The March 8 case began with a power outage and ended with attempted murder charges against Benjamin Mills.
RUTLEDGE, Tenn. — A stolen cellphone helped deputies identify a man accused of entering a Grainger County home and shooting at school board member Steven Ray Blanken after the home’s power was shut off.
Deputies say Benjamin Mills, 46, is charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated burglary, theft and kidnapping. The investigation centers on a March 8 incident at Blanken’s home, where the sheriff’s department says a power cutoff drew Blanken outside before gunfire broke out.
The phone became important only after a series of events inside and outside the home. Blanken’s wife told investigators she was inside when her husband went out to check the electricity for a second time. She then heard at least one popping sound. A man came through the home, pointed what she believed was a gun and made a statement about her husband, according to court records. “Your husband is a pedophile and he’s gonna pay for it,” the man said, according to the records. Deputies said he then told her to lie face down on the floor. When her phone rang in her hand, the man took it and fled. Investigators later located that device, which helped them find Mills.
The woman’s account gave deputies a direct look at the moments after the gunfire, but it did not give them a detailed description of the suspect. She and Blanken could only describe him as tall, according to records. Deputies arrived to find the power still off and the home’s back door open. They secured the house and spoke with the couple after both had reached nearby homes. The wife was not reported physically hurt. Blanken later turned over a small rat shot pellet that he said he removed from his stomach. A shot also struck the windshield of his truck, records say, after he tried to retreat from the gunman in the driveway.
The incident started before dawn, around 5:20 a.m., when Blanken and his wife noticed the home had no power. The couple looked outside and saw that a neighbor still had electricity. The electric company told them there was no area outage and suggested checking the breakers. Blanken went out and found two dogs that usually were secured running loose in the yard. He also found all the breakers in the box switched off. After restoring power and securing the dogs, he returned inside. Within five minutes, the electricity went off again. Blanken went back out, found his German shepherd loose and reset the power for a second time.
The second trip outside brought him near the point of attack. Records say Blanken heard a man yelling from the area of a chicken coop. The man, later alleged by authorities to be Mills, walked toward him and fired. Blanken ran toward his truck for cover, but two more shots followed. One hit the windshield. Blanken then left the property and reached a neighbor’s house, where he called 911. The sequence described by deputies suggests the power cutoff was not random. Authorities say the shutoff lured Blanken outside, first to inspect the breaker box and then to return when the lights failed again.
Blanken, 62, is not only the alleged target in the shooting case. He is also a sitting Grainger County Board of Education member facing separate charges that began with a February report to school officials. Grainger County Schools said a parent came forward Feb. 19 with an allegation of a possible inappropriate relationship involving the parent’s child and a school board member who also served at times as a substitute teacher. District officials said they notified law enforcement and cooperated with the investigation. The sheriff’s department later said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit was asked to assist because of the nature of the allegations.
Blanken was arrested Feb. 27. Local court reporting said he was initially charged with statutory rape counts involving a 16-year-old girl and was released after posting a $20,000 surety bond. Conditions included GPS monitoring and no contact with the victim or the victim’s family. In May, court records showed a grand jury indictment on three counts of aggravated statutory rape. Another indictment filed April 30 accused him of three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. The indictment involving exploitation alleged possession of material showing a minor engaged in sexual activity or simulated sexual activity in February 2026. Blanken’s case remained under judicial review.
The school system acted before those later indictments were reported. District officials said Blanken was removed from substitute teaching duties as soon as administrators learned of the allegation. After his arrest, he was banned from school property, according to school leaders. The school board also held a special called meeting in March focused on his public position. Board members asked District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn to begin ouster proceedings if Blanken is found guilty or stands convicted of aggravated statutory rape. That request left the board’s removal action tied to the outcome of the criminal case rather than the allegations alone.
The charges against Mills are separate from the allegations against Blanken, but court records in the shooting case show the alleged intruder referred to those allegations during the confrontation with Blanken’s wife. Investigators have not released a full account of what, if any, relationship Mills had to Blanken, Blanken’s family or the people connected to the separate sex crime case. They also have not said whether they believe anyone else took part in the March 8 incident. The known evidence described publicly includes the breaker box, the loose dogs, the damaged windshield, the wife’s stolen phone, the pellet and the statements from the couple.
Each of Mills’ charges points to a separate part of the alleged episode. Attempted murder is tied to the gunfire outside. Aggravated burglary is tied to the entry into the home. Theft is tied to the phone. Kidnapping is tied to the allegation that the intruder ordered Blanken’s wife to the floor and held her there by threat. No public record cited in the reports gave a court date for Mills. It was also unclear whether Mills had a lawyer listed in the case. Deputies have not said what kind of gun was used or whether the weapon was recovered.
The rural setting shaped the way the attack unfolded. The power problem pushed Blanken outside at an hour when most neighbors would still be asleep. The breaker box, yard, truck and chicken coop became part of the path described in the court records. The couple did not stay at the home after the shots and home intrusion. Each ran to a neighbor. By the time deputies arrived, the house was dark again and the back door was open. Investigators then had to sort a violent attack from a public controversy that was already drawing attention to the school board.
Mills remained accused in the March 8 attack, while Blanken remained an elected school board member facing separate indictments. The next steps depend on court scheduling in the attempted murder case and any further filings in Blanken’s criminal case or possible ouster proceedings.
Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.