Oak Ridge Today

Officers searching for suspect in fatal shooting

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Officers are searching in Virginia for a suspect in a fatal shooting in Anderson County on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.

Officers are searching in Virginia for a suspect in a fatal shooting in Anderson County on Tuesday.

The shooting was reported on Moores Gap Road in Heiskell, east of Clinton near Interstate 75, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

Later, a police chase was reported at about 3 p.m. Tuesday in Claiborne County, and it ended in Ewing, Virginia, when the alleged suspect ran into the woods, law enforcement officers said.

“The Lee County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office continues to aid the Anderson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office; Claiborne County, Tennessee (authorities), and the U.S. Marshals Service in attempting to locate and apprehend fugitive Jason Dockery, a suspect in an Anderson County, Tennessee, homicide and wanted for violations of probation for aggravated assault in Tennessee,” Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons said in an update provided by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

[Read more…]

Appeals court upholds 30-year robbery sentence

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A Tennessee appeals court this summer upheld a 30-year prison sentence against an Oliver Springs man convicted of aggravated robbery in Clinton, finding that the Anderson County trial court did not err in sentencing him as a career offender.

Wallace Wade Tidwell, 44, had been accused of robbing a Shell gas station on Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton in June 2015. A clerk testified at trial in April 2019 that Tidwell came out of the store’s bathroom, ordered her to give him the money in the cash register, lifted his shirt, and showed her what she thought was the butt of a gun in his waistband, according to a 14-page opinion filed by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Knoxville.

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Former AC school employees charged with theft

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Two former Anderson County Schools employees have been charged with stealing more than $10,000 in a two-year period between January 2018 and January 2020.

Heather Dawn Heatherly, 44, of Jacksboro, and Stephanie Leann Jenkins, 43, of Powell, were indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on a single felony count of theft or more than $10,000 but less than $60,000 on February 1.

“The investigation was initiated by a complaint from a merchant that was concerned about the types of purchases being made with a government account,” said Dave Clark, Seventh Judicial District attorney general in Anderson County. “The Anderson County Schools promptly reported the matter to the Sheriff’s Department and suspended the employees.”

The lengthy investigation that followed included the ACSO, Anderson County Schools, Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, and the District Attorney General’s Office.

[Read more…]

Barker seeking re-election as sheriff

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Russell Barker

Russell Barker is seeking a second term as sheriff of Anderson County in this year’s election.

Barker, a Republican, was first elected to a four-year term as sheriff in 2018 after serving as the director of the Seventh
Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County.

In a press release, Barker said he has fulfilled his 2018 campaign promises of increasing the number of school resource officers, dedicating personnel to keep seniors safe, and implementing intelligence-led policing.

“I am very proud of what we have accomplished this first term,” Barker said in the press release. “I attribute the success we’ve had to the brave men and women I serve with every day. Together, we are making a great impact in Anderson County.”

[Read more…]

Warrants: Claxton couple allegedly bought 20 grams of heroin per day for resale

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Timothy Duane Fritz

A husband and wife in Claxton allegedly told police officers during a narcotics-related search on Wednesday that they bought 20 grams of heroin per day for resale, and they had been selling the illegal drug for about six months, according to Anderson County court records.

Agents who searched the home on King Street with a warrant last week found a suspected fentanyl-heroin compound that weighed about 10 grams, according to court affidavits and Simon Byrne, director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

The agents also found seven guns, suspected marijuana, drug paraphernalia that included baggies and scales, ammunition and magazines, and a large amount of cash, according to the affidavits, which were filed by CTF agent Perry Lewis.

The suspected heroin was in several bags, and it tested positive for a fentanyl compound, said the affidavits, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. The husband and wife, Timothy Duane Fritz, 48, and Atosha Leann Fritz, 41, said they got the heroin from an unknown man in Knoxville, according to Lewis.

The weapons found during the search on Wednesday included a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun, a Lorcin .22-caliber handgun, an Anderson AR15 rifle, a Taurus Curve .380 handgun, a Smith and Wesson .22 revolver, a Colt Police Positive .38 handgun, and an Escort Magnum 12-gauge shotgun, the affidavits said.

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AC corporal named national anti-drug instructor of year

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Pictured above are Anderson County Sheriff Russell Barker, left, and Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Kim Lay, who was named the National L.E.A.D (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) Instructor of the Year on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, at the National L.E.A.D Conference in New Jersey. (Photo courtesy ACSO)

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Corporal Kim Lay was named the National L.E.A.D (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) Instructor of the Year on Tuesday at the National L.E.A.D Conference in New Jersey, a press release said.

In addition to her national award, Lay was named Instructor of the Year for the state of Tennessee. She received notice of the state award prior to attending the conference, but she was surprised when the L.E.A.D president called her name for the prestigious national award, the press relief said.

“Words cannot express how honored I am to receive these awards,” Lay said. “The L.E.A.D program has changed many lives, and I am grateful to play a small part in the process.”

[Read more…]

Sheriff: Clinton man charged with child rape, incest

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Royce Earley
Royce Earley

Royce Scott Earley, 42, of Clinton was arrested Sunday night on three charges of rape of a child and incest, law enforcement officers said.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Darrell Slater was dispatched to the victim’s home in Clinton to investigate a sexual offense, Sheriff Russell Barker said in a press release Monday. After obtaining a statement from the witness, Slater turned his attention to finding Earley.

Earley was located in his parked truck at the Mountain View boat ramp in Clinton, the sheriff said. Earley was taken to the Criminal Investigations Division at the Sheriff’s Office and interviewed by Slater.

After the interview, Slater obtained arrest warrants and placed Earley in custody, the press release said. He was transported to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton without incident.

[Read more…]

Anderson County man arrested after search allegedly finds meth, heroin

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Steven Arthur Seiber
Steven Arthur Seiber

An Anderson County man has been charged with five drug-related crimes after a search of a home near Rocky Top in February found large amounts of suspected methamphetamine, heroin, and other drugs.

Steven Arthur Seiber, 30, has been charged with manufacturing, delivering, or selling a Schedule II controlled substance: 300 grams or more of methamphetamine. That’s a Class A felony in Tennessee.

Affidavits, which include short narratives describing alleged crimes, said the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County found about 18 bags (roughly 18 ounces) of suspected crystal methamphetamine in the master bedroom of a home on Andys Ridge Road during a search Wednesday night, February 13. (There are 28.35 grams per ounce.)

Agents also found about 21 bags (roughly 21 grams) of suspected heroin in the master bedroom, according to the affidavits, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge by CTF Director Simon Byrne.

[Read more…]

Rocky Top woman allegedly started fire at home with children inside

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Sharon Lee Braden
Sharon Lee Braden

A Rocky Top woman allegedly started a fire at a home north of Clinton with an adult and two children inside in June, and she was arrested Monday, authorities said.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said Sharon Lee Braden, 48, of Rocky Top, was arrested on charges of aggravated arson, three counts of aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment. Those charges are related to a June fire at a home on Offutt Road, which is east of Lake City Highway (Highway 25/State Route 9) between Clinton and Rocky Top.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sean Flynn issued arrest warrants as a result of evidence collected during his investigation and statements made by an eyewitness, a press release said.

“The witness reported that he saw Braden start the fire, and when he approached her, she fled,” the press release said.

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CTF search finds meth, heroin, pills in Briceville

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A search by law enforcement officers at a home in Briceville on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, found large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin and hundreds of prescription pills, and charges are pending, a press release said. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff's Department)

A search by law enforcement officers at a home in Briceville on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, found large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin, and hundreds of prescription pills, and charges are pending, a press release said. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

A search by law enforcement officers at a home in Briceville last week found large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin, and hundreds of prescription pills, a press release said. Charges are pending, the release said.

The Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force in Anderson County, which had search warrants, searched the home on Wednesday, February 13, according to a press release from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

The search warrants led to the discovery of one pound and two ounces of methamphetamine, 21 grams of heroin, and hundreds of prescription pills, the press release said. The suspect and owner of the property where the search warrants were served was located and interviewed, the release said. The approximate street value of the narcotics was $53,000.

The suspect was not identified in the press release. [Read more…]

Man charged with aggravated child abuse

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Brady Hutton

Brady Hutton

 

The Anderson County Grand Jury has indicted Brady Daniel Hutton, 27, on charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect after a child who is less than eight years old was reported to have had serious injuries.

Hutton was arrested at his work last week by the United States Marshals Service and taken to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, a press release said.

Before his arrest, the Sheriff’s Department had received a referral from the Department of Children’s Services on October 24 about a severe child abuse complaint they received from the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital staff in Knoxville, the press release said. At the hospital, Hutton was interviewed by DCS and ACSD Detective Darrell Slater, and it was determined there was enough probable cause to present the case to a grand jury, the press release said. [Read more…]

Sheriff: Suspected heroin, cocaine, marijuana found in Claxton arrest

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Kayvin James Grate

Kayvin James Grate

 

Note: This story was updated at 11:05 p.m.

Authorities found several types of drugs—including suspected heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and hydrocodone—and arrested a Powell man in Claxton on Thursday on multiple charges of possessing drugs for sale, a press release said.

Agents from the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County were conducting surveillance around the Bread Box gas station on Edgemoor Road in Claxton when, just before 5 p.m. Thursday, they saw Kayvin Grate, 28, of Powell, conduct a hand-to-hand transaction with an unidentified male at the rear of the business, the press release said.

Immediately after that, an Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived in the parking lot of the gas station, said the press release, which was from the office of Sheriff Russell Barker.

“Once Grate spotted the deputy’s marked vehicle, Grate turned quickly and began walking away from the gas station and into a wooded area,” the press release said. “Grate was given verbal commands to stop and was quickly detained. Prior to be detained, Grate dropped multiple items on the ground, which were determined to be a cell phone and two plastic baggies containing suspected heroin. After search of his person, a Ford key fob was recovered.” [Read more…]