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.

Winchester, Tennessee, police seek info in July Fourth 2025 fatal shooting

by Ben Benton ·June 29, 2026

TBI helps Winchester, Tennessee, police narrow location where rifle was likely fired

Winchester Police Department / Police in Winchester, Tenn., are seeking information from the public in connection with the July 4, 2025, fatal shooting of John Cobb, 61, of Springfield, Tenn., who was struck by one of two bullets fired from a high-powered rifle. A TBI analysis of the bullets has helped identify the area from which the shots were fired, shown on this map.

Defendants in $9M Monteagle civil rights suit deny allegations

by Ben Benton ·June 28, 2026

The four Monteagle, Tennessee, defendants named in a $9 million federal civil rights suit filed by a local business owner over a 2025 encounter with the town's police and town officials have filed three separate answers denying allegations.

Staff file photo / The Chattanooga federal courthouse is pictured. The four Monteagle defendants named in a $9 million federal civil rights suit filed by a local business owner over a 2025 encounter with the town's police and town officials have filed three separate answers denying allegations.

Chattanooga 250: Passage of the 19th Amendment in Tennessee gave women the vote

by Ben Benton ·June 24, 2026

In 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, and was the final state needed to achieve a two-thirds majority for passage.

Staff file Photo by Matt Hamilton / A mural features Harry T. Burn and other important figures for suffrage for women at the library in Niota, Tenn. In 1920, Tennessee House Rep. Harry T. Burn, of McMinn County, cast the deciding vote to ratify the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.

Former McMinn County jailer charged with official misconduct

by Ben Benton ·June 24, 2026

Sheriff: Officer accused of bringing contraband tobacco to inmate

Staff Photo by Ben Benton / The McMinn County Justice Center in Athens, Tenn., is pictured. A former correctional officer at the McMinn County Jail faces arraignment June 29, 2026, on an official misconduct charge related to the alleged introduction of contraband into the facility.

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Chattanooga 250: City born as gateway to the West amid Indian removal

by Ben Benton ·June 19, 2026

Town once named for Cherokee chief takes on name from Muscogee language

Chattanooga Public Library / This photograph shows an 1871 map of Chattanooga from bird's eye view.

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Chattanooga 250: Trail of Tears marked pivotal time in U.S. history

by Ben Benton ·June 19, 2026

The removal of indigenous people between 1830 and 1850 marked a pivotal time in U.S. history, when America's native people became pawns in a power struggle for land, rivers and resources. The forced march west -- in Cherokee called "Nunna-da-ul-tsun-yi," meaning "the place where they cried" -- beca

Staff file photo by Ben Benton / A segment of the original roadbed of the path now known as the Cherokee Trail of Tears lies along Tennessee Highway 60 on the Hamilton-Meigs county line, a few miles east of the new Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park on the Tennessee River at the site where the Cherokee crossed on their forced march west in 1838.

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Chattanooga 250: Indigenous homeland uprooted in frontier struggle

by Ben Benton ·June 19, 2026

Chickamauga Cherokee Dragging Canoe led opposition against settlers

Chattanooga Public Library / Chattanooga and Moccasin Bend are seen from Lookout Mountain, circa 1863. Moccasin Bend, on the National Register of Historic Places and a National Landmark, is a treasure trove of indigenous history.

Attempted second-degree murder charge filed in stabbing

by Ben Benton ·June 15, 2026

A Bradley County man is behind bars on a charge of attempted second-degree murder following a stabbing incident in the Charleston community near the Hiwasse River and a manhunt.

Bradley County Sheriff's Office / Robert D. Partin, 28.

House passes feasibility study to add Benton MacKaye to scenic trail system

by Ben Benton ·June 14, 2026

A North Georgia-based nonprofit conservation group is celebrating the successful passage of the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act of 2025 by the full U.S. House.

Contributed photo / The Benton MacKaye Trail offers this view from Big Frog Mountain in Polk County, Tenn., near the Georgia state line. A congressional bill now in the Senate seeks a feasibility study of the trail for possible designation as a National Scenic Trail.

Off-duty Tennessee trooper involved in June 2 shooting taken off the road

by Ben Benton ·June 12, 2026

A Tennessee state trooper has been decommissioned after being charged with three counts of aggravated assault in a June 2 shooting incident in Grundy County.