Above: The scene of the standoff at Marion Street. Photo by Sherrie Muasau.
The Benton Police Department arrested a resident after standoff on Thursday, September 11, 2025. Read more below.
Benton officers responded to the 1000 Block of River St. just after 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The call was about an individual following a postal worker and acting erratically.
Officers located the suspect, Christopher Blankenship, age 35, of Benton, in the nearby area. He exited his vehicle but then returned and refused to get out.
After approximately 90 minutes in a standoff, where he refused to exit his vehicle, he was taken into custody, without injury.
Pictured above: Christopher Blankenship
Blankenship was charged with the following:
Harassment (A/M),
Fail to Yield to Emergency Vehicle,
Obstructing Governmental Operations (A/M),
Resisting Arrest (A/M), and
Criminal Mischief 2nd (D/F).
Benton Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division detectives responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information that may be pertinent to this investigation is urged to contact BNPD at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Anonymous tips may also be sent via text to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the message or at www.cityprotect.com.
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