BUCKHANNON – A Buckhannon man was arrested Friday for allegedly threatening to “get revenge” on several individuals, including Upshur County Magistrate Mike Coffman.
McKinley Storm Riffle, 24, was charged with intimidation of and retaliation against a public officer, a felony, following an incident that reportedly took place Friday, Feb. 8.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Patrolman D.S. Kraemer with the Buckhannon Police Department, Lt. Doug Loudin with the BPD was notified by the E911 Communication Center that an individual had called in to report that a male had been making threats of violence.
Kraemer then contacted Durango Warner, the person who reported the threats to the Comm Center, and asked him to come to the police station.
According to the file, Warner told Kraemer that when he had pulled into his driveway earlier in the day and was climbing out of his vehicle, he encountered a male person, who police later identified as Riffle.
Warner told Kraemer that Riffle allegedly said he’d just gotten out of jail and wanted to “get revenge” on several people – including Coffman, the complaint states.
“Warner did state that Riffle named several people, but the only one that stood out was (Upshur County Magistrate) Mike Coffman,” Kraemer wrote in his report.
According to the file, Riffle also allegedly “made comments about watching the world burn” and asked Warner if he “wanted to join.”
Lewis County Magistrate Roger Clem arraigned Riffle on the charge, setting bond at $100,000 – $50,000 cash only and $50,000 surety.
The penalty for being found guilty of intimidation of/retaliation against a public officer is imprisonment for one to 10 years in a state correctional facility and/or a fine of up to $2,000 or both.
In other, unrelated crime news, Robert J. Tiffner, 25, of French Creek was arrested by state police on four charges following a traffic stop at Village Hardware in French Creek.
According to the criminal complaint in the magistrate clerk’s office, Tiffner was charged with three misdemeanors – second offense no insurance, first offense driving suspended non-DUI and no registration – as well as one felony: prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
