BUCKHANNON – An Upshur County man was arrested over the weekend after allegedly taking snacks and socks from a Dollar General.

William J. Kirkpatrick, 44, of Buckhannon, was arrested Sunday on two counts of third-offense shoplifting, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Trooper Zachery Lewis with the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police, at about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, Lewis responded to Dollar General in French Creek in reference to an alleged report of shoplifting, which had just occurred. When Lewis arrived at the Dollar General, the clerk working said a male in the store had allegedly left with unknown merchandise without paying for it.

The clerk said the male was wearing a striped shirt and baseball cap and was walking on the roadway towards Adrian.

Lewis subsequently saw a male matching the description somewhere between the Dollar General store and Adrian. When the state trooper stepped out of his vehicle, Lewis saw the male, who was identified as Kirkpatrick, allegedly pull what appeared to be socks out of his pocket and throw them to the ground, according to the police report. Lewis also reportedly saw unopened merchandise sticking out of the man’s pocket, the file says.

Lewis asked Kirkpatrick if he paid for the merchandise at Dollar General, to which he responded “no,” according to the complaint. Kirkpatrick then allegedly admitted he took the items from Dollar General because he needed socks and was hungry. Lewis recovered a pack of Baby Ruth candy bars, Hershey’s almond candy bars, men’s socks and a muscle-building drink; the value of these products after tax was $14.33, the police report states.

Lewis escorted Kirkpatrick back to Dollar General to return the merchandise and speak with the Dollar General clerk. The clerk said Kirkpatrick was seen allegedly putting items into his pockets by a customer and he was a “known shoplifter,” the file states. The state trooper contacted the Elkins Communications Center for information on Kirkpatrick’s criminal history and later found out Kirkpatrick had been convicted of shoplifting second offense, a misdemeanor, on Sept. 14, 2020, in Harrison County.

Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder set bail at $2,500 cash or surety, and as of Tuesday night, Kirkpatrick remained incarcerated in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail, according to the West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.

The penalty for a conviction of third-offense shoplifting on each count is imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not less than one year nor more than 10 years and a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000. At least one year shall actually be spent in confinement and not subject to probation.