Buckhannon man allegedly threatens to ‘blow up’ city police officers’ houses

Katie Kuba
February 12, 2024

BUCKHANNON – An Upshur County man who allegedly threatened city police officers last Thursday has also been charged with aggravated DUI.

Broderick J. Hinkle, 35, of Buckhannon, was arrested Feb. 8 for one count of retaliation against a public official, a felony, and one count of aggravated DUI, a misdemeanor.

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Buckhannon City Police Patrolman Jonathan Warner, the incident occurred on Feb. 8 when the E911 Upshur County Communication Center dispatched Buckhannon police officers to the scene of a motorcycle wreck at GoMart.

While headed on their way, Warner, city officers Sgt. William Courtney and Sgt. Sgt. Darrin Hissam received a request from the Comm Center to “expedite” because the driver of a wrecked motorcycle was attempting to flee the scene.

When officers arrived, they found Hinkle standing next to a damaged 2020 black-colored Harley Davidson motorcycle. Most of the damage was on the left side of the vehicle, according to the report. Warner noted that while he was speaking with Hinkle, Hinkle “was slurring his speech and displayed a lack of coordination.”

“I could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverages coming from his body and breath when I became close in distance,” the officer wrote. “[When a] Standardized field sobriety test was administered, [Hinkle] showed signs of impairment as well as swaying in a circular motion while standing still.”

Hinkle allegedly admitted to Warner that he was drunk and “had consumed four or five alcoholic beverages, a couple shots, and then more beverages,” the complaint states.

After being transported to the Upshur County Holding Cell in the courthouse, a secondary chemical breath test showed that Hinkle had a Blood Alcohol Content of .183. Aggravated DUI in West Virginia means someone’s BAC is .15 or higher.

In a separate criminal complaint, Warner alleged that while in the holding cell, Hinkle “became belligerent and kicked a rolling office chair” at Warner. Hinkle then allegedy asked Warner and Courtney where they lived and wanted to know if Courtney had children.

“He continued to state, ‘you’ll find out, William Courtney,’” Warner wrote in the police report.

After Hinkle was medically cleared by WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital, officers told him he was being transported to Tygart Valley Regional Jail and he allegedly “became agitated,” the file says.

“He made a direct threat by stating, ‘I’m going to blow up your mother [expletive] house up!” Warner wrote in the report. “[Hinkle] directed the comment to the Buckhannon police officers that were present.”