BUCKHANNON – A local man has been arrested on multiple charges after allegedly violating a protective order and threatening to cut another man’s throat.
Rease Moore, 33, no address listed, was arrested for violation of a protective order, assault, brandishing a deadly weapon and fleeing on foot – all of which are misdemeanors – on Tuesday, April 30.
According to a criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Lt. Mark Davis with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department, on Jan. 28, 2019, Moore was placed on unsupervised probation for a period of one year by Magistrate Kay Hurst.
The court ordered Moore to have no contact, direct or indirect, with the victim involved in the case. This unsupervised probation document was signed and acknowledged by Moore.
However, on April 18, and again on April 30, Moore was allegedly at a residence on Wabash Avenue where he had contact with the victim, which is a violation of his unsupervised probation, the complaint states.
On April 18, Moore allegedly entered the residence after being told not to and went down the hallway with a knife in his hand. The file states that he then proceeded into the bedroom of the victim, who was in the room with another individual, Michael Wagner.
According to the complaint, Moore allegedly threatened to cut Wagner’s throat if he didn’t leave the residence. Wagner got his stuff together and left the residence; however, Moore remained, arguing with the victim and causing damage to the property, Davis’ report states.
Moore allegedly broke a window and struck the kitchen stove with a blunt object, leaving dents, and then turned over the furniture inside the residence.
Then, more than a week later, Moore returned to the Wabash Avenue residence, according to a separate criminal complaint filed by Patrolman Tanner Collins with the Buckhannon Police Department.
According to Collins’ report in the magistrate clerk’s office, on April 30 a county law enforcement unit was dispatched to Wabash Avenue. When the county unit was unable to respond, Collins and another officer were near Buffalo Wild Wings, so they responded to the home.
Collins’ report says that upon arriving at the scene, Moore was not there, having already left on foot.
“Rease had entered a tunnel that led from the city to the county,” Collins wrote in the report. “I followed his tracks, and once I exited the tunnel, I heard him up in front of me … I immediately told him to stop.”
Collins then reportedly heard “a loud splash.” The officer ran up and noticed Moore splashing around in the water. Collins assisted Moore out of the water; however, Moore did not comply with Collins’s orders and attempted to pull away from him, the file says.
Collins was able to get both of his hands behind his back and placed him under arrest for fleeing on foot.
Magistrate Kay Hurst set bond at $5,000 for fleeing on foot, $10,000 for violation of a protective order, $10,000 for assault and $10,000 for brandishing a deadly weapon.
If convicted of fleeing on foot, Moore faces a fine of $50 to $500 and or confinement in jail not more than one year.
Should he be found guilty of violating a protective order, he could be confined in jail not less than one day nor more than one year and face a fine of $250 to $2,000.
The penalty for a conviction of assault is imprisonment in jail for a term of up to six months or a fine of up to $100. Being convicted of brandishing a deadly weapon would mean Moore would face a penalty of confinement in jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year and a fine ranging between $50 to $1,000.
