Ben Benton

Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee’s Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea and Sequatchie counties. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005. Ben was born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee, a graduate of Bradley Central High School. He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Contact Southeast Tennessee reporter Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.

State reverses course on replacement hospital site for Moccasin Bend

by Ben Benton ·September 28, 2026

Less than a week after announcing a new site for the $260 million Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute, state officials have reversed course.

Staff photo by Ben Benton / The state has revered its decision on the selection of almost 50 acres of land at 1001 Birmingham Highway in Chattanooga, shown here, according to the state Department of General Services. A new site will be selected.

State prison inmate charged in correctional officer’s death dies

by Ben Benton ·September 24, 2026

DA: ‘God is the ultimate arbiter of justice on Judgement Day’

Tennessee Department of Correction / Reginald C. Steed, 35, died Sept. 22 at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution while serving a 27-year sentence for assault, robbery and attempted manslaughter. Steed was facing a first-degree murder charge in the Feb. 24 slaying of Morgan County Correctional Complex correctional officer Dustin Pedigo, 35.

Chattanooga site named for new Moccasin Bend mental hospital

by Ben Benton ·September 23, 2026

Almost 50 acres purchased south of Lookout Valley community

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Visitors look at a map of the proposed location of the new mental health institute during an event at Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.

Roof blown off South Pittsburg senior apartment building, 30 residents displaced

by Ben Benton ·September 21, 2026

Repairs underway

Contributed photo / A severe thunderstorm producing strong, straight-line winds downed trees and power lines in downtown South Pittsburg, Tenn., Saturday, and the roof was blown off the Chester Powell Senior Citizens Apartments on Cedar Avenue.

Noon Monday deadline nears for district judge applications

by Ben Benton ·September 18, 2026

The deadline is noon Monday to apply for appointment to a vacant Circuit Court judge's post in the six-county 12th Judicial District following the Aug. 3 death of Judge John Harvey "Cam" Cameron Jr.

Staff File Photo / The Franklin County Courthouse, built in the Art Deco style of the early 1900s, is in downtown Winchester, Tenn.

Wife of Life Care Centers of America founder Forrest Preston arrested on neglect charges

by Ben Benton ·September 18, 2026

The wife of 93-year-old Life Care Centers of America founder Forrest Preston has been arrested on an indictment charging her with two elderly neglect crimes.

Contributed photo / Forrest Preston, founder, chair and CEO of Life Care Centers of America, is pictured in 2015. His wife, Kim Phuong Preston, has been charged by Cleveland police with neglect of a vulnerable adult and neglect of an elderly adult.

Two charged with felony murder in child’s July 3 drowning in Bradley County

by Ben Benton ·September 18, 2026

Two people have been arrested on murder charges in connection with the July 13 drowning death of a 7-year-old child in a private Bradley County pond.

Staff File Photo by Ben Benton / A Bradley County Sheriff's Office patrol car is shown. Bradley County authorities have charged two people in connection with a drowning involving a 7-year-old child who was found July 13 in a pond in the southeastern part of the county.

Thursday high notches Chattanooga record for consecutive days over 90 degrees

by Ben Benton ·September 17, 2026

Chattanooga has gone 45 days hitting highs of 90 degrees or more, setting a 147-year record Thursday, and forecasters say the heat won't relent until next week.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Rockwood, Tenn., residents Tim and Page Porter take off their shoes and cool off as they walk up the Passage water feature Sept. 17, 2026. Chattanooga has gone 45 days with highs of 90 degrees or more, setting a 147-year record, and the forecast calls for 90-plus heat through midweek.

Pikeville issues water restrictions due to critically low supply

by Ben Benton ·September 16, 2026

Ongoing dryness across Southeast Tennessee is taking a toll on water supplies in Bledsoe County, where officials in Pikeville, Tennessee, have issued mandatory water restrictions.

Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / A plant stands out among a cracked patch of dried mud in Chattanooga on April 17, 2026. Officials in Pikeville, Tennessee, have issued mandatory water restrictions due to a critically low water supply.

Well-known local pilot dies in DeKalb County, Ala., plane crash

by Ben Benton ·September 16, 2026

The 62-year-old pilot of a single-engine aircraft was killed in a crash Tuesday in DeKalb County, Alabama, according to the county emergency management office and local and federal officials.