Just after 4 a.m. on June 14, 2024, King was driving west on Millville Avenue (Ohio 129) when his vehicle struck Mary Beth Blankenship, a Hanover Twp. woman who was walking near the intersection of Columbus Drive West, heading home after celebrating her 37th birthday, according to reports. She was found by a deputy sheriff on the northwest corner of the Millville/Columbus intersection, according to the report.
After the accident, King fled the scene and continued driving west on Millville Avenue. Blankenship died of blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office, which ruled her death an accident.
Nearly a week after the accident, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office reported the driver, King, had been identified and it had his vehicle in their possession. King was directly indicted in December for failure to stop after an accident, a third-degree felony, by the Butler County grand jury.
Credit: Provided
Credit: Provided
