Arrest made in Oconee Nuclear Station incident

Kevin D. Hollis (WSNW)/Jessica Waters (WNEG) 

An arrest has been made in the incident last Thursday at Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Station on Lake Keowee near Seneca, South Carolina.

According to statements issued by Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw, Doyle Wayne Wisenhunt, 66, of Lockesburg, Arkansas has been arrested 

The Oconee County E-911/Communications Center received a call from the Nuclear Station around 8:05 p.m. last Thursday, Nov. 2, and dispatched deputies to the scene where, according to official reports, a white male driving a silver 2002 Toyota Camry drove through the exit side of the gate on the Highway 183 side of the facility.

According to deputies, 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 driver then drove through a fence after attempting to hit the security officers.

The driver then drove out of the exit of the plant, where he attempted to hit a security truck with a guard in it. 

After driving back onto Highway 183, the driver then drove into Pickens County and pulled onto some property on Jones Mill Road, where shots were fired. Crenshaw stated that the homeowner at the Jones Mill Road property told law enforcement officials that he had fired warning shots, and the individual had driven away.

A review of facility records show that the same vehicle and driver also drove up to the Nuclear Station facility at about 7 p.m., but complied when asked to leave.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office circulated the tag number of the Camry to surrounding agencies, and a  reverse 911 was sent out to all residents in the area advising them of the search for the driver.

According to an OCSO spokesman, on Friday evening, while searching the area, deputies received a call from a person who stated that, while checking a vacant property that belonged to his father, he found a man inside the home.

Deputies, who were already searching the immediate area, responded to the home and found Whisenhunt inside and placed him under arrest.

At a Saturday court appearance before a judge, Whisenhunt’s bond was set at $320,500, and the charges against him included felony attempted murder, felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, felony malicious injury to personal property, and misdemeanor trespassing for his alleged actions at the nuclear facility on Thursday.

Whisenhunt is also wanted on drugs and weapons charges out of Arkansas, and is being charged in Oconee County with one count of misdemeanor hit and run for a separate incident earlier on Thursday when he was allegedly involved in a motor vehicle accident on Rochester Highway and failed to remain on scene.

During a press briefing held Friday, Crenshaw stated, “At this point in our investigation, we don’t have any evidence that this is any type of domestic terroristic event.”

In a statement issued by Duke Energy, the company said the nuclear station is “operating safely,” adding that “”Duke Energy has comprehensive security plans and a well-trained security workforce in place,” the company said in a statement. A vehicle entered an administrative gate, but was not able to access the plant due to our multiple layers of security.” 

The nuclear station is “operating safely,” Duke Energy said.”Duke Energy has comprehensive security plans and a well-trained security workforce in place,” the company said in a statement. “A vehicle entered an administrative gate, but was not able to access the plant due to our multiple layers of security.”

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the body that oversees nuclear plants in the United States, told reporters the incident was “monitored closely throughout the night,” and said Duke Energy proactively informed the commission.

A spokesperson from the Commission stated, “The plant continues to operate safely, the public remains safe, and all U.S. nuclear power plants are operating at their normal security levels.”

Duke Energy says Oconee Nuclear Station is one of the nation’s largest nuclear plants, with three nuclear reactors that came online in 1973 and 1974. The facility has a power output capacity of more than 2,500 megawatts – enough to power roughly 1.9 million homes. The facility has generated more than 500 million megawatt hours of electricity since 1973.