Benjamin Mills faces attempted murder and other charges after a March 8 attack outside a Grainger County home.

RUTLEDGE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man is accused of cutting power to a school board member’s home before shooting at him during a predawn attack in Grainger County on March 8, deputies said.

Benjamin Mills, 46, has been charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated burglary, theft and kidnapping. The charges stem from an incident involving Steven Ray Blanken, 62, a Grainger County Board of Education member who was already facing separate criminal charges involving a 16-year-old girl.

The first sign of trouble came about 5:20 a.m., while Blanken and his wife were inside their home in rural Grainger County, northeast of Knoxville. Court records say the couple noticed their electricity had gone out, but Blanken saw that a nearby home still had power. They called the electric company and were told no outage had been reported in the area. The company suggested they check the breaker box. When Blanken walked outside, records say he found two dogs loose in the yard and every breaker turned off. He reset the breakers, secured the dogs and returned inside. Minutes later, the power failed again, and his German shepherd was loose for a second time.

Blanken went back outside and returned to the breaker box, where deputies say the attack began. Records say he heard a man yelling from near a chicken coop on the property. The man then walked toward him and fired a shot. Blanken retreated toward a truck parked in the driveway, but the gunman fired two more times, with one shot striking the windshield. Blanken ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911. Deputies who arrived found the power off and the back door open. They checked the home before speaking with Blanken’s wife, who had also fled to a neighbor’s home after the confrontation moved inside.

Blanken’s wife told investigators she heard at least one popping sound after her husband went outside the last time. She said a man entered the house, pointed what she thought was a gun at her and spoke about the allegations against her husband. “Your husband is a pedophile and he’s gonna pay for it,” the man said, according to court records. Deputies said the intruder then ordered her to lie face down on the floor. When her phone rang in her hand, he grabbed it and ran from the home. The couple could give only a limited description, telling investigators the man was tall. Deputies later located the phone, a step they said helped lead them to Mills.

The case brought together two criminal matters that remain separate in court records. Blanken was arrested Feb. 27 after a parent came forward to the school system with an allegation involving a possible inappropriate relationship between a child and a school board member who also worked at times as a substitute teacher. School officials said they notified law enforcement on Feb. 19 after receiving the report. The Grainger County Sheriff’s Department opened an investigation, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit was contacted because of the nature of the allegations. Blanken was later charged in that case and released after posting bond with court conditions.

The allegations against Blanken led to quick action by the school district and board, even before the March 8 attack. Grainger County Schools said it took steps to stop Blanken from serving as a substitute teacher in any capacity in the district. Court records later cited by local reports said the alleged sexual contact involved a 16-year-old girl and occurred in Blanken’s vehicle at a remote location in Grainger County between Dec. 23 and Feb. 20. In May, Blanken was indicted on aggravated statutory rape counts, and a separate indictment filed April 30 accused him of three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Those allegations are unrelated to the charges against Mills.

The school board also moved toward a formal removal process. At a special called meeting in March, members voted to ask District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn to begin ouster proceedings if Blanken is found guilty or stands convicted. Meeting records cited by local outlets said the board asked that action be taken without delay if that condition is met. Blanken represents District 2 on the Grainger County Board of Education. He was banned from school property after his arrest, according to school officials. The district has said it cooperated with investigators and referred questions about the criminal case to the sheriff’s office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney.

Investigators in the March 8 shooting said the physical evidence included more than the damaged truck windshield and the stolen phone. Later that day, a law enforcement officer met with Blanken and took possession of a small rat shot pellet that Blanken said he removed from his stomach. Rat shot is a small pellet load often used in short range ammunition. Records did not say whether Blanken needed hospital treatment. Deputies also did not report that Blanken’s wife was physically injured during the home intrusion. The motive alleged in court records centered on the suspect’s statement about Blanken, but authorities have not released a fuller account of any prior connection between Mills and the couple.

Mills’ charges place the case in both a violent crime and home invasion frame. Criminal attempt to commit murder addresses the alleged shooting. Aggravated burglary covers the alleged entry into the home. Theft relates to the stolen phone, and kidnapping stems from the allegation that Blanken’s wife was ordered to the floor while the intruder was armed or appeared to be armed. It was not clear from available records when Mills is scheduled to appear in court. It also was not clear whether he had entered a plea or retained an attorney. Blanken’s separate criminal case remained pending after the indictments.

Grainger County is a largely rural county in East Tennessee, where school board politics usually unfold in small public meetings rather than violent police reports. The March 8 case drew attention because the alleged victim was both a public official and a defendant in a separate case that had already shaken the school system. The details in the shooting case are stark: a dark home, breakers turned off, dogs freed from their usual spots, shots fired near a driveway and a wife confronted in the house. Deputies have not said who cut the breakers the first time or how long the suspect had been near the property before the couple noticed the outage.

The attempted murder case now stands on the evidence gathered from the home, the phone and the statements from Blanken and his wife. The school board case against Blanken continues on a separate track, with ouster tied to any conviction. The next public milestone is a court date for Mills or another filing in either case.

Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.