Magoffin native promoted to KSP major.

Kentucky State Police Major John C. Blanton, Salyersville native and resident, received his promotion certificate last week in Frankfort.  Blanton is the son of Ed and Pansy Blanton of Salyersville.
During his 20 years of service for KSP, Blanton worked as a road trooper for six years, a detective with the Drug Enforcement Special Investigations East Branch for nearly seven years and a chaplain for the Employee Assistance Branch for five years.
Blanton was then promoted to lieutenant and transferred to the Madisonville Post, where he worked as the operations lieutenant for a year before moving back to Employee Assistance in Frankfort.
He was promoted to captain after eight months and became the post commander for the Henderson Post.
After ten months he was transferred to the Morehead Post as post commander. He was there nearly a year when he received this recent promotion. He will now transfer to the Administrative Division, Operational Support Troop in Frankfort.
Blanton is a moderator for the State Road United Baptist Church and the Rockhouse United Baptist Church, both in Magoffin County.
Blanton said he made the decision to join the Kentucky State Police after he started college.
Blanton is a 1986 graduate of Magoffin County High School and a 1990 graduate of the University of Kentucky-Prestonsburg Community College, with an associate degree in science. He is currently working toward his bachelor’s in sociology with an emphasis in criminology, which will provide him the opportunity to get his master’s in criminology later on, leaving him open to teach at the college level if he chooses to in the future.
About furthering his education, Blanton said, “I’m finishing what I started and I have a different attitude than I did 20 years ago. I find learning to be exciting and intriguing. I’m there because I want to be there and I enjoy my classes. I don’t feel that obligation I did back then.”
Blanton said he looks forward to continuing to contribute to the KSP and its success and the ability to provide a service to the Commonwealth.
He said he has enjoyed all the positions he has held with the KSP, especially the work he did with narcotics, because of the obvious changes and the positive impact they have on communities.