
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 11, 1990                   TAG: 9007110462
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: YORKTOWN                                LENGTH: Medium

WOUNDED DEPUTY SEEKS $250,000 FROM WOMAN

A York County deputy sheriff with a bullet lodged in his heart has filed a $250,000 lawsuit against a mental patient who allegedly shot him two years ago.

"I just felt it's something she shouldn't have done" said Sgt. John Frank Green Jr. "It was a hardship on me and my wife. It was trying."

Since the incident July 10, 1988, Florence Blankenship, 51, has been in custody at Central State Hospital in Petersburg. She is undergoing mental therapy and could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit claims Green, 31, is due $250,000 compensation because Blankenship's negligence caused him physical injuries, mental pain, medical expenses and loss of income.

Blankenship allegedly shot Green as he and two other officers responded to an emergency call at her Grafton home.

Blankenship was charged with attempted capital murder in the shooting. She also was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a houseguest, Chip Eagle, 19, the same night.

If Green wins the case, the money would be recovered from her homeowner's insurance, his attorney said.

Sheriff P.S. Williams said he believes Green is the only deputy shot in the line of duty in York County since Williams joined the force 38 years ago.

Green was hospitalized nine days. He returned to work three months after the shooting.

Green says he is now more cautious when approaching strangers' homes and always wears his bullet-proof vest. "It's a lesson learned the hard way."

Lawyers for Blankenship have not filed any response to Green's suit, and no trial date has been set.

The criminal charges, which have been delayed while pyschiatrists evaluate her mental competency, may be scheduled for a hearing soon. A May 30 letter from the state Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation in her court file indicates that she now meets the criteria for competency.

One of Blankenship's defense attorneys, John C. Stephens, said he will request another evaluation. If that evaluation shows Blankenship is competent, a trial date will be set. If it does not, he will request another competency hearing.

by CNB