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For members: Mason indicted on attempted murder, assault charges

Posted at 2:16 pm January 29, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man with two homicide convictions and a 28-year prison sentence for federal drug and gun convictions has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, among other charges, after he allegedly tried to shoot a deputy in April 2019.

Charles Edward Mason, 53, was indicted on the one count of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and other charges in November. The other charges are two counts of interfering with a 911 call and one count of resisting arrest. Mason pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on Thursday.

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man with two homicide convictions and a 28-year prison sentence for federal drug and gun convictions has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, among other charges, after he allegedly tried to shoot a deputy in April 2019.

Charles Edward Mason, 53, was indicted on the one count of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and other charges in November. The other charges are two counts of interfering with a 911 call and one count of resisting arrest. Mason pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on Thursday.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: aggravated assault, Anderson County Circuit Court, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, attempted first-degree murder, attempted murder, Charles Edward Mason, Dave Clark, indictment, Matthew McGhee, resisting arrest, Thomas Phillips, U.S. District Court

For members: Man charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, meth

Posted at 11:41 am January 12, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

 

Joshua Andrew Koch

 

A 42-year-old Anderson County man is facing federal charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine after a search of a home in Claxton in July allegedly found about 230 grams of a white, crystal-like substance thought to be methamphetamine and roughly 69.5 grams of a brown powder substance suspected to be heroin, according to state and federal court records.

The defendant has also been charged with federal financial and firearms crimes, and he has seven co-defendants in the case, although the charges vary by defendant.

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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. These stories generally take more than four hours to report, write, and publish.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today!

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Tennessee, Top Stories, U.S., United States Tagged With: Anderson County General Sessions Court, Brianna J. Espinoza, cocaine, conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute, controlled substance, drug trafficking, firearm, grand jury, heroin, indictment, Jose O. Carrillo-Monterrosas, Joshua Andrew Koch, Kevin D. Green, Kristi M. Dixon, Maria L. Hightower, methamphetamine, money laundering, Neal Baldwin, Ricky D. Stinnett, Shannon R. Sisk, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, U.S. District Court

Updated: Woman charged with homicide in child’s death after crash

Posted at 3:07 pm January 2, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Fatal-Crash-Memorial-Lafayette-Drive-Emory-Valley-Road-Jan-15-2017-Slider

Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals for a child killed in a fatal two-vehicle crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m.

A second person has been charged with homicide in the death of a young boy in a traffic crash in Oak Ridge in January 2017.

Jason Robert Braden III, 3, died in the two-vehicle crash, which injured at least three other people and was considered a mass casualty event. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

In March 2018, Oak Ridge Today reported that an Anderson County man, Jason Robert Braden II, 25, had been charged, after the crash, in an 11-count indictment that included vehicular homicide by intoxication. The other charges against Braden included vehicular homicide by recklessness, four counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) is involved, driving under the influence, driving without a license, speeding, and violation of the child restraint law.

That case is still pending in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. The homicide and assault charges are felonies, while the driving offenses are misdemeanors.

The second person, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, 23, was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on December 4. She was charged with a single felony count of criminally negligent homicide. The indictment alleged that Braden engaged in criminally negligent conduct that resulted in the death of Jason Robert Braden III. The indictment does not elaborate on the alleged facts of the case, which is typical for indictments. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County EMS, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, Bond, City of Oak Ridge, crash, criminally negligent homicide, driving under the influence, driving without a license, Dustin Sheehy, Emory Valley Road, homicide, indictment, Jason Robert Braden II, Jason Robert Braden III, Joshua Selvidge, Justyn Braden, Lafayette Drive, Melissa Denny, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, speeding, traffic crash, University of Tennessee Medical Center, vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, violation of the child restraint law

Investigation: Clinton man accused of threatening three judges

Posted at 5:52 pm July 18, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

 

Ronald Taylor Don Elledge Don Layton Nicki Cantrell Slider Cropped

CLINTON—A Clinton man accused of threatening to harm three Anderson County judges has a trial scheduled this week in Anderson County Criminal Court.

Details about the alleged threat aren’t available in an indictment filed by the Anderson County Grand Jury in October.

The 53-year-old man has had a dispute with Anderson County officials about searches of people at the security checkpoint near the elevators on the third floor of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. He has told deputies that they do not have the right to search him, objected to the metal detectors there, claimed that civil rights are being violated, and asserted the right to defend himself with deadly force against an unlawful act by a police officer, according to court records.

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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 coverage of court cases and in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, For Members, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: Anderson County Courthouse, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Charles Relford, Darrell Leach, disorderly conduct, Don Layton, Don R. Ash, Donald R. Elledge, Fourth Amendment, grand jury indictments, indictment, J. Michael Clement, Jeremiah Tuggle, John Hannon, John McCulley, Kory Blevins, metal detectors, motion to dismiss, Nichole Cantrell, resisting stop frisk halt arrest or search, retaliation for past action, Ronald Jennings Taylor, searches, security checkpoint, Sixth Judicial District, Steve Bourff, Steve Garrett, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, threat, three judges, trial, William F. Evans

Anderson County man indicted on carjacking, assault charges

Posted at 9:11 pm May 13, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Justin Wade Welch

Justin Wade Welch

 

An Anderson County man who allegedly took two cars by force and tried to take another in Clinton in March 2017 has been indicted on carjacking and assault charges by the Anderson County Grand Jury.

Justin Wade Welch, 31, was charged in an eight-count indictment filed April 3. At the time of the indictment, he had been jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton since March 30, 2017, the date of the alleged incident.

The charges against Welch include three counts of carjacking and one count each of attempted carjacking, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (a vehicle), evading arrest, driving on a suspended or revoked license, and resisting a stop, search, or arrest involving a weapon (a vehicle).

Charges against Welch had been waived to the Grand Jury in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on September 6.

He pleaded not guilty to the eight indicted charges in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on April 30. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, attempted carjacking, attempted robbery, carjacking, Charles Relford, Clinton Police Department, driving on a suspended or revoked license, evading arrest, indictment, Justin Wade Welch, resisting a stop search or arrest involving a weapon, robbery, Scott Gregory

Man indicted on robbery, kidnapping, assault charges in Hibachi Burger robbery

Posted at 12:58 pm May 6, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

Dominique Leshawn Gordon

 

An Oak Ridge man has been indicted on aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault charges after an alleged robbery at Hibachi Burger in Grove Center in January 2017.

A 19-count indictment was filed against Dominique Leshawn Gordon, 22, by the Anderson County Grand Jury on April 3.

Gordon pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on April 30.

His indictment includes one count of aggravated robbery; one count of especially aggravated kidnapping with a weapon when a child, who was then two years old, was involved; eight counts of aggravated kidnapping while committing a felony, confining the victims and interfering with their liberty; and nine counts of aggravated assault while using a gun. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Derek Burchfield, Dominique Leshawn Gordon, especially aggravated kidnapping, Hibachi Burger robbery, Hollie Green, indictment, Marvell Moore, Nang Crossno, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Wanda Reagan

Man charged with homicide in crash that killed 3-year-old boy

Posted at 10:22 am March 22, 2018
By John Huotari 4 Comments

Jason Robert Braden

Jason Robert Braden II

 

An Anderson County man has been charged in an 11-count indictment that includes vehicular homicide by intoxication after a crash that killed a three-year-old boy and injured at least three other people in Oak Ridge last year.

Jason Robert Braden III, 3, died in the two-vehicle crash, which was considered a mass casualty event. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Charged in the 11-count indictment is Jason Robert Braden II, 24, of Bush Road in Marlow. The charges against Braden include vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, four counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) is involved, driving under the influence, driving without a license, speeding, and violation of the child restraint law.

The Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton indicted Braden on February 27. He was arrested March 4. His bond has been set at $125,000, and he was released from the Anderson County Detention Facility on Monday, March 19. He has an arraignment set for Monday morning, March 26, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County EMS, Anderson County grand jury, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, City of Oak Ridge, Clinton Police Department, crash, David Harrington, driving under the influence, driving without a license, Dustin Sheehy, Emory Valley Road, indictment, Jason Robert Braden II, Jason Robert Braden III, Jeremy Huddleston, Joshua Selvidge, Justyn Braden, Kevin Craig, Kevin Merritt, Lafayette Drive, Matt Johnston, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Ray Faircloth, reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved, Roy Heinz, Sherrill Selby, speeding, University of Tennessee Medical Center, UT Lifestar, UT Medical Center, vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, violation of the child restraint law

Woman indicted on assault, endangerment charges in drug overdose

Posted at 10:31 pm September 10, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Heather Marie Rau

Heather Marie Rau

An Oak Ridge woman has been indicted on charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in a drug overdose reported in February.

The drug that allegedly caused the overdose of Wesley “Bud” Arnold on West Outer Drive on February 16 had been said to be heroin, according to affidavits filed earlier this year in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Arnold was unconscious on a hallway floor, had a very weak pulse, and could not breathe on his own when an emergency medical crew responded to the overdose at about 3 p.m. February 16. Emergency personnel were able to revive Arnold by giving him a dose of Narcan, which is used to help people who overdose on opioid-based narcotics.

But indictments filed against Heather Marie Rau, 29, on August 1, said the illegal narcotic was not heroin but actually acrylfentanyl, a fentanyl analogue that is more powerful and dangerous than heroin.

Rau had advised Arnold not to “shoot it,” or inject it, because she knew that what she had given him could possibly kill him, according to the affidavits filed in February. Rau and another man, Willie Williams, had ingested the same drug on February 12, and Rau overdosed while Williams died, said the affidavits, filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective John Criswell. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: acrylfentanyl, aggravated assault, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Daniel Freytag, drug overdose, Heather Marie Rau, heroin, indictment, John Criswell, Oak Ridge Police Department, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine, promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine, reckless endangerment, Wesley "Bud" Arnold, Willie Williams

Mayors, sheriffs also had fraudulent liens filed against them, indictment says

Posted at 5:20 pm February 17, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

More public officials, including at least two county mayors and two sheriffs, have been the victims of the allegedly fraudulent liens that led to the indictment announced by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in Nashville on Thursday, after arrests in East Tennessee on Wednesday.

Information about the liens is contained in the 302-count indictment filed in Davidson County on January 20. That indictment came after a one-year investigation by state and federal authorities into fraudulent liens filed by East Tennessee residents. The TBI said 11 people were indicted, and 10 had been arrested as of Thursday afternoon. Seven of those arrested were from Anderson County.

Among the officials that have confirmed that they they were the victims of liens alleged to be fraudulent are Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Roane County Executive Ron Woody, and Anderson County Sheriff Paul White and Roane County Sheriff Jack Stockton.

Oak Ridge Today has already reported on some of the police officers and law enforcement officials and agencies in Oak Ridge and Anderson County that have been named in the $137 million worth of liens filed by Lee Harold Cromwell, who was one of the 10 people arrested Wednesday.

Other victims named in the 302-count indictment that haven’t previously been identified: Don A. Layton, Daryl R. Fansler, Jimmy Jones, Ronald Nathan Murch, and Steve R. Queener. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Government, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Roane County, Roane County, State, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Buddy Bradshaw, Daryl R. Fansler, Dave Clark, Davidson County, Don A. Layton, Donald R. Elledge, fraudulent liens, indictment, Jack Stockton, James T. Akagi, Jimmy Jones, Lee Harold Cromwell, Michael Pemberton, Paul White, Roger A. Miller, Ron Woody, Ronald Nathan Murch, Steve R. Queener, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tim Burchett

Two federal trials rescheduled: One for alleged bank extortion, second for federal gun charge

Posted at 10:56 am April 5, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to an alleged kidnapping and attempted robbery at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015. A trial for one of the defendants has been rescheduled to November 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Two federal trials for crimes allegedly committed in Oak Ridge, including one that involved an alleged bank extortion attempt, have been rescheduled.

The first trial had been scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. But it has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, November 7. That trial is for Michael Anthony Benanti, 43, of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania.

Benanti and a co-defendant, Brian Scott Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, had been named in a 15-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury in December. They were accused of kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton. The Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge was one of the three financial institutions that was targeted.

Witham pleaded guilty March 1. His sentencing is set for August 17. He reportedly faces a minimum 42-year prison term, but could receive a life term. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Knox County, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: "Art Therapy and Mental Health", Anderson County Sheriff's Department, bank extortion, Brian Scott Witham, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Chelsea Lively, federal trials, firearms, indictment, James Elkins, kidnapping, Larry Dewayne Williams, Michael Anthony Benanti, Oak Ridge Police Department, Rebecca Bobich, robbery, U.S. District Court, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Four young adults indicted in alleged plot to rob a woman for rent money

Posted at 3:24 pm January 13, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Raymond R. Gray

Raymond R. Gray

Four young Oak Ridge adults have been indicted in an alleged plot to rob a woman for rent money.

The alleged armed robbery occurred on Highland Avenue at about midnight April 1, 2015, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins said in warrants filed last year in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

The victim said three men who had their faces covered robbed her at gunpoint and fled in a black Chevy sedan, the warrants said. The victim followed them north on Highland Avenue.

ORPD Officer Ray Steakley located the car at the intersection of State Route 61 and State Route 62, and he pulled over the car on Midway Road in Oliver Springs.

Christopher D. Ramsey

Christopher D. Ramsey

One of the defendants, Whitney T. Stewart, 22, of Oak Ridge, was driving, Higgins said. The other three co-defendants—Raymond R. Gray, 21; Christopher D. Ramsey, 21; and Tevin M. Springs, 20; all of Oak Ridge—were in the car, Higgins said.

The four were arrested after the alleged robbery last year and charged with aggravated robbery and criminal conspiracy.

They were indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on Tuesday, January 5. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, armed robbery, Ben Higgins, Christopher D. Ramsey, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, criminal conspiracy, driving under the influence, indictment, Oak Ridge Police Department, Ray Steakley, Raymond R. Gray, robbery, Tevin M. Springs, Whitney T. Stewart

Two men indicted in robbery, kidnappings at Y-12 Credit Union, SmartBank

Posted at 11:31 am December 16, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)

Brian Witham

Brian Witham (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)


Note: This story was last updated at 10:37 p.m.

Two men were indicted Tuesday for plots that involved kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton, Tennessee.

The two men are Michael Benanti and Brian Witham. One is from Pennsylvania, and the other is from Maine.

The three financial institutions they targeted were Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge, SmartBank on Advantage Place in Knoxville, and Northeast Community Credit Union on Jason Witten Way in Elizabethton.

The indictment of Benanti and Witham by a federal grand jury for the armed bank extortions was filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. You can read the 15-count indictment, which also includes charges of carjacking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, here. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Knoxville, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: bank extortion, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, indictment, kidnapping, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Northeast Community Credit Union, Oak Ridge Police Department, robbery, SmartBank, U.S. District Court, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

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Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Lithium Production Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 … [Read More...]

Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) (DOE/EA-2144), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings

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