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Warrant: Argument between neighbors ends with fatal shooting, homicide charge

Posted at 10:06 pm November 25, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

George Michael Patterson
George Michael Patterson

Note: This story was updated at 10:45 a.m. Nov. 26.

An argument between neighbors ended with a fatal shooting in Rocky Top on Saturday morning, and one man has been charged with criminal homicide, according to Anderson County court records.

The shooting was reported just before 8 a.m. Saturday on Willow Lane in Rocky Top (the former Lake City).

An arrest warrant filed after the shooting said the man charged with criminal homicide, George Michael Patterson, 64, had been arguing with his neighbor, David Ray Roach Jr., 43, in front of Patterson’s home. Roach was initially in his vehicle during the argument, parked in the roadway, the warrant said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County General Sessions Court, criminal homicide, Dave Clark, David Ray Roach, fatal shooting, George Michael Patterson, homicide, Jim Shetterly, Maria Cutshaw, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Police Department, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, shooting, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Report: Shots fired from bridge over I-75

Posted at 12:19 pm August 15, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

A truck driver reported that someone was firing a gun off the Fourth Street Bridge over Interstate 75 South in Rocky Top early Thursday morning.

Just after midnight, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Adam Warren responded to the scene, where he met up with Rocky Top Police Department officers already there. Dairy truck driver William Burk, of London, Kentucky, told Warren that he had been headed south on I-75 and spotted what he described as a “large vehicle,” either a truck or a sport utility vehicle, parked on the bridge without any lights on. As he neared the bridge, Burk said that he heard four distinct gunshots.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Top Stories Tagged With: Adam Warren, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Fourth Street Bridge, I-75, Interstate 75, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Police Department, shots fired

Rocky Top woman charged with three counts of first-degree murder

Posted at 12:59 pm March 20, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The criminal homicide charge filed against Christy Viola Comer, 37, left, was sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Christy Viola Comer, 38, of Rocky Top, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the death of J.C. Copeland, an 83-year-old man, during an alleged robbery in August. Comer, left, is pictured above during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A Rocky Top woman has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the death of an 83-year-old man during an alleged robbery in August.

Christy Viola Comer, 38, faces one count of first-degree murder for the premeditated and intentional killing of J.C. Copeland, according to an indictment filed by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on March 5.

Comer faces two more charges of first-degree murder for allegedly killing Copeland while committing two other crimes, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, according to the indictment.

The five-count indictment also charged Comer with those two other crimes, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. Comer took Copeland’s property violently through the use of a deadly weapon, and she entered Copeland’s home without permission, intending to commit a felony, according to the indictment.

Comer has an arraignment scheduled for the five felony charges on March 29 in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Christy Viola Comer, criminal homicide, Dave Clark, Drew Winstead, Emily Faye Abbott, first-degree murder, J.C. Copeland, John Hannon, Knoxville Police Department, preliminary hearing, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Police Department, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

(For members) Testimony: Defendant in homicide case had planned to rob man

Posted at 2:41 pm January 24, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The homicide charge filed against Christy Viola Comer, 37, middle, was sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

CLINTON—The defendant in a criminal homicide case in Rocky Top in August had planned to rob the 83-year-old man who died because “it would be easy,” according to court testimony Tuesday.

The body of the victim, J.C. Copeland, who has been described as a “sweet old man,” was found partially wrapped in a pink blanket underneath a porch at a mobile home on Jacksboro Avenue on August 31, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent John Hannon. Copeland is believed to have been strangled until he died, according to court records. There was white rope around Copeland’s neck and other parts of his body, including his wrists and ankles, Hannon testified during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday.

Inside Copeland’s home, investigators found a fresh brown stain on the floor near his front door, white strings similar to the material found around his neck, and in one possible sign of a struggle, cigarettes on the floor, according to Hannon’s testimony. An acrylic painted press-on fingernail was found in the living room, Hannon said. It’s similar to the type of press-on fingernail that a woman might wear, Hannon said when questioned by prosecutor Emily Faye Abbott.

Outside the home, Copeland’s vehicle was missing.

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

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Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Rocky Top, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, Christy Viola Comer, criminal homicide, Dave Clark, Don Layton, Drew Winstead, Emily Faye Abbott, homicide, J.C. Copeland, Jim Shetterly, John Hannon, Knoxville Police Department, Leslie Hunt, Mitch Wade, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Police Department, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

One challenger for City Council, none for school board

Posted at 7:52 pm August 17, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The deadline for candidates to qualify for the November 6 municipal elections was noon Thursday, and four Oak Ridge City Council incumbents have one challenger while there are three candidates for three school board seats.

Besides the four seats now held by incumbents, the November election will include the selection of an additional member of Oak Ridge City Council to fill the rest of the term of Hans Vogel, who was elected to a four-year term in November 2016 but resigned in June to take a new job at Idaho National Laboratory. Only one candidate, Derrick Hammond, has qualified as a candidate in that special election. Hammond was unanimously appointed to the seat by City Council in July to fill the seat through the November election. After his unopposed November election, Hammond will serve the last two years of Vogel’s unexpired term.

Also on the ballot in November are city council and school board seats in Clinton, Norris, Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top. That’s in addition to the state and federal elections for Tennessee governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, and Tennessee Senate and Tennessee House of Representatives.

The four incumbents on the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council who are up for election in November all qualified as candidates by Thursday’s deadline. They are Kelly Callison, R.G. “Rick” Chinn Jr., Warren Gooch, and Ellen D. Smith. The four incumbents last had an election in November 2014. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Clinton, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Norris, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Rocky Top Tagged With: Benjamin J. Stephens, Bob Eby, City Council, Clinton, Clinton Board of Education, Clinton City Council, Derrick Hammond, Ellen D. Smith, Erin S. Webb, Hans Vogel, Kelly Callison, Keys Fillauer, Laura McLean, municipal election, Norris, Norris City Council, November 6 municipal election, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oliver Springs, R.G. Rick Chinn Jr., Rocky Top, Rocky Top City Council, school board, Susan L. "Sue" Frederick, Tennessee House of Representatives, Timothy L. Stallings, Warren Gooch, Wende Doolittle, wine in grocery stores

Shop Rite in Rocky Top to close

Posted at 8:20 pm July 18, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Shop Rite Logo

Information from WYSH Radio

Rocky Top’s only grocery store will soon close its doors.

The Shop Rite in Rocky Top (the former Lake City) will close as early as next week, costing 18 employees their jobs and forcing customers to have to drive farther to purchase groceries. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Rocky Top Tagged With: grocery store, Rocky Top, Shop Rite

Letter: Please contribute to help firefighters, first responders

Posted at 2:17 pm December 4, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

We’ve all been praying for rain, perhaps several times a day. This drought has been affecting our area for over four months now.

Because it’s been so dry, there’s been a ban on fires. You’ve heard the reports: No open fires. No fire pits or campfires. No grilling whether charcoal or gas. No throwing down a cigarette butt. No burning of brush or rubbish.

If you were going to ask, the answer would be a simple “NO!”

As a result, someone has, or did because they figured it was OK. Whether it was intentional or not. It happened. Fires popped up here and there. On the mountain side, at the campground, someone’s backyard, or even a spark from an engine. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Letters, Opinion, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Fire Chief Association, Anderson County Fire Commission, Anderson County Rescue Squad, Andersonville, Briceville, Claxton, Clinton, drought, fire, firefighters, Marlow, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, Medford, Norris, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, rain, Rocky Top, Stephanie Fox

Rocky Top donates to Family Drug Treatment Court of Anderson County

Posted at 11:40 am October 30, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

rocky-top-donates-to-family-drug-treatment-court

Pictured left to right are Rocky Top Police Chief Jim Shetterly, Mayor Michael Lovely, Stephanie Strutner of ASAP, and City Manager Michael Foster. Rocky Top City officials presented a $500 check to ASAP of Anderson County to support the Family Drug Treatment Court. (Submitted photo)

 

At the Rocky Top City Council meeting last week, Mayor Michael Lovely, Police Chief Jim Shetterly, and City Manager Michael Foster presented a check for $500 to Stephanie Strutner, executive director of Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County Inc., to support the Family Drug Treatment Court of Anderson County.

“The Family Drug Treatment Court has been under development for a number of years based on best practices from effective programs from across the country,” Strutner said. The program is geared toward rehabilitating not only adolescents through the Juvenile Court system, but their family unit as well, a press release said.

“This program offers the possibility to break the generational cycle of substance abuse many of our juvenile offenders experience,” Juvenile Court Judge Brian Hunt said. “It also offers hope—hope that these adolescents can stay out of jail as adults and become contributing members of their community.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Health, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tagged With: ASAP, ASAP of Anderson County, Brian Hunt, Family Drug Treatment Court, Jim Shetterly, Michael Foster, Michael Lovely, Rocky Top, Stephanie Strutner

Get rid of expired, unused medicines on Saturday

Posted at 9:04 am October 21, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

You can get rid of unused, unwanted, or expired prescription or non-prescription medicines on Saturday. It’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

You can drop off the medications at locations in Clinton, Norris, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications, a press release said.

Oak Ridge and Anderson County participate by encouraging residents across the city and county to properly dispose of their unused, unwanted, or expired prescription or non-prescription medicines, the press release said. Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County has partnered with the Oak Ridge Police Department and other law enforcement agencies throughout the county to give two convenient options to residents for proper medicine disposal. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Health, Norris, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Rocky Top, Top Stories Tagged With: Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, ASAP, Brandan Sharp, Clinton, Clinton Police Department, medicine disposal, National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, Norris, Norris Police Department, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs, Oliver Springs Police Department, prescription drugs, prescription medications, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Police Department

Fire destroys vacant home in Rocky Top

Posted at 11:44 am October 13, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

A fire Monday afternoon destroyed a vacant house on Old Bryant Lane in Rocky Top.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to the scene shortly before 3 p.m. and reported that the house was still on fire and almost completely destroyed upon their arrival. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Rocky Top Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, fire, Old Bryant Lane, Rocky Top

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department joins U.S. Marshals’ Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force

Posted at 2:46 pm September 27, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

usms-smftf-2-braden-coley-relford-leach-williams-forsyth-2

Six deputies from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department have been sworn as special deputy U.S. marshals and form an Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) Unit. The ACE Unit is made up of Sergeant Wally Braden, Corporal Rick Coley, and deputies Charles Relford, Jason Leach, Shawn Williams, and Matt Forsyth. They will work part-time as needed with the Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service. Also pictured above at left is Chief Deputy Mark Lucas. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

Six officers from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department have been sworn in as task force officers with the United States Marshals Service’s Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force, or SMFTF.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is the latest local law enforcement agency to become part of the specialized fugitive apprehension team, which is made up of the East Tennessee agencies listed at the end of this press release.

Task force officers are state and local police officers who receive special deputations with the Marshals Service, the press release said. While assigned to the SMFTF, these officers can exercise U.S. Marshals’ authorities, such as crossing jurisdictional lines.

Jimmy Fowler, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, administered the oath of office to the deputies at the Marshals Service office in Knoxville.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department,” Fowler said in the press release. “Our communities are safer when local, state, and federal officers get to work together, and that is what the Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force is all about. The Task Force is made up of great officers from throughout East Tennessee. From Chattanooga to Bristol, these officers work together to ensure the safety of everyone by apprehending dangerous fugitives and reducing violent crime.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire Tagged With: ACE, ACE Unit, Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Unit, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Charles Relford, child abductions, fugitive apprehension team, fugitive manhunts, Jason Leach, Jimmy Fowler, Mark Lucas, Mark Lucasd, Matt Forsyth, prisoner escapes, Rick Coley, Rocky Top, sex offender compliance check, Shawn Williams, Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force, U.S. marshals, U.S. Marshals Service, United States Marshals Service, Wally Braden

Letter: Motorcyclist thanks medical responders, travelers, THP Trooper Kennedy

Posted at 5:43 pm September 12, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

Note: This letter was submitted by John Such. He was part of the motorcycle group involved in one of the two crashes that injured eight people on Interstate 75 near Rocky Top on Saturday morning.

I was part of the mororcycle group yesterday involved in the crash on I-75. The semi crash happened immediately after the bikes went down. Cars traveling southbound stopped to either look and/or offer assistance to our riders down. The semi that was unable to stop crashed into traffic that had slowed down or stopped.

I can’t thank all those medical responders and travelers who offered hope, encouragement, water—anything they could to comfort all those in need. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Campbell County, Front Page News, Letters, Opinion, Police and Fire, Tennessee, UT Lifestar Tagged With: crash, I-75, Interstate 75, J. Kennedy, John Such, Rocky Top, Tennessee State Trooper J. Kennedy, THP

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Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING … [Read More...]

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Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) (DOE/EA-2144), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings

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