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CTF search finds meth, heroin, pills in Briceville

Posted at 11:42 am February 20, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

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…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Briceville, Dave Clark, heroin, methamphetamine, narcotics, prescription pills, Russell Barker, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force

Local business closed for now as law enforcement investigates

Posted at 5:25 pm May 24, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The law enforcement search at McGuire—a store that sells used books, compact discs, digital video discs, and electronics—is expected to last hours and continue throughout the night Thursday May 24, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The law enforcement search at McGuire—a store that sells used books, compact discs, digital video discs, and electronics—is expected to last hours and continue through the night Thursday, May 24, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:50 a.m. May 25.

A local store that sells used books, music, and electronics was closed Thursday afternoon, and law enforcement officers were at the business for reasons that haven’t been been disclosed yet.

A crime scene truck from the Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force was parked in front of McGuire Books, Music, Games, DVDs, Electronics at about 5 p.m. Thursday. So was a large moving truck. The entrance to the store was taped off with crime scene tape.

Russell Barker and other members of the Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force were at the store, which is off South Illinois Avenue near South Tulane Avenue, and so was Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Dave Clark, investigation, McGuire Books, Russell Barker, search, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force

Barker, Crime Task Force director, running for Anderson County sheriff

Posted at 2:19 pm June 5, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Russell Barker, director of Anderson County’s Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force and a candidate for sheriff, is pictured above with supporters during his campaign announcement on April 27, 2017. (Submitted photo)

Russell Barker, director of Anderson County’s Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force and a candidate for sheriff, is pictured above with supporters during his campaign announcement on April 27, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

Russell Barker, director of Anderson County’s Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, is running for Anderson County sheriff in the 2018 election.

Barker, who is running as a Republican, announced his candidacy during a campaign event at the Holiday Inn Express in Clinton in April. He was joined at the announcement by his wife Crystal, daughter Ansley, and a standing-room-only crowd, a press release said.

Barker explained why he is running.

“My mother was a nurse at the health department, and I watched her work day and night,” Barker said in the press release. “I saw the impact she made in her community.” At the age of seven, after his father’s passing, Barker said it was Anderson County residents who stepped up and bridged the gap. “It is my turn to give back to a community that has given so much to me,” he said.

Barker said he is a lifelong Anderson County resident who has exemplified a strong commitment of service to his country and community throughout his professional career. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Anderson County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Sheriff, Clinton Police Department, election, Russell Barker, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force

Charges pending in drug investigation

Posted at 11:28 am February 24, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Police officers from the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force and Oak Ridge Police Department serve a search warrant at 306 Vermont Avenue as part of an investigation into illegal drug activity on Friday morning, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Police officers from the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force and Oak Ridge Police Department serve a search warrant at 306 Vermont Avenue as part of an investigation into illegal drug activity on Friday morning, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:40 p.m.

Charges are pending after a search warrant was served as part of an investigation into illegal drug activity on Vermont Avenue on Friday morning, authorities said.

The search warrant was served by members of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force and the Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT and patrol staff.

Police were at the home at 306 Vermont Avenue, which is across from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in central Oak Ridge, for several hours Friday morning. The Oak Ridge Codes Enforcement Department was also there.

The Task Force is currently processing the house and conducting interviews, a City of Oak Ridge press release said late Friday morning.

“Charges are pending,” the press release said. “No further details regarding the investigation will be released by ORPD at this time.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: City of Oak Ridge, drug investigation, illegal drug activity, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, search warrant, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Vermont Avenue

Underage drinking town hall meeting held at Ritz Theatre

Posted at 2:03 pm December 4, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

ASAP Logo

CLINTON—At the Ritz Theatre in Clinton on Wednesday night, the Anderson County Underage Drinking Task Force held a well-attended Town Hall meeting to discuss underage drinking. A panel of experts was assembled to discuss the issue and answer questions raised by members of the audience.

Panelists included Russell Barker, director of the Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force; Kim Guinn, director of Project AWARE; Gary Terry, assistant principal, athletic director, and mentor at Anderson County High School; and Jack and Mary Lou Winkler, parents in partnership with MADD.

“Underage drinking is not a minor problem; it’s a major one,” Barker said. “Almost every case I’ve ever investigated as a police officer has had alcohol or drugs involved.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Nonprofits Tagged With: alcohol, Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Anderson County High School, Anderson County Underage Drinking Task Force, ASAP of Anderson County, drunk driver, Gary Terry, Jack and Mary Lou Winkler, Kim Guinn, MADD, Mary Lou Winkler, Project AWARE, Rebecca Winkler, Russell Barker, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, underage drinking

Man convicted of possessing heroin for sale in school zone

Posted at 4:57 pm September 23, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Charles Randolph Johnson

Charles Randolph Johnson

A man who came to Anderson County from the Detroit area has been convicted of possessing heroin and marijuana for sale in a school zone, and he faces 25 to 40 years in prison, authorities said Wednesday.

Charles Randolph Johnson was found guilty on Friday, September 18, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release. The jury deliberated for 1.5 hours before announcing their verdict after a trial that lasted 1.5 days.

Johnson has a separate November 10 trial for actually selling the heroin, Clark said in the press release. The DA said Johnson has been charged separately for allegedly selling heroin three times on Coconut Lane near Claxton Elementary School. He also has charges pending for allegedly coercing a witness, Clark said.

The DA said the potential 25- to 40-year sentence for the Friday convictions is based on Johnson’s prior felony record and because the jury found that the crime occurred within a school zone. But the specifics of the sentence will be determined by Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge at the November 30 sentencing hearing, Clark said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Charles Randolph Johnson, Coconut Lane, DA, Dave Clark, Detroit, Don Elledge, heroin, Joe Fentress Butler, jury, marijuana, Oak Ridge Police Department, possessing heroin and marijuana for sale, Ryan Spitzer, sentencing hearing, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, trial, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

ORPD officer, a former Vandy standout, terminated as statutory rape allegation investigated

Posted at 10:08 am August 17, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

ORPD Cassen Garrison

Witnesses said ORPD Officer Cassen Garrison used his hands to break out a back window of an Emory Valley Center van and rescue a client from the back of it after a May 12, 2015, crash at Northwestern and North Purdue avenues. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:25 a.m. Aug. 18.

A probationary Oak Ridge police officer who once played football for Vanderbilt University and the Kansas City Chiefs has been investigated, terminated, and will be prosecuted for allegations of statutory rape of a 16-year-old girl and other charges, authorities said Monday.

The victim’s stepfather, who was in custody at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, made an allegation that the officer, Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 30, had engaged in inappropriate contact with his stepdaughter, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release. The allegation was made to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy investigator at the jail.

Clark said Garrison was one of two officers who met the victim when he responded to the victim’s home in connection with a domestic violence complaint. The victim’s stepfather was arrested because of that complaint and remains jailed at the ACDF, Clark said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Anderson County District Attorney General, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Cassen Jackson-Garrison, Central High School, Darrell DeBusk, Dave Clark, football, investigators, Kansas City Chiefs, Knoxville Nighthawks, Knoxville Police Department, KPD, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, ORPD, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, statutory rape, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Vanderbilt University, Vandy

Police: Man found with suspected meth residue, $29K; charged with money laundering

Posted at 2:13 am April 25, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

James Phillip Chase

James Phillip Chase

Police said they found large vacuum seal bags that contained suspected crystal methamphetamine residue and $29,000 in a pickup truck pulled over for speeding in Oliver Springs on Tuesday.

Also found in the vehicle were tracking numbers, numerous shipping envelopes and rubber bands, addresses, documents related to the sale of controlled substances, deposit slips, and packing tape, said Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Wilson, an investigator with the Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force in Anderson County.

The defendant, James Phillip Chase, 53, of Dutch Valley Road, has been charged with money laundering, simple possession of a Schedule II drug (methamphetamine), and speeding. He remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton early Saturday morning. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire Tagged With: 7th Judicial Crime Task Force, Anderson County Detention Facility, Ben Haines, controlled substances, crystal methamphetamine, James Phillip Chase, John Wilson, marijuana, methamphetamine, money laundering, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, ORPD, possession of a schedule II drug, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, Shannon Runyan, speeding, Thomas Bolling, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

One Anderson man gets life, second 30 years in meth conspiracy

Posted at 12:51 am March 1, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Jeffery Scott Braden

Jeffery Scott Braden

Two Anderson County men convicted of conspiring to manufacture 50 grams or more of methamphetamine were sentenced to lengthy prison terms this week, federal officials said Friday.

Officials estimate that the conspiracy resulted in the production of about 1,500 grams of methamphetamine.

Jeffrey Scott Braden, 37, of Vowell Mountain—the only one of 42 people indicted in the conspiracy to go to trial—received a mandatory life sentence on Thursday in a hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan in Knoxville, officials said.

Then, on Friday, Varlan sentenced conspiracy leader Lawrence “Stoney” Scriver, 46, of Lake City, to serve 30 years, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said in a press release. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Federal, Government, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Clinton Police Department, conspiring to manufacture 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, David P. Lewen Jr., distributing methamphetamine, Drug Enforcement Administration, Jeffrey Scott Braden, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Lawrence “Stoney” Scriver, meth, meth conspiracy, methamphetamine, Oak Ridge Police Department, Operation Meth-odical Destruction, Seventh Judicial Crime Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Methamphetamine and Pharmaceutical Drug Task Force, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. Attorneys' Office, U.S. District Court, William C. Killian

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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