Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge man indicted for reckless homicide

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William Brent James

William Brent James

An Oak Ridge man has been indicted for reckless homicide in the death of another man in November 2014.

William Brent James, 19, of Warrior Circle, was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on January 5 and arrested Friday, January 9, by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Kevin Craig.

The indictment alleged James “unlawfully and recklessly” killed Michael William James on or around November 27, 2014. It wasn’t immediately clear if the two men are related.

James has an arraignment scheduled for January 29.

He remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Wednesday afternoon. His bond has been set at $25,000, according to jail records.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

April trial scheduled for man facing federal gun charge after September shooting, crash

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Larry Dewayne Williams

Larry Dewayne Williams

An April trial has been scheduled for a man facing a federal gun charge after a shooting and crash in north Oak Ridge in September.

Larry Dewayne Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on one count of being a convicted felon who possessed a gun and ammunition. Authorities said police found a pistol and ammunition manufactured outside Tennessee in his house and car.

The trial had initially been scheduled to start Tuesday, January 12, in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. But after reviewing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Pamela Reeves agreed late last year that Williams needed additional time to prepare his case, and government prosecutors didn’t object, according to court records. The new trial date is April 5.

The plea agreement deadline is March 29.

Williams allegedly fled from Oak Ridge police in a silver Infiniti after a September 21 shooting on Wakefield Road. After he allegedly ran from the car following a three-vehicle crash at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer James Elkins found an AR-15 type firearm on the passenger floorboard of Williams’ Infiniti and a semi-automatic pistol lying inside, authorities said. [Read more…]

Man charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery after allegedly using gun to steal from ex-girlfriend

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Dmantiz-Bowser

Dmantiz Bowser

An Oak Ridge man was charged with kidnapping and aggravated robbery after he allegedly held a gun to the back of his ex-girlfriend’s head before stealing her cell phones and $1,200 in cash, authorities said.

The robbery was reported at about 9:16 a.m. Friday, December 11, at a home on Northwestern Avenue.

The ex-girlfriend told Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kevin Merritt that she awoke to a loud noise and found Dmantiz A. Bowser, 21, in the back bedroom. She asked him what he was doing, according to warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

“She said the defendant then pulled a small black gun out of his front pocket, grabbed her by her right arm and twisted it behind her back,” the warrants said. “She said he then shoved her face down in the couch, putting his knee on her back, and putting the pistol to the back of her head. [Read more…]

Man, 27, accused of attacking, robbing grandfather, 81

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Trenton-Johnson

Trenton Johnson

The day after he was found unresponsive in a bathroom, with a syringe on the floor and suspected heroin in his jacket pocket, a 27-year-old Oak Ridge man allegedly attacked his 81-year-old grandfather, pushed him down, and stole his wallet, authorities said.

Trenton Johnson of Briarwood Drive was found on his back and unresponsive on a bathroom floor, lying between a toilet and bathtub, at the Briarwood Drive home on Saturday, December 19, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kevin M. Merritt said.

A syringe was on the floor next to Johnson, Merritt said. On the edge of the bathtub, there was a pack of cigarettes, lighter, and metal spoon, the officer said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police increase DUI enforcement during holidays

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The Oak Ridge Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office to enhance DUI enforcement from December 18 to January 3, surrounding the holiday season. The statewide Booze It and Lose It campaign is part of a national mobilization to prevent drunk driving.

During the first nine months of this year, Tennessee experienced 4,740 known alcohol-related crashes. That equates to an average of 17 people each day making the decision to get behind the wheel after they have been drinking.

During the holiday times, the Oak Ridge Police Department will be conducting saturation patrols throughout the city. Officer will be focusing on impaired driving, distracted driving, unrestrained motorist, as well as other traffic violations.

“We can’t stand to see this tragic loss of life again and again,” said Chief of Police James T. Akagi. “The hardest part of the job is making that house call and telling a family that their loved one is gone because someone chose to drink and drive. That’s why, leading up to the holidays, we will show zero tolerance for drunk drivers on the road. Please find a safe and sober ride home.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge, Clinton officers receive DUI Officer of the Year awards

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Oak-Ridge-Police-Department-Burchfield-DUI-Officer-Year

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Derek Burchfield, left, received a DUI Officer of the Year Award on December 7 at the Governor’s Highway Safety Office annual joint network meeting in Knoxville. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

Officer Derek Burchfield of the Oak Ridge Police Department and Patrolman Adam Warren of the Clinton Police Department have received DUI Officer of the Year awards.

They were among nearly 100 officers and law enforcement agencies recognized by the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office. The awards were given out at regional meetings in Jackson, Murfreesboro, Pikeville, Knoxville, and Greeneville.

The Knoxville meeting was on December 7. Seventeen East Tennessee officers received the DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Officer of the Year Award. More than 120 officers attended.

Chief James Shetterly of the Rocky Top Police Department received a Partner of the Year Award, and Officer Stanley Wade and Jacqueline West of the Rocky Top Police Department were named Child Passenger Safety Technicians of the Year. [Read more…]

Two men indicted in robbery, kidnappings at Y-12 Credit Union, SmartBank

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Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)

Brian Witham

Brian Witham (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)


Note: This story was last updated at 10:37 p.m.

Two men were indicted Tuesday for plots that involved kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton, Tennessee.

The two men are Michael Benanti and Brian Witham. One is from Pennsylvania, and the other is from Maine.

The three financial institutions they targeted were Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge, SmartBank on Advantage Place in Knoxville, and Northeast Community Credit Union on Jason Witten Way in Elizabethton.

The indictment of Benanti and Witham by a federal grand jury for the armed bank extortions was filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. You can read the 15-count indictment, which also includes charges of carjacking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, here. [Read more…]

Officers investigating stolen car catch suspect after foot chase, helicopter search

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Air-Watch-Helicopter-Search-Dec-15-2015

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office used a helicopter to help the Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department search for a suspect in the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge on the north side of Oak Ridge on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect was captured just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, at Cedar Hill Park in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:30 p.m.

A 19-year-old man being questioned about a car stolen from Nashville fled from police as they tried to arrest him in Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, and more than 30 officers and deputies spent more than two hours searching for him by foot, car, and helicopter. The Oak Ridge Preschool was briefly locked down during the search, and the suspect, Elijah McDowell, 19, was tracked for more than four miles on foot before being captured at Cedar Hill Park near Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive in north-central Oak Ridge.

One Oak Ridge Police Department officer sustained non-life threatening injuries while chasing McDowell into the park.

Elijah Malik McDowell

Elijah Malik McDowell

McDowell’s charges include three counts of property theft, with one between $10,000 and $59,999; assault; resisting arrest; evading arrest; and probation violation, according to Anderson County Sheriff’s Department jail records. His address lists him as a resident of Dandridge.

Before McDowell was caught, Oak Ridge Police Department officers and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies swarmed roads on the north side of Oak Ridge and down into Marlow while searching for the suspect. They combed the roads and woods along Outer Drive, Key Springs Road, Bacon Springs Road, and Oliver Springs Highway, among other streets. A Knox County Sheriff’s Office Airwatch helicopter flew low circles over the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge, which is on the north side of Oak Ridge.

The pursuit started after Oak Ridge officers were dispatched to a home at 102 Marion Road at 11:47 a.m. Tuesday. They were trying to locate a black 2008 Dodge Charger reported stolen from Nashville, a press release said. The vehicle was being tracked remotely by the Metropolitan Nashville Metropolitan Police Department. [Read more…]

Smith named deputy police chief

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Jim Akagi and Robin Smith

Former Captain Robin Smith, right, has been promoted to deputy chief of the Oak Ridge Police Department. Smith is pictured above with ORPD Chief Jim Akagi. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Former Captain Robin Smith has been promoted to deputy chief of the Oak Ridge Police Department.

Smith was promoted on November 8. City officials said he will still oversee the ORPD Patrol Division and SWAT Team.

“He is a valuable member of the ORPD executive and senior leadership teams,” the City of Oak Ridge said of Smith. “Both the ORPD and the Oak Ridge community are very fortunate to have him as a deputy chief, and look forward to his leadership and talent in improving public safety for all of the great Oak Ridge citizens.” [Read more…]

Driver okay, but car totaled in single-vehicle rollover crash on Scarboro Road

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Scarboro-Road-Car-Roll-over-Dec-14-2015

The driver was okay, but his vehicle was reported to be totaled when it rolled over in a single-vehicle crash on Scarboro Road on Monday afternoon, Dec. 14, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The driver was reported to be okay, but his Honda Civic was reported to be totaled when it rolled over in a single-vehicle crash on Scarboro Road on Monday afternoon.

The crash occurred up the hill from Union Valley Road and the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex. Authorities reported that the roadway was slick.

The Oak Ridge Police Department briefly closed the road while the crash was investigated and the car towed away.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Scarboro-Road-Car-Roll-over-Police-Fire-Dec-14-2015

The driver was reported to be okay, but his Honda Civic was reported to be totaled when it rolled over in a single-vehicle crash on Scarboro Road on Monday afternoon, Dec. 14, 2015. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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Report: One man robbed, carjacked during ‘bad drug deal’; another shot in foot

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Anderson County Sheriff Patch

One man was allegedly robbed and carjacked on Laurel Road in Anderson County early Monday morning, while another was reportedly shot in the foot as the result of a bad drug deal in Campbell County, authorities said.

Authorities received a report that a 2007 Kia Sportage had been stolen at gunpoint on Laurel Road at about 2 a.m. Monday. The vehicle was reported to be possibly headed to Oak Ridge or Oliver Springs after the alleged carjacking and robbery.

The vehicle was recovered by the Oak Ridge Police Department at Manhattan Apartments on North Purdue Avenue.

Darien Noe of LaFollette told Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Michael A. Poole that two suspects held guns on him and stole his vehicle, shoes, and other items, forcing him to leave the vehicle on Laurel Road, according to an incident report. Noe went to a house on Laurel Road to ask for help, and that resident called 911.

An alert was sent out to other law enforcement agencies to tell them to watch out for the stolen vehicle. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police seize more than 70 pounds of marijuana

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Nicholas Ryan Salpas

Nicholas Ryan Salpas

With help from other agencies, the Oak Ridge Police Department seized more than 70 pounds of marijuana on Wednesday, authorities said.

Police searched a home on Carlisle Lane in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, December 9, with help from the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

They seized more than 70 pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags, as well as one vacuum-sealed bag of suspected concentrated THC resin, a press release said.

Nicholas Salpas, 30, the resident and sole occupant of the home at 102 Carlisle Lane, was arrested at the scene, the release said. He was charged with three counts of manufacture, delivery, sale, or possession of a controlled substance, with an enhancement for this activity occurring within a drug-free school zone; possession of drug paraphernalia; theft of property; and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. [Read more…]