Every day emergency services, EMS, firefighters and police handle calls. Some of those calls end up in courts while others, such as WVU’s snow day riot, end up on national TV. Here are some of 2019’s most notable stories.
Snow day riot
On Feb. 1, WVU cancelled classes due to snow for the third day in a row, prompting hundreds to gather on Spruce Street to celebrate. Things were fine until the partiers threw bottles and other trash at a snowplow attempting to drive down the street around 3 p.m.
“The escalation apparently began when the several hundred students and others who had gathered refused reasonable instructions to disperse and began tossing glass bottles and other debris toward officers, resulting in law enforcement taking action,” a WVU statement said.
Around 3:50 p.m., riot conditions were declared and the crowd was dispersed using smoke, a long range acoustic device and pepper balls shot from an air gun.
Dozens of officers from the Morgantown Police Department, WVU Police Department and Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department were on scene.
The riot made national news and at least 11 people, 10 of them WVU students, were charged with minor crimes such as open container and disorderly conduct.
U.S. marshals shoot, kill wanted man
Donquale Gray, wanted for the attempted murder of a police officer, was shot and killed by U.S. marshals on March 6.
Marshals were attempting to arrest Gray, 25, of Bluefield, who ran down a hill behind 1133 College Ave. with a handgun, according to a press release from the Morgantown Police Department. During the chase, Gray fired his weapon, and “at least one” U.S. marshal returned fire.
Nearby homes were evacuated for safety reasons, and Falling Run Road and College Avenue were both closed, the release said. Falling Run Road is parallel to College Avenue in parts and is behind the home from which Gray ran.
The MPD, City of Morgantown and WVU Police alerted the public to the danger, warning all to avoid the area through social media posts, news releases and other methods.
No one else was in the residence during the raid, said Andrew Stacy, Morgantown’s public information officer.
Gray was wanted for shooting a Bluefield, Va., police officer during a traffic stop Feb. 16.
The U.S. Marshals Service has yet to provide documents and information on the shooting, including a request for bodycam footage, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by The Dominion Post.
Mothman’s new friend, the Sabraton Snake
In May, a python, possibly as long as 15 feet, escaped its owner’s truck in Sabraton and disappeared, never to be seen again.
The incident attracted national attention and resulted in an addition to West Virginia’s pantheon of horror that includes the likes of Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster.
Some people have called the snake’s escape and the subsequent snake hunt a hoax. Stacy told The Dominion Post it’s real and an officer reported seeing the snake the night it escaped. Shane Stevens, the snake’s owner, also showed officers a picture of himself with the snake.
According to police, Stevens was transporting the snake when it escaped its cage and was loose inside the vehicle. He got out of the vehicle and the snake did, too, slithering into the woods. It was last seen on a hillside near Listravia Avenue.
Volunteers, staff from Exotic Jungle Pet Superstore and officers from the Morgantown Police Department searched for the snake for several days. The Monongalia County Emergency Management Office even brought in a drone to assist with search.
Despite the efforts, there have been no verified sightings of the snake since its escape.
Stevens was arrested and charged with animal running at large.
