Oak Ridge Today





DA: No charges will be filed in fatal police shooting

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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.

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Part of South Illinois Ave. remains closed

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A large high-voltage transmission tower was knocked down in a single-vehicle crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, Jan. 22, 2021, causing widespread power outages. Repairs are being made. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The section of South Illinois Avenue between Bethel Valley Road and Lafayette Drive remains closed after a crash knocked over a high-voltage transmission tower on Friday afternoon, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Saturday morning.

The ORPD posted a roadway update at 10 a.m. Saturday. Officers advised drivers to seek alternate routes and expect delays.

Police expect the road to remain closed throughout the evening. Both northbound and southbound lanes are blocked.

Here are detour routes:

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Oak Ridge man charged with second robbery

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Tyrone Partridge

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with a second robbery, this one of a gas station in Claxton.

Partridge, 43, had already been charged by the Oak Ridge Police Department this month with the robbery of J&C Market on East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Now, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office has charged him with aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and theft in the December 29 robbery of the Marathon gas station on Edgemoor Road in Claxton, a press release said. The felony warrants were obtained by Sheriff’s Office detective Josh Cardwell. Partridge reportedly brandished a firearm and demanded the Marathon employee empty the cash register, the press release said. He fled the scene with cash before deputies arrived, the release said. The Marathon employee was able to provide a physical description and a video recording showing the incident, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

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Oak Ridge man arrested after alleged store robbery

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An Oak Ridge man was arrested Sunday night after allegedly robbing the J & C Market on East Tennessee Avenue, police said.

Tyrone N. Partridge, 43, reportedly displayed a handgun and demanded the contents of the register at the market at around 9 p.m. Sunday, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. An initial investigation showed that, during the robbery, Partridge pushed the clerk to the ground and fled the store on foot, police said.

Oak Ridge Police Department officers interviewed the clerk and canvassed the neighborhood before receiving a tip from a citizen about a suspicious vehicle nearby, the press release said. A man matching the description of the robbery suspect, later identified as Partridge, was contacted inside and then fled on foot, the press release said.

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Rocky Top man indicted for Oak Ridge bank robbery

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A bank robbery was reported at One Bank in Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A Rocky Top man has been indicted for allegedly robbing One Bank in Oak Ridge in October.

Warren Calvin Lavender, 31, was charged in a one-count indictment filed by a federal grand jury in Greenville, Tennessee, on November 18.

Lavender entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment on December 3, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Lavender will remain in custody pending trial, which has been set for December 28 in front of United States District Court Judge Travis McDonough, the press release said.

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Charges pending after head-on crash on South Illinois

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Charges are pending against one driver after a head-on crash on South Illinois Avenue early Sunday caused one vehicle to start on fire and pinned a driver in a second vehicle, Oak Ridge police said.

The crash occurred on South Illinois Avenue at about 1:35 a.m. Sunday, when the Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of a vehicle traveling the wrong way. The vehicle was described as a silver sport utility vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes. 

When they arrived, police officers found a head-on traffic crash in the southbound lanes of State Route 62, South Illinois Avenue, near Centrifuge Way. It involved the same vehicle (a silver 2016 Subaru) and a 2007 Toyota, the ORPD said.

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Robbery reported at One Bank

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A bank robbery was reported at One Bank in Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, and the Oak Ridge Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching for a suspect. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A bank robbery was reported in Oak Ridge on Friday, and the Oak Ridge Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching for a suspect.

The robbery was reported by a silent alarm at One Bank on Oak Ridge Turnpike at about 8:35 a.m. Friday, and dispatchers then received a phone call reporting the robbery, a press release said.

Officers responded and determined a white male, in his 20s, wearing a black knit watch cap, red face mask, black or dark gray hoodie, and blue jeans presented a note to tellers advising it was a bank robbery and demanding money, the press release said.

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Baby boy found dead near river bank in March remains unidentified

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The Oak Ridge Police Department and Police Chief Robin Smith are offering a $1,500 reward for information about the baby boy found dead near the river bank along Melton Lake Greenway on Thursday, March 26, 2020. The Oak Ridge Police Department has named the baby boy “Wyatt,” which means “little warrior,” the city said. On Thursday, April 2, ORPD officers and the Oak Ridge Fire Department set up a memorial in baby Wyatt’s name near the parking area on Melton Lake at Edgemoor Road. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The baby boy found dead near the river bank along Melton Lake Greenway in March remains unidentified, and the Oak Ridge Police Department is offering a $1,500 reward for information about the boy.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has named the baby boy “Wyatt,” which authorities have said means “little warrior.”

Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith has pledged $500 of the $1,500 reward being offered by the police department for information about the boy.

The ORPD has received $950 in community donations to use for a memorial for baby Wyatt. ORPD officers and the Oak Ridge Fire Department set up a memorial in baby Wyatt’s name near a parking area along the Clinch River at Edgemoor Road in April.

The baby boy’s body was found near the river bank just north of the Edgemoor Road bridge on Thursday, March 26. The boy’s umbilical cord was still attached before he was placed in the water, Smith said in a Facebook video in April. A piece of clothing was with Wyatt, although it’s not being described for investigative reasons.

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Anderson County man charged with robbing credit union

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Joshua Ryan Hutchins

An Anderson County man was arrested Tuesday night after he allegedly robbed a credit union in Oak Ridge.

The alleged robbery of Enrichment Federal Credit Union on South Illinois Avenue was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Joshua Ryan Hutchins, 27, was arrested less than seven hours later, just before midnight, by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

According to a court affidavit, Hutchins allegedly entered the credit union during the Tuesday evening robbery and presented a note to a teller that said, “This is a Robbery…”

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ORPD, FBI investigating robbery at credit union

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Law enforcement officers are investigating a robbery at Enrichment Federal Credit Union.

The robbery was reported at about 5:24 p.m. Tuesday at the credit union on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. It’s being investigated by the Oak Ridge Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

During the alleged robbery, a suspect handed a note to tellers demanding money, a press releases said. No weapon was displayed or threatened, the press release said.

The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of money and is described as a white male in his 30s with brown hair. He was last seen wearing a grey/white ball cap, black face mask, and a grey hooded sweatshirt, the press release said.

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Evaluation ordered for Finnegan at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute

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Sean Finnegan, one of two defendants in a series of gruesome alleged crimes in Oak Ridge some time between December 2019 and August 2020, including murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping, is pictured above in a mugshot from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

A forensic evaluation has been ordered for Sean Finnegan—one of two defendants in a murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping case in Oak Ridge—at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute.

The forensic evaluation was ordered last Tuesday by Anderson County General Sessions Court Judge Roger Miller. The order was based upon a petition by the defense and a recommendation from Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services. Finnegan, 52, had an evaluation scheduled at Ridgeview in Oak Ridge on August 31.

Under the new order, he is to be evaluated at the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute—Intensive Services Program for a maximum of 30 days regarding his competency to stand trial and his mental condition at the time of the alleged crimes (the insanity defense).

IQ testing is to be included in the evaluation, the order said. The mental health evaluation is also expected to include a finding about whether Finnegan meets specific criteria for being committed.

It’s not unusual for defendants in homicide cases to have a mental health evaluation of this type. The results are generally not available to the public.

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For members: Charged with attempted murder, man pleads guilty to aggravated assault

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A Knoxville man was sentenced to eight years in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault after originally being charged with attempted first-degree murder in Oak Ridge.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

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A Knoxville man was sentenced to eight years in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault after originally being charged with attempted first-degree murder in Oak Ridge.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

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