Oak Ridge Today

Church Women United addresses Community Matters on Friday

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Pictured above at a Community Matters forum at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Nov. 1, 2015, are the Rev. Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church, center, the Rev. Jake Morrill of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, left, and Father Brent Shelton of St. Mary’s Parish. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Church Women United invites the public to a program “Since Community Matters” on Friday, April 1, at Kern Memorial Methodist Church in Oak Ridge. Reverend Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church will be the guest speaker.

Hammond will summarize three community meetings initiated in fall 2015 by the clergy of Oak Valley, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, along with Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi, to encourage citizens to speak up about community concerns. Hammond will give an update about the process of addressing those concerns and suggest steps that we and our church families can take to help strengthen our community.

Kern Memorial Methodist Church is at 451 East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. Fellowship at the Friday meeting begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a short meeting, prayer, and program at noon. [Read more…]

Woman taken into custody after barricading herself in home, throwing pistol out window

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Members of the Oak Ridge Police Department are pictured outside a home on East Tennessee Avenue on Saturday, March 19, 2016.

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:42 a.m.

A 30-year-old woman was taken into custody and to a hospital after barricading herself in a bedroom and mentioning suicide before throwing a pistol out a window while negotiating with police officers on Saturday morning, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department was on the scene for hours before the situation at 426 East Tennessee Avenue was peacefully resolved.

Police said they found an arsenal inside the home, including more than a dozen high-powered rifles, shotguns, an assault rifle, a pistol, and several boxes of ammunition.

The ORPD responded to a domestic disturbance call at the home at about 2:04 a.m. Saturday.

“Officers arrived and made contact with a male subject, who advised his girlfriend, who was very intoxicated, had locked herself in the bedroom and was in possession of multiple weapons,” an ORPD press release said. “Officers verified a female subject identified as Sara Flynt, 30, was barricaded in an upstairs bedroom of the residence and initiated negotiations utilizing ORPD Crisis Intervention Team members. [Read more…]

Letter: Appreciates city reps listening to concerns, thankful for ‘Adopt a Shelter Pet Month’

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To the Editor:

While walking my dogs this evening, I took a minute to reflect on how appreciative I am to have representatives in Oak Ridge city government that listened to my concerns and immediately took action to correct some problems that I raised.

Several months ago, I emailed City Council, the Oak Ridge Police Department, and the city manager expressing concern about streetlights being out in Hendrix Creek, speeding cars on Hendrix Drive, and a need for sidewalks so residents can safely enjoy their neighborhood without being hit by a passing car. I was astonished to receive several emails the following day indicating that my concerns were heard and that the issues raised would be addressed.

Mayor Warren Gooch connected me with the Public Works Department who had the bulbs changed and streetlights functioning within a day or two. Councilmen Charlie Hensley and Kelly Callison and Councilwoman Trina Baughn and Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith responded with concern for the sidewalks and indicated that they were going to look into the issues that were expressed. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge, Clinton officers receive DUI Officer of the Year awards

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Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Derek Burchfield, left, received a DUI Officer of the Year Award on December 7 at the Governor’s Highway Safety Office annual joint network meeting in Knoxville. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

Officer Derek Burchfield of the Oak Ridge Police Department and Patrolman Adam Warren of the Clinton Police Department have received DUI Officer of the Year awards.

They were among nearly 100 officers and law enforcement agencies recognized by the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office. The awards were given out at regional meetings in Jackson, Murfreesboro, Pikeville, Knoxville, and Greeneville.

The Knoxville meeting was on December 7. Seventeen East Tennessee officers received the DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Officer of the Year Award. More than 120 officers attended.

Chief James Shetterly of the Rocky Top Police Department received a Partner of the Year Award, and Officer Stanley Wade and Jacqueline West of the Rocky Top Police Department were named Child Passenger Safety Technicians of the Year. [Read more…]

Officers investigating stolen car catch suspect after foot chase, helicopter search

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Air-Watch-Helicopter-Search-Dec-15-2015

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office used a helicopter to help the Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department search for a suspect in the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge on the north side of Oak Ridge on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect was captured just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, at Cedar Hill Park in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:30 p.m.

A 19-year-old man being questioned about a car stolen from Nashville fled from police as they tried to arrest him in Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, and more than 30 officers and deputies spent more than two hours searching for him by foot, car, and helicopter. The Oak Ridge Preschool was briefly locked down during the search, and the suspect, Elijah McDowell, 19, was tracked for more than four miles on foot before being captured at Cedar Hill Park near Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive in north-central Oak Ridge.

One Oak Ridge Police Department officer sustained non-life threatening injuries while chasing McDowell into the park.

Elijah Malik McDowell

Elijah Malik McDowell

McDowell’s charges include three counts of property theft, with one between $10,000 and $59,999; assault; resisting arrest; evading arrest; and probation violation, according to Anderson County Sheriff’s Department jail records. His address lists him as a resident of Dandridge.

Before McDowell was caught, Oak Ridge Police Department officers and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies swarmed roads on the north side of Oak Ridge and down into Marlow while searching for the suspect. They combed the roads and woods along Outer Drive, Key Springs Road, Bacon Springs Road, and Oliver Springs Highway, among other streets. A Knox County Sheriff’s Office Airwatch helicopter flew low circles over the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge, which is on the north side of Oak Ridge.

The pursuit started after Oak Ridge officers were dispatched to a home at 102 Marion Road at 11:47 a.m. Tuesday. They were trying to locate a black 2008 Dodge Charger reported stolen from Nashville, a press release said. The vehicle was being tracked remotely by the Metropolitan Nashville Metropolitan Police Department. [Read more…]

Smith named deputy police chief

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Jim Akagi and Robin Smith

Former Captain Robin Smith, right, has been promoted to deputy chief of the Oak Ridge Police Department. Smith is pictured above with ORPD Chief Jim Akagi. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Former Captain Robin Smith has been promoted to deputy chief of the Oak Ridge Police Department.

Smith was promoted on November 8. City officials said he will still oversee the ORPD Patrol Division and SWAT Team.

“He is a valuable member of the ORPD executive and senior leadership teams,” the City of Oak Ridge said of Smith. “Both the ORPD and the Oak Ridge community are very fortunate to have him as a deputy chief, and look forward to his leadership and talent in improving public safety for all of the great Oak Ridge citizens.” [Read more…]

Man wanted in Oak Ridge after shooting, crash arrested in Knox

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Larry Dewayne Williams

Larry Dewayne Williams

Note: This story was last updated at 1:21 p.m.

A 28-year-old Oak Ridge man wanted after a September shooting and three-car crash was arrested in Knox County on Sunday, authorities said.

Authorities are waiting for Larry Dewayne Williams, 28, to be transported to Anderson County.

“We’re very, very pleased with that,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said of the arrest, “and we eagerly await his transfer to Anderson County to answer the charges.”

The specific charges haven’t been released yet.

In September, the Oak Ridge Police Department said it seized 49.2 grams of suspected heroin in a West Outer Drive house that is the home of Williams and Chelsea Reign Lively, 22.

The ORPD said it found the drugs, which also included about 7.72 ounces of suspected marijuana, during a search after the September 21 shooting, which was on Wakefield Road, and three-car crash about two hours later at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive.

[Read more…]

Pay cited most often as reason for ORPD turnover, low morale, MTAS report says

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Margaret Norris and Rex Barton of MTAS on Oct. 15, 2015

Margaret Norris, left, and Rex Barton of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee deliver the results of a six-month review of the Oak Ridge Police Department to City Council on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Oct. 16.

It probably wasn’t the explanation that many expected, but pay was cited most often as the reason for turnover and low morale in the Oak Ridge Police Department, according to a report released Thursday.

Some have pinned most of the blame for the department’s woes—or perceived woes, depending upon your perspective—on Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi, and they had called for an investigation of the chief earlier this year on several different fronts.

Among those pressing for an investigation was Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn. She and others had raised questions about the chief’s temperament, including whether he has outbursts and is vindictive, and what Baughn suggested is a high turnover rate.

But the City Council instead approved a review of the ORPD that focused on morale, turnover, and administrative policies. In March, Council hired the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee to conduct the six-month review, which was first proposed by Council member Kelly Callison. MTAS presented its findings in a 20-page report presented to the Oak Ridge City Council in a special work session on Thursday.

The report identified a primary culprit familiar to many workers: pay. But as officers have pointed out, they, unlike most other workers, face danger on a daily basis.

Most of those interviewed by MTAS thought that ORPD salaries are not suitable for retaining good employees, MTAS consultant Rex Barton told Council members Thursday. Whatever raises have been given in the past few years have been outstripped by the rise in the cost of benefits, Barton said.

[Read more…]

Party in the Park features family-friendly fun, crime prevention, music, food on Saturday

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Neighborhood Watch Program Party

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas, front left, invites children to meet one of the ORPD’s K-9s at last year’s crime prevention celebration. Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi is pictured at back left. (Submitted photo)

 

The first annual Party in the Park on Saturday will feature family-friendly activities for children and adults, crime prevention presentations and information, free food, and more. It’s scheduled from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, October 17, at A.K. Bissell Park near the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The Oak Ridge Police Community Resource Office and the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will host the 2015 Party in the Park, with activities celebrating the partnership between the community and the police department. The focus of the event is crime prevention, safety, health, and wellness.

Kristine Kinsey will serve as master of ceremonies and comedian. Magician Danny Whitson will perform feats of magic during the celebration. Festivities will also include Oak Ridge Police K-9 demonstrations, safety and health exhibits, Oak Ridge Electric Department bucket rides, and drug abuse prevention information. [Read more…]

Third shooting on Wakefield Road in 48 hours, followed by car crash, fleeing driver

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Car Crash at Hilltop and West Outer Drive

Police say the driver of this silver Infiniti fled on foot after a three-car crash at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive on Monday night, just a few hours after a shooting was reported a short distance away on Wakefield Road, the third shooting there in 48 hours. Police have since described the driver as a person of interest in the Monday night shooting and crash. Pictured above at center are ORPD officers James Elkins and Garrett Robbins. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:35 p.m.

A shooting was reported on Wakefield Road on Monday evening, the third shooting on the street in 48 hours. The shooting was followed a few hours later by a three-car crash at the intersection of West Outer Drive and North Illinois Avenue. Police couldn’t immediately say if the two events were connected.

There didn’t appear to be any injuries in the shooting, which occurred sometime between about 8:15 and 8:30 p.m. and left some 21 casings in the street. Residents in one Wakefield Road home said two bullets pierced a bedroom, but fortunately, no one was in it at the time.

Authorities said minor injuries were reported in the crash, which was reported at about 10:15 p.m. near the Ian’s Market gas station and convience store. One person reportedly fled from the crash, and one witness said the man darted into a wooded area behind the east corner of Ian’s Market, headed north toward Oliver Springs.

The Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department swarmed the area. An ACSD canine unit responded to help search for the person of interest, but as of early Tuesday morning, officers hadn’t found the man. [Read more…]

Soft lockdown lifted at Preschool, SAB after domestic violence suspect arrested

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Domestic Violence at Geneva Road

A soft lockdown was lifted Wednesday morning at the Preschool and School Administration Building after a domestic violence suspect was arrested a few blocks east on West Geneva Lane. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m. Sept. 17.

A soft lockdown was lifted Wednesday morning at the Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building after a domestic violence suspect was arrested on West Geneva Lane.

The call was reported to have started at 10:21 a.m. on Georgia Avenue, which is east of Jackson Square and Blankenship Field, and a few blocks east of the Preschool and SAB. The Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of a domestic dispute, and suspect Timothy Dickens, 34, of Oak Ridge, allegedly kicked in the front door of a home, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

“Mr. Dickens fled the residence on foot westbound into a densely wooded area,” the release said. [Read more…]

Updated: Preschool, SAB locked down after robbery reported at nearby medical office

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Oak Ridge Medical Clinic Robbery

A robbery was reported at Oak Ridge Medical Clinic on West Tennessee Avenue early Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:50 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Preschool was temporarily locked down on Tuesday afternoon after a robbery was reported at a nearby medical office.

The robbery was reported at about 1:03 p.m. Tuesday at Oak Ridge Medical Clinic at 170 West Tennessee Avenue, on the north side of Methodist Medical Center and about a block away from the preschool. A woman reported that she was robbed of her purse and contents worth an estimated $300.

“The victim had parked her vehicle in the parking lot of the medical center, and as she was walking into the building, the suspect approached, violently grabbed her purse, and knocked her to the ground,” a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

The Oak Ridge police and fire departments and Anderson County EMS responded, and police set up a perimeter around the area. A canine unit was sent to help search for the suspect.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said the suspect fled on foot, running northbound through residential lots toward the Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building at 304 New York Avenue.

[Read more…]