Oak Ridge Today

Delivery truck scrapes against railroad trestle, carries away large steel beam

Posted at
By 9 Comments

Potters Truck and Elza Drive Railroad Trestle

A large steel beam rests on a Potter’s Home Center delivery truck after the top of the truck scraped against the bottom of a railroad trestle on Elza Drive on Friday morning.

A delivery truck for Potter’s Home Center scraped against the bottom of a railroad trestle on Elza Drive on Friday morning, and a large steel beam from the bridge ended up on top of the truck, authorities said.

The 1997 Ford F80 truck was driven by Dennis Randolf Neal, 44, of Jamestown. He was not injured.

An Oak Ridge Police Department report said the bridge is marked with 11’5″ signs. Neal told police he had driven through the area before. [Read more…]

Letter: Thanks ORPD, Ridgeview, mental health community for ‘Preventing Tragedy’ seminar

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

I would like to express appreciation for the “Preventing Tragedy: A Community United” presentation on Monday, April 15, at the New Hope Center. The Oak Ridge Police Department and Ridgeview are to be applauded for providing a public discussion about avoiding shooting tragedies. It is clear both the police and the mental health community, including the East Tennessee Mental Health Association, care deeply about the public’s being better informed with regard to mental health issues.

As Ben Harrington of the ETMA said, the public can use the Head in the Sand approach and hope that the problem will go away, or they can inform themselves and find ways to address it. It was pointed out that about 26 percent of persons will need some form of mental health treatment in any given year, so that it is not rare for people to need help.

Police Chief Jim Akagi described the sequence of events in Newton, Conn., and how the school “did everything right,” and yet the gunman was able to shoot his way into the building. He indicated that there is more needed in preventing a similar tragedy than more police officers. [Read more…]

Man charged with kidnapping after allegedly refusing to let divorcing wife leave home

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge man was charged with kidnapping after he allegedly refused to let his divorcing wife leave his home Sunday evening, authorities said.

Jeffrey Dean Wollenslegel, 28, allegedly took his wife’s keys when she was leaving his Wade Lane home, put them in her purse in a closet, and then moved a couch in front of the closet door, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. Wollenslegel then allegedly stood in front of the woman, “not allowing her to leave the residence,” Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins said in the warrants. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man admits to rape, authorities say

Posted at
By 5 Comments

An Oak Ridge man has admitted that he forced his girlfriend to have sex several times and that he had sex with her without her consent or knowledge while she was sleeping Friday, authorities said.

Reginald Donat Telcy, 26, was arrested Sunday. He has been charged with one count of rape. He remained jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Tuesday morning, and his bond has been set at $75,000. [Read more…]

Fallen soldier’s body escorted through Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Salute to Christopher Michael Ward

Oak Ridge firefighters salute as Oak Ridge police and other law enforcement officers escort the body of U.S. Army soldier Christopher Michael Ward, 24, to Weatherford Mortuary. Ward died in southern Afghanistan on April 6. (Photo by Tom Scott)

Oak Ridge Police Department motorcycles and police cars helped escort the body of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Michael Ward, 24, from McGhee Tyson airport to Oak Ridge on Friday morning.

Ward, who was killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on April 6, was taken to Weatherford Mortuary, where a receiving of friends starts at 10 a.m. Saturday before a 12 p.m. celebration of life.

Oak Ridge police had units stationed at intersections as Ward’s body was escorted through the city. Oak Ridge firefighters saluted as the hearse passed by Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue at about 10:30 a.m. [Read more…]

Father allegedly hits daughter while helping her with homework

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge man allegedly lost his temper while helping his young daughter with her homework on Wednesday and hit her with his fist and a belt, authorities said.

David Lemus Mandujano, 29, of Wadsworth Circle, has been charged with aggravated child abuse. He remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Sunday evening. [Read more…]

Workers, volunteers celebrate animal shelter renovations

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Animal Shelter Lobby

Workers and volunteers celebrate renovations at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter during an open house Monday.

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter has a new exam room and a renovated surgery room.

It also has new paint, hospital-grade flooring, and a more inviting lobby area with a lower front desk and an animal adoption room.

The renovations, which included cleaning and electrical work, started in January. Except for the flooring, the work was done by the Oak Ridge municipal staff.

City workers and animal rescue volunteers celebrated with an open house Monday. They said the shelter seems more pleasant and inviting now, and the animals seem less stressed. [Read more…]

ORPD hosts mid-April seminar on preventing tragedy

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The Oak Ridge Police Department will host a mid-April seminar on preventing tragedies. The seminar is scheduled four months after the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

“The recent tragedy in Newtown, Conn., has stimulated a broad nationwide discussion aimed at preventing future such events,” a city press release said. “This seminar is designed to make citizens aware of possible warning signs of violent behavior and a plan for how to alert the proper agency. Topics of discussion will be mental and emotional health, precautions, and solutions.”

The release said residents, employers, and employees are encouraged to attend. The seminar is titled “Preventing Tragedy: A Community United.” It’s scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 15, at New Hope Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex. [Read more…]

ORPD chief to talk to Women’s Interfaith Dialogue on Monday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

Oak Ridge Police Chief James Akagi will discuss vulnerable populations in the community on Monday.

Akagi will speak to the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge at 2 p.m. at Grace Covenant Church.

“He will explore various new ways we as citizens can help and will welcome suggestions from the attendees as well,” a press release said.

Akagi has been Oak Ridge police chief since July 2011. He is retired from the U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency as an assistant special agent in the Oklahoma City District Office, the press release said. He is a native of Kansas, where he formerly served as a police officer. [Read more…]

Sheriff’s Department announces enforcement partnerships to reduce traffic fatalities

Posted at
By 3 Comments

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and local law enforcement agencies have announced a partnership designed to reduce traffic fatalities in East Tennessee.

In a Friday press conference at the Knoxville office of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Steve Dillard, East Tennessee Law Enforcement Liaison Officer for the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, reported an increase in fatalities last year in four East Tennessee counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, and Sevier. During the last five years, Anderson County alone has averaged 11 fatal crashes per year, with 13 fatal crashes in 2012, a press release said.

In response, Dillard and GHSO Director Kendall Poole outlined traffic safety activities for the next six months in the four counties. Authorities will focus on impaired and distracted drivers, and those violating speed limit and seatbelt laws. [Read more…]

Three men allegedly invade home; steal shotgun, watches

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Note: This story was updated at 4:13 p.m.

Three men pushed their way into the home of a 78-year-old man on Ulysses Lane on Wednesday night and allegedly stole a 12-gauge shotgun, a wallet, and three watches, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said the home invasion happened at about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday. The victim answered a knock at the door, and three men wearing dark clothes, blue jeans, and masks allegedly pushed their way into the home, demanding jewelry, pills, and guns, according to a report by ORPD Officer Michael E. Swigert. [Read more…]

Car crashes into utility pole, knocks out power to few stores

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Lafayette Drive Utility Pole Crash

A car driven by an Oak Ridge man crashed into a utility pole near Lafayette Drive on Saturday, knocking out power to about 10 customers, including Walmart and Chick-fil-A. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A car crashed into a utility pole along Lafayette Drive on Saturday afternoon, knocking out power to a few large customers, including Walmart and Chick-fil-A.

Jeffrey Wells Wallace, 60, of Oak Ridge, was eastbound in a 2010 Toyota Prius four-door sedan on Lafayette Drive near Midway Lane when his vehicle went off the roadway and struck a utility pole about six feet off the road at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Wallace was conscious was police arrived, but he said he didn’t remember the collision, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Brandan L. Sharp said in a crash report. [Read more…]