Suspect taken into custody after allegedly driving by way of Oconee Nuclear Station gate

OCONEE COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – The Oconee County Sheriff’s Workplace stated a suspect is in custody following an incident on the Oconee Nuclear Station Thursday night time.

Deputies stated the state of affairs started once they responded to the plant at round 8:05 p.m. Thursday night time after somebody reported {that a} automotive had pushed by way of the exit aspect of the gate on the a part of the power going through Freeway 183.

In response to deputies, as soon as the motive force hit the pop-up barricades that plant safety activated, they backed the automobile up and went down a mud street the place Duke Vitality safety members blocked the automotive in.

“The safety measures in place on the on the plant itself prevented this particular person from mainly going any additional,” stated Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw.

Deputies said that the motive force then drove by way of a fence after attempting to hit the safety officers there. There, the motive force drove out of the plant’s exit, the place he tried to hit a safety member’s truck earlier than going again onto Freeway 183 and ultimately to a property on Jones Mill Street in Pickens County, the place the property fired warning pictures, inflicting a Duke Vitality safety following the motive force to again off.

Duke Vitality stated the automotive was in a position to enter the executive gate however was not in a position to entry the plant attributable to its a number of layers of safety. Fortunately, nobody was injured.

Throughout a press convention on Friday, the Sheriff’s Workplace recognized an individual of curiosity as Doyle Whisenhunt, from Lockesburg, AR. Deputies confirmed that the automotive used in the course of the incident was discovered between the Central and Six Mile areas of Pickens County.

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Workplace stated the automotive was discovered simply earlier than 3:00 p.m. deep within the woods close to a personal residence close to Stoneybrook Circle, the place it appeared to have gotten caught. Deputies in Pickens County stated whereas they had been looking the world, they obtained a name from somebody who stated they had been looking their father’s vacant property once they discovered the Whisenhunt inside the home.

The resident who discovered Whisenhunt instructed us he held him at gun level till deputies arrived to make the arrest.

Deputies took Whisenhunt into custody and turned him over to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Workplace the place he was charged with tried homicide, malicious harm to private property, and illegal entry into an enclosed place. Whisenhunt was additionally charged with hit-and-run for an unrelated accident that occurred yesterday on Rochester Freeway.

The Sheriff’s Workplace says its nonetheless unclear why the suspect drove to the plant. Sheriff Crenshaw stated safety guards questioned his frame of mind.

“It gave the impression to be one thing not fairly proper you realize with this particular person whether or not it was drunk or medicine, clearly we don’t know at this level,” he stated in the course of the press convention.

Duke Vitality talked about that nuclear stations are protected 24 hours a day by armed, well-trained safety officers. Superior surveillance gear and bodily intrusion limitations consisting of concrete buildings and razor wire encompass the positioning.

Parts of this program embrace however are usually not restricted to – personnel screening, entry controls, limitations, intrusion detection and monitoring gear.

The corporate stated this Oconee Nuclear Station is working safely as of Friday.

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