Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 4, 1994 TAG: 9405040133
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After she got out of the hospital, Mary Allen, 24, of Franklin County told Salem police that doctors told her they'd stopped counting at 500 stitches. In all, Allen says, she had 31 inches of stitches on her arms and shoulder blades.
Allen says she couldn't drive a car for weeks and she still gets tingling and cramps in her left hand. Her shoulder blade is numb, she says.
On Tuesday, a Salem Circuit Court jury convicted the woman who did the slashing, Christine Elizabeth Powles, of assault and battery. The jury sentenced her to 30 days in jail.
Commonwealth's Attorney Fred King had argued that Powles, 23, should be convicted of malicious wounding, a felony. But King said the jury may have been swayed by the fact that Allen had showed up at Powles' house, argued with her and challenged her to a fight. Also, King said, "Everybody told somewhat different stories. It's hard to tell what happened that night."
According to testimony, it started Saturday, Aug. 21. Sheila Blankenship called Powles' boyfriend, Martin Whorley, to try to get him to sell a gearshift knob. Whorley says he told her no, but she persisted and he finally hung up on her. For the rest of the day and the next morning, he and Powles kept getting hang-up calls. He says his Caller I.D. showed the harassing calls were coming from the number Blankenship had called from.
At some point, Powles decided that Mary Allen - who was Whorley's ex-girlfriend - was behind the calls.
Word got back to Allen. On Sunday night, she showed up at Whorley and Powles' house on Camp North Road in Salem.
Allen says she just wanted to talk and straighten things out. "I don't like people to be angry at me," Allen said.
But Powles says Allen, Blankenship and another woman burst into her kitchen and cursed and shoved her.
Powles says she picked up the phone to call the police, but Blankenship grabbed it out of her hand and said she would call 911.
When Officer J.C. Blomberg showed up, Powles was on the front porch and Allen and Blankenship were in the yard, with curses and taunts flying. In all, about 15 people were there, Blomberg says, and "it was pretty much chaos."
Blomberg ordered Allen and Blankenship to leave. He says Powles told him, "If they come back down here, somebody is going to get cut."
The police left, and Allen, Blankenship and a few other women returned a few minutes later.
At first, they stayed along the edge of the yard and traded words with Powles. Allen says she told Powles "10 or 15 times" that she would fight her with her hands - but not with guns or knives. "I'm from Franklin County, and in Franklin County, we don't fight with guns or knives."
Then Blankenship smacked Powles and threw a soft drink bottle at her, according to testimony. Allen says Powles pulled out a box cutter and slashed it in the air to drive Blankenship away. Powles denies that.
Finally, Powles and Allen agreed to meet one-on-one in the driveway. King says Allen believed she was going to "engage in combat" - a fair fight. Powles says she thought they were going to try to talk it out.
Allen says that before she could make a move, Powles whipped out the box cutter and slashed her again and again - the first cut so deep it took 150 stitches to close.
Powles says it happened differently. She says Allen punched her in the face and she fell to the ground. She looked up and saw Blankenship and another woman advancing on her. Powles says she saw a small razor blade - not a box cutter - on the ground and picked it up to defend herself.
Powles, who began crying as soon as she took the witness stand, testified that she had never been in trouble before - not even for a speeding ticket.
Powles said she swung the blade "at the air" with her eyes closed. King, the prosecutor, said it was quite a coincidence that a razor blade just happened to be in the driveway - and that Powles could do so much damage with her eyes closed.
"I was so scared," Powles said. "I just wanted to get away. I didn't mean to cut the girl. ... I'm very sorry. I know that can't take the scar away, but I am sorry. I can't sleep at night."
by CNB