, Tennessee Secretary of State, Tim Shelton, Tony Craighead, Vickie Bannach, William Jones

Jury in first-degree murder trial could be sequestered up to 2 weeks

Posted at 3:10 pm May 8, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Norman Lee Follis

Norman Lee Follis

CLINTON—The jury in a first-degree murder trial that continues in Clinton on Monday could be sequestered for up to two weeks, a prosecutor said Friday.

That means jurors will be “separate and apart from others” during that time, said Tony Craighead, deputy district attorney general in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County). Jurors will only be able to communicate with others by using the phone of a law enforcement officer and only under the supervision of an officer.

“You cannot have any contact with the outside world,” Craighead said in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton as prosecutors and defense attorney Mart Cizek questioned potential jurors in the courtroom and dismissed some, often four at a time.

Jurors can’t have cell phones or electronic devices, such as tablets or iPads. They can bring printed books, but not electronic ones. They will be prohibited from reading, hearing, or seeing any news about the trial for Norman Lee Follis Jr., 52, who has been charged with first-degree murder, property theft of more than $1,000, and forgery. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court, Anderson County District Attorney General, Dave Clark, death penalty case, Don Elledge, Emily Abbott, first-degree murder, first-degree murder trial, Follis trial, forgery, jury selection, Manhattan Inman, Mart Cizek, Norman Lee Follis Jr., Patt Lane, property theft, Sammie J. Adams, Seventh Judicial District, Tammy Sue Chapman, Tony Craighead, trial, Valerie Stenson, Wesley D. Stone

Jury selection starts this week in first-degree murder, death penalty case

Posted at 12:17 pm May 2, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Norman Lee Follis

Norman Lee Follis

A jury will be selected this week in the trial of a man facing first-degree murder charges in the death of his 79-year-old uncle, whose body was found hidden underneath an apartment staircase in Claxton in 2012, authorities said.

Jury selection in the trial of Norman Lee Follis Jr., 52, is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday this week, and the trial is scheduled to continue on Monday, May 9, in Anderson County Criminal and Circuit Court in Clinton. Three days have been scheduled for the trial next week, although court officials said it’s possible that more time could be needed.

The state is seeking the death penalty against Follis and Tammy Sue Chapman, 47, who has also been charged with first-degree murder. The pair is accused of killing Sammie J. Adams, 79, who was Follis’ uncle, sometime between December 5, 2011, and January 24, 2012. Adams’ body was found under a stairwell in his home after friends and neighbors reported that they hadn’t seen him in a while, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in an August 2014 press release.

Adams’ age—he was over 70—was an aggravating factor leading to the death penalty request, Clark said.

It’s the first death penalty case in Anderson County in decades. Deputy District Attorney General Tony Craighead and Assistant DA Emily Abbott will prosecute the case.

Follis is represented by defense attorneys Mart S. Cizek and Wesley D. Stone. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Meetings and Events, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal and Circuit Court, Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County grand jury, Dave Clark, death penalty, Emily Abbott, first-degree murder, jury selection, Manhattan Inman, Mart S. Cizek, Norman Lee Follis, Norman Lee Follis Jr., Sammie J. Adams, Tammy Sue Chapman, Tony Craighead, trial, Wesley D. Stone

TBI investigating death of Anderson County inmate

Posted at 1:45 pm April 18, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Princess Wyomina Shifflett

Princess Wyomina Shifflett

 

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of an Anderson County inmate last week, officials said Monday.

The TBI was asked to investigate the death of Princess Wyomina Shifflett, 58, by Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark on Thursday, officials said.

Shifflett died at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, officials said.

Shifflett had some sort of medical emergency, and emergency medical services were called to take her to a medical center, where she died, TBI spokesperson Susan Niland said in an email. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County inmate, Dave Clark, death, Princess Shifflett, Princess Wyomina Shifflett, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

No proof that anything illegal occurred between ORHS teacher, student, ORPD says

Posted at 10:03 am April 5, 2016
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Oak Ridge Police Department Badge

The Oak Ridge Police Department investigated an allegation of sexual misconduct between an Oak Ridge High School teacher and a student, but the police investigation has been closed due to a lack of evidence that anything illegal occurred, according to an incident report released Monday.

But the Oak Ridge Schools investigation continues, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said.

The Oak Ridge High School teacher, who wasn’t named, was suspended from all teaching duties without pay in February pending the investigation by the Oak Ridge Police Department.

The allegation stemmed from a note that was reportedly seen by two students in a high school class, the ORPD report said. The note had these words written on it: “you are cute #smoosh,” according to students. The report said the term “smoosh” is commonly used to refer to having sex.

The teacher told investigators that he had written the note, but it was meant for a few other male students as a joke, according to a 16-page incident report released Monday. He said he had not known what “smoosh” meant. He told investigators that he thought it was “smoosh someone’s face or to punch them, but not really.”

“He had a hard time explaining this to us, and we had a hard time understanding what he was trying to say,” Oak Ridge Police Department Detective John Criswell said in the report. “When we asked him now the ‘note’ made it into the hands of his students, he stated that one of the students had written something inappropriate on their paper so he took that paper and replaced it with his.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Amy Walker, Anderson County District Attorney General, Bruce Borchers, Dave Clark, DCS, DCS Special Investigation Unit, Jim Akagi, John Criswell, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Schools, ORHS, ORPD, ORPD investigation, Robert Higgs, sexual misconduct, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services

Warrants: Man charged with attempted murder threatened to kill fetus, pregnant teen girlfriend

Posted at 2:01 am March 22, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kristoff D Lee

Khristoff Deshawn Lee

The Oak Ridge man who was charged with attempted first-degree murder on March 1 allegedly threatened to kill his pregnant teenage girlfriend and her fetus, and repeatedly punched her in the stomach, head, and back, authorities said.

The pregnant 15-year-old female said she went to the Wakefield Road home of Khristoff Deshawn Lee, a 21-year-old with whom she had a relationship, on October 17, 2014, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

After she arrived, the girl said, the two met in the bathroom, where Lee allegedly closed the door and told her, “(Expletive), you know what time it is,” according to the warrants, which were filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective John Criswell.

The girl, who was about two months pregnant at the time, said Lee then punched her in the stomach, head, and back multiple times, according to the warrants. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, assault, attempted assault, attempted first-degree murder, Bruce Morgan, Dave Clark, Debriael Dupree Hall, John Criswell, John Thomas, Joseph Garner Lee, Khristoff Deshawn Lee, Laphonso Rashad Porter, Michael Glenn, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, robbery, Sherrill Selby, statutory rape

Former Anderson County commissioner, teacher indicted in alleged church theft

Posted at 5:16 pm February 11, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

James Michael Cox

James Michael Cox

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 a.m. Feb. 12.

A former Anderson County commissioner, commission chair, and teacher has been indicted on one count of theft over $60,000 from a church in Rocky Top, authorities said.

James Michael “Mike” Cox surrendered at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Thursday afternoon, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said.

Cox was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on the Class B felony on February 2.

The theft of about $100,000 is alleged to have occurred from Longfield Baptist Church in Rocky Top, the former Lake City, between June 1, 2011, and December 1, 2014, Clark said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Circuit Court, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Dave Clark, James Michael Cox, Jeff Gilliam, Longfield Baptist Church, Mike Cox, theft

TBI investigation of Oak Ridge apartment death still open, ongoing

Posted at 5:15 pm February 8, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Thomas Stephen "T.S." Thrasher

Thomas Stephen “T.S.” Thrasher

The investigation of the death of an Oak Ridge man in an apartment in December 2014 remains open and ongoing, a state official said Monday.

Thomas Steven Thrasher Jr., 29, also known as “T.S.,” died December 8, 2014. He was found dead in a second-floor apartment when the Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a report of a possible intruder at about 4:40 a.m. that Monday at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive.

Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said that month that a criminal investigation was under way, but there had not been an arrest and no charges had been filed. Clark said at the time that an autopsy had been performed by the Anderson County medical examiner.

“As a result of the circumstances, the Oak Ridge Police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been conducting a criminal investigation,” Clark said. “There has been no arrest or charges filed at this time.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County District Attorney General, apartment death, Dave Clark, death investigation, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Today, ORPD, Susan Niland, T.S. Thrasher, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Thomas Steven Thrasher Jr.

Man convicted of possessing heroin for sale in school zone

Posted at 4:57 pm September 23, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Charles Randolph Johnson

Charles Randolph Johnson

A man who came to Anderson County from the Detroit area has been convicted of possessing heroin and marijuana for sale in a school zone, and he faces 25 to 40 years in prison, authorities said Wednesday.

Charles Randolph Johnson was found guilty on Friday, September 18, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release. The jury deliberated for 1.5 hours before announcing their verdict after a trial that lasted 1.5 days.

Johnson has a separate November 10 trial for actually selling the heroin, Clark said in the press release. The DA said Johnson has been charged separately for allegedly selling heroin three times on Coconut Lane near Claxton Elementary School. He also has charges pending for allegedly coercing a witness, Clark said.

The DA said the potential 25- to 40-year sentence for the Friday convictions is based on Johnson’s prior felony record and because the jury found that the crime occurred within a school zone. But the specifics of the sentence will be determined by Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge at the November 30 sentencing hearing, Clark said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Charles Randolph Johnson, Coconut Lane, DA, Dave Clark, Detroit, Don Elledge, heroin, Joe Fentress Butler, jury, marijuana, Oak Ridge Police Department, possessing heroin and marijuana for sale, Ryan Spitzer, sentencing hearing, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, trial, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

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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...]

Public Notice: Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Lithium Production Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 … [Read More...]

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

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

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