Suspect Arrested in Connection with Oconee Nuclear Incident

Doyle Wayne Whisenhunt, a 66-year-old man from Lockesburg, AR, was arrested on Friday evening in connection with an incident at the Oconee Nuclear Station. He was apprehended in Pickens County and transferred to the Oconee County Detention Center. Whisenhunt is charged with Attempted Murder, Malicious Injury to Personal Property, and Unlawful Entry into an Enclosed Place.

These charges stem from allegations that he drove his vehicle towards a Duke Energy Security Officer at the Nuclear Station, damaged gates and fencing with his vehicle, and trespassed on the property without permission. His vehicle was later recovered in Pickens County. While shots were fired, Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said that they came from a private homeowner who fired warning shots, and not from the suspect or law enforcement…

In a separate incident, Whisenhunt has been charged with Hit and Run following a motor vehicle accident on Rochester Highway. The investigation by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing, with assistance from the FBI, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

He remains in custody in Oconee County on more than $300,000 bond, and a hold has been placed on him for the Sevier County, AR Sheriff’s Office.