Oak Ridge Today

Dispose of unused medicine safely at four locations Saturday

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ASAP Logo

Anderson County residents can get rid of their unused medicine on Saturday as the county participates in National Drug Take-Back Day sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Clinton Police Department, Norris Police Department, Lake City Police Department, and Oliver Springs Police Department, along with ASAP, will host the event as part of a continued effort to reduce drug abuse and practice stewardship toward our environment. Medication may be dropped off with officers between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Oak Ridge Police Department at 200 S. Tulane Ave. or dropped in the bin at the locations listed below. All packaging materials will be recycled.

  • Clinton Police Department—125 W. Broad St., Clinton
  • Lake City Police Department—104 Lawson St., Lake City
  • Norris Police Department—9 West Circle Road, Norris
  • Oliver Springs Police Department—701 Main St., Oliver Springs [Read more…]

One Anderson man gets life, second 30 years in meth conspiracy

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Jeffery Scott Braden

Jeffery Scott Braden

Two Anderson County men convicted of conspiring to manufacture 50 grams or more of methamphetamine were sentenced to lengthy prison terms this week, federal officials said Friday.

Officials estimate that the conspiracy resulted in the production of about 1,500 grams of methamphetamine.

Jeffrey Scott Braden, 37, of Vowell Mountain—the only one of 42 people indicted in the conspiracy to go to trial—received a mandatory life sentence on Thursday in a hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan in Knoxville, officials said.

Then, on Friday, Varlan sentenced conspiracy leader Lawrence “Stoney” Scriver, 46, of Lake City, to serve 30 years, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said in a press release. [Read more…]

Sheriff White seeks re-election

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Paul White

Paul White

Sheriff Paul White is seeking re-election as Anderson County sheriff. White was first elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.

White is a veteran law officer with 38 years of experience, a press release said. His first five years were with the Oliver Springs Police Department, where he served as a police officer and patrol sergeant. The remaining 33 years have been with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, where he advanced through the ranks from patrol deputy to commanding the Patrol Division and Court Services.

During his career, White had the opportunity to hold almost every position within the Sheriff’s Department and at one time was appointed “acting sheriff,” the release said.

“Having served under the last five administrations, Paul White had the unique opportunity to observe and utilize many ideas and practices as to how the Sheriff’s Department could best serve the needs of Anderson County,” the release said. [Read more…]

Lake City man convicted of conspiracy to make 50+ grams of meth

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Jeffery Scott Braden

Jeffery Scott Braden

He was the only one of 42 people indicted earlier this year to go to trial in an unprecedented meth-making conspiracy, and now the Lake City man has been found guilty, authorities said Friday.

After a three-day federal trial, a jury convicted Jeffrey Scott Braden of conspiracy to manufacture 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; the possession of equipment, chemicals, products, and materials that can be used to make it; and being a felon in possession of ammunition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Braden was tried in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. [Read more…]

ORPD receives about $70,000 seized in drug trafficking investigation

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The Oak Ridge Police Department was one of 19 local and state law enforcement agencies that received part of $4.1 million in cash seized during a 2011 investigation of a Mexican drug trafficking organization.

The ORPD received $69,814, said U.S. Attorney William C. Killian of the Eastern District of Tennessee in Knoxville. Other law enforcement agencies in California, North Carolina, and Tennessee received amounts ranging from about $35,000 to close to $420,000. [Read more…]

More than 300 pounds of unused medicine collected

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Information from WYSH Radio

Local law enforcement agencies teamed up to host Operation Medicine Cabinet at four locations across the county on Saturday, and more than 300 pounds of medicine were collected.

That amount far surpassed the weight from any previous event held in the county since law enforcement agencies began collecting and disposing medicine in 2010. In all, 314.6 pounds of medicine were collected at sites in Clinton, Oak Ridge, and Oliver Springs, said Stephanie Strutner, executive director for Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention. The medications were disposed by DEA. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police accepting unwanted prescription drugs Saturday

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Expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs can be turned in to the Oak Ridge Police Department on Saturday.

It’s part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Saturday’s event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Police Department at 200 S. Tulane Ave.

The service is free and anonymous, and no questions will be asked, a city press release said.

[Read more…]