Oak Ridge Today

DA: Man accused of shooting into Throttle Down convicted of reckless endangerment

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Gordon Scott Katz

Gordon Scott Katz

 

An Oak Ridge man who had been accused of shooting into the former Throttle Down Tavern while the business was occupied in July 2015 was convicted of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon after a jury trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Thursday, authorities said.

A jury of 12 Anderson County residents found Gordon Scott Katz, 45, guilty after the one-day trial on Thursday and about 45 minutes of deliberation, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release on Friday.

Katz is scheduled to be sentenced October 9 by Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge, Clark said.

Witnesses testified that Katz and a companion had been asked to leave the Throttle Down Tavern on Warehouse Road on July 26, 2015, before Katz was accused of firing shots into it, Clark said. [Read more…]

After crash, search, man sentenced on gun charge, woman indicted on drug charges

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Car Crash at Hilltop and West Outer Drive

Police said 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, Sept. 21, 2015, just a few hours after a shooting was reported a short distance away on Wakefield Road. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A man was sentenced on a federal gun charge in September and a woman was indicted on state drug charges in June after a three-car crash reported after a shooting in 2015 led authorities to track a driver to a home in north Oak Ridge, where officers allegedly found 49 grams of suspected heroin and other drugs.

Larry Dewayne Williams of Oak Ridge pleaded guilty to a federal charge of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on September 26. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Pamela L. Reeves to the minimum seven years in prison, or 84 months.

In June, Chelsey Reign Lively, identified as Williams’ girlfriend in court documents, was indicted on state drug charges of selling, delivering, or possessing heroin for sale; selling, delivering, or possessing for sale more than 14.175 grams of marijuana; and selling, delivering, or possessing ethylone for sale. The Anderson County Grand Jury indicted Lively on June 6, and she was arraigned in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on June 30.

The circumstances of the shooting, reported on Wakefield Road at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, September 21, 2015, remain unclear. No injuries were reported, although three bullets were reported to have hit one home. It’s not clear who the shooter was or if there was more than one person involved. There appeared to be a significant number of rounds fired. Investigating that night, Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Kevin Craig documented 21 casings.

About two hours after that shooting was reported, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer James Elkins tried to stop a silver Infiniti sedan that was reported to be involved in the shooting, according to court documents. But the silver Infiniti fled, ran a red light, and caused a three-car crash at West Outer Drive and North Illinois Avenue in north Oak Ridge, the court documents said. The Infiniti rolled onto its side and burst into flames, and Williams, identified as the driver, climbed out of the car and ran into the woods, according to his plea agreement. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man indicted on aggravated robbery, aggravated assault charges

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Duran Maszae Lee

Duran Maszae Lee

An Oak Ridge man has been indicted on charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated assault for an alleged home-invasion robbery on Dewey Road three years ago.

Duran Maszae Lee, 32, has been charged with aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and possession of more than 14.175 grams of marijuana. The indictments were returned by the Anderson County Grand Jury on October 4.

Lee has an arraignment scheduled for Monday in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton.

He remains jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, according to jail records.

Arrest warrants filed after the alleged robbery on Dewey Road on November 22, 2013, said an Oak Ridge man was allegedly hit in the head and face with a pistol and a woman who was nine months pregnant at the time blacked out from fear when a suspect pointed a silver revolver at her during the Friday night home invasion.

The suspects allegedly stole a Sentry safe containing $3,000 from a closet and fled in a vehicle before officers arrived, according to affidavits attached to the arrest warrants and filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Georgia man, woman indicted in Check Into Cash robbery

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Check Into Cash

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported that a robbery was reported at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—A Georgia man and woman have been indicted in a robbery at Check Into Cash in Oak Ridge in June 2015.

Arvenzio Clyde Miles, 24, and Kianna Denise Hill, 22, were indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on July 6, 2016. They had arraignments in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton on Friday.

Miles and Hill are both charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, a Class B felony; especially aggravated kidnapping with a gun, a Class A felony; and aggravated assault while displaying a firearm, a Class C felony.

Hill and Miles are accused in an armed robbery at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015. They were arrested less than two weeks later in East Point, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta, on Wednesday, July 8, 2015.

The indictments allege that Hill and Miles confined Calvin Murray, a store manager, and employees Morgan Gist and Joy Jennings, and took their cell phones while displaying a firearm. All three were forced into a restroom at gunpoint against their will, and they were held captive there until the robbery was complete, according to arrest warrants filed in July 2015. The warrants alleged that the cell phones were taken to prevent the victims from calling the police. [Read more…]

Man charged with attempted 1st-degree murder after allegedly shooting sister

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Eric Joe Wilson

Eric Joe Wilson

 

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault after allegedly shooting his sister, hitting her in the ear, during an argument on Pacific Road in April, court records said.

Eric Joe Wilson, 42, allegedly got a handgun from his bedroom during the April 19 argument at 107 Pacific Road after stating he was going to shoot his sister, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

“The defendant fired one shot in victim’s direction, striking her in the ear,” according to the affidavits, which were filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Kevin Craig.

The sister, Suzan Stiles, had a gunshot wound to the ear, the two affidavits said. She was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville to be treated. [Read more…]

Man facing charges after crashing VW into Dunkin’ Donuts

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VW-Beetle-Dunkin-Donuts-Feb-3-2016

A man is facing charges after crashing a Volkswagen Beetle into the side of Dunkin’ Donuts in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, authorities said. Pictured above are members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Community Development. The drive-through window is to the left of the VW. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6 p.m. Feb. 4.

A man is facing charges after crashing a Volkswagen Beetle into the side of Dunkin’ Donuts in Oak Ridge on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Officers charged the man, Matthew Ketron, 32, of Knoxville, with two counts of reckless endangerment and driving under the influence, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

The crash was reported at about 2:50 p.m. Wednesday. At least five people were inside Dunkin’ Donuts at the time, the ORPD said. Two customers were treated for injuries and released at the scene. Officers said the building, which is in a small shopping center on Oak Ridge Turnpike, was heavily damaged.

The yellow 2000 Volkswagen Beetle crashed into a side wall, between the drive-through window and the glass at the front of Dunkin’ Donuts. But it’s not clear whether the driver had stopped at the drive-through. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man indicted for reckless homicide

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William Brent James

William Brent James

An Oak Ridge man has been indicted for reckless homicide in the death of another man in November 2014.

William Brent James, 19, of Warrior Circle, was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on January 5 and arrested Friday, January 9, by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Kevin Craig.

The indictment alleged James “unlawfully and recklessly” killed Michael William James on or around November 27, 2014. It wasn’t immediately clear if the two men are related.

James has an arraignment scheduled for January 29.

He remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Wednesday afternoon. His bond has been set at $25,000, according to jail records.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

April trial scheduled for man facing federal gun charge after September shooting, crash

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Larry Dewayne Williams

Larry Dewayne Williams

An April trial has been scheduled for a man facing a federal gun charge after a shooting and crash in north Oak Ridge in September.

Larry Dewayne Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on one count of being a convicted felon who possessed a gun and ammunition. Authorities said police found a pistol and ammunition manufactured outside Tennessee in his house and car.

The trial had initially been scheduled to start Tuesday, January 12, in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. But after reviewing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Pamela Reeves agreed late last year that Williams needed additional time to prepare his case, and government prosecutors didn’t object, according to court records. The new trial date is April 5.

The plea agreement deadline is March 29.

Williams allegedly fled from Oak Ridge police in a silver Infiniti after a September 21 shooting on Wakefield Road. After he allegedly ran from the car following a three-vehicle crash at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer James Elkins found an AR-15 type firearm on the passenger floorboard of Williams’ Infiniti and a semi-automatic pistol lying inside, authorities said. [Read more…]

She alleges abuse, imprisonment, Sharia law; he cites immigration as possible motive for claims

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The wife of a city employee has alleged that she has essentially been held captive in a home that operates under Sharia law, been physically abused, not allowed to work or go to school, and deprived of food and medical care.

But her husband, an Oak Ridge Electric Department project manager, said he can prove that the charges are unfounded. He called the allegations, which were publicized in a newspaper story last month, “salacious accusations.” The allegations sparked a social media backlash against the city employee, Oak Ridge Electric Department Project Manager Ardo Isma Ba.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has investigated some of the allegations against Ba, including the charge that he held his wife, Madina Sall, against her will for the past three years. That information was reported to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, where Ba is a reserve deputy.

Ba was not charged after the investigation. Officers said Sall’s definition of abuse is different than what is defined in Tennessee law. Also, detectives appeared to have questions about the accuracy of some of the information, and they warned Sall of the consequences of reporting false information to law enforcement.

“The matter did appear to be a non-criminal matter due to the initial information given to (the Knox County Sheriff’s Office) not being accurate and no proof that any physical abuse has occurred,” the ORPD said. [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…]

Police: Forty-nine grams of suspected heroin seized on West Outer after shooting, crash

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Chelsea Reign Lively

Chelsea Reign Lively

Note: This story was last updated at 3:44 p.m.

Police seized 49.2 grams of suspected heroin in a West Outer Drive home during a search after the shooting on Wakefield Road and three-car crash on North Illinois Avenue on Monday, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has also made an arrest in the case. Chelsea Reign Lively, 22, was arrested Thursday, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. She was charged with possessing Schedule I (heroin) and Schedule VI (marijuana) drugs for sale.

Authorities said further charges against Lively are expected.

Police said Larry Dewayne Williams was identified as a person of interest in the shooting when he fled from the ORPD shortly after the shooting and allegedly caused a three-car crash at the intersection of North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive.

Officers—including members of the ORPD, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, the crime task force, and an ACSD K-9 unit—swarmed the area and searched for Williams. That led officers to a home at 612 West Outer Drive, where they said they executed a search warrant on Tuesday and recovered additional evidence. The house is the home of Lively and Williams, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

“The search warrant commanded that all controlled substances be seized as evidence,” said the warrants, filed by ORPD Detective Kevin Craig.
[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…]