Local man sentenced to 9 years in prison for kidnapping, assault

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - On June 14, the New Hanover County Superior Court sentenced a Pender County man to 8.75 years in prison for kidnapping and torturing a man in a motel. Richard Carl Blanton, 32, entered into an Alford guilty plea, meaning he did not admit to crime but admits that the evidence against him is convincing.

According to a North Carolina Sixth Prosecutorial District release, police found the 32-year-old injured victim at McDonald’s at 4301 Market Street on March 28 at around 6:30 a.m. He said that he had been lured into the Travel Inn by someone he had meet a few days ago. When he arrived at the motel, he was tied up and tortured for several hours by Blanton and his co-defendants.

The victim said that the group accused him of sexually assaulting one of the women involved and threatened to kill him. The victim denies the accusation of sexual assault. The group stole the victim’s money, watch and truck.

The man escaped the room to the McDonald’s and was transported to the hospital for his injuries.

Blanton admits to hitting the victim several times but blames the others “for going too far.” The victim says that Blanton was one of the primary aggressors. As of June 20, Charges are pending for Blanton’s co-defendants: 23-year-old Kimberly Martinez, 27-year-old Alvin Sabatell and 32-year-old Kayla Floyd.

Blanton was found guilty of 1st Degree Kidnapping, Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, and Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury.

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