WNC man convicted after attempted kidnapping on Blue Ridge Parkway via Snapchat

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A western North Carolina man was sentenced Thursday after being found guilty of attempted kidnapping using a popular app last fall on Blue Ridge Parkway.

Evan William Blankenship, 23, of Whittier, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for the conviction of possession of a firearm during an assault. He was arrested and indicted by a grand jury in Charlotte on October 11.

According to court documents and court proceedings, on September 28, 2023, the two victims, LP and LM, were sitting in a vehicle parked at Water Rock Knob Overlook near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Blankenship drove his vehicle to where the victims were and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at them.

He then attempted to pull LP out of the vehicle by the hair and arm, threatened to harm both victims, and punched LP in the face. Blankenship also fired his firearm into the air before pointing it at the victims again.

Blankenship eventually let the two go and the victims reported the incident to law enforcement. Shortly after. LP informed investigators that she knew Blankenship through the video app Snapchat and believed he used its location sharing feature to find her on Parkway.

Blankenship has remained in federal custody since his arrest. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

U.S. Attorney King thanked the National Park Service for its thorough investigation and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for its assistance in the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Alex M. Scott of the Asheville U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.