Curtis T. Blackburn

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PRESTONSBURG — A Floyd County elected official was in court Wednesday to review his case after allegedly violating the terms of his probation following a drug arrest during the holidays.

According to court documents, County Surveyor Curtis T. Blackburn, 63, was arrested Dec. 20, on one count of first-degree possession of a controlled substance and one count of controlled substance not in its original container.

Blackburn was arrested following a traffic stop near Jenny Wiley Village, when officers noted that a passenger in his vehicle, Kelly Key, had an active warrant. According to the police report, officers were given permission, by Blackburn, to search the vehicle. During the search, officers found “a small dark colored glass bottle containing four round blue pills,” in the back floor board of the vehicle’s passenger side.

According to the police report, poison control identified the pill’s markings as being those of30 mg oxycondone tablets, a Schedule II narcotic.

Blackburn was arrested and transported to the Floyd County Detention Center. He was released the same day on a $5,000 surety bond.

On Tuesday, a bench warrant was issued after he allegedly failed to meet the terms of his probation.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Blackburn’s probation was reinstated and he was released on pretrial monitoring, which includes a pill count, levels testing and strict drug testing by the courts to be certain that no abuse of his legally prescribed medicine is occurring.

Blackburn was elected to the position of Floyd County Surveyor in 2010, following a nailbiter race between five candidates. Blackburn defeated among others, incumbent Teresa Hall, and took 29 percent of the votes. Despite his position as County Surveyor, Blackburn’s name does not appear on the list of 22 people in Floyd County who currently hold a surveyor’s license by the Kentucky Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors.