Who is Doyle Wayne Whisenhunt? Arkansas man faces murder charge after crashing through fence of South Carolina nuclear plant
OCONEE, SOUTH CAROLINA: Doyle Wayne Whisenhunt is the man who allegedly drove his car through a fence at a South Carolina nuclear power station and tried to hit security officers with his vehicle. He was arrested on Friday, November 3, authorities said.
Whisenhunt, 66, of Lockesburg, Arkansas, has been charged with murder according to CNN. The incident occurred on Thursday, November 2 at the Oconee Nuclear Station.
What other charges is Doyle Wayne Whisenhunt facing?
The charges stem from trying to cause great bodily harm or death to a security officer according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
Whisenhunt is also charged with malicious injury to personal property and unlawful entry into an enclosed place, the sheriff said.
He also faces a hit-and-run charge stemming from a car crash near the plant on the same day.
Why was Doyle Wayne Whisenhunt arrested?
Whisenhunt drove his silver 2002 Toyota Camry through the exit side of the gate at the Oconee Nuclear Station in Seneca at around 8 pm on Thursday.
“After the vehicle struck the pop-up barricades that security at the plant activated, the driver backed the vehicle up and proceeded down a dirt road, where Duke Energy security blocked the vehicle in,” the sheriff’s office said.
“The driver then drove through a fence after attempting to hit the security officers.”
Whisenhunt then drove into Pickens County and pulled onto a residential property on Jones Mill Road.
He abandoned his vehicle at 9 pm and was found hiding in an abandoned building in the woods on Friday, the sheriff’s office said.
Even though some reports say he was arrested without an incident, one report said that the manhunt hunt extended for 24 hours, and during his arrest, shots were fired.
What we know about Arkansas man who crashed through nuclear plant fence
Besides being wanted on drugs and weapons charges in Arkansas, Doyle Wayne Whisenhunt has a criminal record going back to the 1990s.
He is presently charged in Sevier County with possession of meth with the purpose of delivery, weapons possession, possessing drug paraphernalia, and related offenses according to Magnolia reporters.
In 2021, Whisenhunt was charged with terroristic threatening, and intimidating a witness.
However, the victim in the case recanted her statement against Whisenhunt and the charges were not processed.
Oconee Nuclear Station is South Carolina's largest nuclear plant
Duke Energy says Oconee Nuclear Station is one of the nation’s largest nuclear plants, with three nuclear reactors.
The facility began operating in 1973 and has generated more than 500 million megawatt hours of electricity.
"At this point in our investigation, we don't have any evidence that this is any type of domestic terroristic event," Crenshaw said as per Fox.