CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WSPA) — A North Carolina man was arrested and has been formally charged on a federal complaint for attempting to kidnap two people on the Blue Ridge Parkway in September.
According to the allegations in the affidavit, on the morning of Sept. 28, two victims were sitting in a parked vehicle at Water Rock Knob Overlook off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The affidavit alleges that 22-year-old Evan Williams Blankenship drove to where the victims were and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at them.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Blankenship attempted to pull one of the victims out of the vehicle by the hair and arm. Over the course of the incident, Blankenship allegedly threatened to hurt both of the victims and hit one in the face causing her temporary hearing loss.
According to the allegations in the affidavit, one of the victims convinced Blankenship to let them go.
Shortly after, the victims reported the incident to law enforcement. One victim told investigators that she knew Blankenship through Snapchat and believed he used Snapchat’s location-sharing feature to find her.
Blankenship was arrested on Oct. 11 and remains in federal custody. He faces charges of 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.
