An unsettling incident on the picturesque Blue Ridge Parkway has led to a decade-long prison sentence for a North Carolina man. Evan William Blankenship, aged 23, from Whittier, will be behind bars for 120 months followed by a three-year term of supervised release. This sentence comes after his guilty plea to firearm possession and discharge during a violent crime, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of North Carolina.
Details emerge from court documents and proceedings that in the predawn moments of September 28, 2023, two individuals, identified only by their initials L.P. and L.M., fell prey to Blankenship's violent outburst while parked at Water Rock Knob Overlook. The assailant brandished a semi-automatic pistol at them and, in a vicious attempt, tried to drag L.P. from the vehicle by their hair and arm, striking them and causing hearing damage, before indiscriminately opening fire into the air. This assault, born from an obsession, could trace its roots to a digital footprint on Snapchat, where Blankenship supposedly used the app's location feature to track down L.P., as informed by the victim to investigators.
Thankfully, the traumatic episode did not escalate beyond the would-be kidnapping, as L.M. was able to persuade Blankenship to release them. They reported the assault posthaste, leading to Blankenship's arrest on October 11, 2023.
The swift and thorough response of the National Park Service to investigate and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to assist has been commended by U.S. Attorney King. With the rule of law wielded properly, Blankenship now awaits transfer to federal Bureau of Prisons custody, where it is hoped that the time served will contribute to a reckoning of his actions. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott from the Asheville office. As the justice system closes this chapter, one is reminded of the fragile peace that lies in our public spaces, often hanging by a thread—a tranquil veneer sometimes pierced by the turmoil of human failings.
