(From left to right): Benjamin Mills and Steve Blanken (Grainger County Sheriff's Department).
A man in Tennessee is accused of luring an embattled local school board member outside his house by shutting off his power and then shooting at him.
Benjamin Mills, 46, has been charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated burglary, theft, and kidnapping, the Grainger County Sheriff's Department told Law&Crime. The underlying incident occurred in the early morning of March 8.
At about 5:20 a.m., 62-year-old Steve Blanken was with his wife at their house in Grainger County, Tennessee. The area is in the northeast of the state, about 35 miles from Knoxville.
According to area NBC affiliate WBIR, Blanken — a Grainger County Board of Education member — was arrested in February after he had an "inappropriate relationship" with a 16-year-old girl.
The sheriff's department told Law&Crime that Blanken faces charges of statutory rape and was recently indicted on three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
On the morning in question, Blanken "and his wife noticed the power was off" in their home, per court records obtained by Law&Crime. Blanken looked outside "and noticed the neighbor's power was still on," so he and his wife called their electric company, which suggested that they check the breakers as there was no power outage in their area.
Blanken walked outside, but he said he noticed something was awry. "[T]wo of his dogs that were usually secure, were now running loose in the yard," court records state. "He went to the breaker box and found that all the breakers had been turned off."
He flipped the breakers back on, secured his dogs, and went back inside. However, within five minutes, "the power went out again," and he went outside to find that his German shepherd was again running loose.
When Blanken returned outside and flipped the power back on, he said he "heard a male yelling at him" from near his chicken coop, and the man started walking toward him. The man — alleged to have been Mills — "fired a gun shot at him."
The homeowner "retreated to his truck" in the driveway, but the suspect "fired two more shots at him," with one of them hitting the truck's windshield. Blanken ran to a neighbor's home and called 911.
Deputies arrived at the home to find the power off and the back door open. They made sure the home was safe and then spoke with Blanken's wife.
She reportedly said that when her husband returned outside the final time, she "heard at least one popping sound." She then said a man entered her home, "point what she thought was a gun at her," and told her, "your husband is a pedophile and he's gonna pay for it."
Mills allegedly "then told her to lay face down on the floor" and when her phone went off in her hand, he grabbed it and ran away. She also then ran to a neighbor's home.
Neither spouse could describe the suspect other than saying "he was tall," according to deputies. However, investigators were able to locate the woman's phone and eventually arrest their suspect.
Authorities added that later that day, a law enforcement officer met with Blanken and took a small "rat" shot pellet that Blanken had removed from his stomach.
It is unclear when Mills is scheduled to appear in court.
According to the local TV station, Blanken was banned from school property following his arrest. In March, the Grainger County school board held a special session to ask the district attorney to begin the process for ousting Blanken.
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