Oak Ridge Today

Updated: Attorney Tunnell charged with assault, Judge Miller recuses himself

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William Lawrence Tunnell

William Lawrence Tunnell

Note: This story was updated at 11:55 a.m. Jan. 21.

William Lawrence Tunnell, an alternate Oak Ridge city judge who is believed to be the oldest practicing attorney in Tennessee, was arrested January 13 for allegedly hitting a man with his car and knocking him to the ground in November.

Tunnell, 94, has been charged with one count of aggravated assault. He has a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

(Update: Anderson County General Sessions Court Judge Roger Miller has recused himself from hearing this case, and a special judge will be appointed. A new hearing date had not been set as of Wednesday morning.)

According to an arrest warrant, the incident occurred Friday evening, November 21, at the intersection of West Outer Drive and Waltham Lane. [Read more…]

Former IHOP server suspected of taking money by changing credit card receipts

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A former server at IHOP Restaurant in Oak Ridge is suspected of taking an unknown amount of money from customers by changing the tip amounts on several credit card and debit card receipts, authorities said.

The suspected thefts occurred between October 1 and December 28, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said.

It’s not clear how much money might have been taken during a period estimated to be about two months. ORPD Officer Garrett L. Robbins reported that the IHOP regional manager who reported the suspected theft is still calculating how much might have been taken.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

AC, Clinton schools closing early Friday; police prepare for presidential visit

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President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama

Schools in Clinton and Anderson County will close early on Friday so buses can miss the traffic congestion and closed roads that are expected when President Barack Obama visits.

Dozens of intersections along the motorcade’s expected route will have to be covered, Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough told WYSH Radio.

Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden’s wife Jill will visit Clinton manufacturer Techmer PM after the president speaks at Pellissippi State Community College in west Knox County. The visit to Clinton will be the first for a president. [Read more…]

Report: Car runs red light, hits truck, which crashes into building

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Car Crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Florida Avenue

A two-car collision at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Florida Avenue on Friday, December 26, caused a 2012 Nissan pickup truck to crash into this two-story building south of the Turnpike. (Photos by Daniel Powers)

 

The driver of a four-door sedan allegedly ran a red light at Florida Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike last week and hit a pickup truck that then crashed into the side of a two-story commercial building, authorities said.

The driver of the car, Geary Q. McPeters, 59, of Oak Ridge, was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center with possible injuries, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said.

ORPD Patrolman Kevin Merritt said McPeters was driving a 1996 Oldsmobile four-door sedan south on Florida Avenue at about 8:35 p.m. Friday, December 26, when he didn’t stop at a red traffic light on Oak Ridge Turnpike and collided with a 2012 Nissan pickup truck being driven east on the Turnpike by Ted M. Chapman, 73, of Sevierville. [Read more…]

Suspect arrested in GameStop robbery, Walmart theft

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Ernest James Glenn

Ernest James Glenn

Oak Ridge police have arrested a Knoxville man who is suspected of grabbing a Playstation 4 from an employee on GameStop on August 9 before fleeing, and stealing a computer from Walmart on July 28 by going out a fire door in the lawn and garden section.

Ernest James Glenn, 28, of Merchant Drive in Knoxville, was arrested Sunday by Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Garrett Robbins. Glenn has been charged with robbery and theft over $500, and he remains jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton.

The alleged Playstation theft at GameStop in Oak Ridge has been classified as a robbery, according to warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. [Read more…]

DA: No suspect, no charge in alleged rape by officer or security guard

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Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Note: This story was last updated at 8:40 p.m.

The six-month investigation of an alleged rape by a security guard or police officer has been completed, and no suspect has been identified and there is no basis for a criminal charge, Anderson County’s top prosecutor said. Also, the credibility of the alleged victim is in doubt, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a Tuesday letter to Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi.

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported the alleged rape in June. An adult female had reported that she was raped by a uniformed man who appeared to be a police officer or security guard, although it wasn’t clear if a specific agency was ever named. The woman reported that she was handcuffed and raped behind Oak Ridge Mall in the back seat of a police-type cruiser.

The woman was interviewed by Oak Ridge police officers, and the ORPD then contacted the Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office, which notified the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation of the allegation.

“Due to the nature of the allegation, Chief Akagi thought it would be best to have another agency conduct the investigation,” Clark said in a two-page investigative report.

The TBI investigation of the high-profile case is now complete. [Read more…]

Man killed in Haw Ridge accident was skilled biker, valuable ORNL researcher

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Michael Biegalski

Michael Biegalski (Photo courtesy ORNL)

Note: This story was last updated at 12:45 p.m. Dec. 23.

The 38-year-old Oak Ridge man who died in what appears to be an accident while mountain biking on Haw Ridge on Saturday is being remembered as a skilled biker and valuable researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Michael David Biegalski, who was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, had been a research and development staff member at the Center for Nanophase Materials Science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2008 and had worked there from 2006 to 2008 as a postdoctoral research associate.

“He was an incredibly valuable person to the center,” CNMS Director Hans Christen said Monday. “A friend of everybody, extremely helpful.”

Other mountain bikers described Biegalski, who was married with two young daughters, as very skilled, and Christen said he was very competitive and raced. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man dies in apparent biking accident on Haw Ridge

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Michael Biegalski

Michael Biegalski (Photo courtesy ORNL)

Note: This story was last updated at 12:45 p.m. Dec. 23.

An Oak Ridge man died in what appears to be a tragic mountain biking accident at Haw Ridge on Saturday, authorities said.

Two hikers found the body of Michael Biegalski, 38, near a hiking trail at Haw Ridge at about 4:34 p.m. Saturday, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said.

The hikers met Oak Ridge Police Department officers at a trailhead, and they guided officers to the body, which was about 300 yards from Old Edgemoor Road. The officers confirmed that Biegalski was deceased, and they called the coroner and criminal investigations division to process the area around the accident, Akagi said. The Oak Ridge Fire Department also responded and helped transport the body. [Read more…]

DA: Criminal investigation under way in apartment death, but so far, no arrest, charges

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Dave Clark

Dave Clark

A criminal investigation is under way in the death of a 29-year-old man at an apartment in Oak Ridge early Monday, but there has not been an arrest yet and no charges have been filed, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said Thursday.

Thomas Steven Thrasher Jr., 29, was found dead in a second-floor apartment when the Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a report of a possible intruder at about 4:40 a.m. Monday at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive.

Clark said an autopsy has been performed by the Anderson County medical examiner.

“As a result of the circumstances, the Oak Ridge Police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been conducting a criminal investigation,” Clark said. “There has been no arrest or charges filed at this time.” [Read more…]

TBI investigating apartment death

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Rolling Hills Apartments Building

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of a 29-year-old man found dead in a second-floor apartment at this Rolling Hills Apartments building in Oak Ridge on Monday.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4 p.m.

State authorities are investigating the death of a 29-year-old man in an Oak Ridge apartment on Monday.

Oak Ridge police officers said Thomas Thrasher was dead when they arrived at a second-floor apartment at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive at about 4:40 a.m. Monday. The Oak Ridge Police Department, which had responded to a report of a possible intruder, said the death was “suspicious,” and they turned the case over to Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark.

Clark asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate, TBI Public Information Officer Susan Niland said Wednesday.

Niland said the cause of death has not been determined pending an autopsy. She said it’s not clear how long the autopsy might take or how many tests have to be performed. [Read more…]

Sheriff: 25 indicted on drug charges

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Paul White

Paul White

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

Twenty-five people were indicted on drug-related charges by an Anderson County Grand Jury in November after investigations by the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit, authorities said Wednesday.

Deputies have been out making arrests on these indictments while also continuing investigations on related drug activity, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said in a Wednesday morning press release.

The drug investigations were conducted during the last few months. White said the indictments were for the manufacture, sales, delivery, or possession of illegal drugs, and those indicted either sold to undercover agents or possessed drugs for resale.

“These indictments primarily include charges resulting from sale or possession for resale of prescription or legend drugs, as well as marijuana and methamphetamine-related offenses,” White said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police investigating suspicious death

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

The Oak Ridge Police Department is investigating a suspicious death on Monday morning, authorities said.

Police officers responded to a report of a possible intruder at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive at 4:40 a.m. Monday, a city press release said.

When officers arrived, they found a dead man in the apartment, the release said. The name of the victim is being withheld until family members have been notified.

“The investigation remains ongoing, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the release said.