Oak Ridge Today

School security ramped up in Anderson County, Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

In the wake of last week’s deadly school shootings in Connecticut, many people in the area have wondered what is being done to keep their children safe at school.

WYSH asked Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough how often officers conduct walk-throughs at the city’s three elementary schools. Scarbrough said every school in the city, including the three county schools within the city limits, are visited by officers two to three times per day in unscheduled, random, drop-in visits.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said there are eight full-time school resource officers, or SROs, who rotate between the county’s 17 schools. That number includes SROs who are assigned to just one school, namely the two county high schools.

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Clinton man struck by car

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Clinton man was struck by a car late Friday afternoon in Clinton.

The Clinton Police Department reports that 30-year-old Carl Bunch had been parked in one of the angled spaces on West Broad Street at the Anderson County Courthouse at around 5 p.m. Friday. Bunch was standing at the rear of his vehicle putting his new license plate on when a car driven by a 16-year-old girl traveling along Broad Street swerved out of its lane and hit Bunch and his car’s bumper.

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Clinton, Knoxville police dispose of possible grenade

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton Police Department and bomb squad technicians from Knoxville disposed of an object that was found in the parking lot of the Weigel’s on North Charles Seivers Boulevard on Wednesday and believed to be a hand grenade.

Police were called to the store at around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday and shown a suspicious-looking item in the parking lot. A customer said he had noticed the object when he got out of his vehicle.

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Police ID Clinton man who died after car rolled onto railroad tracks

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The Clinton Police Department has identified the man killed after his car rolled down an embankment and onto railroad tracks early Saturday morning.

Chris Vann, 39, of Clinton had been driving a 1992 Mitsubishi on Carden Road, which runs parallel to the train tracks, when his car left the road, rolled down the embankment, and came to rest on the tracks.

A CPD press release said it wasn’t clear if Vann died during the first accident or when his car was hit by a Norfolk Southern train. Police said it also wasn’t clear how long the vehicle had been on the tracks before it was hit by the train.

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Woman arrested for punching Clinton cop

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A Lake City woman was arrested late Saturday night after she allegedly punched a Clinton police officer in the face, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Clinton Police Department Officer Shawn Fritz was on patrol Saturday night at around 10:15 p.m. when he spotted a woman later identified as 28-year-old Ashley Bullock walking down North Charles Seivers Boulevard wearing only a T-shirt and blue jeans even though temperatures were only around 50 degrees, WYSH said.

Fritz conducted an unrelated traffic stop a short distance away and when he was finished there, doubled back to check on the woman to make sure she was OK. He located her standing in front of the Git N Go on North Seivers and attempted to make contact with her, the radio station said.

However, as he approached, she started walking away.

According to the arrest report, Fritz followed her, and Bullock stopped in the middle of the parking lot and turned to him, saying that she had just gotten out of jail and would not go back. At that point, she allegedly swung at Fritz, hitting him on the left side of his face near the eye with her fist, WYSH said.

Fritz took her to the ground and placed her under arrest on a charge of assault, the radio station said. She was taken back to the Anderson County Jail, from where she had been released less than half an hour before Fritz first saw her walking along the side of the road.

The incident was witnessed by two people and statements were obtained, WYSH said. Bullock has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 2004.

This story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.

Caryville man accused of hitting Walmart officer after theft

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A Caryville man is accused of punching a Walmart loss prevention officer in the throat and chest after he ran out the door of a Clinton store with a shopping cart loaded with merchandise, authorities said.

Allen Jason Hall, 30, of Caryville, allegedly loaded an empty shopping cart with $318 worth of battery merchandise at the Clinton Walmart on Wednesday, including a battery, two battery cores, and a battery charger, the store employee told Clinton Police Department Officer Lucian Godwin, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

Hall allegedly attempted to claim the items and return them, but he had no receipt, the affidavits said. He ran out the door with the cart, the loss prevention officer told Godwin.

The Walmart officer said she ran after Hall and grabbed the cart in the parking lot, but Hall struck her in the throat and chest with his fist, knocking her down to the pavement, the affidavits said. The officer was injured and taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Hall has been charged with robbery, theft, and assault. He remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility on Monday. His bond has been set at $100,000.

Report: Clinton police seize SUV, arrest four after meth residue found

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Clinton police seized a Chevrolet Tahoe and arrested four people Thursday morning after authorities and a police dog allegedly found a coffee filter with drug residue that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Inside the Tahoe, authorities also allegedly found several syringes, lithium batteries, and razor blades, a Clinton Police Department report said. Clinton Police Officer Bradley Kidwell said the search also found a CVS Pharmacy bag that contained new makeup items but no receipt.

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