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Trial set for man charged with vehicular homicide in death of 3-year-old

Posted at 12:38 pm April 1, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A plea agreement has not been reached, and trial dates were set during a plea agreement hearing for Jason Robert Braden, center, in Anderson County Circuit Court on Friday, March 29, 2019. At left is defense attorney David Stuart, who represents Braden in a vehicular homicide case from a crash that killed a three-year-old boy in Oak Ridge in January 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A plea agreement has not been reached, and trial dates were set during a plea agreement hearing for Jason Robert Braden II, center, in Anderson County Circuit Court on Friday, March 29, 2019. At left is defense attorney David Stuart, who represents Braden in the vehicular homicide case from a crash that killed a three-year-old boy in Oak Ridge in January 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—Prosecutors and the defense have not been able to reach an agreement on a plea deal, so a two-day trial has been set for Jason Robert Braden II, the 25-year-old Anderson County man charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, among other charges, in the death of a three-year-old boy, Jason Robert Braden III, in a crash in Oak Ridge in January 2017.

Braden had two plea agreement hearings scheduled in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton last month, one on Friday, March 1, and the other on Friday, March 29. But no agreement was announced during either hearing. The date was rescheduled during the March 1 hearing, and on Friday, defense attorney David Stuart said the defense and the state wouldn’t be able to reach an agreement.

At the start of Friday’s hearing, Stuart said an issue had come up. Braden had requested copies of the discovery, potential evidence that could be used at trial, so copies were made and delivered to the jail, Stuart said. But they went to the wrong Jason Braden, and Jason Robert Braden thinks that’s an ethics breach, Stuart said.

Stuart said he would have to self-report the breach if he thought he had done something wrong. Other legal officials, such as the judge and district attorney general, would also have to report him if they thought he had done something wrong, Stuart said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Circuit Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County grand jury, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, crash, criminally negligent homicide, David Stuart, Don Elledge, driving under the influence, driving without a license, Emory Valley Road, Jason Robert Braden II, Jason Robert Braden III, Lafayette Drive, Melissa Denny, plea agreement hearing, reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved, Seventh Judicial District, speeding, two-vehicle crash, vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, violation of the child restraint law

Updated: Woman charged with homicide in child’s death after crash

Posted at 3:07 pm January 2, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Fatal-Crash-Memorial-Lafayette-Drive-Emory-Valley-Road-Jan-15-2017-Slider

Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals for a child killed in a fatal two-vehicle crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m.

A second person has been charged with homicide in the death of a young boy in a traffic crash in Oak Ridge in January 2017.

Jason Robert Braden III, 3, died in the two-vehicle crash, which injured at least three other people and was considered a mass casualty event. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

In March 2018, Oak Ridge Today reported that an Anderson County man, Jason Robert Braden II, 25, had been charged, after the crash, in an 11-count indictment that included vehicular homicide by intoxication. The other charges against Braden included vehicular homicide by recklessness, four counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) is involved, driving under the influence, driving without a license, speeding, and violation of the child restraint law.

That case is still pending in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. The homicide and assault charges are felonies, while the driving offenses are misdemeanors.

The second person, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, 23, was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on December 4. She was charged with a single felony count of criminally negligent homicide. The indictment alleged that Braden engaged in criminally negligent conduct that resulted in the death of Jason Robert Braden III. The indictment does not elaborate on the alleged facts of the case, which is typical for indictments. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County EMS, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, Bond, City of Oak Ridge, crash, criminally negligent homicide, driving under the influence, driving without a license, Dustin Sheehy, Emory Valley Road, homicide, indictment, Jason Robert Braden II, Jason Robert Braden III, Joshua Selvidge, Justyn Braden, Lafayette Drive, Melissa Denny, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, speeding, traffic crash, University of Tennessee Medical Center, vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, violation of the child restraint law

Man charged with homicide in crash that killed 3-year-old boy

Posted at 10:22 am March 22, 2018
By John Huotari 4 Comments

Jason Robert Braden

Jason Robert Braden II

 

An Anderson County man has been charged in an 11-count indictment that includes vehicular homicide by intoxication after a crash that killed a three-year-old boy and injured at least three other people in Oak Ridge last year.

Jason Robert Braden III, 3, died in the two-vehicle crash, which was considered a mass casualty event. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Charged in the 11-count indictment is Jason Robert Braden II, 24, of Bush Road in Marlow. The charges against Braden include vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, four counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) is involved, driving under the influence, driving without a license, speeding, and violation of the child restraint law.

The Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton indicted Braden on February 27. He was arrested March 4. His bond has been set at $125,000, and he was released from the Anderson County Detention Facility on Monday, March 19. He has an arraignment set for Monday morning, March 26, in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County EMS, Anderson County grand jury, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, City of Oak Ridge, Clinton Police Department, crash, David Harrington, driving under the influence, driving without a license, Dustin Sheehy, Emory Valley Road, indictment, Jason Robert Braden II, Jason Robert Braden III, Jeremy Huddleston, Joshua Selvidge, Justyn Braden, Kevin Craig, Kevin Merritt, Lafayette Drive, Matt Johnston, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Ray Faircloth, reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon is involved, Roy Heinz, Sherrill Selby, speeding, University of Tennessee Medical Center, UT Lifestar, UT Medical Center, vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, violation of the child restraint law

Man pleads guilty to homicide in fatal crash

Posted at 2:31 pm November 4, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Justin Lee Seeber

Justin Lee Seeber

 

An Anderson County man pleaded guilty on Monday to criminally negligent homicide in the death of a 19-year-old woman in a single-vehicle crash on US 25W in May 2013.

Justin Lee Seeber, 28, also pleaded guilty in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton to reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

The crash on May 28, 2013, killed Amber Elaine Smith of Knoxville, a graduate of Hardin Valley Academy who attended Roane State Community College.

Seeber’s two-year sentence was suspended, and he was placed on state-supervised probation. As a standard offender, his release eligibility was set at 30 percent. If he successfully completes probation, he will not have to go to prison. But if he violates probation, he will have to serve prison time, authorities said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Tennessee Tagged With: Amber Elaine Smith, Anderson County, Anderson County Criminal Court, Andrew Farmer, criminally negligent homicide, Dave Clark, Don Elledge, driving on a license revoked because of a DUI, Emily Faye Abbott, failure to use due care, fatal crash, Justin Lee Seeber, reckless aggravated assault, reckless driving, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, Seventh Judicial District, speeding, Tennessee Highway Patrol, THP, US 25W, vehicular homicide by recklessness, violating the restrictions of a conditional license

Redflex proposes new handheld laser device that could be used to catch speeders, traffic violators

Posted at 11:12 am April 22, 2016
By John Huotari 16 Comments

Redflex-LIDAR-April-19-2016

A representative of Redflex Traffic Systems gives a brief presentation on a new laser-technology traffic detection system that includes video and can measure the speed of vehicles and the distance between vehicles. Charlie Buckels, southeast U.S. sales manager for Redflex, gave the presentation during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday evening, April 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Redflex Traffic Systems, the company that once had unmanned, pole-mounted red-light and speed enforcement cameras in Oak Ridge, has a new handheld system that it says could be used to help make roads safer as the city tries to slow down speeding drivers. But the use of the devices hasn’t been approved yet, and one Oak Ridge City Council member expressed her strong opposition on Tuesday.

The new handheld LIDAR devices include a camera, and they can capture traffic violations on video. They use a laser technology to measure vehicle speeds and distances between vehicles, said Charlie Buckels, southeast U.S. sales manager for Redflex. LIDAR stands for light detection and ranging.

Buckels said the handheld devices could be used for both civil and criminal violations. In some cases, such as for speeding, police officers could use the devices and the evidence they collect to issue civil citations that could be mailed to the registered owners of violating vehicles. In those cases, officers wouldn’t have to stop the violators, Buckels said.

But in other cases—when a car is driving excessively fast or swerving, for example—police officers could pull vehicles over, Buckels said.

City officials said they have been discussing drivers traveling too fast on roadways in the city, including those coming into town on South Illinois Avenue in the morning and trying to get to work on time. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said three City Council members have asked him to take action to combat speeding, and he’s had concerns himself about traffic on Illinois Avenue. Other roads cited by city officials Tuesday included Oak Ridge Turnpike, Robertsville Road, Melton Lake Drive, and Tennessee Avenue. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Charlie Buckels, Ellen Smith, LIDAR, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Redflex, Redflex Traffic Systems, speed enforcement cameras, speeding, traffic violations, Trina Baughn, Warren Gooch

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

Knox man indicted on numerous charges in fatal wreck

Posted at 11:46 am July 9, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Kyle Houston Anthony

Kyle Houston Anthony

Information from WYSH Radio

A Knoxville man has been indicted by an Anderson County grand jury on several charges connected to a December 2013 accident on Lewallen Bridge that killed one person and injured four others.

Kyle Houston Anthony, 22, was indicted last week on charges of vehicular homicide by intoxication and recklessness, drunken driving, driving under the influence of marijuana, three counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, speeding, and tampering with evidence. He is free on $150,000 bond and will be arraigned Aug. 1 in Criminal Court.

The wreck killed 40-year-old Angela Duncan Richardson, who was ejected through the rear window of the 2012 Chevrolet pickup driven by Anthony. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Angela Duncan Richardson, Clinch Avenue, driving under the influence of marijuana, drunken driving, grand jury, Kyle Houston Anthony, Lewallen Bridge, reckless aggravated assault, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, speeding, tampering with evidence, vehicular homicide by intoxication and recklessness

Police watch for speeding, texting, impaired drivers in Operation Drive Safe

Posted at 10:55 am June 23, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 3 Comments

Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

The Oak Ridge Police Department is looking for drivers who are speeding, texting, or driving while impaired in a focused traffic enforcement operation that started June 18 and continues through Labor Day weekend, a press release said.

It’s called Operation Drive Safe, and it will be conducted on Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. Police are also looking for other traffic-related violations and watching for drivers who do not yield to pedestrians within a crosswalk.

“The Oak Ridge Police Department wants everyone to have a safe summer and share the road whether it’s with another vehicle, cyclist, or pedestrian,” a press release said.

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: driving while impaired, Oak Ridge Police Department, Operation Drive Safe, speeding, texting while driving

Anderson sheriff joins state, local police in ‘Drive to Zero Fatalities’

Posted at 11:58 am April 13, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 2 Comments

DUI Logo

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will join the Tennessee Highway Patrol and local police agencies in cooperation with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office in a nationwide campaign to reduce traffic fatalities by 15 percent in 2014, a press release said. The Drive To Zero Fatalities was initiated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is being promoted by the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

The Drive to Zero Fatalities campaign is a data-driven effort that will focus on several traffic safety goals, the press release said. Sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, and local police officers will work together to reduce fatalities in Anderson County and to step up enforcement efforts for drunk and impaired drivers, distracted drivers, speeding, and seat belt use. Saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints will be a part of this effort. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, distracted drivers, Drive to Zero Fatalities, Governor’s Highway Safety Office, impaired drivers, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Oliver Springs Police Department, police, saturation patrols, seat belt use, sobriety checkpoints, speeding, Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Sheriff’s Association, traffic fatalities, zero fatalities

Council considers ending, extending traffic cameras on Monday

Posted at 10:54 am March 20, 2014
By John Huotari 9 Comments

Red-light Camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider extending or ending the traffic camera contract.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider extending a controversial traffic camera contract for two years, or ending it.

The Council postponed a vote earlier this month. It will now be considered during a special 7 p.m. meeting on Monday.

The current five-year contract with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. of Arizona expires April 21. If it’s not extended, the city staff has asked Council to consider installing a traffic signal in front of the Oak Ridge High School on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The high school stoplight would have to be approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. It could cost $150,000 to $200,000 and take nine months to install. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: citations, Lafayette Drive, New York Avenue, North Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Turnpike, red lights, Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., Robertsville Middle School, Robertsville Road, special meeting, speeding, Tennessee Department of Transportation, traffic cameras, Willow Brook Elementary School

Report: With four children in car, chase exceeds 100 mph, mother urges driver to go faster

Posted at 12:20 pm August 23, 2013
By John Huotari 8 Comments

Billy Ray Fox

Billy Ray Fox

Heather Renee Buchanan

Heather Renee Buchanan

Note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. Aug. 24.

With four unrestrained children in the car, an East Tennessee man and woman fled from officers at speeds exceeding 100 mph on Thursday afternoon, crossing from Anderson County into Union County, and a mother allegedly urged the driver to go faster, authorities said.

The high-speed chase began at about 4:22 p.m. Thursday when Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a report of an aggravated burglary on Foster Road. They located a suspect gray Pontiac Grand Am being driven by Billy Ray Fox, 28, of Corryton, on Hickory Valley Road and Collins Gap Road. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated child abuse, Anderson County, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Billy Ray Fox, chase, child endangerment, child restraint law, evading arrest, failure to obey traffic control devices, felony evading, Heather Renee Buchanan, Hickory Valley Road, high-speed chase, improper passing, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, revoked license, Shawn Bannach, speeding, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Union County, Union County Sheriff's Office, WYSH Radio

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