Oak Ridge Today

Crash seriously injures motorcyclist, officer applies tourniquet

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The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a crash between a Kia and a motorcycle that seriously injured a motorcyclist between California Avenue and Ogden Drive on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. The Toyota at right was not involved in the crash. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a crash between a Kia and a motorcycle that seriously injured a motorcyclist between California Avenue and Ogden Drive on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. The Toyota to the right of the motorcycle was not involved in the crash. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m. Feb 23.

A crash between a Kia sport utility vehicle and a motorcycle seriously injured a motorcyclist on Outer Drive on Wednesday afternoon, and a police officer used a tourniquet to help stop bleeding, possibly saving the man’s life, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 3:50 p.m. Wednesday.

The motorcyclist had a serious injury to his lower left leg, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Tim Buckner and Probationary Officer Michael Wilson were the first to arrive at the crash. Buckner, who had received training on a tactical tourniquet in April 2017, applied a tourniquet and stopped the blood flow, Akagi said. The motorcyclist had several punctured arteries and was suffering from blood loss, authorities said. [Read more…]

Attempted murder charge sent to grand jury

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William Molette

William Molette

 

An attempted first-degree murder charge filed against an Oak Ridge man who allegedly admitted to shooting a woman over a grudge related to having to surrender a puppy has been sent to the grand jury, according to Anderson County court records.

William Antwon Molette, 44, had a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, February 13.

Besides attempted first-degree murder, two other charges filed against Molette were bound over to the grand jury: armed dangerous felonies and violation of the sex offender registry.

One charge of armed dangerous felonies was dismissed. [Read more…]

Missing Oak Ridge man found safe by neighbor after search

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A missing 77-year-old man was found safe Tuesday night after a roughly 2.5-hour search by Oak Ridge and Anderson County authorities, and neighbors.

The man was reported missing just before 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Rivers Run neighborhood in east Oak Ridge.

The man’s family became concerned when he did not return home from his daily walk by dusk, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a press release. They were unable to find the man during a search of his normal route to Haw Ridge Park, so they called the Oak Ridge Police Department for help.

A team from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to search the surrounding area, the press release said. Crews also called in a scent-tracking dog and handler from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department to aid in the search. [Read more…]

Two hit in arms during Claxton shooting

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Jacob Lynn Rutherford

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

 

CLAXTON—Two men were hit in the arms during the shooting in Claxton on Saturday evening, January 13, and the Oak Ridge man charged with attempted murder in the case also shot at a woman but missed, according to court records.

The shooting at the home at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Lonesome Dove Road allegedly occurred “during some type of altercation” in a bedroom, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

Jacob Lynn Rutherford, 23, of Oak Ridge, has been charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of reckless endangerment in the shooting.

The affidavits, which summarize the alleged facts of the case and are attached to arrest warrants, said Rutherford pulled a handgun from his waistband during the altercation, pointed it at Nathan Phillips, 36, and fired. Phillips had two gunshot wounds to his left upper arm, the affidavits said. [Read more…]

Council to consider Blankenship design agreement, money for relocated court

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The renovation work at Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium could start in January and be complete by June, officials said Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, will consider an in-kind design agreement for renovation work at Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider an in-kind design agreement for renovation work at Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium and $70,000 in funding for renovations for Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, which is moving to a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road.

The Blankenship Field design contract would be awarded to Barge Design Solutions of Knoxville. It would be an in-kind donation to the project, valued at up to $50,000, and used to help meet the requirement to have matching funds for a Local Park and Recreation Fund grant awarded to the city by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. That $496,000 grant required a 50 percent local match, which is to come from the Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation.

The Barge Design Solutions work would include surveying, civil engineering, landscape design, permitting, and construction administration.

The roughly $1 million project is called the Oak Ridge Blankenship Field Renovation and Trailhead Improvement Project. [Read more…]

ORPD accepting applications for Citizen Police Academy

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The Oak Ridge Police Department will be conducting a Citizen Police Academy in 2018. Classes will start Feb. 27, 2018. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. Pictured above in the Citizen Police Academy in 2012. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

The Oak Ridge Police Department will be conducting a Citizen Police Academy in 2018. Classes will start Feb. 27, 2018. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. Pictured above in the Citizen Police Academy in 2012. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department will be conducting a Citizen Police Academy this year. Classes will start February 27 and continue through May 8. Applications will be accepted until February 21 at 5 p.m.

Class will be held on Tuesday of each week with the exception of two sessions that will be conducted on Saturday. Each class will start at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. The Saturday classes will be scheduled to fit the needs of the students, a press release said.

“Students will learn the policies and procedures of the Oak Ridge Police Department and experience firsthand how the department operates,” the press release said.

It said the mission of the Citizen Police Academy is to debunk myths about law enforcement as well as open lines of communication between officers and civilians. [Read more…]

No injuries reported after car crashes above river along Melton Lake Drive

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No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, Feb. 2, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, Feb. 2, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

No injuries were reported after a car crashed off the side of the road above the Clinch River on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Boulevard on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported that the single occupant of the vehicle was able to get out of the car on his own before officers arrived.

Pictures posted by the ORPD showed the car off the road, over the Melton Lake greenway, and a short distance down the embankment leading down to the Clinch River. [Read more…]

Girl donates stuffed animals for children in stressful situations

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Cynthia Barreira brought dozens of stuffed animals contributed by her 10-year-old daughter to the Oak Ridge Police Department for staff to pass out to children during stressful incidents. Also pictured above are ORPD Chief Jim Akagi, right, and Deputy Chief Robin Smith. (Photo by ORPD)

Cynthia Barreira brought dozens of stuffed animals contributed by her 10-year-old daughter to the Oak Ridge Police Department for staff to pass out to children during stressful incidents. Also pictured above are ORPD Chief Jim Akagi, right, and Deputy Chief Robin Smith. (Photo by ORPD)

 

A 10-year-old girl has donated dozens of stuffed animals to the Oak Ridge Police Department, which staff can pass out to children during stressful incidents.

The stuffed animals were brought to the Police Department by the girl’s mother, Cynthia Barreira. The ORPD reported the donation on Wednesday.

Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch has annual appreciation banquet on Thursday

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Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

 

The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program has its annual appreciation banquet on Thursday, February 8.

The banquet, the 2017 Members Appreciation Banquet, is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Central Baptist Church at 130 Providence Road.

“Join the Oak Ridge Police Department as we celebrate the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, its members, and corporate sponsors,” organizers said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police ask for help identifying burglar

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Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

Image by Oak Ridge Police Department

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department has asked for help identifying a burglar.

The commercial burglary was reported at a liquor store in Oak Ridge on December 24, 2017. The getaway vehicle was an older model white Ford Taurus sedan, the ORPD said.

The Police Department has surveillance photos of the suspect and the getaway vehicle. However, no descriptive details of the male suspect are available.

Anyone with information to share is encouraged to call ORPD Investigator Kevin Craig at (865) 425-3511.

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…]

Warrants: Man charged with terrorism after threatening to blow up hospital, shoot everyone inside

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Agey Christopher Stamey

Agey Christopher Stamey

 

A Knoxville man who allegedly fought with officers and was carrying a box cutter and pole while acting erratically was charged with committing an act of terrorism after threatening to blow up Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge with dynamite and shoot everyone inside with a shotgun, court records said.

Agey C. Stamey II, 40, of Asheville Highway, was charged with the one count of commission of an act of terrorism and two counts of assault. He was arrested Friday, January 12, and remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Tuesday, with his bond set at $110,000.

Affidavits filed in Anderson County General Session Court in Oak Ridge said Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Tim Nguyen checked on the welfare of a white man wearing a brown jacket and red hat who was carrying a pole and acting erratically while walking on East Tennessee Avenue behind Methodist Medical Center on January 12. [Read more…]