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For members: Mason indicted on attempted murder, assault charges

Posted at 2:16 pm January 29, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man with two homicide convictions and a 28-year prison sentence for federal drug and gun convictions has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, among other charges, after he allegedly tried to shoot a deputy in April 2019.

Charles Edward Mason, 53, was indicted on the one count of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and other charges in November. The other charges are two counts of interfering with a 911 call and one count of resisting arrest. Mason pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on Thursday.

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man with two homicide convictions and a 28-year prison sentence for federal drug and gun convictions has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, among other charges, after he allegedly tried to shoot a deputy in April 2019.

Charles Edward Mason, 53, was indicted on the one count of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and other charges in November. The other charges are two counts of interfering with a 911 call and one count of resisting arrest. Mason pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on Thursday.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: aggravated assault, Anderson County Circuit Court, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, attempted first-degree murder, attempted murder, Charles Edward Mason, Dave Clark, indictment, Matthew McGhee, resisting arrest, Thomas Phillips, U.S. District Court

For members: Mason sentenced to 28 years for gun, drug charges after allegedly trying to shoot deputy

Posted at 11:52 pm December 9, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: Alan Randa, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Brent N. Jones, Charles Edward Mason, Chris Conner, Jake Stone, Josh Hedrick, LaToyia Carpenter, Matt McGhee, Randy Seay, sentencing hearing, Thomas Phillips, U.S. District Court

For members: Mason found guilty of federal gun, drug charges

Posted at 5:36 pm January 20, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has been convicted of two homicides and has been charged in state court with the attempted murder of a deputy was found guilty in federal court on Friday of gun and drug crimes that have potential sentences of life in prison.

A 12-person jury deliberated for about two hours Friday morning before reaching a unanimous verdict on the four federal charges.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: ACSD, Alan Randa, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, ATF, attempted first-degree murder, attempted murder, Brent N. Jones, Charles Edward Mason, Chris Conner, Dennis Pemberton, felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, Gabriel Collins, homicide, Jake Stone, Josh Hedrick, LaToyia Carpenter, Marion West, Matt McGhee, Nina Osia, ossessing and brandishing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Pamela L. Reeves, Randy Seay, trial, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, U.S. District Court, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

For members: Man charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, meth

Posted at 11:41 am January 12, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

 

Joshua Andrew Koch

 

A 42-year-old Anderson County man is facing federal charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine after a search of a home in Claxton in July allegedly found about 230 grams of a white, crystal-like substance thought to be methamphetamine and roughly 69.5 grams of a brown powder substance suspected to be heroin, according to state and federal court records.

The defendant has also been charged with federal financial and firearms crimes, and he has seven co-defendants in the case, although the charges vary by defendant.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Tennessee, Top Stories, U.S., United States Tagged With: Anderson County General Sessions Court, Brianna J. Espinoza, cocaine, conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute, controlled substance, drug trafficking, firearm, grand jury, heroin, indictment, Jose O. Carrillo-Monterrosas, Joshua Andrew Koch, Kevin D. Green, Kristi M. Dixon, Maria L. Hightower, methamphetamine, money laundering, Neal Baldwin, Ricky D. Stinnett, Shannon R. Sisk, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, U.S. District Court

For members: Man sentenced to more than 12 years on federal meth conspiracy charge

Posted at 4:33 am January 6, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

 

Samuel McCoy Wade

 

An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Top Stories, United States Tagged With: Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, Dan Freytag, methamphetamine, Oak Ridge Police Department, Pamela L. Reeves, Samuel Wade, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force Oak Ridge Police Department, U.S. District Court

For members: AC man accused of trying to kill deputy also faces federal charges

Posted at 12:25 pm October 17, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

 

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, 52, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has two previous homicide convictions and has been accused in state court of trying to kill a deputy this year now faces federal drug and gun charges that could result, depending upon the circumstances, in a lifelong prison sentence.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, attempted murder, Benjamin G. Sharp, Bruce Guyton, Charles Edward Mason, drug trafficking, federal charges, felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, LaToyia Carpenter, methamphetamine, Pamela L. Reeves, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. District Court

For members: Company ordered to pay $500,000 fine after improperly shipping radioactive materials

Posted at 11:15 pm May 31, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Federal Agents at Berthold Technologies

KNOXVILLE—An Oak Ridge company has been ordered to pay a $500,000 federal fine about two years after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to the improper shipping of radioactive materials in devices used in the oil and gas “fracking” industry.

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If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 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: Business, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Top Stories, United States Tagged With: Berthold Technologies, Berthold Technologies USA LLC, Berthold USA, cesium-137, Eastern District of Tennessee, fracking, hazardous materials, LB8010, Matthew T. Morris, radioactive materials, Tena Campbell, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. District Court, United States Attorney's Office, Wade Davies

Exclusive: Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against CNS

Posted at 11:35 am September 13, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that was filed three years ago after Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC began managing and operating the Y-12 National Security Complex and made changes to health care benefits.

The changes in benefits led to protests, mostly by retirees, near Y-12 and the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office just before they took effect January 1, 2015.

Y-12 retirees Betty Hatmaker and Charlene Edwards, who had been among the protesters, filed the lawsuit that summer. The 31-page civil complaint was filed August 12, 2015, in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Hatmaker and Edwards sought to make their lawsuit a class action complaint, meaning they could have represented other plaintiffs, possibly including several thousand former Y-12 workers who retired between 1975 and 2015.

A trial had been scheduled for June 25, but the case was dismissed by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan on May 30.

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Filed Under: Courts, Front Page News, Health, National Nuclear Security Administration, Premium Content, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, United States, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Betty Hatmaker, Charlene Edwards, Charles E. Young Jr., CNS, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, Employee Retirement Income Security Act, fiduciary duties, Greg Coleman Law PC, Gregory F. Coleman, health care benefits, John C. Burgin Jr., John E. Winters, Kramer Rayson LLP, Kristi McKinney Stogsdill, lawsuit, Mark E. Silvey, National Nuclear Security Administration, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. District Court, Y-12 National Security Complex

UPF lawsuit: NNSA considering new, supplemental environmental impact statement for Y-12

Posted at 1:35 pm May 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

With a lawsuit pending, federal officials are considering whether a new or supplemental environmental impact statement is needed for the Y-12 National Security Complex after design plans changed for the Uranium Processing Facility, the largest federal construction project in Tennessee since World War II.

As part of the process, the National Nuclear Security Administration is preparing what is known as a supplement analysis, or SA. A draft of the new SA has been issued, and you can read it on the Y-12 website.

Comments on the draft supplement analysis can be submitted through June 20.

The final new supplement analysis and a record of decision could be issued by July 27, although the schedule is subject to change, according to a joint status report filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on May 11. The record of decision is expected to say whether a new or supplemental environmental impact statement is required for Y-12.

There was a site-wide environmental impact statement, or EIS, prepared for Y-12 in 2011. About five years later, in 2016, there was a supplement analysis prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act. It was connected to the decision by the NNSA and U.S. Department of Energy to not prepare a new or supplemental environmental impact statement after the NNSA decided on a new multi-building design for the UPF, rather than a single-building design, as part of an effort to keep project costs down, among other considerations. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Federal, Front Page News, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, United States, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Administrative Procedure Act, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DOE, Ed Sullivan, environmental impact statement, Frank G. Klotz, Jack Carl Hoefer, James Richard “Rick” Perry, James Richard “Rick” Perry and Frank G. Klotz, Linda Ewald, Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, National Environmental Policy Act, National Nuclear Security Administration, Natural Resources Defense Council, NNSA, Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Pamela L. Reeves, Ralph Hutchison, record of decision, site-wide environmental impact statement, summary judgement, supplement analysis, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. District Court, U.S. Geological Survey, UPF, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

Despite censure, lawsuit, calls for resignation, Jones still running in May 1 primary

Posted at 7:57 am May 1, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Commission, which is pictured above on March 20, 2018, unanimously censured Anderson County Circuit Clerk William Jones on Feb. 20, and asked him to resign after sexual harassment allegations were reported. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Anderson County Commission, which is pictured above on March 20, 2018, unanimously censured Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk William Jones on Feb. 20, and asked him to resign after sexual harassment allegations were reported. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:40 a.m.

CLINTON—He’s been accused of inappropriate behavior that includes unwelcome sexual advances, unwanted touching, and lewd and vulgar text messages. He’s been unanimously censured and asked to resign by the Anderson County Commission. He’s been sued in federal court. And some residents have joined commissioners in asking him to resign, or at least not seek re-election.

Despite those pleas, though, Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk William Jones, who has denied many allegations and called others false, is seeking re-election in the Anderson County Republican Party primary election on Tuesday, May 1. Jones has filed counterclaims in federal court and filed a defamation lawsuit in state court.

Some of the sexual harassment allegations appear to have been forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies, including the Tennessee Attorney General, Tennessee Department of Labor, and Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, according to records released by Anderson County. It’s not clear which outside agencies, if any, might be investigating the complaints, or whether the local district attorney general might be investigating.

Willliam T. Jones

Willliam T. Jones

Commission censures Jones, asks him to resign

The accusations against Jones, who is seeking his second four-year term, were publicly disclosed during a review of a sexual harassment complaint at an Anderson County Commission meeting on February 20.

During that meeting, Kim Jeffers-Whitaker, Anderson County’s chief deputy director of human resources and risk management, said her department had received five reports of inappropriate workplace behavior by Jones.

“The five reports create a harassing pattern,” Jeffers-Whitaker said.

She said the reports are supported by two affidavits and four sworn statements that the county’s human resources department obtained from the victims, who include four past or present employees and one citizen.

According to Jeffers-Whitaker, the alleged instances of unprofessional conduct include: [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Anderson County, Front Page News, Government, Government, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: 14th Amendment, Anderson County Circuit Court, Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Human Resources, Angeleque McNutt, Arthur Knight, Brittany Humphrey, censure, civil rights, Curtis L. Collier, Darren V. Berg, David Stuart, defamation, Equal Protection Clause, Gail Harness, Harry Schatz, hostile work environment, Hugh Ward, inappropriate workplace behavior, Jay Yeager, Kim Jeffers-Whitaker, Linda Whitson, Marsha Livingston, NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, primary election, retaliation, Richard E. Collins, Russell Bearden, sexual harassment, sexually explicit messages, Tennessee Human Rights Act, Terry Frank, Tim Isbel, U.S. District Court, unwelcome sexual advances, William Jones

UPF lawsuit moved from DC to Knoxville

Posted at 8:13 am April 5, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A rendering of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image from May 2017 courtesy of NNSA)

A rendering of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image from May 2017 courtesy of NNSA)

 

The federal lawsuit that asks for an environmental review of the new multi-building design for the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex has been transferred from Washington, D.C., to Knoxville.

The transfer of the civil complaint had been requested in September by the defendants, U.S. Energy Secretary James Richard “Rick” Perry and Frank G. Klotz, former administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. The NNSA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy that manages nuclear weapons programs and facilities, including Y-12, among other activities.

United States District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, who was assigned the case in December, granted the motion to transfer the lawsuit from the District of Columbia to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, which includes the Knoxville division, on March 23.

The 44-page federal lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on July 20, argues that a new environmental impact statement should be prepared for the new design for the UPF, the largest federal construction project in Tennessee since World War II. The plaintiffs allege that the NNSA’s decision to use several new buildings for the UPF, rather than just one, and continue to use some old buildings at Y-12 for some nuclear weapons work is risky because the old buildings could collapse during a major earthquake, possibly leading to a nuclear accident that could release radiological materials.

Federal officials denied that allegation and others in a 29-page response filed September 29. They’ve called some allegations vague, ambiguous, or speculative, and they have said that safety and technical analyses are under way at Y-12. Some buildings may require seismic upgrades, depending upon evaluation results, and an Extended Life Program is meant to ensure that two buildings—Building 9215 and Building 9204-2E—will safely support future operations, federal officials said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, United States, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Administrative Procedure Act, Amended Record of Decision, Dabney L. Friedrich, District of Columbia, Eastern District of Tennessee, Ed Sullivan, environmental impact statement, federal lawsuit, Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement, Frank G. Klotz, highly enriched uranium, Jack Carl Hoefer, James Richard “Rick” Perry, Linda Ewald, National Environmental Policy Act, National Nuclear Security Administration, Natural Resources Defense Council, NEPA, NNSA, Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons work, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Ralph Hutchison, record of decision, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. District Court, UPF, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

Oak Ridge man sentenced to 14 years for child pornography

Posted at 7:07 pm March 28, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 3 Comments

James Edward Hiatt

James Edward Hiatt

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:38 p.m.

An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on Wednesday for distributing and possessing child pornography, authorities said.

James Edward Hiatt, 33, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

He had been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of distributing and possessing child pornography on February 17, 2016.

A sentencing memorandum filed September 11, 2017, said seized computer equipment found that Hiatt had about 2,900 digital images of child pornography and 1,400 digital videos. The child pornography included prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit activity, including “disturbing depictions of sadistic conduct, bondage, and bestiality involving very young children,” the sentencing memorandum said.

Hiatt consented to be interviewed during a search and admitted to knowingly downloading child pornography, the sentencing memorandum said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Police and Fire, U.S. Tagged With: child pornography, distributing and possessing child pornography, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, James Edward Hiatt, Knoxville Police Department, Matthew Morris, Project Safe Childhood, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Court

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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...]

Public Notice: Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Lithium Production Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 … [Read More...]

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

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

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