Roane County Sheriff’s Office Archives

Criminal charges pending in fatal crash in Poplar Creek

Posted at 12:40 pm March 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A 50-year-old Rocky Top man died when a 2006 Mazda car crashed off Poplar Creek Road and into Poplar Creek just north of west Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A 50-year-old Rocky Top man died when a 2006 Mazda 3 car crashed off Poplar Creek Road and into Poplar Creek just north of west Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

ROANE COUNTY—A 50-year-old Rocky Top man died and one person was injured when a car crashed off Poplar Creek Road and into Poplar Creek just north of west Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, and criminal charges are pending, authorities said.

The man who died, Warner D. Martin, was a passenger in a silver 2006 Mazda 3 four-door car driven by Rebecca L. Vanasse, 26, of Oak Ridge, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Carrying three people, the car swerved on the narrow, curvy road and overcorrected, the THP said in a fatality report. Because of the overcorrection, the vehicle went down an embankment along the westbound side of the road and into the creek, where it became fully submerged, the THP said.

The single-vehicle crash was reported on Poplar Creek Road a few miles east of Blair Road at about 11:04 a.m. Tuesday. The front end of the car appeared to have plunged into the creek first. [Read more…]

Bicyclist, 85, dies in fatal bike-SUV crash

Posted at 8:55 pm February 19, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a fatal crash between an SUV and a bicycle at Highway 58 and Blair Road on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An 85-year-old Oak Ridge bicyclist died in the Sunday afternoon crash between a sport utility vehicle and a bike on Highway 58 in west Oak Ridge on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 1:50 p.m. Sunday at State Route 58 and State Route 327, also known as Blair Road, just east of the East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site).

The bicyclist, an 85-year-old man from Oak Ridge, died as a result of his injuries, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

“At the request of the family, the name of the bicyclist is not being released at this time,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Here are places you can drop off supplies to donate to firefighters

Posted at 2:35 pm November 29, 2016
By John Huotari 2 Comments

great-smoky-mountains-national-park-firefighters-nov-29-2016

Firefighters are pictured above in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this week. (Photo by Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

Note: This story was last updated at 3:45 p.m.

There are a number of places you can drop off supplies to donate to the firefighters battling destructive blazes in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Here are several, with two in Oak Ridge, one in Clinton, and one in Roane County: [Read more…]

Roane crash leads to alleged carjacking

Posted at 11:44 am September 14, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

Authorities in Roane County spent part of Tuesday searching for a man suspected of carjacking another motorist after crashing his own car earlier in the day.

Authorities responded to the scene of a one-vehicle crash on Old Harriman Highway shortly after 7:45 a.m. Tuesday and found the two passengers—Randall Rhodey of Clinton and David Russo of Oak Ridge—suffering from injuries. They were taken to Methodist Medical Center for treatment of those injuries. The driver of the car, however, was not immediately located as he had already fled the area by the time officers arrived. [Read more…]

Highway safety initiative comes to Roane County

Posted at 11:59 am May 8, 2016
By JoAnna Brooker Leave a Comment

If you are wondering what these message boards and yard signs are doing all over town, wonder no more.

The portable message boards have a simple message of “Buckle Up Tonight” that flashes twice as each car passes. The yard signs read on one side “Buckle Up Tonight to See Tomorrow.” The message on the other reads “Exercise Some Restraint When You Go Out Tonight,” and it shows a seatbelt graphic.

This is part of a campaign organized by University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research. This initiative is funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Tennessee Highway Safety Office to increase nighttime seat belt use. [Read more…]

OS man faces charges after head-on collision injures three on Hwy 61

Posted at 8:56 pm January 17, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

An Oliver Springs man is facing charges, including driving under the influence, after a head-on collision injured three people in two vehicles on Highway 61 west of Oliver Springs late Friday afternoon. (Photo by Tom Scott)

OLIVER SPRINGS—An Oliver Springs man is facing charges, including driving under the influence, after a head-on collision injured three people in two vehicles on Highway 61 west of Oliver Springs late Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Ryan P. Price, 33, of Oliver Springs, will be charged with DUI, vehicular assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm while under the influence, a due care violation, failure to maintain lane, violation of the financial responsibility law, and a failure to carry registration, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The THP said a 2003 Dodge Durango driven by Price was traveling east in the westbound lane on State Route 61 near Scandlyn Hollow Road in Roane County at about 4:55 p.m. Friday.

A 2014 Jeep Wrangler driven west by Rodger Mattox, 66, of Oliver Springs, was also in the westbound lane, which was its travel lane, the THP said. [Read more…]

Woman, 80, rescued after being trapped overnight in wrecked car

Posted at 12:12 pm December 1, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Roane County emergency workers rescued an 80-year-old woman on Monday who had been trapped overnight in a car that traveled about 250 feet from from the road, down an embankment, and into a creek, authorities said. (Photo by Roane County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook)

Roane County emergency workers rescued an 80-year-old woman on Monday after she was trapped overnight in a car that traveled about 250 feet from the road, down an embankment, and into a creek, authorities said.

Roane County mail carrier Kathy Payne noticed the vehicle in the wood line while on her route on Joiner Hollow Road on Monday, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office said. Payne called 911.

Roane County Sheriff’s Office Captain Tim Hawn stopped to investigate while on patrol on Joiner Hollow Road. Hawn said he heard someone crying for help, and he climbed down the embankment and discovered an 80-year-old female who was pinned in her vehicle, the RCSO said in a Facebook post.

The woman was able to speak, and she asked Hawn if he was there to get her out.

“Hawn said that he was there to help her and promised her that they would get her out,” the Sheriff’s Office said. [Read more…]

Roane Sheriff part of investigation that leads to long sentence for pill mill operator

Posted at 11:54 pm August 30, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

A Chattanooga pill mill operator was sentenced to 280 years in federal prison on Thursday, and the Roane County Sheriff’s Office was among the law enforcement agencies that participated in the investigation that led to her indictment and subsequent conviction, authorities said.

Barbara Lang, a.k.a. “Aunt Bea,” 61, of Rossville, Georgia, was sentenced by the Honorable Curtis L. Collier, U.S. District Judge, said United States Attorney William C. Killian of the Eastern District of Tennessee.

After a 25-day trial that spanned almost three months, Lang was convicted of two counts of conspiring to distribute and dispense Schedule II and IV controlled substances, outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose; five counts of maintaining a premises for the purpose of distributing controlled substances; and 14 counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, a press release said.

Lang was charged along with three other people. [Read more…]

Authorities save man from drowning in west Oak Ridge on Friday

Posted at 12:51 am August 22, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Photo by Roane County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook

Authorities helped save a man from drowning in west Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The Roane County dispatch center received a report that a man had fallen in the water near Blair Road, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Captain Tim Hawn was less than one mile away when the call was dispatched.

“Captain Hawn immediately put himself at risk in order to save the guy that was in the water,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a post published on Facebook. “Captain Hawn was able to retrieve the guy and pull him to safety.” [Read more…]

Former police officer charged with aggravated assault after Roane shooting

Posted at 2:45 pm March 23, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Jeremy Alexander Gambrell

A former police officer was charged with two counts of aggravated assault after he allegedly shot his ex-wife and shot at another man at a home near Blair Road in Roane County on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

Jeremy Alexander Gambrell, 41, of Harriman, was allegedly armed with a handgun when he went to the home of his ex-wife, Jenny Gambrell, at 142 Bridges Drive on Saturday afternoon, according to arrest warrants filed in Roane County General Sessions Court.

Jeremy’s father David Gambrell told the Roane County Sheriff’s Office that he heard gunshots and saw Jenny on the ground, and Jeremy was next to her holding her hand, the warrants said.

“David stated that Jeremy was apologizing to Jenny, and telling her that he loved her,” the warrants said. [Read more…]

Roane sheriff seeks help solving Rocky Top robbery

Posted at 12:13 am December 17, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Rocky Top Market in Midtown was robbed on December 7, and the Roane County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help solving the crime, authorities said.

A man entered the Rocky Top store at about 2:35 a.m. Sunday, December 7, and demanded cash, a press release said.

The suspect is considered armed and dangerous, the release said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Roane County Sheriff’s Office at (865) 717-4722 or the anonymous tip line at (865) 717-4217, or contact authorities through the sheriff’s website at www.roanesheriff.org or through a private message on Facebook.

TBI: Roane officers justified in using deadly force

Posted at 11:52 am August 21, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

An investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has concluded that the shooting of an armed burglary suspect in Harriman on Tuesday was justified. Officers shot and killed 28-year-old Miranda Michelle Guy inside her home on Fairchild Street on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a joint press release from District Attorney General Russell Johnson, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harriman Police Department, Guy pointed a handgun at the officers and was advancing on one of them when they opened fire. The preliminary autopsy showed that Guy was hit multiple times in her right arm, which was holding the gun, and her front torso.

Officials said that while a Harriman Police Department officer was speaking to witnesses of a burglary at a storage building in South Harriman, a white pickup truck drove by that the witnesses identified as the vehicle that the suspect in the break-in had been driving. The release said the officer could see items in the bed of the truck that matched the description of some of the stolen items. The officer ordered the truck to stop, but the driver, who was identified as Guy, sped up and drove away.

The officer started a pursuit, which was joined by a HPD investigator and two Roane County Sheriff’s Department deputies. The four officers followed Guy to her house, where they saw her run inside. The officers split up, with two going to the back of the house while the other two followed Guy inside through the front door. [Read more…]