On July 13, 2021, agents with the 7th Judicial Crime Task Force completed a lengthy investigation of illicit drug sales in Oak Ridge by executing warrants following Anderson County grand jury indictments on the following individuals:

Desmond Slater, age 41, Oak Ridge – 5 counts of manufacture/ sale/ delivery/possession of a controlled substance

Rodney Porter, age 29, Oak Ridge – 2 counts of manufacture/ sale/delivery/possession of a controlled substance

Justin Postell, age 29, Oak Ridge – 2 counts of manufacture/sale/delivery/possession of a controlled substance.

Timothy Kirk, age 63, Oak Ridge – 1 count of manufacture/sale/delivery/possession of a controlled substance.

Kelly Troupe, age 37, Oak Ridge – 1 count of manufacture/sale/delivery/possession of a controlled substance.

Asante Ward, age 38, Oak Ridge – 2 counts of manufacture/sale/delivery/possession of a controlled substance.

Rayshawn Freeman, age 26, Oak Ridge – 4 counts of manufacture/ sale/ delivery/ possession of a controlled substance

Derrick Smith, age 30, Oak Ridge – 1 count of manufacture/ sale/ delivery/ possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent

Joseph Lee, age 31, Oak Ridge – 1 count of manufacture/ sale/ delivery/ possession of a controlled substance.

Damian Ellis, age 31, Oak Ridge – 1 count of manufacture/ sale/ delivery/ possession of a controlled substance.

More arrests are anticipated in this investigation.

District Attorney General Dave Clark said: “We are always conducting complex and lengthy undercover investigations and this week the public sees what we have been working on but could not talk about for over a year. Anderson County is a bad place for criminals to do business.”

Agencies who participated in the arrest efforts include the 7th Judicial Crime Task Force, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Oak Ridge Police Department, United States Marshal’s Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives., National Guard Counter Drug, Knox County Sheriff’s Office (Aviation Unit), and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith said: “We’ve heard the community’s concerns and by partnering with the 7th Judicial Crime Task Force we have responded to those concerns in an effort to make the community safer for all.”

The 7th Judicial Crime Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional task force comprised of the 7th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Clinton Police Department, Norris Police Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, Rocky Top Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Crime Task Force focuses on drug and violent crime.