Blue Ridge Parkway attempted kidnapping: Man faces federal charges, used Snapchat to track
ASHEVILLE — A Western North Carolina man has been arrested and formally charged by a grand jury with attempting to kidnap two victims in September on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced in an Oct. 18 news statement.
Evan William Blankenship, 22, of Whittier, faces one charge of kidnapping, two counts of assault with intent to commit a felony, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm, and possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Blankenship was arrested Oct. 11 and remains in federal custody, according to the news release. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.
What happened, according to court documents?
On Sept. 28 around 3:15 a.m., victims L.P. and L.M. were parked alone, at the Waterrock Knob Overlook off the Blue Ridge Parkway, together in a car belonging to L.P.’s mother, according to a criminal complaint affidavit. The overlook is at Milepost 455 on the parkway, about 65 miles southwest of Asheville in Haywood and Jackson counties.
“Suddenly, a white Chevrolet Camaro sped into the parking area,” Special Agent Robert Toler of the National Park Service wrote in the document. “The driver accelerated around the parking lot once before heading toward L.M.’s car and abruptly stopping.”
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The court document then details how Blankenship opened the passenger door of L.M.’s car and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the two individuals. He then pulled L.P. out of the car by her hair and right arm, telling her to get in his car and threatening to hurt them if she didn’t comply.
When L.P. asked if Blankenship was planning to rape her, he nodded his head “yes,” according to the criminal complaint document. Blankenship then allegedly hit L.P. in the face, causing bruising and temporary hearing loss, and fired his gun into the air before pointing it again at the victims.
L.M. eventually convinced Blankenship to let them go, according to allegations in the affidavit. When the victims reported the incident to law enforcement, L.P. “told investigators that she knew Blankenship through Snapchat and believed Blankenship had used Snapchat’s location sharing feature to find her on the Blue Ridge Parkway,” the news release says.
When law enforcement interviewed Blankenship on Sept. 29, he originally claimed that he drank excessively on Sept. 27, then woke up on Sept. 28 and noticed his car was out of gas but had no recollection of what happened, the document details.
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Defendant allegedly said he used Snapchat to track down victims
When law enforcement questioned him further, Blankenship said he and L.P. were “friends with benefits” and had been exchanging nude photos, the criminal complaint affidavit alleges. He had texted L.P. to hangout that night, who responded that she was tired and planned to be at home.
He later noticed L.P. was on the parkway based on her Snapchat location. Blankenship became upset and decided to go “scare her,” the document says.
Blankenship then admitted to driving his Camaro to the area, opening their passenger door with his 9 mm Glock in hand, and ordering her to get into his car, the document says. Blankenship told law enforcement that he slapped L.P. when she reached for her phone. Once L.M. convinced him that what he was doing was wrong, he let them leave.
“He followed them down the Parkway, then texted L.P. not to mention the incident to anyone,” the affidavit says. “He then changed the settings in Snapchat to immediately delete their messages.”
In the news release, King thanked the National Park Service for their investigation and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the case. Debra A. Flowers, parkway acting chief ranger, joined King in making the announcement.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Man faces federal charges in Blue Ridge Parkway attempted kidnapping
