Sallisaw man found with stolen car, camper trailer

A Sallisaw man is facing multiple charges in Sequoyah County District Court after he was found to be driving a stolen vehicle and living in a stolen camper trailer, last month.

Kristian J. Blankenship, 34, was charged on Feb. 21 with a felony count of possession of a stolen vehicle. He received a $20,000 bond in the first felony case after pleading not guilty to his charge.

Blankenship was additionally charged on the same day with knowingly receiving or concealing stolen property, possession of a controlled dangerous substance ( methamphetamine) and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia after allegedly stealing a camper trailer. He received a $3,000 bond and pled not guilty to his charges.

He is now scheduled to appear for a March 12 felony disposition docket before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters in both cases, according to court records.

In the first case, Sallisaw Police officer Lalita Armer reported on Feb. 5 that officers were following a possible stolen vehicle, a 2015 silver Hyundai, southbound on Hwy. 59 when they lost sight of it.

Armer reported seeing the vehicle matching the description of the one police were looking for traveling westbound on on Redwood, and after calling in the tag information to dispatch, she was told the vehicle had been reported stolen from Fort Smith, Ark.

Armer initiated a traffic stop on Wheeler and Pine Streets, where she and other officers removed the driver, Blankenship, and his passenger, identified as Reiley Nodine, by gunpoint. Both were taken into custody and transported to the Sallisaw Police Department for booking.

The registered owner confirmed the vehicle belonged to them, reporting it as stolen on Jan. 24. A bill of sale was also located, stating Blankenship had allegedly purchased the vehicle from a third party on Jan. 27, 2025.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Nodine claimed she had been picked up by Blankenship and was allowed to leave after it was confirmed she had committed no crime.

In the second incident, Sequoyah County Sheriff deputy Brian Stone reported he and Deputy Shane Petree were dispatched to a location on Hwy. 59 on Feb. 12 in reference to an alleged assault. The alleged victim told authorities that they had allowed Blankenship to stay in a camper trailer on their property but that evening, the two got into an argument regarding a title to a gold Ford Explorer.

The victim alleged that Blankenship “got in their face and then struck their hands with a stick,” according to the probable cause affidavit. The victim showed deputies where the stick had left a bruise where they had allegedly been struck. The victim said they had the stick at first but that Blankenship had taken it from them. They said that Blankenship then drove off in the Ford Explorer.

The victim claimed they’d sold Blankenship the Ford Explorer but that Blankenship had not paid what was owed, and the victim requested that he give the vehicle back. The camper trailer that Blankenship had been staying in on the property was also found to be stolen, according to the affidavit.

Deputies reportedly located the vehicle traveling on Hwy. 59 and when they caught up with it, the driver accelerated at a high rate of speed, allegedly trying to elude police. The vehicle came to a stop at Brushy School where police found Nodine driving. Nodine

$5 told police that she was present when Blankenship had confronted the alleged victim as to why the utilities had been shut off to the camper trailer.

Nodine claimed it was the alleged victim who attacked Blankenship with the stick, threatening to allegedly kill him. She claimed that Blankenship then took the stick from the alleged victim but did not hit them with it. Nodine was then transported to a residence where Blankenship was located and detained for questioning.

When authorities told Blankenship that the camper trailer had been confirmed stolen, he said that he had been staying in it for about two months to take care of some dogs. He claimed that he had purchased the camper trailer from a man in Vian but could not provide the man’s last name. He was then transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center.

Deputy Petree said when he went back to clear the camper trailer to look for additional occupants, he found a plate on a counter with a white crystal substance on it. A razor blade, glass smoking device and a set of working digital scales were also located. The substance later tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.