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DA: No charges will be filed in fatal police shooting

Posted at 11:49 am February 8, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

No criminal charges will be filed against three Oak Ridge Police Department officers after a fatal shooting on Briar Road in August, the county’s top prosecutor said Monday.

Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark released his report about the police shooting on Monday morning.

The report said that the man who died in the shooting, Fred J. Arcera, 25, was a U.S. Army veteran who had mental health problems and was reported to be suicidal—telling officers to kill him—and he had large butcher knives and had threatened officers, moving toward them with the knives that Saturday night.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the shooting, which is common after law enforcement officers fatally shoot someone.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Corey Fritz, Dave Clark, Fred J. Arcera, Jeremy Phillips, Joseph Gibson, Oak Ridge Police Department, police shooting, shooting, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Oak Ridge man charged with murder in drug death

Posted at 2:38 pm August 27, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Ronald Nicholas Bunch
Ronald Nicholas Bunch

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with second-degree murder in the drug-related death of another Oak Ridge man in February.

It could be the first time that anyone has been charged with murder, rather than homicide, for a drug-related fatality in Anderson County. There has been a previous case where a man was charged with and convicted of homicide in a drug overdose death.

The man who died on February 6 was Steven Douglas Scruggs, 34.

Indicted in his death was Ronald Nicholas Bunch, 28, of West Wadsworth Circle in Oak Ridge. Bunch’s indictment for second-degree murder on June 4 said he unlawfully and knowingly killed Scruggs through the unlawful distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance, and the drug caused Scruggs’ death. Second-degree murder is a Class A felony in Tennessee.

The charge of second-degree murder, part of a three-count indictment, doesn’t specifically say what drug killed Scruggs. But the second count of the indictment charged Bunch with possessing fentanyl, a Schedule II medication, for resale.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, drug death, drug-related death, drug-related fatality, fentanyl, heroin, Jeremy Phillips, Oak Ridge Police Department, Ronald Nicholas Bunch, Ryan M. Spitzer, second-degree murder, Seventh Judicial District, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Steven Douglas Scruggs, Timothy Buckner

Woman indicted on carjacking, attempted robbery charges

Posted at 4:32 pm March 24, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Sheila K Jones

Sheila K. Jones

 

An Oliver Springs woman has been indicted on charges of attempted robbery, carjacking, and assault, among other counts, after she allegedly took a vehicle from another Oliver Springs woman in Oak Ridge in May and fled from police, according to Anderson County court records.

The specific charges against Sheila Kaye Jones, 43, include carjacking, attempted robbery, assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved, reckless driving, evading arrest, and driving on a suspended or revoked license with six prior offenses. Jones was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on March 13.

She has an arraignment set for Monday, March 26, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton.

Jones has been jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton since May 10.

Charges against Jones were bound over, or sent to the grand jury, after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge on August 22. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County grand jury, assault, attempted robbery, carjacking, Cory Strange, driving on a suspended or revoked license, evading arrest, Jeremy Phillips, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Perry Lewis, Ray Faircloth, reckless driving, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved, Sheila Kaye Jones

ORPD welcomes new police officers, celebrates deputy chief promotion

Posted at 2:17 am February 20, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

ORPD-Uher-Smith-Smith-Akagi-Feb-19-2016-1

Officials and officers celebrated the promotion of Charles Robin Smith, second from left, to deputy chief during a promotions and swearing-in ceremony in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Also pictured are, at left, Captain Michael Uher, retired TVA Commander Charles Smith (the deputy chief’s father), second from right, and Oak Ridge Police Chief James Akagi. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

New Oak Ridge Police Department officers were sworn in at the Oak Ridge Municipal Building on Friday, and the department celebrated the promotion of Charles Robin Smith to deputy chief.

Smith has served with the Oak Ridge Police Department since 2012.

Before he joined the ORPD, he served for 17 years with the Tennessee Valley Authority Police. He served the last 14 of those as commander of police operations.

Smith began his law enforcement career with the Sevierville Police Department, where he worked 15 years.

Smith is a 1982 graduate of the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy and a 1990 graduate of the FBI National Academy. He has a bachelor’s degree in applied organizational management from Tusculum College and master’s in business administration from Bethel University.

ORPD-New-Officers-Feb-19-2016

New Oak Ridge Police Department officers were sworn in at the Oak Ridge Municipal Building on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Here is information on the new officers sworn into service, provided by the Oak Ridge Police Department: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Athens Police Department, Barry Bunch, Blount County Training Academy, Brittany Manning, Charles Robin Smith, deputy chief, Douglas DJ Burchfield, Jason Robbins, Jeremy Phillips, Jerry Parker, Oak Ridge Municipal Building, Oak Ridge Police Department, officers, ORPD, Perry Lewis, police academy, Sevierville Police Department, Tennessee Army National Guard, Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, Tennessee Valley Authority Police, Tommy Arnhart-Dillon, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps

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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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