BUCKHANNON – A Rock Cave man faces several charges — including two counts of attempted murder — after allegedly chasing and rear-ending an SUV containing his girlfriend and another woman, causing their vehicle to wreck and flip onto its top.
Greg Tenney, 23, of Rock Cave, was arrested for two counts of attempted murder and obstructing an officer, and one count of malicious assault, domestic assault, domestic battery, leaving the scene of an accident with damage, hit-and-run with injury, reckless driving and trespassing.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Cpl. P.J. Robinette with the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police, on Saturday, May 17, 2024, at approximately 10:47 p.m., Cpl. S.W. Shahan and Robinette responded to the area of Get Out Run Road in Rock Cave, W.Va., in reference to a motor vehicle crash.
While en route, the officers were notified that the driver of the vehicle, Tenney, had fled the scene prior to the fire department’s arrival and had an active forthwith warrant for trespassing.
Before going to the scene of the wreck, Shahan and Robinette stopped at Tenney’s residence at 345 Get Out Run Road. No vehicles were parked in front of the residence; the light was on, but no one came to the door.
The officers then continued to the scene of the wreck, where they found two crashed vehicles on the right side of the roadway in a wooded area. One of the vehicles was a black 2000 Subaru Forester lying on its top with heavy rear-end damage. The other was a white 2004 Subaru Forester with heavy front-end damage.
Robinette recognized the white SUV as Tenney’s due to conducting a traffic stop on him previously. He then spoke to the victim, who had been treated by EMS.
She told the officers that she and Tenney “had been involved in a domestic dispute prior to the crash,” according to the complaint. “[The victim] stated during an argument, [Tenney] threw a chair and hit her in the arm, causing multiple cuts, which this officer observed. The victim stated [Tenney] also poured liquor over her head before she and [another woman] left in the black in color Subaru Forester that was currently sitting on its top.”
The women were traveling south on Get Out Run Road at a slow rate of speed when they saw headlights coming up behind them quickly, according to the complaint.
“They were then rear-ended, which propelled them forward, and their vehicle flipped end-over-end and landed on its top,” the victim told officers.
The victim was able to exit the vehicle and allegedly saw Tenney in his vehicle, which had also sustained heavy damage. She asked Tenney if he was OK, and he said he was. The victim told officers she then ran down the road and used a phone to call 911. When she returned to the scene of the crash, Tenney was gone, according to the complaint.
After concluding the investigation of the crash scene, the officers returned to Tenney’s residence and saw a blue Toyota Rav4 parked in front. They noted that the light that had been on in the residence was now off.
Robinette heard movement inside the vehicle, and Tenney was seen lying in the back seat, the complaint states. Both officers gave Tenney several verbal commands to exit the vehicle, which he allegedly ignored.
Robinette then opened the back passenger door and once more commanded Tenney to exit the vehicle, which he again ignored, according to the complaint. Robinette grabbed Tenney’s right arm and attempted to pull him from the vehicle, but he still would not exit, so Robinette pulled his taser and informed Tenney he would be tased if he continued to disobey commands. Tenney then exited the vehicle and was placed under arrest.
Meanwhile, a third officer, Trooper C.C. Jones, went to St. Joseph’s Hospital and spoke to the other woman present during the incident. The woman allegedly corroborated the victim’s statement, telling officers she witnessed Tenney strike the victim with a chair and pour liquor on her, which also got into the woman’s eyes. The witness further stated she and the victim then left the residence in her vehicle and were rear-ended by Tenney while they were moving, which caused her vehicle to flip onto its top.
“[The witness] stated she then began to crawl from the vehicle after [the victim] ran for help,” the complaint states. “She was then grabbed by the hair of the head by [Tenney] before he kicked her in the face. [The witness] stated she was then struck in the face multiple times by [Tenney’s] fists. Tpr. Jones observed and photographed heavy swelling and bruising to [her] face.”
In an interview, Tenney allegedly confirmed to officers that he and the victim had gotten into an argument earlier in the day and that he threw a chair at her. Tenney said the victim took his cell phone and left in the black Subaru Forester.
“The accused stated he then followed them in his vehicle because he wanted his phone back,” Robinette wrote in the complaint. “The accused did admit to rear-ending them as he was traveling at approximately 35 mph and [the women] were traveling at a much slower rate of speed.”
During later questioning, Tenney allegedly said, “If he was going to do it, he was going to do it right.” He also admitted to inhaling a “duster” one hour prior to the incident, the complaint states.
In a separate criminal complaint filed by Sgt. Theron Caynor with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, on April 21, 2024, Tenney went to the residence of a man in Selbyville at approximately 11 p.m. for his ex-girlfriend and child. He was informed by the property owner several times by text and Facebook not to be on his property.
Tenney allegedly can be seen and heard on security camera footage coming to the front door, knocking and yelling. He can then be heard opening the front door and going inside the residence. The property owner and Tenney began to argue, and Tenney was told to leave the residence but allegedly refused. Tenney then had to be physically pushed out of the residence, according to the complaint.
Bail was set at $1,020,000 by Upshur County Magistrate Mark Davis.
The potential penalty for attempted murder is confinement in the penitentiary for not less than three nor more than 15 years for each count. The potential penalty for malicious assault is confinement in a state correctional facility for not less than two nor more than 10 years.
The potential penalty for domestic assault is confinement in jail for not more than six months, a fine of not more than $100, or both. The potential penalty for domestic battery is confinement in jail for not more than 12 months, a fine of not more than $500, or both.
The potential penalty for obstructing an officer is a fine not less than $50 nor more than $500, confinement in jail not more than one year, or both.
The potential penalty for leaving the scene with damage is a fine of not more than $100 or confinement for not more than 10 days. The potential penalty for hit-and-run with injury is a fine not less than $50 nor more than $500, confinement in jail for not more than one year, or both. The potential penalty for reckless driving is confinement in jail for a period of not less than five days nor more than 90 days, a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500, or both.
The potential penalty for trespassing is a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500.
