BUCKHANNON – A Randolph County man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly escaping from law enforcement after being arrested related to another charge.

Christopher Tenney, 33, of Pickens, W.Va., was arrested for escape, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Sgt. Theron Caynor with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, on Feb. 3, Tenney was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped in the Freedom Bank parking lot.

Tenney was taken into custody because he had a bailpiece issued by Upshur County Circuit Court, and Tenney was on bond for delivery of a controlled substance, the file says.

According to the report, Caynor was attempting to put Tenney in the back of his patrol vehicle. However, after Tenney was placed in handcuffs and Caynor was unlocking the cruiser door to place him in the backseat, Tenney allegedly slipped his handcuffs and proceeded to flee across Route 20.

“We took him into custody, and he was able to slip the cuffs and took off running back behind Subway before a couple of officers got to him,” Upshur County Sheriff Virgil Miller explained Thursday.

The file says Caynor told Tenney to stop, and he allegedly failed to obey. The police report also notes that during the incident, Caynor fell and damaged his uniform pants valued at $108 and damaged his holster valued at $150. Caynor crossed Route 20 and ran down Orr Street before Tenney was apprehended by Deputy Cole Bender and Patrolman Marshall O’Connor with the Buckhannon Police Department.

According to a previous story, Tenney was originally arrested for possession with intent to deliver in November 2020.

Bail was set at $50,000. The penalty for a conviction of escape is imprisonment for up to five years in the state penitentiary.