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CTF finds about 10 grams of suspected heroin in second search of home

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James William Donald

James William Donald

 

Law enforcement officers found about 10 grams of suspected heroin in their second search of a home on West Outer Drive in less than two years.

The defendant, James William Donald, 71, told Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force Agent Kenneth Woods that he would “take money from other individuals for the purchase of heroin as well as provide heroin to friends that would visit his residence,” according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge in December.

The home on West Outer Drive is within about 75 feet of the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, according to the warrants.

The most recent search by the Crime Task Force occurred on Thursday, December 20. The CTF had a search warrant to seize all controlled substances, the warrants said. [Read more…]

Records: Man shot last week has history of family disputes

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A 61-year-old Clinton man was injured in a shooting on Lee Lane on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 26, 2018, police said, after he reportedly came on to his son’s property with a loaded gun and fired several shots toward the house, reportedly over the positioning of a floodlight. The son exited his home and returned fire, striking his father once in the buttocks, police said. Police found the man on the ground in front of his home, pictured above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A 61-year-old Clinton man was injured in a shooting on Lee Lane on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 26, 2018, police said, after he reportedly came on to his son’s property with a loaded gun and fired several shots toward the house, reportedly over the positioning of a floodlight. The son exited his home and returned fire, striking his father once in the buttocks, police said. Police found the man on the ground in front of his home, pictured above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A 61-year-old Clinton man was injured in a shooting on Lee Lane on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 26, 2018, police said, after he reportedly came on to his son’s property with a loaded gun and fired several shots toward the house, reportedly over the positioning of a floodlight. The son exited his home and returned fire, striking his father once in the buttocks, police said. Police found the man on the ground in front of his home, pictured above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Clinton man who was shot during a dispute with his son last week, reportedly over the positioning of a floodlight, has had other disputes with family members, including another one involving a firearm, according to Anderson County court records.

In one of the previous cases, the man who was shot, Terry Lee Crawford, 61, allegedly vandalized his sister’s house with a tractor in October, also because of a floodlight, the court records said. That case is pending in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

Before the alleged vandalism this year, Crawford had pleaded guilty to an assault against his sister and another victim in 2015—that case involved a firearm—and to an attempted assault against his son in 2016.

The incidents have involved three homes plus Crawford’s, all on Lee Lane in west Clinton, court records said.

Besides those cases, there is an indictment pending against Crawford for driving under the influence, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving.

It’s not clear what charges might be filed after last week’s shooting. Crawford was taken to the hospital after the shooting. He was booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Monday. But affidavits, which include specific charges and brief descriptions of alleged crimes, were not available on Tuesday.

On Thursday, the day after the shooting, the district attorney general’s office called Crawford a “danger to society” and asked that his bond be revoked or increased in two of the previous cases. The motion appears to have been successful, at least for now; Crawford’s bond has been set at $1.7 million, an unusually large bond, and he remained in custody on Tuesday night, according to Anderson County jail records.

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CTF: 53 grams of suspected meth found in hotel room search

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Bobby M. Baucum

Bobby M. Baucum

 

About 53 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine were found during a hotel room search in Clinton in October, authorities said.

Bobby M. Baucum, 47, of Knoxville, was arrested after the search, which was led by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force of Anderson County, according to Anderson County court and jail records. Baucum was charged with possession of schedule II drugs (methamphetamine) for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Baucum had been using a hotel room at the Red Roof Inn and Suites on Buffalo Road in Clinton, according to affidavits filed by Jonathan Wilson of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force. Officers, who had a search warrant, searched the room on October 3, the affidavits said.

The search of the hotel room found the roughly 53 grams of suspected meth and a digital scale and plastic bags, Wilson said in the affidavits. [Read more…]

Man sentenced to 30 years in Oak Ridge shooting

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William Antwon Mollette

William Antwon Mollette

Note: This story was last updated at 4:45 p.m.

CLINTON—An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to the maximum 30 years in prison in an attempted murder case as part of a plea agreement on Thursday after a shooting last year left a woman with life-threatening injuries.

William Antwon Mollette, 44, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during a dangerous felony in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Thursday.

Mollette, who has a prior felony conviction in Alabama, received the maximum 25 years on the attempted first-degree murder charge, a Class A felony, and he received the maximum five years on the firearm possession charge, a Class D felony. The two sentences are to be served consecutively for a total 30-year sentence.

The victim of the shooting, Cathy Griffin, was agreeable to the 30-year sentence, Tony Craighead, deputy district attorney general in Anderson County, told Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge.

Griffin read a statement in court during the plea agreement hearing. She described being shot and stalked by Mollette at a home on Walsh Lane last year, having her lungs collapse and blood stream from her abdomen, and knowing that she, a nurse, was dying. [Read more…]

TBI identifies man killed in officer-involved shooting

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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the man who died in a Monday night officer-involved shooting at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road as Isaiah D. Ramirez, 26. Above, police investigate after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018. The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road was blocked off with yellow tape, and there was a large emergency response presence that included members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the man who died in a Monday night officer-involved shooting at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road as Isaiah D. Ramirez, 26. Above, police investigate after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018. The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road was blocked off with yellow tape, and there was a large emergency response presence that included members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:55 a.m.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the man who died in a Monday night officer-involved shooting in a courthouse parking lot on Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge.

The man has been identified as Isaiah D. Ramirez, 36.

Ramirez was reported to have struck an Oak Ridge police officer with a pickup truck before at least one officer fired shots at the vehicle, striking Ramirez, the TBI said Monday night.

The shooting near Anderson County General Sessions Court and other county offices followed a police pursuit that started on Cumberland View Drive along Emory Valley Road in east Oak Ridge at about 6:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said. The Oak Ridge Police Department tried to make a traffic stop, but Ramirez, who was pulling a utility trailer behind his pickup truck, didn’t stop, according to TBI spokesperson Leslie Earhart. Ramirez reportedly had outstanding warrants. Residents of Emory Valley reported a police pursuit involving at least four police cars. [Read more…]

Man dies in police shooting after striking officer with vehicle

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Police are investigating after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018. The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road is blocked off with yellow tape, and there is a large emergency response presence that includes members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A man who struck an Oak Ridge police officer with a vehicle died when at least one officer shot at him in the parking lot of Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018, authorities said. The vehicle that struck an officer and was shot into is facing toward the camera at top right-center between an Oak Ridge Police Department SUV and an Oak Ridge Transit bus. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. Oct. 9.

A man who struck an Oak Ridge police officer with a vehicle died when at least one officer shot at him in a courthouse parking lot on Monday evening, authorities said.

The police pursuit and shooting started in a residential area along Emory Valley Road and ended at Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. It was reported at about 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The Oak Ridge Police Department had recognized a man in a vehicle who had outstanding warrants on Cumberland View Drive in east Oak Ridge and tried to make a traffic stop, said Leslie Earhart, public information officer for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The man reportedly had warrants for domestic assault and aggravated burglary. [Read more…]

TBI investigating shooting that involved officer on Emory Valley Road

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Police are investigating after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018. The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road is blocked off with yellow tape, and there is a large emergency response presence that includes members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Police are investigating after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018. The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road is blocked off with yellow tape, and there is a large emergency response presence that includes members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 9 p.m.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has agents and forensic scientists on the scene of an officer-involved shooting on Monday along Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge, a spokesperson said.

Update (11:45 p.m.): A man who struck an Oak Ridge police officer with a vehicle died when at least one officer opened fire in a courthouse parking lot on Monday evening, authorities said. See newer story here.

The incident on Monday evening, which was said to have included a police pursuit and shots fired, was reported in areas along Emory Valley Road, including a residential neighborhood and the parking lot of Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II. The courthouse parking lot was blocked off with yellow police/fire tape on Monday evening, and members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark were there.

At about 8:30 p.m. Monday, TBI spokesperson Leslie Earhart said she was on her way to provide more information when possible. [Read more…]

Warrants: Clinton man arrested after AC man shot in leg, stomach

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Alexander William Carter

Alexander William Carter

 

A Clinton man has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after an Anderson County man was allegedly shot in the stomach and left leg after an argument early Monday morning, court records said.

The shooting was reported at about 3:30 a.m. Monday on Leach Lane in Anderson County, north of Clinton and west of Highway 25.

The injuries to the male victim, Nathan Robert Gifford, appeared to be non-life threatening, according to a Monday press release from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. Gifford was alert and taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he had to have a surgery to treat his injuries, the press release said.

Warrants filed in the case said the alleged shooter, Alexander William Carter, 20, had been arguing with Gifford, who lives in the Leach Lane home, when Gifford told Carter to leave.

Carter left but returned less than five minutes later and started shooting, said the warrants, which cited Gifford. One bullet struck Gifford in the stomach, and another round hit him in the left leg, the warrants said. [Read more…]

Woman sentenced to eight years after drugs discarded during police chase

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Clarissa Sharee Tindell

Clarissa Sharee Tindell

 

A Knoxville woman who fled from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in a car in Anderson County last year as methamphetamine and heroin were discarded from the moving vehicle pleaded guilty to four charges and was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday.

About 60 grams of methamphetamine and less than a gram of heroin were thrown out of a car window and two patrol vehicles were hit during the police chase, which started in Clinton and ended in Rocky Top on Sunday, July 30, 2017, according to court proceedings and affidavits.

The plea agreement hearing for the driver of the 1992 Honda Accord, Clarissa Sharee Tindell, 25, was Tuesday in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. Her plea was by information, meaning she entered a plea before she was formally charged in an indictment by the Anderson County Grand Jury. Early pleas can lead to agreements more favorable to defendants.

Tindell, who was represented by defense attorney Paul Sexton of Oak Ridge, had been charged earlier in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton in a case that included additional counts such as aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony, speeding (117 mph in a 45 mph zone), and failure to yield the right of way, among other charges. Those charges were waived to the Grand Jury on June 6. [Read more…]

Affidavit: Woman admits stealing from 83-year-old who was allegedly killed

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Christy Viola Comer

Christy Viola Comer

 

The Rocky Top woman charged with homicide last week admitted stealing from an 83-year-old man who was believed to have been strangled at his home on Friday, according to Anderson County court records.

The body of J.C. Copeland was found outside of his home in the 600 block of Jacksboro Avenue in Rocky Top on Friday morning, authorities said last week.

Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation started investigating at the request of Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark and with help from the Rocky Top Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

“During the course of the investigation, authorities developed information leading to Comer as an individual responsible for Copeland’s death,” the TBI said in a press release over the weekend.

An affidavit filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton said Christy Viola Comer, 37, who has been charged with criminal homicide, conspired to participate in the robbery and killing of Copeland. Copeland is believed to have been strangled to death, the affidavit said. [Read more…]

Clinton man charged with attempted murder

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Sidney Bruce Jarvis

Sidney Bruce Jarvis

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:50 p.m. Aug. 18.

A Clinton man was charged with attempted first-degree murder and domestic assault after he allegedly grabbed a woman by the neck, tossed her out of a shower, and fired a handgun at her three times, court records said.

The armed disturbance was reported on Blockhouse Valley Road in Clinton on April 3. The defendant, Sidney Bruce Jarvis, 57, has a hearing scheduled at 2 p.m. Monday in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

The April incident was the second time in two months that Jarvis was accused of assaulting the woman and firing a gun, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

After he was read his Miranda rights in April, Jarvis told Clinton Police Department Officer Austin Powell that he pulled the female victim out of the shower because she “would not stop running her mouth,” the affidavits said.

He said he fired his handgun to get her attention, the affidavits said. [Read more…]

Courts: Attempted murder charges sent to grand jury after apartment shooting

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Kali Annabelle Bailey

Kali Annabelle Bailey

 

Kali Annabelle Bailey

Two attempted first-degree murder charges filed against a 20-year-old woman after a shooting in an Oak Ridge apartment parking lot in May have been sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury.

The charges against Kali Annabelle Bailey, whose last known address was in Powell, were bound over, or sent to, the grand jury, after a 100-minute preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, July 31. A victim and a police officer both testified during the preliminary hearing.

Bailey is accused of shooting into a Kia Optima car that had two people inside and was backed into a parking space in the Manhattan Apartments on North Purdue Avenue at about 11:03 p.m. May 6 as part of a possible dispute between two women over a man, which was described in court as jealousy or a “love triangle.”

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