Suspect leaps off Kroger rooftop to escape local police

In an effort to escape capture, police say a Corbin man took a 20-foot plunge from the roof of Kroger on Cumberland Falls Hwy. Friday night and was apparently uninjured.
An arrest warrant has been issued for 20-year-old Ricky Blankenship in connection with the incident. Authorities claim the man, along with a 15-year-old male juvenile, were attempting to steal tire rims from a vehicle locked in a storage lot behind Forest Bowling lanes before the pursuit began.
At about 8:00 p.m. Friday, a caller told Corbin police that two men had broken into the fenced lot and were in the process of taking the rims off a Chevrolet Cavalier. Corbin Police Officer Glenn Taylor, Jr. said he arrived on the scene, unbeknownst to the two suspects.
“They were back there taking them off when I got there,” Taylor said. “They didn’t see me pull up, so I sneaked around. When I first confronted them, they were inside the fence … they were trapped for a while.”
Blankenship and the juvenile were able to jump the flimsy fence and split up in an attempt to elude police.
Taylor said he and another officer finally captured the juvenile after locating him hiding underneath a vehicle in a nearby parking lot. Police had to use a tazer on him before taking him into custody.
Blankenship proved a more challenging catch.
“Ricky jumped the fence then ran over to the back part of Kroger, jumped up on an awning, pulled himself up, and was able to jump up on the roof of the building,” Taylor said. “He kind of dangled from the corner of the roof and jumped down. It’s at least 20 feet! He landed and just took off running.”
Corbin dispatchers received numerous calls of citizens who spotted Blankenship after his acrobatic leap. Police discontinued the chase when a heavy storm made pursuit difficult.
“This boy is tall, skinny and he can run,” Taylor said. “Had it been somebody other than a little thug fall that far, it probably would have killed them.”
Taylor said Blankenship ran to a residence near Corbin High School and got a ride from a girl he knows in the area. Police are currently investigating whether the girl knowingly aided Blankenship in his escape, and added that charges against her could be forthcoming.
The juvenile is currently lodged in the Breathitt County juvenile detention facility and is facing burglary and theft related charges. Taylor said neither of the two suspects was able to get away with any valuables.
Anyone with knowledge regarding Blankenship’s whereabouts is encouraged to call Corbin Police at 528-1122.