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Man dies, others injured in multi-vehicle crash at Midtown Community Center

Posted at 2:42 am July 5, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Midtown Community Center Crash Reconstruction

A man died and at least a half-dozen people went to the hospital after a mutli-vehicle crash in the parking lot of Midtown Community Center after fireworks in Oak Ridge on Saturday night. Above, an accident reconstruction team works in the pouring rain at Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road at about 2 a.m. Sunday. At right is Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Grant Gouldie.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 p.m.

One person died after a multi-vehicle crash in the parking lot of Midtown Community Center sent at least a half-dozen people to the hospital after fireworks in Oak Ridge on Saturday night, authorities said.

The man who died has a Knoxville address, but police aren’t identifying him yet because family members are still being notified. It appeared that the man was on foot at the time of the crash, authorities said. The man who died was with his wife and children, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said.

Akagi said at least six people, including two children, were sent to three hospitals in three ambulances. The injured were taken to Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge and Children’s Hospital and University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Their names and conditions weren’t immediately available.

Akagi said a pickup involved in the crash hit several vehicles, although it’s not clear how the man who died was injured.

It’s also not clear how fast the red Dodge pickup truck was going or whether it was backing up, he said. Witnesses said the truck had been parked at the east end of the parking lot facing east, or away from the entrance, and the driver backed up to leave as soon as fireworks were over. Witnesses said the truck was in reverse and driving fast. So far, authorities have been unable to confirm that.

“We don’t know what happened,” Akagi said.

But the truck’s back end appeared to have struck at least one vehicle.

Akagi said there were at least a half-dozen vehicles involved in the crash. He said he didn’t know if any other vehicles were moving at the time of the collision. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: accident reconstruction, Adam Daugherty, Alvin K. Bissell Park, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Clinton Police Department, crash, Darryl Kerley, Dave Clark, fireworks, Grant Gouldie, Jim Akagi, Mark Lucas, Midtown Community Center, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Turnpike, ORPD, Robertsville Road, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Wildcat Den

Centennial Golf Course Clubhouse burglary suspect arrested

Posted at 9:57 pm March 14, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Christopher John Queen

Christopher John Queen

A former employee at Centennial Golf Course has been charged with one count of burglary in an alleged clubhouse burglary, authorities said.

Oak Ridge Police Department officers Grant Gouldie and Ben Higgins responded to the burglary call at the Centennial Golf Course Clubhouse on Centennial Bluff Boulevard at about 12:04 a.m. March 9, a press release said. They found that a glass door had been shattered, and a set of golf clubs was missing.

Golf course employees who arrived to turn off the alarm were also interviewed, and video images of the burglary was reviewed and a suspect identified, the release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Ben Higgins, burglary, Centennial Golf Course, Christ Queen, Grant Gouldie, Kevin Craig, Oak Ridge Police Department

Updated: Driver charged with DUI in four-car crash that damaged home

Posted at 1:54 am February 20, 2015
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Robertsville Road Car and House Crash

No one was injured in a crash involving four vehicles and a house on Robertsville Road on Thursday night.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:20 p.m.

The driver of a car that allegedly caused a four-vehicle crash and damaged a home on Robertsville Road has been charged with driving under the influence, authorities said.

Officers located Brandon Kyle Baez, 18, of Oak Ridge, after he walked away from the crash at 184 Robertsville Road and tried to hide in a wooded area, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins said in a warrant.

The crash occurred at about 10:40 p.m. Thursday just east of North Illinois Avenue. An SUV-type vehicle driven by Baez allegedly left the road, drove through the front yard of one home on Robertsville Road, crashed into a Ford four-door sedan parked in the driveway, and pushed it about three or four car lengths into a neighbor’s front yard—and reportedly caused a collision with two cars parked in the neighbor’s driveway (the home of Mike and Judy Coen).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: alcohol, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Ben Higgins, Brandon Kyle Baez, crash, driving under the influence, four-car crash, Grant Gouldie, Judy Coen, Mike Coen, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Robertsville Road, Todd Derrick, warrant

Y-12 security failed to follow procedure, allowed driver to enter site, NNSA says

Posted at 5:50 pm June 7, 2013
By John Huotari 8 Comments

Security Officers at Y-12 East Gate

Security police officers stand guard during an August 2012 peace protest at the east gate and main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex at Bear Creek and Scarboro roads.

Police officers at the Y-12 National Security Complex failed to follow established procedures when they allowed an Oak Ridge woman who did not have permission to be at the nuclear weapons plant to drive through the main entrance at Scarboro Road on Thursday morning, federal officials said.

Brenda L. Haptonstall, 62, told Oak Ridge police she was looking for a new, low-cost apartment complex and followed morning commuters through the east gate at the Y-12 National Security Complex at about 6:10 a.m. Thursday.

An Oak Ridge Police Department report said Haptonstall drove unhindered through the plant before she was stopped by security officers at the west gate. Haptonstall told ORPD Officer Roy J. Heinz that she thought there must have been a crash at Y-12 because there were “nice officers waving her through with illuminated flashlight cones,” the report said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Brenda L. Haptonstall, fence, Grant Gouldie, Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, Michael Walli, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, police officers, Roy J. Heinz, Scarboro Road, security breach, security measures, security personnel, Steven Wyatt, trespassing, Y-12 National Security Complex, Y-12 security

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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