Oak Ridge Today

Election is Thursday

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The Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections are Thursday.

Competitive races include the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives in District 33 in Anderson County, an Anderson County Commission seat in District 6 in Oak Ridge, and seats on the Anderson County School Board.

Voters can cast ballots in the county general election and either the Democratic or Republican state and federal primary election.

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Today: ORPD has Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony

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The Oak Ridge Police Department Peace Officers Memorial in 2018 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies across the country in celebrating National Police Week, May 12-18. As part of the week-long observance, the department will host a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony on Wednesday, May 15, to honor law enforcement personnel.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in front of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building. The keynote speaker will be Rick Scarbrough, executive director of the University of Tennessee’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center in Oak Ridge and former chief of the Clinton Police Department. The public and all law enforcement officers are invited to attend, a press release said.

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CPD Chief Scarbrough moving to UT’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center

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Rick Scarbrough

Rick Scarbrough

Rick Scarbrough is leaving the Clinton Police Department after 16 years as chief. Scarbrough has accepted a position as executive director of the University of Tennessee’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center.

On Tuesday, the City of Clinton said it announced the departure with mixed emotions.

“When I say mixed emotions, I’m excited for the opportunity my friend has, but as city manager, I obviously hate to lose him as our police chief,” Clinton City Manager Roger Houck said in a press release.

Houck said he and Scarbrough have discussed the possibility the chief could be leaving, and they both think Assistant Chief Vaughn Becker is ready for the opportunity.

“We have had a succession plan in place for some time,” Houck said. Becker will become the interim Clinton police chief effective August 1. [Read more…]

Loaded pistol found in parking area at Clinton Elementary

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A teacher found a loaded pistol in the upper parking area at Clinton Elementary School at about 6:50 a.m. Monday, authorities said.

The school contacted the Clinton Police Department, and officers arrived to ensure the weapon was made safe, a press release said.

“The weapon hasn’t been reported stolen, and we will be taking measures to ensure it isn’t tied to any criminal activity,” the CPD said.

The rear parking area of the building is open to the public after hours. Friday night, the school hosted a fundraiser, and it is possible that the weapon accidentally fell from a vehicle that evening, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oliver Springs man arrested on charges of rape, exploitation of minor

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Brian Seeber

Brian Seeber

 

A 42-year-old Oliver Springs man was arrested Wednesday afternoon on charges of rape and sexual exploitation of a minor, the Clinton Police Department said Thursday.

The arrest of Brian J. Seeber followed an investigation into reports of the possible rape of a juvenile, the CPD said in a press release.

Seeber was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon without incident at his Oliver Springs home, the CPD said. The charges include seven counts of rape and four counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to CPD Detective Leslie Miller, the charges are in connection with incidents that occurred between August 2015 and February 2017, the press release said. The victim, a member of Seeber’s household, first reported the incidents on March 6, 2017. Since reporting, the victim has been living in a safe location and has had no further contact with Seeber, the press release said. [Read more…]

Briceville man charged with murder in fatal shooting at Clinton Walmart

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Robert Keith Myers

Robert Keith Myers

 

A Briceville man has been charged with murder and attempted murder in two separate violent incidents this year, one a fatal shooting at Walmart in Clinton in April and the other a serious alleged beating and shooting in February that left a woman with cuts, broken bones, and a brain injury, authorities said Thursday.

Robert Keith “Robbie” Myers, 32, was indicted during a special grand jury session Tuesday. He was arrested Wednesday night by the Clinton Police Department.

In the first case, Myers has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the death of Marshal Pinsly, 23, of Blaine, from a single gunshot wound in the parking lot of the Walmart in Clinton on Friday, April 28. Pinsly was married to the the ex-wife of Myers.

“The two are believed to have been involved in a disagreement over child visitation,” Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a Thursday afternoon press release. “Mr. Pinsly approached Mr. Myers’ vehicle in the Walmart parking lot, and Mr. Myers is accused of shooting Mr. Pinsly without legal justification.” [Read more…]

CPD continues to investigate fatal shooting at Walmart in Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

The investigation continues into the fatal shooting in the parking lot of the Walmart store in Clinton on Friday afternoon.

On Tuesday morning, Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough told WYSH Radio in Clinton that, since the shooting, detectives have been interviewing witnesses and reviewing video surveillance footage from the Walmart and other businesses.

Last Friday at around 1:15 p.m., a 911 call came in from the Tanner Lane store in which the caller said that someone had been shot in the parking lot and that the shooter was still there. Officers from the Clinton Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene within three minutes, as did emergency medical personnel who pronounced the victim, 23-year-old Marshall Pinsly of Blaine, formerly of Andersonville, dead. He had been shot once in the chest. Results of an autopsy conducted on Saturday are not yet available. [Read more…]

No charges filed yet in fatal shooting at Clinton Walmart

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No charges have been filed yet in the fatal shooting at Walmart in Clinton on Friday afternoon.

Robert K. Myers, a 32-year-old man from Briceville, was taken into custody after the shooting and questioned for several hours through Friday night, but he was released, Clinton Police Department Chief Rick Scarbrough said in a press release.

But the investigation continues, Scarbrough said.

“It’s ongoing, and we are continuing to interview witnesses and review evidence, including video from security cameras in the area,” Scarbrough said.

The shooting killed Marshal A. Pinsly, 23, of Blaine. Myers is the ex-husband of Pinsly’s wife. [Read more…]

Clinton police identify victim in fatal shooting at Walmart

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The Clinton Police Department has identified the victim in the fatal shooting at Walmart early Friday afternoon as Marshal A. Pinsly, 23, of Blaine.

The Clinton Police Department is questioning a man in connection with the shooting, Robert K. Myers, 32, of Briceville. Myers is the ex-husband of Pinsly’s wife, according to CPD Chief Rick Scarbrough.

Clinton police responded to the shooting call at the Walmart store on Tanner Lane at about 1:15 p.m. Friday. [Read more…]

Police questioning suspect in fatal Clinton shooting

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Clinton Police Department

Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton Police Department is questioning a man in a fatal shooting at Walmart in Clinton on Friday afternoon.

A suspect was quickly taken into custody after the shooting, which was reported at the Walmart store on Tanner Lane at about 1:15 p.m. Friday.

According to CPD Chief Rick Scarbrough, the person being questioned at the Clinton Police Department is the ex-husband of the victim’s wife.

During the first 911 call, dispatchers were told that a person was “down” in front of the lawn and garden entrance of the store. The caller said a man had been shot, and that another man, who she believed to be the shooter, was still in the parking lot of the store.

Officers were on the scene within three minutes, and the suspect was taken into custody. [Read more…]

TBI has press conference today on fraudulent liens, arrests in East Tennessee

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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will have a press conference this afternoon (Thursday, February 16) to discuss an investigation into fraudulent liens and arrests made in East Tennessee.

It’s not clear how many arrests were made or where, and who was arrested. But WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that local, state, and federal law enforcement officers assisted the TBI in arresting a suspect in South Clinton on Wednesday.

Oak Ridge Today received a report that the TBI and Federal Bureau of Investigation were both at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton on Wednesday during the trial for Lee Harold Cromwell. Cromwell is a 67-year-old Oak Ridge man convicted Wednesday in Anderson County Criminal Court of vehicular homicide and aggravated assault for a fatal parking lot crash at the Midtown Community Center after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015. It has been alleged, including in court hearings, that Cromwell is a sovereign citizen, or someone who might not recognize certain government authorities, although neither he nor his defense attorney have acknowledged in court hearings that he is.

Officials haven’t confirmed whether the investigation into fraudulent liens by the TBI includes the $137 million in liens filed by Cromwell against local law enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service, or Social Security, but they did announce after his convictions on Wednesday that Cromwell had been indicted in Davidson County, where the TBI is based. Cromwell’s bail was revoked, and he was immediately taken into custody. [Read more…]

WYSH: Clinton crash injures motorcyclist

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Information from WYSH Radio, an Oak Ridge Today news partner

A car-motorcycle crash in south Clinton late Monday morning sent one man to the hospital by Lifestar medical helicopter, authorities said.

The crash occurred just before 11 a.m. Monday on Clinch Avenue in front of the Icon Market.

The Clinton Police Department said that 54-year-old John Aulton of Clinton had been headed north on Clinch Avenue on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle when a southbound Cadillac sedan driven by 75-year-old Billy Ashe of Clinton tried to turn left into the market. But his car ended up in the path of Aulton’s motorcycle, authorities said, and even though Aulton reportedly locked his brakes, he struck the right front side of the Cadillac and was thrown off the bike. [Read more…]