KINGWOOD — The suspect in Wednesday’s three-and-a-half hour shutdown on Interstate 68 was arraigned in Preston County Magistrate Court on Thursday.
West Virginia State Police charged Eric Leonardo Charron, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., with reckless driving and prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
A 9mm handgun, about 300 rounds of ammunition and an unknown amount of gunpowder were found in Charron’s vehicle, according to police. Police also found Charron’s hand-written manuscripts covering topics from time travel to the Chupacabra, according to court documents.
Charron said he was a meth-user for two years and he drove overnight from his home towards the White House or Pentagon, his criminal complaint said. His “special hearing” would tell him to do “bad things” once he got to one of those locations.
According to the criminal complaint:
Charron was stopped by Trooper First Class D.W. Satterfield about 10:30 a.m. Satterfield said he saw a black Mazda 6, driven by Charron, traveling 130 mph and the vehicle passed him going east on I-68 near mile marker 28. Charron slowed down and eventually stopped near mile marker 30.
After giving Satterfield his license, Charron told him he was headed to the White House because he was late for dinner with President Donald Trump, who invited him. He also said he had to go to the Pentagon and return a phone to the leader of the Army.
Charron told Satterfield he had a 9mm pistol in the trunk of his car and when asked about explosives, said “not a whole lot.”
Satterfield asked Charron to exit the vehicle – which he did. Charron said he wanted to give the gun and explosives to Trump and allowed Satterfield to open his trunk. However, the trunk didn’t open via the remote key because Charron said he tampered with the fuses so the CIA couldn’t listen to him through the radio.
Charron was handcuffed and read his rights; he also told Satterfield he smoked meth recently after being asked if he used narcotics.
The WVSP Explosive Response team and K-9 handlers from WVU Police were contacted for assistance.
While waiting, Satterfield asked Charron when he left Missouri and was told the night before and that he hadn’t stopped driving since. According to Google Maps, Charron had been traveling for 12 hours and 53 minutes, supporting Charron’s statement.
The explosive-detecting K-9s all detected explosives in the vehicle. A search turned up the pistol, ammo and gunpowder. The manuscripts – later discovered to be hand-written by Charron, contained subjects on time travel, levitating watercraft and “mythical creatures such as the ‘Chupacabra.’”
During an interview Charron said he had “special hearing” and that’s how he received his invitation to the White House. That special hearing also told him to do bad things once at the White House or Pentagon and to take Satterfield’s weapon while he was transporting him.
Charron also said he had been using meth regularly for about two years.
He was arraigned Thursday by Magistrate Bo Ward who set bond at $10,000. As of 1 p.m. Thursday, he was being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail in lieu of bond.
Both charges he faces are misdemeanors. Person prohibited from possessing a firearm carries a penalty of 90 days to one year in jail and/or a fine of $100-$1,000. Reckless driving is punishable by five to 90 days in jail and/or fined $25-$500.
