A 66-year-old man from Arkansas, Doyle Wayne Whisenhunt, found himself on the wrong side of the law after attempting to ram his 2002 Toyota Camry into the Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina. After the event, law enforcement officials arrested him, and he is now facing significant accusations.
An arrest warrant states that Whisenhunt acted with the intent to “great bodily harm or death” towards a security officer at the nuclear plant. Officials said he trespassed onto the property of the nuclear site and caused damage to the gates and fencing with his vehicle.
When police located Whisenhunt hiding out in a deserted house, the situation took a surreal turn. After being arrested for various offenses, including attempted murder, criminal injury to personal property, and trespassing, he was taken to the Oconee County Detention Center.
Whisenhunt has a history of run-ins with the authorities extending back to the 1990s. He is currently being prosecuted for weapons possession, drug paraphernalia possession, and methamphetamine distribution in another county. He was also accused of terroristic witness intimidation and threat in 2021, but those charges were dropped after the victim recanted her testimony.
Notably, Whisenhunt’s motivation for his conduct at the nuclear facility has not been made public by authorities. There is even more mystery surrounding this case because it occurred only an hour after security had asked Whisenhunt to leave when he first tried to enter the premises.
Whether or if Whisenhunt is currently represented by an attorney is unknown. Investigators still don’t understand his motivation or the context of his conduct.
Security at essential facilities was put to the test by Whisenhunt’s attempted breach at the Oconee Nuclear Station. This strange episode, which is still being investigated by authorities, highlights the necessity of taking extra precautions to secure such locations for the sake of public and national security.
