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Virginia judge facing legal troubles
Staff Report
HILLSVILLE, Va. - A judge who presides over Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Carroll and Grayson counties and the city of Galax is facing a hit-and-run charge, in addition to an earlier drunk-driving offense.
Keith Blankenship, 43, of Wytheville, the former Wythe County commonwealth's attorney, is accused of hit and run in connection with an April 27 incident in Powhatan County near Richmond, according to the Virginia State Police.
A car driven by the judge allegedly ran off the right side of a roadway and struck a telephone box. Heavy damage also was caused to a nearby yard, and a tree was uprooted as the vehicle headed up an embankment and left the scene, the state agency said.
Police later located Blankenship at a hotel in Chesterfield County, and he was served with a warrant on the misdemeanor hit-and-run violation Saturday morning at his Wytheville residence.
On March 1, the Virginia State Police had charged Blankenship with driving under the influence and refusing a breathalyzer test on Interstate 81 in Smyth County in western Virginia.
He is facing a May 20 court appearance on the DUI case, while no court date has been set for the hit-and-run matter.
The judge had been scheduled to preside over Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Carroll County on Monday and in Grayson County on Tuesday, but did not attend either session, requiring substitutes to be sought.
There has been no word on whether Blankenship has been suspended.
Keith Blankenship, 43, of Wytheville, the former Wythe County commonwealth's attorney, is accused of hit and run in connection with an April 27 incident in Powhatan County near Richmond, according to the Virginia State Police.
A car driven by the judge allegedly ran off the right side of a roadway and struck a telephone box. Heavy damage also was caused to a nearby yard, and a tree was uprooted as the vehicle headed up an embankment and left the scene, the state agency said.
Police later located Blankenship at a hotel in Chesterfield County, and he was served with a warrant on the misdemeanor hit-and-run violation Saturday morning at his Wytheville residence.
On March 1, the Virginia State Police had charged Blankenship with driving under the influence and refusing a breathalyzer test on Interstate 81 in Smyth County in western Virginia.
He is facing a May 20 court appearance on the DUI case, while no court date has been set for the hit-and-run matter.
The judge had been scheduled to preside over Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Carroll County on Monday and in Grayson County on Tuesday, but did not attend either session, requiring substitutes to be sought.
There has been no word on whether Blankenship has been suspended.
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