Chickamauga native Wesley Bohanon was involved in a head-on collision on LaFayette Road in October 2022. As the US Park Ranger investigated, he learned that immediately after the accident, Bohanon ran into the nearby woods, placed something on the ground, and returned to his vehicle.
The ranger discovered a small plastic container hidden in the woods that contained white crystals. Subsequently, Bohanon was found to be in possession of a loaded .40 caliber handgun, small plastic baggies, $500 in cash, colored powder, and 25.8 grams of methamphetamine.
Bohanon was placed under arrest for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and transported to the Catoosa County Jail.
Later, a search warrant was issued for Bohanon’s cellular phone, which corroborated the charge of possession with the intent to distribute. He was later sentenced in Catoosa County Court to 15 years, with the first seven years to be served in confinement and the remainder to be served on probation. Bohanon is currently being housed in the Clayton County Correctional Institution.
Chickamauga Battlefield is preserved to commemorate the Battle of Chickamauga and the lives lost during that struggle. It provides a space for almost a million people each year to follow in the footsteps of soldiers engaged in the battle, to recreate, and to connect with nature. Drug use and weapons violations in the national military park are investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of federal and state laws.