Oak Ridge Today

Meth, conspiracy charges dismissed after warrantless search

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William Michael Renfro
William Michael Renfro

Citing a warrantless search, an Anderson County judge has dismissed drug and conspiracy charges in a case where police allegedly found 45.1 grams of methamphetamine in a backpack in an Oak Ridge motel room in May.

“I hate to dismiss serious charges,” said Roger Miller, judge of the Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, in Oak Ridge. But, he added, “I don’t think the proof would hold up.”

Suggesting that a search warrant should have been obtained, Miller said he is accessible and signs many search warrants.

The two people charged in the case had been William Michael Renfro, 18, of Oak Ridge, and Carlie Alise Wisman, 22, also of Oak Ridge.

Renfro had been charged with manufacturing, selling, delivering, or possessing a schedule II controlled substance (the 45.1 grams of meth), a Class A felony; criminal conspiracy, a Class B felony; manufacturing, selling, delivering, or possessing a schedule IV controlled substance (9.5 grams of marijuana), a Class D felony; and possession of a firearm (a Ruger Security Six .357 revolver with six rounds) during the commission of or attempt to commit a dangerous felony, a Class D felony.

All four of those charges were dismissed after a preliminary hearing for Renfro in Anderson County General Sessions Court on Thursday, December 12. During a preliminary hearing, a judge can hear from witnesses, victims, and police officers, and determine whether there is probable cause to send the charges to the Anderson County Grand Jury.

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Woman charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing man

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Stephanie Shinlever
Stephanie Shinlever

An Oak Ridge woman was charged with attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed a man in his abdomen, tricep, and thigh on Utica Circle early Friday morning, according to Anderson County court records.

Stephanie Shinlever, 23, was initially charged with attempted criminal homicide and tampering with evidence on Friday. But the attempted criminal homicide charge was amended to attempted first-degree murder on Tuesday, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a reported assault at a Utica Circle apartment at about 2:12 a.m. Friday. When they arrived, they were led to a unit where the victim, Skylar Patterson, was laying on a couch, bleeding profusely from his abdomen, the affidavits said.

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Six women arrested for allegedly conspiring to steal shoes in Oak Ridge

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Rack Room Shoes Theft Oak Ridge Police Department Nov 21 2019
Six women were arrested Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, after they allegedly ran from Rack Room Shoes in Main Street Oak Ridge with about $3,300 worth of stolen merchandise, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. (Photo courtesy ORPD)

Six women were arrested Thursday and charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after they allegedly ran from a shoe store in Main Street Oak Ridge with about $3,300 worth of stolen merchandise, police officers said.

Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Marvell Moore said he had been conducting a retail theft patrol near Rack Room Shoes at about 1:19 p.m. Thursday. While in the parking lot, Moore said in arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court, he saw the women enter Rack Room Shoes with large purses and plastic bags that appeared to be empty.

“Based on my training and experience, I know that shoplifters will carry large empty bags to conceal merchandise,” Moore said in the warrants.

After a short time, Moore said he saw the women run out of Rack Room Shoes with the same bags that they had when they entered. However, now the bags were full, Moore said.

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Trees down, power outages reported after thunderstorm

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Fallen Tree Michigan Avenue Oct. 31 2019
A tree fell across Michigan Avenue during a severe thunderstorm in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Trees fell and power outages were reported after a thunderstorm in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The fallen trees and power outages were because of strong winds and heavy rain that lasted a few hours starting at about 11 a.m. Thursday, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department and Electric Department are responding to the damage reports and making repairs, the city said.

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Part of Nebraska Ave. closes for Halloween House on Thursday

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A temporary road closure is planned along part of Nebraska Avenue on Halloween, Thursday, October 31, between 5 and 11 p.m.

A small portion of the 100 block of Nebraska Avenue between Newridge Road and Newhaven Road will be blocked to through traffic, a press release said. Residents will still be able to get to and from their homes during this time, the press release said.

The closure is necessary to create a safer environment for drivers and pedestrians expected to visit the annual “Halloween House” residential attraction, the press release said.

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Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration is Saturday

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Oak Ridge Fire and Crime Prevention Parade Map 2019
Oak Ridge Fire and Crime Prevention Parade Map 2019 (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge fire and police departments, in partnership with the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, will hold this year’s Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration on Saturday.

Everyone is invited to participate and support this free event, which combines the police department’s annual National Night Out and the fire department’s Fire Prevention Parade into one big community celebration, a press release said. 

The event will kick off with a parade (weather permitting) at 11 a.m. at Oak Ridge Fire Department Fire Station 3 on Tuskegee Drive. Following the parade, the celebration in Alvin K. Bissell Park is expected to begin around noon, and it will include food, emergency services equipment displays, a mobile video game theater, bounce houses, safety information booths, and police/fire demonstrations, the press release said.

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ORPD has car seat checkpoint at Preschool on Wednesday

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There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department, in partnership with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, will conduct a free drive-through car seat check again on Wednesday.

There was a car seat check on Tuesday, October 22, and another on Wednesday, October 23, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Officers will be set up across the street from Oak Ridge Preschool, located at 304 New York Avenue, a press release said. Parents and caregivers are invited to stop by with no need to pre-register, the press release said.

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ORPD hosts Coffee with a Cop on Wednesday

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The Oak Ridge Police Department will host Coffee with a Cop on Wednesday.

It’s part of National Coffee with a Cop Day.

The Oak Ridge event will be at Starbucks at 1305 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“Everyone is invited to stop by from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. for free brewed coffee provided by Starbucks and conversation with Oak Ridge police officers,” a press release said.

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Warrants: Police find about three ounces of suspected meth

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Otis Kevin Aslinger
Otis Kevin Aslinger

Two men have been charged with a Class A felony drug crime after police allegedly found about three ounces of suspected methamphetamine during a search of a vehicle in Oak Ridge in August, according to court records.

Warrants filed in the case said the vehicle, a pickup truck, was searched after agents of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force and officers of the Oak Ridge Police Department conducted surveillance along South Illinois Avenue at about 6 p.m. Monday, August 5.

“A black Chevrolet step-side pickup truck was observed pulling into the parking lot of Big Lots (at) 250 South Illinois Avenue,” the warrants said. “The female driver of the vehicle parked while a male passenger exited and got into the passenger side of a newer model Ford F-150 pickup.”

Agents identified both the driver of the F-150 and the passenger, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge by CTF Agent S. Perry Lewis.

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For members: Man sentenced to 14 years after taking van from woman in wheelchair

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Bradley Allan Thomas

CLINTON—A Knoxville man was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday after he stole a van from a woman in a wheelchair in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant in Oak Ridge last year.

Bradley Allan Thomas, 31, received a 12-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, a Class B felony. He will be required to serve 85 percent of that sentence before he could be eligible for a parole hearing. Authorities had alleged that Thomas pushed the woman out and took the van through force or intimidation while using a deadly weapon (a large knife).

Bradley Allan Thomas

 

A Knoxville man was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday after he stole a van from a woman in a wheelchair in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant in Oak Ridge last year. Authorities had alleged that the man pushed the woman out and took the van through force or intimidation while using a deadly weapon (a large knife).

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For members: Man sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder

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McKinley Earl McGee, 51, of Oak Ridge, who is pictured above at right, was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison in Anderson County Criminal Court on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, for an attempted murder during a stabbing last year that injured a woman so severely that she would have died if she hadn’t received medical treatment, a judge and prosecutor said. At left is defense attorney Curtis Isabell. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

CLINTON—An Oak Ridge man who has at least 15 criminal convictions was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison on Monday for an attempted murder during a stabbing last year that injured a woman so severely that she would have died if she hadn’t received medical treatment, a judge and prosecutor said.

Before he was sentenced Monday, McKinley Earl McGee, 51, had been convicted after a one-day trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton in July. At the end of that trial, the 12-person jury deliberated for about one hour before finding McGee guilty of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault that resulted in serious bodily injury.

 
Curtis-Isabell-McKinley-McGee-Sentencing-Sept-9-2019

An Oak Ridge man who has at least 15 prior criminal convictions was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison on Monday for an attempted murder during a stabbing last year that injured a women so severely that she would have died if she hadn’t received medical treatment, a judge and prosecutor said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—An Oak Ridge man who has at least 15 prior criminal convictions was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison on Monday for an attempted murder during a stabbing last year that injured a women so severely that she would have died if she hadn’t received medical treatment, a judge and prosecutor said.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser, sponsor, or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

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Oak Ridge, TN 37831

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Death of Thomas Thrasher still being investigated in homicide case

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Thomas Stephen "T.S." Thrasher
Thomas Stephen “T.S.” Thrasher

The investigation of the death of an Oak Ridge man in an apartment in December 2014 remains active and ongoing, a state law enforcement official said Wednesday.

The death of Thomas Steven Thrasher Jr. is being investigated as a homicide. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tennesssee Bureau of Investigation at (800) TBI-FIND.

In response to questions, TBI spokesperson Leslie Earhart said she could not discuss any potential evidence in the case, including whether a suspect has been identified.

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