A Hood to Coast runner who took a Honey Bucket truck on a middle-of-the-night joy ride has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for driving drunk and veering into four fellow runners sleeping in a field.
Headlights and screams from others at the rural Columbia County field alerted David Jon Blackmon’s victims that he was about to drive over their sleeping bags at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2017, authorities said.
Three of the four were able to jump out of the way, but Blackmon struck and dragged one woman, pinning her leg under the wheel of the truck as he came to a stop. He then ran off, according to investigators.
A police dog later found Blackmon hiding in some woods near Birkenfeld, next to Exchange 24 of the 198-mile relay race, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
A Honey Bucket employee had driven the Ford F250 work truck to the exchange point that night to clean portable toilets when Blackmon stole it, investigators said.
The injured woman, Cynthia Gillespie of Canby, was rushed away by ambulance. She told KATU at the time that medical staff said she was “very lucky” that she had no broken bones, but she did suffer bruised muscles. She said she and her teammates had been resting in a designated sleeping area.
During a hearing in Columbia County Circuit Court, Blackmon pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of intoxicants, two counts of fourth-degree assault for injuring Gillespie and another woman who managed to dive out of the way and two counts of reckless endangerment for putting the two other runners in danger.
Other charges — including unauthorized use of a vehicle — were dismissed.
At the time of Hood to Coast 2017, Blackmon was under orders to refrain from drinking alcohol because he’d been charged with a DUII in Deschutes County the previous month. Blackmon, who lived in Bend at the time, later pleaded no contest and was allowed to enter a diversion program.
Blackmon, 38, has since moved to Portland.
‘I apologize’
On Feb. 20 in the courtroom of Judge Ted Grove, Blackmon turned to face Gillespie and other runners who were there for his sentencing hearing and said he was sorry. That’s according to the Columbia County Spotlight, which first reported Blackmon’s convictions.
“I’m grateful to everyone who has shown me a measure of grace,” Blackmon said, according to the Spotlight. “I heard you loud and clear, and I apologize.”
Blackmon’s Portland attorney, Kevin Sali, declined comment for this story. District Attorney Jeff Auxier said the victims urged his office to accept the terms of the plea agreement proposed by the defense, because the victims wanted to give Blackmon a chance to rehabilitate.
“This is an offer we would not have accepted had the victims not asked us to accept it,” Auxier said.
The plea agreement allows Blackmon to be released from jail to work in his job as a licensed mortgage broker in Portland while serving his sentence. His driver’s license was suspended for three years, he’ll be on probation for five years and he must undergo an alcohol evaluation and treatment if it’s found necessary.
If he doesn’t follow the terms of his probation, Blackmon has agreed to allow prosecutors to seek a conviction for a felony hit-and-run driving, “which would have a devastating effect on his professional license,” according to court papers.
Hood to Coast organizers said the injured runner’s team later was able to cross the finish line at Seaside “in an emotional move.” The race banned Blackmon from participating in the relay again.
