Salem Man Sentenced After Armed Confrontation with Police

THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE WASHINGTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE:

On September 29th, 2024, Salem Police Officer Dylan England responded to an alarm activation at the Washington County Food Bank, adjacent Rustic Cuts Hair Salon. Officer England noticed pry marks on a side door upon arrival, suggesting an attempted forced entry. 

Officer England was approached by suspect Charles R. Blankenbaker, who walked over from an apartment nearby. He claimed that his girlfriend was being held against her will and assaulted inside the hair salon. Officers then checked the premises and noted that there was no one inside the salon and urged Blankenbaker to avoid further disturbance. 

The following day, the business owner reported a break-in after discovering that her side door had been kicked in overnight. Officers observed additional damage, including a large hole in the wall connecting the salon to the neighboring apartment where Blankenbaker had been staying.

Lt. Wilcoxson stated that Blankenbaker appeared to be under the influence of drugs and continued to express paranoid delusions involving alleged criminal activity inside the salon and food bank. Blankenbaker became combative and revealed a handgun when officers tried to take him into custody.

“This was a dangerous and unpredictable situation that could have ended much worse. The responding officers showed professionalism and restraint in bringing it to a safe conclusion. Mr. Blankenbaker’s actions endangered himself and the community, and this sentence reflects the seriousness of those choices,” stated Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt. 

Blankenbaker later pleaded guilty to residential entry, resisting law enforcement, criminal mischief, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. On October 27, 2025, Blankenbaker was sentenced in the Washington County Circuit Court to eight years in the Indiana Department of Correction and ordered to pay $3,512.50 in restitution for the benefit of the victims.