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Man sentenced to one year, 9 months for fatal hit-and-run 

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Dannon Cole pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving a death or injury in Anderson County Criminal Court on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Note: This story was updated at 1 p.m. Dec. 13.

CLINTON—A 51-year-old man was sentenced to one year and nine months when pleading guilty Monday to a fatal hit-and-run crash between a pickup truck and motorized bicycle in Clinton about one year ago.

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Edgemoor Road widening estimated at $175 million

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The widening of Edgemoor Road between Pellissippi Parkway and Clinton Highway, including this bridge over the Clinch River, could cost an estimated $175 million, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The widening of Edgemoor Road between Pellissippi Parkway and Clinton Highway could cost an estimated $175 million, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

Planning for the six-mile project, which will include replacing the bridge over the Clinch River, was completed in August.

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Man charged with vehicular homicide after fatal hit-and-run

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Dannon Ray Cole, 50, Clinton, has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man, Jordan Pitts, riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue (Clinton Highway) early Saturday, November 20, and then fled. (Photo courtesy Clinton Police Department)

 

A 50-year-old Clinton man has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue early Saturday, November 20, and then fled.

No one witnessed the fatal hit-and-run crash between the pickup truck allegedly driven by Dannon Ray Cole, 50, and the motorized bicycle carrying Jordan Pitts, 39, and the Clinton Police Department did not immediately have a suspect vehicle. The 3:30 a.m. crash near Portwood Road, a short drive from downtown Clinton on Clinton Highway, killed Pitts.

The person who called 911 found Pitts in the road, the CPD said. Pitts died later.

But when investigators responded, they found evidence at the crash site that helped them identify the hit-and-run vehicle, according to Anderson County court records. The evidence included vehicle parts: a portion of a front grill and red markings including the letter “G” and half of the letter “M”.

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Dannon Ray Cole, 50, Clinton, has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man, Jordan Pitts, riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue (Clinton Highway) early Saturday, November 20, and then fled. (Photo courtesy Clinton Police Department)

Note: This story was updated at 9:20 a.m. Nov. 30.

A 50-year-old Clinton man has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue with a pickup truck early Saturday, November 20, and then fled.

Dannon Ray Cole, 50, Clinton, has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man, Jordan Pitts, riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue (Clinton Highway) early Saturday, November 20, and then fled. (Photo courtesy Clinton Police Department)

 

A 50-year-old Clinton man has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue early Saturday, November 20, and then fled.

No one witnessed the fatal hit-and-run crash between the pickup truck allegedly driven by Dannon Ray Cole, 50, and the motorized bicycle carrying Jordan Pitts, 39, and the Clinton Police Department did not immediately have a suspect vehicle. The 3:30 a.m. crash near Portwood Road, a short drive from downtown Clinton on Clinton Highway, killed Pitts.

The person who called 911 found Pitts in the road, the CPD said. Pitts died later.

But when investigators responded, they found evidence at the crash site that helped them identify the hit-and-run vehicle, according to Anderson County court records. The evidence included vehicle parts: a portion of a front grill and red markings including the letter “G” and half of the letter “M”.

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Two die in crashes in Anderson County

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Two people died in crashes in Anderson County this past weekend. One was a student at Hardin Valley Academy, and the other was a 43-year-old Knoxville woman.

The first crash, which killed the HVA senior, was reported in the Claxton area on Friday night. Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said it was a graduation season tragedy involving some young people who had been celebrating in Knox County.

“Whether they were served alcohol at a commercial establishment is being investigated,” Clark said in a social media post on Saturday.

Clark said it appeared that eight people were riding in a pickup truck when it crashed in the Claxton area on New Henderson Road at Henderson Bend Road.

[Read more…]

Two killed in car-motorcycle crash

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Two people died in a collision between a car and motorcycle on Clinton Highway on Thursday afternoon, law enforcement officers said.

The crash was reported at about 2:46 p.m. Thursday at East Wolf Valley Road.

Zachary Johnston, 29, of Clinton, and Stephanie Whitaker, 31, of Knoxville died in the crash, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report.

Johnston was driving a 2004 Honda Shadow Aero motorcycle, and Whitaker was a passenger, the report said.

The THP said the other vehicle, a 2001 Honda Accord car, was driven by Casey Hall, 38, of Heiskell.

[Read more…]

For members: Man sentenced to 20 years for shooting that injured two

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The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department investigates a shooting at 3008 Clinton Highway, at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Lonesome Dove Road, on Saturday evening, Jan. 13, 2018. Two people were reported to have non-life threatening injuries. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

CLINTON—An Oak Ridge man received a 20-year prison sentence when he pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of attempted first-degree murder after a shooting that injured two people during an argument in a Clinton Highway home about two years ago.

Jacob Lynn Rutherford, 25, entered the plea agreement in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Tuesday morning.

 
Claxton-Shooting-Jan-13-2018

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department investigates a shooting at 3008 Clinton Highway, at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Lonesome Dove Road in Claxton, on Saturday evening, Jan. 13, 2018. Two people were reported to have non-life threatening injuries. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—An Oak Ridge man received a 20-year prison sentence when he pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of attempted first-degree murder after a shooting that injured two people during an argument in a Clinton Highway home about two years ago.

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For members: Driver in fatal crash receives 12-year sentence

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Scott-Gray-Hearing-Aug-11-2016
Scott Gray, who has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication, is pictured above during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division I, in Clinton on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The driver in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in April 2016 has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and he received a 12-year sentence.

The defendant, Scott Allen Gray, 29, served more than the statutory minimum of 45 days before his plea agreement—he served about one year and one month in the Anderson County jail—and the rest of his 12-year sentence was suspended, to be served on intensive probation, according to Anderson County court records.

Scott-Gray-Hearing-Aug-11-2016

The driver in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in April 2016 has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and he received a 12-year sentence.

The defendant served more than the statutory minimum of 45 days before his plea agreement—he served about one year and one month in the Anderson County jail—and the rest of his 12-year sentence was suspended, to be served on intensive probation, among other conditions, according to Anderson County court records.

The crash three years ago killed a 23-year-old Heiskell woman.

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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.

Man charged with homicide in fatal Clinton Highway crash

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A Clinton man was charged with two counts of homicide and one count of driving under the influence after a fatal two-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway on Friday, authorities said.

The two felony homicide counts filed against Timothy James Gribble, 36, are vehicular homicide by intoxication and vehicular homicide by recklessness, according to Anderson County court records.

His DUI, a misdemeanor, is an alleged second offense, according to court records.

The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 5:27 p.m. Friday at the Clinton Highway intersection with Shepherd Lane, according to a fatality report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The head-on collision killed Robert J. West, 64, of Harriman, the THP report said. [Read more…]

Photos: Clinch River bridge work in Clinton

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Work is under way on the bridge to replace the Honorable William Everette Lewallen Bridge over the Clinch River on Clinch Avenue between downtown Clinton and South Clinton. The work is pictured above on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Work is under way on the bridge to replace the Honorable William Everette Lewallen Bridge over the Clinch River on Clinch Avenue between downtown Clinton and South Clinton. The work is pictured above on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Construction work has started on the replacement of the Honorable William Everette Lewallen Bridge over the Clinch River in downtown Clinton. Here are photos of the work, which could last three years, on Tuesday.

In August, WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that the contract to replace the bridge on Highway 25W/State Route 9 (Clinton Highway/Clinch Avenue) was awarded on August 17 to Charles Blalock and Sons Incorporated of Sevierville. Their bid for the replacement of the bridge, known to locals as the “green bridge,” came in at $27,735,269.72, WYSH said.

The bridge connects downtown Clinton to south Clinton. [Read more…]

WYSH: Clinton bridge replacement contract awarded

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Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge

The Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge on Clinch Avenue near downtown Clinton is pictured above in December 2013. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

WYSH Radio has reported that the contract to replace the Lewallen Bridge on Highway 25W/State Route 9 (Clinton Highway/Clinch Avenue) over the Clinch River near downtown Clinton was awarded on August 17 to Charles Blalock and Sons Incorporated of Sevierville. Their bid for the replacement of the bridge, known to locals as the “green bridge,” came in at $27,735,269.72.

The bridge connects downtown Clinton and north Clinton to south Clinton.

The aging bridge is due for replacement, according to the state, and while it is still considered safe, the replacement will address looming concerns regarding the structure due to its age. [Read more…]

Man dies in Clinton Highway crash

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An 86-year-old man died in a two-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway late Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Fred Lay, who has a Clinton address, was driving east on Bull Run Road in Claxton in a 2005 Mercury Sable car when he turned onto southbound US Highway 25W (Clinton Highway), the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a report. His vehicle turned into the path of a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer sport utility vehicle driven south in the inside lane of Clinton Highway by Marissa N. McCormick, 27, of Powell, and the two vehicles collided, the report said.

Southbound Clinton Highway heads toward Knoxville.

Lay died due to the crash, which was reported at about 4:56 p.m. Tuesday, the THP said. McCormick was not injured. [Read more…]

Two hit in arms during Claxton shooting

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Jacob Lynn Rutherford

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

 

CLAXTON—Two men were hit in the arms during the shooting in Claxton on Saturday evening, January 13, and the Oak Ridge man charged with attempted murder in the case also shot at a woman but missed, according to court records.

The shooting at the home at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Lonesome Dove Road allegedly occurred “during some type of altercation” in a bedroom, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

Jacob Lynn Rutherford, 23, of Oak Ridge, has been charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of reckless endangerment in the shooting.

The affidavits, which summarize the alleged facts of the case and are attached to arrest warrants, said Rutherford pulled a handgun from his waistband during the altercation, pointed it at Nathan Phillips, 36, and fired. Phillips had two gunshot wounds to his left upper arm, the affidavits said. [Read more…]