Oak Ridge Today

Sixth person arrested in Aryans Nations gang-related attempted murder

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Cynthia Ann Wright

Cynthia Ann Wright

A sixth person was arrested on Thursday after another indictment was returned in an Aryan Nations gang-related attempted murder and conspiracy case, authorities said.

Cynthia Ann Wright, 40, of Strawberry Plains, was arrested at her home in Jefferson County by sheriff’s investigators with the assistance of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said in a Tuesday morning press release. Wright is now being held in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton under a $100,000 bond.

White said investigators obtained indictments from the Anderson County Grand Jury on the six people after a lengthy investigation into the severe beating of a 31-year-old Briceville man that resulted in serious injuries. The incident occurred on Dennis Lane in Claxton in December 2013 and was from internal gang-related enforcement. All six people charged in the case are members of the Aryan Nations gang, White said. [Read more…]

Sheriff: Investigators arrest three, find four pounds of pot, seize two vehicles

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Sheriff Paul White and Wells Road Drug Raid

Anderson County Sheriff Paul White says investigators found about four pounds of marijuana, hash, and suspected prescription narcotics during a drug raid in Claxton on Thursday. Two vehicles and electronic items were seized, and three people were arrested. (Submitted photo)

Investigators found about four pounds of marijuana, hashish, and suspected prescription narcotics during a drug raid in Claxton on Thursday, authorities said. Three people were arrested, and two vehicles were seized.

Investigators also found drug paraphernalia at the home at 105 Wells Road, and they seized electronic items along with items used to process marijuana for resale, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said in a press release.

Investigators with the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit obtained the search warrant for the home after an investigation into illegal drug activity. [Read more…]

Most Anderson commissioners seek re-election, six running in District 7 in OR

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.

There are six candidates running for Anderson County Commission in District 7 in Oak Ridge in August, and a Democrat has joined the race for Tennessee House of Representatives in the 33rd District.

Meanwhile, an Independent, Bradley S. Rickett, has joined the race for Anderson County mayor, competing against Democrat Jim Hackworth and the winner of the May 6 Republican primary, either the incumbent, Terry Frank, or her challenger, Commissioner Zach Bates.

Fourteen of the 16 Anderson County commissioners are seeking re-election to a four-year term. But Bates, from District 4 in the Lake City area, is not. And neither is Commissioner John Shuey. Shuey is one of two commissioners in District 7, which includes the Glenwood, Highland View, and Pine Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.

District 7 is the most competitive in terms of number of candidates. In addition to the incumbent, Jerry Creasey, other candidates include Jimmy Bouchard, Michael Marsh, Denny Phillips, Kevin Rice, and Theresa Scott.

District 3—which includes Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine, and Norris—has five candidates, including the two incumbents, Steve Emert and Dusty Irwin. The other three candidates are Josh Anderson, David Farmer, and Philip Warfield. [Read more…]

Human skull found near Norman Road in Claxton

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A Claxton resident who lives on Norman Road in Anderson County reported finding a human skull on his property on Tuesday, authorities said. The skull was apparently carried there by an animal.

Investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Regional Forensic Center responded to the scene, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said in a Tuesday afternoon statement.

“The skull was taken to the forensic center for examination to determine the age, sex, and race, along with how long the skull had been exposed to the elements,” Lucas said. “The area was searched by cadaver dogs from the Roane County Sheriff’s Office, but nothing else was located.” [Read more…]

Woman faces first-degree murder charge in death of boyfriend’s uncle

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Tammy Sue Chapman

Tammy Sue Chapman

A former Claxton woman is facing a first-degree murder charge for her alleged role in the death of a 79-year-old man whose body was found hidden underneath an apartment staircase on Patt Lane two years ago.

Tammy Sue Chapman, 45, was indicted on the murder charge by an Anderson County grand jury on Feb. 4. She was arrested Friday.

She and her boyfriend Norman Lee Follis Jr., 50, both now face the first-degree murder charge.

The victim, Sammie J. Adams, 79, of Patt Lane in Claxton, was Follis’ uncle. [Read more…]

Fire causes heavy damage to Anderson County home, RV, trailer

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Cedar Hills Drive Fire

A Wednesday morning fire on Cedar Hills Drive in Anderson County heavily damaged a home, RV, and camping trailer.

The fire was reported at about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday at 210 Cedar Hills Drive. It apparently started in the attic, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department report. The cause was not known, but it was not believed to be an arson, the report said.

A witness who lives nearby reported seeing flames coming out of the attic. [Read more…]

Fire destroys Claxton home, two occupants uninjured

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Information from WYSH Radio

Two people escaped without injury early Tuesday morning after a fire broke out in their home in Claxton.

The fire was reported at a house in the 110 block of Tobby Hollow Lane at around 4 a.m., and Claxton firefighters responded to the scene. Two occupants of the house got out safely after their grown son, who lives next door, spotted the fire and alerted them.

Officials say the cold temperatures made it harder to extinguish the flames, adding that the home is a total loss.

Tobby Hollow Lane is off New Henderson Road across the Clinch River from Haw Ridge Park.

Claxton fire burns through roof at home behind Bread Box

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Dogwood Road Fire

Firefighters battle a blaze that spread into the attic and burned through a roof at a home on South Dogwood Road in Claxton. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A Monday evening fire burned through the roof of a home behind the Bread Box convenience store on Edgemoor Road in Claxton.

The fire at 110 S. Dogwood Road was reported at about 6:45 p.m. Monday, photographer Tom Scott said. It was originally reported as a kitchen fire, but the fire extended into the attic and burned through the roof, causing extensive damage.

Before firefighters arrived, a neighbor kicked open a door after hearing what sounded like a cry for help and freed a trapped cat, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton. No injuries were reported.

The initial response was by the Claxton Fire Department. In one of the larger Anderson County mutual aid operations in recent years, the Rural Metro, Andersonville, Marlow, Medford, and Briceville fire departments responded, and so did Anderson County Emergency Medical Services and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Scott said. The American Red Cross also responded to help the residents. [Read more…]

Sheriff: Eight pounds of marijuana found, $23K cash seized, five arrested

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Investigators allegedly found about eight pounds of marijuana, seized roughly $23,000 in cash and three vehicles, and arrested five Knoxville men after traffic stops in Anderson County on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The five men were arrested after the three vehicles were intercepted on Clinton Highway bringing marijuana into the county, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said in a Wednesday afternoon press release.

“These arrests are the result of surveillance and investigation into this drug activity, which includes receiving, transporting, and distributing marijuana on several occasions in the Claxton community of Anderson County,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Man indicted in mausoleum assault

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Charles Ronald Bean

Charles Ronald Bean

Information from WYSH Radio

An Anderson County grand jury has indicted a Powell man on charges that he lured a man to a mausoleum in Claxton, locked him inside, and forced him to perform oral sex.

Charles Bean, 55, was indicted on charges of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, vandalism, and vandalism of a cemetery. Bean has been in custody since his arrest in July of last year. [Read more…]

Vandals damage Claxton mausoleum

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a weekend break-in at Woodhaven Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in Claxton that resulted in the theft of four crypt covers valued at $500 each and more than $5,000 in damages.

Deputy Robert Sexton reported that he had been checking on businesses in Claxton when he noticed the glass on the back door of the mausoleum on Edgemoor Road had been broken out with a lift truck jack used to lift caskets. Inside, the culprits destroyed four other crypt covers, tore the thermostats off the walls, and destroyed light fixtures, benches, and other items. [Read more…]

Meth lab bust includes 90 pounds of ammonia, 700 coffee filters, acid, fuel

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Anderson County authorities serving a warrant at a mobile home on Becks Lane in Claxton on Monday found an alleged methamphetamine laboratory that included 90 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, 700 coffee filters, two gallons of muriatic acid, and more than a gallon of Coleman fuel, as well as a white substance that tested positive for meth, records said.

Ingredients and equipment that could be used to make meth were scattered around the home, including in a shed near the back of the home, in a 1996 Buick, and under a motor home in the driveway, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department report. Authorities detected the “distinct odor” of anhydrous ammonia at several places near the home, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jason D. Leach said in the report.

[Read more…]