Oak Ridge Today

Two Knoxville men arrested after two alleged drive-by shootings

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Alexander Ryan Tirado

Alexander Ryan Tirado

Joshua Chase Payne

Joshua Chase Payne

Two Knoxville men were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment after drive-by shootings were reported on Pennsylvania Avenue and West Outer Drive on Tuesday, authorities said.

Arrested were Alexander Tirado, 25, of Oak Park Drive in Knoxville, and Joshua Chase Payne, 23, of Wallace Road in Knoxville.

In arrest warrants, Oak Ridge Police Department officers reported two calls of shots fired on West Outer Drive and Pennsylvania Avenue near Pine Lane on Tuesday night.

There were at least three adults and two juveniles in the 300 block of West Outer Drive, in the “immediate vicinity and the general direction of the gunfire” there, the arrest warrants said. Five spent 9mm casings were recovered from the street, authorities said. [Read more…]

Man dies after two-vehicle crash in west Oak Ridge on Thursday

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Dodge Ram Pickup Fatal Crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike June 2 2016

One man died after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Thursday evening, June 2, 2016. Authorities said a 2015 Toyota Prius was turning out of the Weigel’s parking lot onto the Oak Ridge Turnpike in west Oak Ridge and pulled into the path of this 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck, which was hauling a livestock trailer. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6 p.m.

An Oak Ridge man died after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Thursday, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday in front of Weigel’s at 2385 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the west end of town.

A 2015 Toyota Prius was turning out of the Weigel’s parking lot onto the Oak Ridge Turnpike and pulled into the path of a 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck hauling a livestock trailer, the Oak Ridge Police Police Department said.

The driver of the Toyota Prius, Lawrence Landau of Oak Ridge, was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he later died, the ORPD said. [Read more…]

Warrants: Man, woman charged after gun, box cutter used in alleged robbery

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Donald Lewis Johnson

Donald Johnson

An Oak Ridge man and Knoxville woman have been charged with aggravated robbery after a handgun and box cutter were allegedly used to rob an Oak Ridge man of $400 on Wade Lane on May 23, authorities said.

The two defendants are Donald Johnson, 37, of Wade Lane, and Tosha Woods, 36, of Henderson Road in Knoxville.

The victim, an ex-boyfriend of Woods, went to retrieve items from Woods’ vehicle on May 23, and he found Woods, her 16-year-old son, and Johnson, her new boyfriend, at 122 Wade Lane, according to arrests warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court by Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Rodolfo Estrada.

“When the victim asked for his belongings, an argument ensued between the son and the victim,” Estrada said, citing evidence and statements from the victim and the suspects, after they had been read their Miranda rights. [Read more…]

Former ORPD officer pleads not guilty to statutory rape, official misconduct

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Cassen Jackson-Garrison

Cassen Jackson-Garrison (Source: TBI)

Note: This story was updated at 6:10 p.m.

CLINTON—A former Oak Ridge Police Department officer charged with aggravated statutory rape and official misconduct pleaded not guilty in Anderson County Criminal Court on Friday morning.

Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 31, was indicted on the two charges by the Anderson County Grand Jury on May 3. He was arrested May 6 by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.                                                                    

At the request of Seventh District Attorney General Dave Clark, TBI special agents began investigating Cassen Jackson-Garrison, who was an ORPD officer at the time, on August 13, 2015, on a complaint that he was having sexual contact with a minor. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that Jackson-Garrison had sexual contact with the teen in July 2015, the TBI said in a May 6 press release. [Read more…]

ORPD investigates after SUV reportedly crashes through two yards, hits tree on Wabash

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Wabash-Lane-Crash-May-25-2016

The Oak Ridge Police Department was investigating a crash on Wabash Lane on Wednesday afternoon after a sport utility vehicle drove through bushes in one yard and knocked down a sidewalk railing before knocking down a fence and crashing into a tree in another. Pictured above is ORPD Detective John Criswell. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Police Department was investigating a crash on Wabash Lane on Wednesday afternoon after a sport utility vehicle reportedly drove through bushes in one yard and knocked down a sidewalk railing before crossing the street into anther yard, where it knocked down a fence and crashed into a tree.

The crash was reported at 2:38 p.m. Wednesday at 126 Wabash Lane.

Witnesses said the Ford Escape had come off Waddell Circle, a one-way street, crashed through bushes in the front yard of a house at the corner of Waddell Circle and Waddell Place, curved through the yard, where it knocked down a sidewalk railing, and then crossed Wabash Lane into the yard of the second home, where it reportedly knocked over part of a fence and a recycling bin and hit an air-conditioning unit, according to residents. The SUV hit a tree about 100 feet from the street in the back yard of that home, and it also appeared to have clipped the side of the two-story home. [Read more…]

Warrants: Narcotic pain-reliever suspected in fatal crash

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Christy-Duncan-Memorial-Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-May-10-2016

The driver charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal three-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday, May 6, 2016, is suspected of using a narcotic pain-reliever, authorities said. The crash at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue killed Christy Duncan, a 37-year-old Harriman mother who was an employee of Roane County Schools and attended church in Oak Ridge. A Mother’s Day memorial was set up near the crash site on Sunday, May 8, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The driver charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal three-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on May 6 is suspected of using a narcotic pain-reliever, authorities said.

Vicki G. Gilmore, 61, of Oak Ridge, had constricted pupils and droopy eyelids after the Friday night crash, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Derek A. Burchfield wrote in affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

The crash was reported at about 9:47 p.m. Friday, May 6, at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue.

All witness statements said Gilmore was driving fast in the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike, Burchfield said. A blue Nissan Altima was on the inside lane at the red light. Inside that car were Christy Duncan, 37, of Harriman, and her four-year-old daughter Janna.

In the outside lane was a silver Lexus occupied by Jason Watson, according to the affidavits, which are attached to arrest warrants.

“All statements say Gilmore failed to slow down or even hit the brakes, crashing into the rear of Duncan’s vehicle before sliding sideways into Watson’s vehicle,” the affidavits said. [Read more…]

Woman charged with vehicular homicide, DUI after fatal crash on Friday

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Vickie Gay Gilmore

Vickie Gay Gilmore

Note: This story was last updated at 10:51 a.m.

An Oak Ridge woman has been charged with vehicular homicide and driving under the influence after a fatal crash that killed a 37-year-old mother on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Friday, authorities said.

The three-vehicle crash was reported at about 9:47 p.m. Friday, May 6, at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue.

When they arrived, officers attempted to immediately extricate the driver of one vehicle, Christy Duncan, 37 of Harriman, and her 4-year-old daughter from their vehicle, which was severely damaged, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

Both victims were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where Duncan later succumbed to her injuries, the press release said. It said the 4-year-old is being treated for injuries. Another driver, Jason Watson, was uninjured. [Read more…]

Today: ASAP helps ORPD, CPD take back expired, unwanted prescription drugs

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You can dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs today in Oak Ridge and Clinton.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Oak Ridge Police Department and Clinton Police Department. Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration are helping with the event.

It’s the 11th time in six years that an event like this has been held, a press release said.

You can bring your pills for disposal to the ORPD at 200 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge or to the Clinton Police Department at 125 West Broad Street in Clinton. The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous. No questions will be asked, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man accused of assaulting two women, one with metal rod

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Jacob Lynn Rutherford

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

 

Note: This story was updated at 8:15 a.m. April 30.

An Oak Ridge man is accused of assaulting two women in two separate incidents, and he allegedly used a metal rod in one of the beatings, authorities said. Jacob Lynn Rutherford, 21, is also accused of hitting one of the women in the head with a gun and forcing her into his vehicle at gunpoint, according to arrest warrants.

Rutherford has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, and assault, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

The first alleged assault occurred on February 25 and the second on April 28, the warrants said. Police responded to both alleged assaults at 101 Locust Lane, where Rutherford lives.

In the first case, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kenneth Prickett said the victim, a Powell woman, showed signs of bruising around her right eye and blood around her nose.

“(She) also showed bruising around her right wrist and swelling in her right hand,” Prickett said in an arrest warrant. [Read more…]

Two cars crash into homes, one into brick landscaping wall

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Car-Crash-Everest-Circle-Home-5-April-26-2016

No one was injured when a Buick LeSabre crashed into the laundry room of a home at 104 Everest Circle at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Two vehicles hit two homes in Oak Ridge in the past week, and one car crashed into a brick landscaping wall at the new drive-through at ORNL Federal Credit Union.

In the most recent crash, a four-door Buick LeSabre crashed into the laundry room of a home at 104 Everest Circle at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

No one was in the laundry room at the time, and no one was injured, authorities said. A dog and cat in the house were also reported to be okay, according to a neighbor.

The cause of the single-vehicle crash had not been determined. [Read more…]

ORPD to host Junior Police Academy this summer

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Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy

Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy students at the National Forensics Academy in 2012. (File photo/submitted)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department will host the Junior Police Academy again this summer.

The Fifth Annual Junior Police Academy will be offered to 5th-12th grade students, including private school and home-schooled students. Students interested in learning more about the Oak Ridge Police Department and the criminal justice system are encouraged to apply. The academy is free to all eligible applicants.

The Junior Police Academy will be offered in three phases this year:

  • Phase I: Basic Law Enforcement Awareness—will be held June 20-24 and is for first-year cadets only.
  • Phase II: Intro to Forensic Investigations—will be held June 27-July 1 and is for second-year cadets only.
  • Phase III: Emergency Response and Readiness—will be held July 18-22 and is for third-year cadets only.

[Read more…]

Man charged with attempted murder after Tuesday shooting on Pacific Road

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Oak Ridge Police Department Badge

Note: This story was last updated 2:40 p.m.

A Knoxville man has been charged with attempted murder after a Tuesday shooting in Oak Ridge that left a woman with a gunshot wound to her ear, authorities said.

The alleged shooting was reported at about 12:04 p.m. Tuesday at 107 Pacific Road.

Besides attempted murder, Eric Wilson, 42, of Knoxville, has also been charged with aggravated assault, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a press release.

The shooting allegedly occurred during a dispute. Wilson fled the home in a vehicle, and authorities soon learned he might be on his way to a home in Morgan County. So, the ORPD altered authorities there. [Read more…]