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Shooting victim in serious condition at UT Medical Center

Posted at 9:55 am October 4, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

William Molette

William Molette

The woman who was shot on Walsh Lane on Friday night, possibly five times around her torso, is in serious condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting at 104 Walsh Lane was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday. It started with a grudge over a puppy, according to affidavits filed Tuesday in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

William Antwon Molette, 43, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in the case. He tried to incapacitate or kill the victim, Kathy Griffin, by pointing a small, black .380 caliber Ruger LCP at Griffin and firing numerous times, until the magazine was empty, “with the sole intent of killing the victim,” according to the court affidavits, which were filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective A. Marvell Moore. The facts as alleged in the affidavits were based on witness statements and officer statements and observations, Moore said.

Griffin had life-threatening injuries because of the shooting, and she had to be airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Trauma Center in Knoxville, Moore said.

“Medical personnel observed multiple (five) defects to or about the victim’s torso that were believed to have been created by high-velocity projectiles,” Moore said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: A. Marvell Moore, Anderson County Detention Facility, attempted first-degree murder, Oak Ridge Police Department, possessing a firearm while committing a dangerous felony, shooting, Susan Wyatt, University of Tennessee Medical Center, UT Medical Center, Walsh Lane, William Antwon Molette

Oak Ridge police warn of scam phone calls

Posted at 6:36 pm October 1, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department has warned area residents to be on the lookout for “spoofed” phone calls that appear to come from the police department, but are actually from scammers.

Local residents have notified officers that they are receiving calls that appear to originate from the police department’s non-emergency line at (865) 425-4399. These calls are not legitimate. The department will never contact you by phone in an attempt to collect money or financial information.

Residents have also advised officers that the scam calls sometimes threaten arrest, jail time, and other legal action if payment is not made, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: caller identification spoofing, Oak Ridge Police Department, scam phone calls, spoofed phone calls

Man charged with attempted murder in Walsh Lane shooting

Posted at 8:00 pm September 30, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

William Molette

William Molette

 

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in a shooting on Walsh Lane that sent a woman to a hospital with life-threatening injuries on Friday night, authorities said.

William Molette, 43, has been charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of possessing a firearm while committing a dangerous felony.

The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday.

“It was reported that a female had been shot, and the male suspect was still at the scene,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement earlier Saturday. “When officers arrived minutes later, they saw the suspect leaving the scene in a vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect and detained him a short distance away from the scene.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: attempted first-degree murder, Oak Ridge Police Department, shooting, Walsh Lane, William Molette

Woman has life-threatening injuries after being shot on Walsh Lane

Posted at 9:47 am September 30, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A woman has life-threatening injuries after reportedly being shot at a home on Walsh Lane on Friday night, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday.

“It was reported that a female had been shot, and the male suspect was still at the scene,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement. “When officers arrived minutes later, they saw the suspect leaving the scene in a vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect and detained him a short distance away from the scene.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Police Department, shooting, Walsh Lane

Oak Ridge Police Department will host National Night Out on Tuesday

Posted at 1:42 pm September 27, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Police Department K9 Officer Ray Steakley is pictured above at a K9 demonstration at the 2016 National Night Out at Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge Police Department K9 Officer Ray Steakley is pictured above at a K9 demonstration at the 2016 National Night Out at Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department is teaming up with the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program to host a National Night Out celebration on Tuesday, October 3.

The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Alvin K. Bissell Park behind the Oak Ridge Civic Center. National Night Out is a free community gathering that heightens awareness of local efforts to prevent crime, violence, and drug use while generating support for and participation in anti-crime programs, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Alvin K. Bissell Park, anti-crime program, National Night Out, Oak Ridge Civic Center, Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD K-9, Ray Steakley, Warren Gooch

Mental evaluation ordered in alleged dog stabbing, arson

Posted at 5:28 pm September 26, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Sklyer Christian Griffin

Sklyer Christian Griffin

 

An evaluation of competency and mental capacity has been ordered in the case in which police say a 19-year-old man fatally stabbed a 10-year-old dog and then started a fire in the living room of an apartment on Villanova Road in Oak Ridge.

The evaluation at Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital was ordered Tuesday by Judge Roger Miller of Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, in Oak Ridge.

The evaluation should include a determination of the mental capacity of the defendant, Skyler C. Griffin, at the time of the alleged crime, his competency to stand trial, and his ability to assess the nature of his conduct, according to the order.

Griffin had a court hearing on Tuesday afternoon in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. He now has a status hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. November 7. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, dog stabbing, Kenny Prickett, Oak Ridge Police Department, Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital, Roger Miller, Skyler C. Griffin

Man stabs dog, then starts fire, police say

Posted at 12:07 am September 16, 2017
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Sklyer Christian Griffin

Sklyer Christian Griffin

 

An Oak Ridge man stabbed a dog, which died from its wounds, and then started a fire in the living room of a home on Villanova Avenue on Friday, according to police.

Skyler C. Griffin, 19, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, aggravated arson, and vandalism, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kenneth Prickett said Griffin came through the front door of an apartment on Villanova Avenue on Friday and physically attacked a 10-year-old male beagle mix that lives there.

“Griffin admitted to striking the dog with his hands and closed fists before pulling out his pocket knife and stabbing the dog in the neck and in the lower abdomen,” Prickett said. “The dog ran from the living room area and onto the outside balcony, where it succumbed to the stab wounds.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated arson, aggravated cruelty to animals, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Kenneth Prickett, Oak Ridge Police Department, Skyler C. Griffin, vandalism

Celebration of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary started Friday

Posted at 11:34 am September 15, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

ORHPA city 75th Birthday Celeb Flyer 2

A reminder: The 14-month celebration of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary starts today (Friday, September 15).

Today’s celebration will feature guest speaker Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City” and “The Last Castle,” at 6 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater. There will be a book signing, and Kiernan’s book will be available for sale.

Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during the top-secret Manhattan Project in World War II, will be the honored guest from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Family members Don and Emily Hunnicutt will present a slide show of Westcott photos with a question-and-answer session.

“You will never grow tired of Ed’s photographs, which tell the enormous Oak Ridge Manhattan Project story,” according to the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, which is presenting the celebration.

The celebration starts with historical displays at 2 p.m. There will be a wide variety of artifacts, posters, and displays for you to enjoy, the ORHPA said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: 75th anniversary, 75th Anniversary Committee, A Pin, atomic bomb, Clinton Engineer Works, D. Ray Smith, Denise Kiernana, Don and Emily Hunnicutt, Ed Westcott, Fat Man, Fire Prevention Parade and Community Festival, Friends of the Grove, Graphite Reactor, Hanford, Historic Grove Theater, International Friendship Bell, K-25, Leslie Groves, Little Boy, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORHPA, plutonium, Site X, The Girls of Atomic City, U.S. Department of Energy, Warren Gooch, World War II, X-10, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Police allegedly find pills, meth, marijuana, cash, ammo

Posted at 12:26 pm September 12, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Samuel McCoy Wade

Samuel McCoy Wade

A police search of a home on Marion Road on Friday found pills, methamphetamine, marijuana, cash, and ammunition, authorities said.

The home at 102 Marion Road was searched by the 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force and Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT team on Friday, September 8, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

During a search of the home, officers, who had a search warrant, found two bags containing about 34.7 grams of methamphetamine, about one pound of marijuana in various bags, and a bag of pills that included five alprazolam, five methylphenidate hydrochloride, and 19 two-milligram Xanax pills, the affidavits said.

Police also found cash, drug paraphernalia, a sealed bag of marijuana, .380 ammunition, and a Mercedes C20 car reportedly purchased with money from drug sales, according to the affidavits. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: 7th Judicial District Crime Task For, alprazolam, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, controlled substance violation, Dan Freytag, drug paraphernalia violation, maintaining a dwelling for manufacturing delivering or selling narcotics, manufacturing delivering or selling drugs, marijuana, methamphetamine, methylphenidate hydrochloride, Oak Ridge Police Department, Samuel Wade, Xanax

Woman indicted on assault, endangerment charges in drug overdose

Posted at 10:31 pm September 10, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Heather Marie Rau

Heather Marie Rau

An Oak Ridge woman has been indicted on charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in a drug overdose reported in February.

The drug that allegedly caused the overdose of Wesley “Bud” Arnold on West Outer Drive on February 16 had been said to be heroin, according to affidavits filed earlier this year in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Arnold was unconscious on a hallway floor, had a very weak pulse, and could not breathe on his own when an emergency medical crew responded to the overdose at about 3 p.m. February 16. Emergency personnel were able to revive Arnold by giving him a dose of Narcan, which is used to help people who overdose on opioid-based narcotics.

But indictments filed against Heather Marie Rau, 29, on August 1, said the illegal narcotic was not heroin but actually acrylfentanyl, a fentanyl analogue that is more powerful and dangerous than heroin.

Rau had advised Arnold not to “shoot it,” or inject it, because she knew that what she had given him could possibly kill him, according to the affidavits filed in February. Rau and another man, Willie Williams, had ingested the same drug on February 12, and Rau overdosed while Williams died, said the affidavits, filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective John Criswell. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: acrylfentanyl, aggravated assault, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Daniel Freytag, drug overdose, Heather Marie Rau, heroin, indictment, John Criswell, Oak Ridge Police Department, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine, promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine, reckless endangerment, Wesley "Bud" Arnold, Willie Williams

Knoxville man indicted in alleged robbery that ended in shooting

Posted at 3:23 pm September 9, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Matthew Allen Mashburn

Matthew Allen Mashburn

 

A Knoxville man has been indicted in an alleged robbery that was reportedly set up through social media and resulted in a man being shot in the legs on East Holston Lane in Oak Ridge in November.

Matthew Allen Mashburn, 28, of Knox Lane in Knoxville, has been charged with especially aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, and aggravated assault. He was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on Tuesday, September 5.

The indictments said that the victim, Wesley Arnold, was seriously injured and assaulted while a handgun was displayed, and Mashburn had conspired with Nicole Brewer to plan the aggravated robbery during a drug transaction.

Mashburn has an arraignment scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, September 29, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: aggravated assault, aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, criminal conspiracy, drug deal gone bad, especially aggravated robbery, John Criswell, Marvell Moore, Matthew Allen Mashburn, Nicholas Strickland, Nicole Brewer, Oak Ridge Police Department, robbery, shooting, Wesley Arnold

For members: Knoxville man charged with attempted murder in Oak Ridge

Posted at 1:03 pm September 9, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A Knoxville man was charged with attempted first-degree murder in August after he allegedly traveled to Oak Ridge armed with two pistols, magazines, and ammunition, intending to kill an Oak Ridge man, according to court records.

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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Daniel Ray Price

Daniel Ray Price

Note: This story was updated at 11:45 a.m. Nov. 1.

A Knoxville man was charged with attempted first-degree murder in August after he allegedly traveled to Oak Ridge armed with two pistols, magazines, and ammunition, intending to kill an Oak Ridge man, according to court records.

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated assault, Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, attempted first-degree murder, attempted murder, Christopher Wallace, Daniel R. Price, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, felony possession of Schedule IV drugs, John Thomas, Maxim Fridman, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, possessing a firearm during a dangerous felony, possessing drugs for sale, possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of stolen property under $1000, simple possession of drugs, Y-12 National Security Complex

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Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

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