Oak Ridge Today

Juvenile facing felony weapons charges after recent explosions

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The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here on Tuesday morning measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion in mulch at a playground at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here the next morning, Tuesday morning, measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The juvenile arrested Tuesday in connection with recent explosions in Oak Ridge has been charged with two counts of possession or manufacture of prohibited weapons, a Class B felony, authorities said Wednesday.

The juvenile appeared in juvenile court for a detention hearing on Wednesday and was released, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

“The investigation is continuing,” the city said. “No additional information will be released at this time.”

The student, an Oak Ridge High School student who has not been publicly identified because he is a juvenile, was arrested Tuesday after the Oak Ridge Police Department found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said. [Read more…]

ORPD arrests student after finding evidence related to two recent explosions

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An Oak Ridge High School student was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, after police found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said. The Oak Ridge Police Department was helped by the Knoxville Police Department Bomb Squad. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Police Department/City of Oak Ridge)

An Oak Ridge High School student was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, after police found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said. The Oak Ridge Police Department was helped by the Knoxville Police Department Bomb Squad. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Police Department/City of Oak Ridge)

 

An Oak Ridge High School student was arrested Tuesday after police found evidence in a car that was connected to two recent explosions, one at Blankenship Field and the other at Milt Dickens Park, authorities said.

The male student is a juvenile and is not being publicly identified.

Investigators with the Oak Ridge Police Department Juvenile Unit detained and questioned a male at Oak Ridge High School while working with Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday morning, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The boy was believed to have knowledge regarding both explosions.

“Further investigation led investigators to determine that potential evidence was still inside the student’s vehicle, which was parked in the front lot of the high school,” the ORPD said. “Investigators immediately identified the vehicle, established a safe perimeter, and requested assistance from the Knoxville Police Department’s Bomb Squad. At no time were any students, staff, or bystanders in danger. Bomb squad personnel were asked to assist out of an abundance of caution.” [Read more…]

Police investigating reports of explosions at Milt Dickens Park, Blankenship Field

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The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here on Tuesday morning measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Police Department found a small crater that might have been caused by an explosion at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2018. The crater pictured here on Tuesday morning measured about 4.5 feet across and one foot deep, but the hole had been enlarged by officers taking dirt samples during the investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:25 a.m. Jan. 19.

The Oak Ridge Police Department is investigating a report of an explosion that left a small crater in the playground and rattled nearby windows at Milt Dickens Park in east Oak Ridge late Monday afternoon. Police recovered physical evidence that indicated an explosion might have occurred, the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement Wednesday.

Police are also investigating a report of an explosion near Blankenship Field on Saturday night. Officers found a concrete picnic table in the area of Blankenship Field that appeared to be damaged as the result of an “over-pressure or impact-related event,” but no physical evidence at the scene definitively indicated that an explosion had occurred or that the initial reporting was the result of an explosive device, the city said.

The Blankenship Field explosion was reported at 9:12 p.m. Saturday, January 13. A witness reported seeing a black vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed just after the incident occurred, the City of Oak Ridge said. [Read more…]

Three taken to hospital after two-vehicle crash on Turnpike

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Oak Ridge Turnpike Crash on Science.Gov Way on July 19, 2015

Three people were taken to the hospital after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike at Athens Road on Sunday afternoon, July 19, 2015, authorities said.

 

Three people were taken to the hospital after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike at Athens Road on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Two of the three were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and the other was taken to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, authorities said.

The crash, which briefly closed the eastbound lanes of the Turnpike, was reported in east Oak Ridge at about 4:09 p.m. Sunday. It occurred on the stretch of the Turnpike that runs between Milt Dickens Park on the north side of the four-lane roadway and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information on the south. [Read more…]