New River Valley News, Weather, and Events for Today  
Sunday, 07 September 2008
DUI Charge Against Area Judge Reduced PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Grimes   

A Juvenile and Domestics Relations Court, who presides over cases in the New River Valley, had his DUI charged reduced to reckless driving Tuesday afternoon in Smyth County General District Court.

Michael Keith Blankenship, 44, of Wytheville, pled guilty to the reduced charge of reckless driving and to refusing to submit to a Breathalyzer test. He was fined $100 and his driver’s license was suspended for one year.

Blankenship was originally charged with DUI after Virginia State Trooper Ronnie Collins observed him driving erratically on Interstate 81 in Smythe County on March 1, 2008.

Judge Blankenship is not out of the woods yet, as he still faces a misdemeanor hit and run charge from an incident, which took place on April 27 in Powhatan County.

According to the Virginia State Police, it’s alleged that Blankenship was traveling north on Huguenot Springs Road when he ran off the right side of the road and hit a telephone line box. Blankenship's car then did "substantial" damage to an adjacent yard before getting back on the roadway and then running off the light side of the road.

Police say the vehicle went up an embankment and uprooted a tree before leaving the scene of the accident.

The Virginia State Police issued the charge on May 3.

His hearing in Powhatan County General District Court is scheduled for 11 a.m. on June 27.

Currently, Blankenship is not presiding over any court cases.

Blankenship, who hears cases primarily in the Wythe County, sits in the 27th Judicial District, which covers Montgomery, Floyd, Giles, Pulaski, Carroll, Wythe, Grayson and Bland counties and the cities of Radford and Galax.

Comments (0)Add Comment

Write comment
quote
bold
italicize
underline
strike
url
image
quote
quote
smile
wink
laugh
grin
angry
sad
shocked
cool
tongue
kiss
cry
smaller | bigger

busy
 
< Prev   Next >
Advertisement
 
Click for Blacksburg, Virginia Forecast
NRV Calendar, Info and Events
  • Open Company Dance Class
    September 07, 2008
    Modern Dance technique Open Company Class with d a n a h b e l l a DanceWorks Sundays, 315-430 (beginning 9/7/08) Admission Free.
  • International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
    September 08, 2008
    Monday, September 8th from 5:30pm to 8:00pm at the Courtyard by Marriott, South Main Street in Blacksburg. Chapter President Sandy Graham, CPS/CAP will give a presentation entitled LEADERSHIP RESPONSES TO MOVING THE FURNITURE. This presentation is...
  • Radford Fiddle and Banjo Jam on The Coffee Mill Sidewalk
    September 08, 2008
    The Coffee Mill invites you to come join in this bluegrass jam session. You can join in with your own instrument or just enjoy the sounds. They advise that you come early to get your table as a large crowd typically gathers. Whether you're an...
  • Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Meeting
    September 08, 2008
    September 8th. Public meetings are the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Montgomery County Government Center, 755 Roanoke Street in Christiansburg. Closed sessions begin at 6pm. Open sessions begin at 7:15pm. Citizens are invited to attend,...
  • Business Resource and Entrepreneurialism Workshops
    September 09, 2008
    Tuesday, September 9th. A series of workshops will be held on the second Tuesday of each month located at the Pulaski Elementary School. These workshops are free and open to the public. This session will begin at 5:30 pm and end at 7:00 pm September 9th.
View Full Calendar
Add New Event
NRV Calendars
Discover Virginia
Montgomery Va Government
Roanoke Times
Southwest Times (Pulaski)
Town of Blacksburg
Virginian Leader (Giles)
WSLS Channel 10
Everything NRV
Community News
NRV Community News Archives
New River Valley Events
Severe Weather Resources
Advertisement
EverythingNRV Login
JoomlaWatch Stats 1.2.0