A Kenova man faces kidnapping charges after a weekend incident

A Kenova man has been arrested and faces several charges in connection to the kidnapping of a woman from Huntington. Richard Pennington was arrested just after midnight Saturday. He surrendered to investigators following a manhunt after a Huntington woman said he had kidnapped her. According to a news release, West Virginia State Police responded to a domestic situation with weapons on Centerville Road in Prichard on Friday where the victim, Carlie Blankenship, of Huntington, said that Pennington had abducted her at gunpoint. Investigators learned that the suspect backed into Blankenship’s mother’s car before she fought off Pennington and jumped out of the moving car before being transported to Cabell Huntington Hospital. The manhunt ensued for Pennington and authorities were able to contact him in the Prichard area. The investigation is ongoing.