Oak Ridge Today

Man allegedly threatens officers with shovel

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William Arley Rauhuff

William Arley Rauhuff

An Oak Ridge man was charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly threatened officers with a shovel on Friday, August 18.

William A. Rauhuff, 62, has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of resisting arrest.

Police had responded to a report of a possible suicide attempt on Marion Road at about 5:17 p.m. August 18, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Sherrill Selby was the first to arrive. Speaking through the front door of the home, Rauhuff told Selby that he was going to take her gun from her and shoot her, the affidavits said. [Read more…]

Man pleads guilty to attempted voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault

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Deshon Marquece Meadow

Deshon Marquece Meadow

An Oak Ridge man accused of pointing a handgun at a group of people and pulling the trigger multiple times in April 2015 pleaded guilty on Thursday to a reduced charge of attempted voluntary manslaughter and six counts of aggravated assault, according to Anderson County court records.

Deshon Marquece Meadow, 22, was pointing a handgun at a group of people, including victim Traiquan Graves, when Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Tim Nguyen responded to a report of shots fired on Utica Circle on April 6, 2015, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

A witness said she saw Meadow point the handgun in their direction and pull the trigger multiple times, Nguyen said in the affidavits.

“The victim’s fear was evident when he backed up and took cover as the defendant tried to fire the weapon at him,” the affidavits said.

“Under Miranda, the defendant stated: ‘I couldn’t let him do me like that anymore. I went back to my house, got my gun, and pointed at them and told them to back off!'” the affidavits said. [Read more…]

Carjacking, attempted robbery, assault charges sent to grand jury

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Sheila K Jones

Sheila K. Jones

 

Attempted robbery, carjacking, and aggravated assault charges against an Oliver Springs woman were sent to a grand jury for its consideration after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

Charges against Sheila K. Jones, 43, of Henley Circle, also include evading arrest, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and driving on a revoked license.

Jones had allegedly been a passenger in a vehicle in May when she allegedly climbed on top of the driver, Deborah G. Russell of Oliver Springs, who had said she was going home. Jones allegedly pressed Russell’s right leg down to the gas pedal and grabbed the steering wheel to prevent Russell from turning near the intersection of Tulsa Road and South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court on May 11.

“The victim (Russell) indicated that the defendant (Jones) started saying things such as ‘I’ll beat your ass’ and ‘I’ll blow your brains out,” the affidavits said. “After the defendant put the vehicle in park, the victim released her seatbelt, and the defendant opened and shoved the victim out of the driver’s door. The victim was still ‘hung’ in the seatbelt, until it finally came off, and the defendant shouted, ‘You made me do this!'”

At that point, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Cory Strange saw the vehicle—an older model gold vehicle that had been stopped next to an apparent pedestrian—spin its rear tires and make a hasty illegal U-turn in the middle of ORAU Way, according to the affidavits. [Read more…]

Vehicle crashes into Jackson Square businesses

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A vehicle crashed into two businesses in Jackson Square on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, causing interior and exterior damage, authorities said. (Photo by Daniel Powers)

A vehicle crashed into two businesses in Jackson Square on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, causing interior and exterior damage, authorities said. (Photo by Daniel Powers)

 

A vehicle crashed into two businesses in Jackson Square on Sunday, causing interior and exterior damage, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 1:20 p.m. Sunday, August 20.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said the crash injured the driver, who was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge for treatment.

“The extent of their injuries is unknown,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement Wednesday. “No other injuries were reported.”

The two damaged businesses are Through the Looking Glass and All About U Hair Salon. [Read more…]

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…]

Man dies after fire at Manhattan Apartments

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A 61-year-old man died after a fire was reported at the Manhattan Apartments on Saturday morning, authorities said.

An alarm sounded in one of the apartments at about 7:50 a.m. Saturday, according to information from the Oak Ridge Fire Department that was provided by City of Oak Ridge spokesperson Sarah Self.

Oak Ridge Police Department officers found heavy smoke inside the apartment when they arrived Saturday morning, and the Oak Ridge Fire Department was dispatched.

Nearby residents were evacuated while firefighters made entry to the apartment and extinguished the fire. A man was found inside, the city said. [Read more…]

Woman charged with homicide in death of motorcyclist

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Noelle Leigh Patty

Noelle Leigh Patty

 

This story was last updated at 12:30 p.m.

An Oak Ridge woman has been charged with homicide in the death of a motorcyclist in a fatal car-motorcycle crash on North Illinois Avenue in January 2016. It’s one of two new felony charges added in the case against Noelle Leigh Patty, 40.

Patty is accused of criminally negligent conduct that resulted in the death of motorcyclist Rufus E. Shephard III, 44, of Oak Ridge, at the western exit of the Westcott Center, the Kroger shopping center, on January 31, 2016.

Patty was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on August 1, 2017, and she is facing five criminal charges. Two of the charges are felonies, and three are misdemeanors. The two felony charges, which are both new, are criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved. The three misdemeanor charges are failure to obey a traffic control device, failure to provide proof of insurance, and failure to yield the right of way, resulting in death. [Read more…]

Benanti gets four life sentences, plus 155 years, in bank extortion, robbery spree

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Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a kidnapping and attempted robbery at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced Tuesday to four consecutive life sentences in federal prison, plus an additional 155 years, for his convictions involving a violent bank extortion and robbery spree in four states and several cities, including Oak Ridge and Knoxville, authorities said.

Michael Anthony Benanti, 45, of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Varlan in Knoxville on Tuesday.

Benanti had been convicted by a jury after a trial in U.S. District Court in February 2017. The jury found him guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit robbery and armed bank extortion, two counts of attempted armed bank extortion, one count of armed bank extortion, three counts of carjacking, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and 10 counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

“Often, severe federal penalties, such as mandatory minimum sentences, are the most effective tool to protect the American public from a violent criminal like Benanti,” U.S. Attorney Nancy Harr said in a press release. “The consecutive sentences received by Benanti for firearms violations ensure he will never again be able to victimize families in East Tennessee or elsewhere. The U.S. Attorney’s office is, and remains committed to, prosecuting these crimes and seeking the highest penalties possible to help keep the American people safe.” [Read more…]

Ohio couple sentenced in fraud conspiracy involving Oak Ridge company

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Photo by U.S. District Court

Photo by U.S. District Court

An Ohio couple was sentenced Friday for their roles in a conspiracy involving an Oak Ridge company, its owners, and more than $350,000 in unauthorized purchases, authorities said.

Christy A. Greider, 40, and Jason A. Greider, 42, both of Huber Heights, Ohio, were sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud by U.S. District Court Judge Pamela L. Reeves. Christy Greider will serve 33 months in federal prison, and Jason Greider will serve 27 months, United States Attorney Nancy Stallard Harr said in a press release.

The Greiders both pleaded guilty in February 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, the press release said. Christy Greider worked as the bookkeeper for M-3 Construction Inc., located in Oak Ridge. She also helped the company’s owners keep track of their personal finances, the press release said. [Read more…]

Updated: Power restored after Saturday afternoon outage

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Note: This story was updated at 8:50 a.m. July 16.

Power was restored Saturday afternoon after a large outage in central Oak Ridge.

There were reports that some traffic lights were out, and power was reported out at some businesses and homes.

The Oak Ridge Police Department urged drivers to use caution going through intersections in a Nixle alert sent out at 1:21 p.m. Saturday. [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…]

Negligence lawsuit of up to $10.5 million filed in car-trailer crash

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Car-Trailer-Crash-Emory-Valley-Road-Sept-2-2016-1-Web

The crash between a car and trailer with a skid steer loader on it on Emory Valley Road on Friday evening, Sept. 2, 2016, happened after the trailer came loose from a truck hitch and crossed into an oncoming lane, where it hit the car, authorities said. It took firefighters and rescuers about 55 minutes to free the female driver pinned inside the car, and they used a tow truck to help lift the trailer and loader to take weight off the woman. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A negligence lawsuit of up to $10.5 million was filed last month after a September 2 crash between a car and a trailer carrying a skid steer loader injured an Oak Ridge woman and pinned her inside her car for almost an hour before rescuers were able to free her and fly her to a trauma center in Knoxville.

Arminda “Mindy” Carter, a nurse who lives in Oak Ridge, was driving west on Emory Valley Road in her 2010 Toyota Camry at about 5:29 p.m. September 2, headed to her job at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, according to the legal complaint, which was filed in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on June 2.

Headed the other way, toward the Oak Ridge Marina, was an eastbound 1994 GMC dump truck driven by Gerald D. Cureton, 71, of Knoxville. He was pulling a trailer with a CASE skid steer loader that weighed about 6,000 pounds, the complaint said.

As the two vehicles approached the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Carnegie Drive in east Oak Ridge, the trailer with the loader on it came off the hitch of the dump truck driven by Cureton, the complaint said.

“Once detached from the dump truck, the trailer and skid steer then crossed into the westbound lane of travel, where it violently collided with the plaintiff’s vehicle (the Camry driven by Carter),” the June 2 lawsuit said. “The trailer and skid steer came to rest on top of the plaintiff’s vehicle, leaving her trapped under its weight for nearly an hour as rescue workers scrambled to free her.”

The trailer carrying the skid steer loader did not have operational brakes or adequate safety chains, a violation of state law, according to the lawsuit. [Read more…]