All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Barbour County man arrested for allegedly stealing totes from Walgreens dumpster enclosure

Summers

BUCKHANNON – A Barbour County man was arrested for allegedly stealing totes from the Buckhannon Walgreens enclosure.

Thomas Summers, 34, of Peeltree, W.Va., was arrested for entry of a structure other than a dwelling, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Sgt. W.J. Courtney with the Buckhannon Police Department, on Feb. 6, 2023, Courtney and Sgt. Tom Posey, also with the BPD, were on patrol when they witnessed Summers exit the parking lot by Walgreens onto West Main Street.

Summers was reportedly riding a bike with a garden cart attached to the rear, and inside the cart, there were blue, red, and green plastic totes, the police report says. Posey informed Courtney that he had seen the cart earlier, and it was empty at the time. The officers pulled into the Walgreens parking lot and located their gated dumpster enclosure. Inside the enclosure, there were two dumpsters and an area to the left of the dumpsters that contained more of the same plastic totes that the officers had seen on the garden cart Summers was pulling.

Based on the suspicion that Summers had allegedly just stolen the plastic totes, the officers pulled back onto the roadway to look for him and subsequently located him on Main Street. They conducted a stop as he turned onto North Spring Street.

Upon stopping him, the officers asked Summers where he obtained the plastic totes, and he claimed that he found the totes on the cart, the file says. Courtney had the E911 Upshur County Communication Center contact a Walgreens’ representative to check if the totes were from the store. While the Comm Center was working on that, Courtney began to visually inspect the totes and noted the presence of a Walgreens sticker on the side.

Posey spoke with the store manager, who also confirmed the totes were used by Walgreens for delivery. There were eleven totes recovered with an estimated value of $120.

The next day, Feb. 7, 2023, the Buckhannon police officers met with the Walgreens manager and obtained a video recording of the incident. According to the report, the video allegedly showed Summers walk the bike to the last gate where the totes were stored, open the gate and load the totes onto the cart attached to his bicycle. He then left through the Community Care of West Virginia parking lot adjacent to Walgreens.

The Walgreens manager told police the totes are reused for delivery of their products, and they are billed for the totes. Additionally, he advised the officers there appeared to be approximately 30 totes still missing.

Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder set bail at $10,000 cash or surety.

The penalty for a conviction of entry of a structure other than a dwelling is confinement in a state correctional facility for no less than one year nor more than 10 years.

Share this story:

RECENT Stories

Baseball suffers losses to Point Pleasant and University

The Buckhannon-Upshur baseball team fell to Point Pleasant 8-5 then suffered a 16-0 shutout against University, dropping their record to 7-11.

Softball Lady Bucs take down Bearcats by an 8-3 score

Kynnedy Marple pitched a complete-game three-hitter and contributed offensively as Buckhannon-Upshur defeated Grafton 8-3 in a Big 10 Conference softball game, improving the Lady Bucs’ record to 9-7.

Highland Landscaping takes week one lead in men’s golf league standings

Highland Landscaping claimed an early lead in the Buckhannon Country Club Bob Cupp Memorial Golf League, defeating Feola’s Flowers and topping the standings after the opening week of play.

Wesleyan misses out on MEC post season lacrosse tournament as seeds and pairings announced

West Virginia Wesleyan College did not qualify for the 2025 Mountain East Conference Women’s Lacrosse Tournament as seeds and pairings were announced Thursday, with play set to begin Sunday.

Wesleyan lacrosse ends year with 23-5 loss to Charleston

West Virginia Wesleyan women’s lacrosse fell 23-5 to Charleston in their final regular season game, with Charleston dominating offensively and outshooting Wesleyan 34-12 despite standout defensive efforts from Francesca Sloan and Emma Adcock.

Lady Buc lacrosse team downs Morgantown, 9-5

The Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Buc lacrosse team snapped a two-game losing streak with a 9-5 win over Morgantown, led by Mallory Moss’s four goals and Kylie Hull’s 16 saves.

Lacrosse Bucs cruise past St. Albans for third straight win, 12-2

The Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneers won their third consecutive lacrosse game, defeating St. Albans 12-2, led by three-goal performances from Braylon Oldaker, Forest Catlin, and Tobias Marple.

Leadership Upshur to host free Community Skills Share event at Parish House

Leadership Upshur and the Upshur Parish House are inviting residents of all ages to a free Community Skills Share event on May 7, featuring practical workshops, demonstrations and door prizes to foster learning and community connection.

Middle schoolers bring Shakespearean magic to life via ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School students will bring laughter and enchantment to the stage with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” They invite the community to enjoy their free performances on April 25 and 26.

Elkins Raceway launches 73rd anniversary season honoring late track manager Jim Skidmore

Elkins Raceway begins its 73rd season of Saturday night racing, honoring late track manager Jim Skidmore with weekly events, full race divisions, and family-friendly admission in Kerens, West Virginia, through August 2025.
asphalt pavement road paving work

Reger Avenue paving project to begin Monday, April 28

The City of Buckhannon announced that J.F. Allen Company will begin paving Reger Avenue on April 28, with the work expected to finish by the end of April 29.

Waggy wins 1600 meters for Bucs in final home meet of the year

Senior Jack Waggy won the 1600 meters in 4:32.92 during the Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneers’ final home track meet, where the team earned 56 points to place fifth out of seven teams.