A Frankford man was taken into custody following a reported domestic disturbance involving a firearm on May 23, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies A.B. Davis and Deputy Pack responded to a call on Williamsburg Road after dispatchers received reports of an intoxicated man with a firearm inside a residence where two children were also present. According to the complaint, the victim, identified as Ashley Hale, reportedly suffered bruising to her arm and a cut to her forehead.
When deputies arrived, they located the suspect, identified as Michael Blankenship, at a nearby residence on Deer Point Road. Officers used verbal commands and eventually took Blankenship into custody without incident. During the investigation, another woman at the scene was temporarily detained after deputies said she became disruptive while officers attempted to secure the area but was later allowed to go into the residence and care for the two children.
According to the complaint, Blankenship told deputies he had been drinking with others earlier in the evening and became involved in an altercation while trying to break up a fight between two women, allegedly Hale and another, Christina Lewis. Deputies noted that Blankenship appeared to have scratch marks on his neck during the encounter.
Investigators later returned to speak again with Hale, who told deputies she had been assaulted at two separate locations that evening. Officers documented multiple visible injuries, including a black eye, bruising and a laceration above her eye. Photographs of the injuries were taken as part of the investigation. She stated she did not want to file an DVP–“no, not tonight,” she said– after being advised of her rights as a domestic violence victim.
Blankenship was taken to Southern Regional Jail in Beaver. As for the other female that was allegedly fighting with Hale, a further investigation is required. The case remains pending in Greenbrier County Magistrate Court.
Disclaimer: A criminal complaint is an accusation. All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The information provided is sourced from public records and official statements from the Greenbrier County Magistrate Court and law enforcement agencies.
