| July 5,
2004 |
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| Man
Accused of Ramming Patrol Car with Truck |
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A Burke deputy said his
patrol car was rammed by a stolen truck during a low speed police pursuit on
Interstate 40. Officers arrested the driver after the truck was reportedly
disabled by "stop sticks" and gun fire.
David Wayne Blankenship
(right), 35, of Hildebran is facing numerous
charges in the Friday night incident. |
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| According to Sgt. Alan Cobb of the Burke County
Sheriff's Office, deputies were dispatched to a trespassing call at a mobile
home park on Curly's Fish Camp Road in Hildebran around 8:41 p.m. on July
2nd. The officers encountered Blankenship, who reportedly was standing
close to a black Dodge Ram truck |
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| Cobb said a complainant wanted Blankenship
arrested for trespassing on the property. When officers told Blankenship to
roll up the windows of the truck and come along, the man reportedly got inside
and drove off through a field as officers pursued. |
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| The blue light and siren chase, which reportedly
stayed around 65 miles per hour, proceeded onto I-40 west for several miles.
Morganton officers punctured the front tires with "stop sticks" at the Bethel
Road exit, according to Cobb. |
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| Cobb said that while on the Bethel Road
off-ramp, Blankenship sped forward and rammed his patrol car, causing
considerable damage. The truck veered off of the road and came to a stop. |
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| Cobb reportedly exited his patrol vehicle with
his gun drawn, and as Blankenship attempted to drive away, Cobb fired two shots
into the truck's rear tires. |
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| The truck was still able to leave the scene with
officers in pursuit, but eventually came to a halt on Knollwood Drive in the
South Forest development. Blankenship was arrested without further incident,
Cobb said. Officers also learned the truck had been reported stolen from
the city of Hickory. |
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| Blankenship was charged with felonious assault
with a deadly weapon on a government official, possession of stolen property,
felonious speeding to elude arrest, driving while license revoked, careless and
reckless driving, and failure to stop for blue light and siren. He was jailed
under a $26,000 secured bond and will have a first court appearance on July
7th. |
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| Assisting Burke County in the incident was the
Valdese Police Department, N.C. State Highway Patrol, and Morganton Department
of Public Safety. |
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| ************************************************************** |
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