A would-be kidnapper may have used Snapchat to find and assault two people on the Blue Ridge Parkway last month, officials said on Oct 18 after a grand jury in Charlotte indicted him.
The North Carolina man could spend life in prison for the kidnapping and assault, which his victims said happened at the parkway’s popular Water Rock Knob Overlook on Sept 28, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office of the Western District of North Carolina.
The crime, officials said, may have stemmed from a “friends with benefits” relationship.
According to court records, the man accused in the case told investigating agents he’d met a woman online and was exchanging nude photos with her.
But when she refuted advances to meet, he got mad and decided to find her to “scare her”, by using Snapchat’s location information.
At a popular Blue Ridge Parkway overlook, he found the woman in a car with another man around 3.15am.
National Park Service officials said Evan William Blankenship, 22, of Whittier, drove to the overlook, which is less than 10 miles southwest of Maggie Valley, found the couple in a car and pointed a semi-automatic gun at them. At one point, he allegedly shot the gun in the air before pointing it back at them, according to the release.
Blankenship tried to pull the woman, identified as “L.P.” in the news release, out of the car by her arm and hair before hitting her in the face, causing her temporary hearing loss.
The man, identified as “L.M.”, convinced Blankenship to let the two go after the couple promised not to report it to police.
Blankenship, court records allege, followed the couple down the mountain before driving away. The indictment paperwork says “Despite the early morning hour, the pair eventually found law enforcement.”
“L.P.” told authorities she knew Blankenship through Snapchat and believed he used the social media app’s location-sharing feature to find her on the overlook – which is the most-visited spot on the parkway, according to the National Park Service.
Snapchat, an app that allows users to post and send photos and videos to other users, also has a “Snap Map” that allows people to see other’s location, which is updated any time the app is opened. In 2018, Snapchat added a feature to allow users to decide who can see their location.
The woman Blankenship was after told authorities she’d previously hung out with him once but they didn’t know each other beyond Snapchat, court documents show.
Police arrested Blankenship on Oct 11. He remains in federal custody.
Court records in the case were unsealed this week after a grand jury determined there was enough evidence to charge Blankenship with with 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.
If convicted, he could face life in prison for the kidnapping charge.
Each of the four assault charges have a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Firing his gun could add at least 10 years to his sentence, according to the news release. The maximum sentence for firing a weapon in furtherance of a crime is life in prison. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
