An Elkins man was arrested Tuesday for his alleged part in an incident at a local motel, police said.
Derek Jason Shifflett, 30, of 734 Poe Run Road, was charged with burglary, a felony. Bond was set at $10,000, cash or surety, by Magistrate Rob Elbon in Randolph County Magistrate Court.
According to the criminal complaint, filed by Trooper J.J. Cornelius of the West Virginia State Police, Shifflett and Eddie Ray Collins, 20, of 290 Patricia Ave., greeted officers at the Journeez Bar parking lot in Elkins at 3:30 a.m. July 14 and said a bottle had been thrown at Collins' truck, which was parked in the lot.
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Shifflett
Collins told officers that when he came outside the bar, he saw several individuals running toward the Econo Lodge, and gave police the number of the room he said they were in, the complaint states. Officers found the motel room door had been forcibly opened, with the door dented and the door jamb damaged, Cornelius wrote.
Cornelius and Trooper C.E. Elliott questioned the people in the room, all of whom denied throwing a bottle. They said the door had been kicked in and a man entered with a baseball bat "demanding to know who threw a bottle at his truck," the complaint states.
The officers also spoke with Coach Brett Buchanan, who said "four or five individuals (were) trying to kick in the players' doors," the complaint states.
Buchanan is the head coach for the Beckley American Legion baseball team. The Beckley 14-year-old Babe Ruth team played in the state tournament in Elkins July 14.
Buchanan said he spoke with the men kicking at the doors and got them calmed down, except for Collins, who he said was holding a baseball bat and remained agitated, police said.
Questioned by the officers, Collins said he did not kick in the door, but did say he told the "occupants of the room to 'man up' and admit what happened," Cornelius wrote.
At 3:48 a.m., officers spoke with two people staying in one of the Econo Lodge rooms who said they heard yelling outside and opened their door. They said a man matching Shifflett's description told them to go back inside, and when they closed the door he "kicked it in," according to the complaint.
Collins was arrested July 16 and charged with burglary and forgery, both felonies.
Bond was set at $25,000, cash only, by Magistrate George M. Riggleman in Randolph County Magistrate Court.
A warrant was issued for Collins on the forgery charge in April, but he led officers to him by calling the state police to report the July 14 incident, according to the criminal complaint.
