Oak Ridge Today

Investigation: Clinton man accused of threatening three judges

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Ronald Jennings Taylor

Ronald Jennings Taylor

 

 

Ronald Taylor Don Elledge Don Layton Nicki Cantrell Slider Cropped

CLINTON—A Clinton man accused of threatening to harm three Anderson County judges has a trial scheduled this week in Anderson County Criminal Court.

Details about the alleged threat aren’t available in an indictment filed by the Anderson County Grand Jury in October.

The 53-year-old man has had a dispute with Anderson County officials about searches of people at the security checkpoint near the elevators on the third floor of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. He has told deputies that they do not have the right to search him, objected to the metal detectors there, claimed that civil rights are being violated, and asserted the right to defend himself with deadly force against an unlawful act by a police officer, according to court records.

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Two more students charged after threats, including shooting-related threat

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Oak Ridge High School Trash Can Fire

Oak Ridge High School

 

Two more Oak Ridge students have been charged after police investigated threats, including a shooting-related threat, at Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Middle School on Friday.

In the threat reported at Oak Ridge High School, a 15-year-old male student allegedly made verbal threats to another student, saying that if he was going to “shoot up the school,” he “would shoot her first,” the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

The threat was reported just before 3 p.m. Friday. The boy was removed from class and taken to the principal’s office, along with the alleged victim and a witness, the ORPD said.

“After conducting interviews and further investigation, officers learned the suspect allegedly made verbal threats to another student, stating that if he was going to ‘shoot up the school,’ he ‘would shoot her first,'” the ORPD said. [Read more…]

Clinton High School student charged with threats

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A Clinton High School student is in custody after an investigation of a social media threat, authorities said.

The 15-year-old female student sent messages to a male student on a social media site that ultimately led to threats, according to Mark Lucas, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department chief deputy.

The threat was investigated by Anderson County school officials and school resource officers and detectives from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Lucas said.

The female student was identified and arrested this morning, Lucas said. She is currently being held in juvenile detention pending a hearing. [Read more…]

Student arrested after threatening to ‘shoot up’ school

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

A Robertsville Middle School student was arrested Thursday after threatening to “shoot up the school,” authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of the threat at 9:59 a.m. Thursday. The alleged threat came during a moment of silence for the victims of the school shooting in Florida, the ORPD said.

The 13-year-old male student was immediately removed from class and taken to the principal’s office where two ORPD officers conducted an interview, according to a statement from police. The student admitted to saying he was going to “shoot up the school,” but he apologized and told officers he was joking and did not mean it, the statement said.

Officers also interviewed a parent of the student who confirmed that the teen does not have access to any firearms at home. [Read more…]

Police investigate online activity, but find no credible threat

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Early on Monday, February 6, the Oak Ridge Police Department was notified about some Internet chat room activity that raised its level of concern, authorities said.

After investigating the alleged activity, officers determined there was no threat, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. The Police Department coordinated with Oak Ridge Schools to relay this information. No alert was issued, and the schools did not change their procedure in any way. [Read more…]

TBI: Knoxville man arrested after threatening former Rockwood mayor

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Thomas Pierce

Thomas Pierce

A Knoxville man was arrested Friday after he made threats against a former mayor of Rockwood and was found with several guns in his vehicle, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Saturday.

TBI special agents helped the Rockwood Police Department and the Ninth District Attorney General’s office investigate threats made by Thomas William Pierce, 59, against a former Rockwood mayor, a press release said.

Ninth District Attorney General Russell Johnson asked the TBI to help, the press release said.

Pierce is a former long-time Rockwood city employee, and he is set to go on trial in Roane County for theft of money from the City of Rockwood, the TBI said. [Read more…]