Blankenship to lose license for at least 30 days

 

Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and reckless operation of a vehicle during an appearance Wednesday morning in Greenup County, Ky., District Court.

Judge Brian McCloud suspended Blankenship’s driver’s license 30 days but said that is the amount of time Kentucky requires and Ohio, the state that issued Blankenship’s license, may require more.

McCloud also fined the mayor $200 and ordered him to pay $375 in court costs. Blankenship will have to take a substance abuse class to get his license reinstated.

After the hearing, Blankenship apologized for the incident.

“I’m human and I made a mistake,” he said. “I do not condone this behavior and I took full responsibility for it today. I did as I would have expected anyone else to do. It will not happen again. From here I want to move forward and do the best I can to lead the city of Ironton.”

In the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 5, Blankenship was pulled over in Worthington, Ky., while traveling southbound on U.S. 23.

The then-Raceland, Ky., officer John Ross stated in his report that he “observed Blankenship cross the outside lines of the roadway more than 10 times” and that they drove a half a mile before Ross was able to get the mayor to pull over.

Blankenship was taken first to Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital for a blood alcohol test, which Ross said the mayor refused. Blankenship was then arrested and taken to the Greenup County Detention Center.