Man accused of hitting woman during driving aggression incident on Limestone Street is arrested

A man accused of punching a woman in the face during an aggressive driving spree on Limestone Street last month has been arrested.

Darrell Jason Blankenship, 43, of Corbin was arrested by U.S. Marshals Thursday, according to a complaint filed in Fayette District Court. He is charged with second-degree assault and menacing.

The victim, Kasey Dickens, told police she was stopped in traffic with her window rolled down when another driver, later identified as Blankenship, “approached her from behind, grabbed her by the shoulder while shouting profanities” and when she turned to face him, “punched her twice in the face and then walked back to his vehicle,” according to a criminal complaint filed in court.

Dickens told police that Blankenship said he was “mad at her because she almost hit his vehicle.”

Dickens' friend, Jonah Gentry, was driving another vehicle that was stopped in traffic next to Blankenship's. Police said Gentry did not realize Dickens had been attacked, got out and confronted Blankenship, telling him to get back in his car.

The complaint states that Blankenship “responded to Mr. Gentry that he had something for him and pointed to his vehicle where Mr. Gentry could see two large dogs (possibly pit bulls),” which alarmed Gentry, according to police.

As they walked down the street and Gentry learned that Dickens was injured, “they stopped and called the police and an ambulance,” the complaint states.

Dickens suffered a broken nose, a concussion and an eye injury in the attack, according to a GoFundMe account set up to pay her medical bills.

According to a criminal complaint, police used camera footage and the city's flock camera system to identify the vehicle. Family members of the registered owner and people they had recently sold the vehicle to identified Blankenship as the driver. Blankenship also matched the victim's description and owns two large pit bulls, the complaint states.

Blankenship was being held Friday night at the Fayette County Detention Center on $20,000 bail.