A Champaign County man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to child endangerment charges connected to a fiery March crash that left two infants trapped inside a burning vehicle along State Route 4.
According to court records filed May 22, Anthony Blankenship entered guilty pleas to two counts of child endangerment. Court records also show that two OVI charges were waived, and a failure to maintain control charge was dismissed as part of the case.
On each child endangerment count, Blankenship was sentenced to 90 days in jail with 75 days suspended, leaving 15 days to be served immediately with no early release. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively, for a total of 30 days in jail.
In addition, Blankenship was ordered to complete 36 months of community control, pay fines and court costs, undergo a chemical dependency assessment, submit to drug and alcohol screens, and report to the Springfield Ohio State Highway Patrol post for fingerprinting.
Court records also state he is prohibited from leaving Ohio without permission, may not have contact with anyone on community control, and is barred from using alcohol or drugs of abuse while on supervision. His driver’s license was also suspended for one year, concurrent with a separate OVI-related suspension effective March 13, 2026.
According to the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash happened just before midnight March 13 on State Route 4 near Hawk Road when the vehicle traveled off the roadway, struck a utility pole and embankment, and caught fire. Deputies rescued two infants trapped inside the burning vehicle moments before it became fully engulfed.
Both children were transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for treatment, while the driver, Anthony Blankenship, was arrested on OVI-related charges.
