TALLMANSVILLE – An Upshur County man was arrested Monday for allegedly firing a shot after reportedly instigating an altercation with his brother and sister-in-law.
Samuel Tenney, 43, of Tallmansville, was arrested for wanton endangerment, a felony; brandishing a deadly weapon, a misdemeanor; and domestic battery, also a misdemeanor.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Sgt. G.S. DeWeese with the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police, at about 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14., DeWeese was notified of a domestic incident transpiring on Kelly Ridge Road in Tallmansville.
DeWeese responded and was advised while en route that a shot had been fired. DeWeese arrived at the residence and spoke with a woman, Samuel Tenney’s sister-in-law.
The female victim said Tenney was no longer there but might be inside another residence on the same road. DeWeese subsequently located Tenney, who had blood on his face and told police he had been involved in an altercation with his brother and sister-in-law, according to the file. Tenney requested medical treatment, and Upshur County EMS then transported him to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The female victim told police that Tenney had allegedly called the residence where she and her husband — Tenney’s brother — lived and requested that his brother come over to the other residence. After a few minutes, the sister-in-law heard a gunshot and ran over to find Tenney and her husband fighting.
The victim said Tenney knocked her glasses off her face and grabbed both of her hands and bent them backward. The victim said Tenney allegedly pointed a gun at her and said, “He wanted me gone, I was all the trouble,” the report states.
DeWeese also obtained a statement from Tenney’s brother who advised that Tenney called him to come to their mother’s residence. When he arrived, Tenney was in a truck parked in front of the residence.
Tenney allegedly had a revolver in his hand, and when the brother stepped back from the window, Tenney allegedly shot the revolver in the direction of the passenger-side window. Tenney then got out of the truck and the two brothers began to wrestle, the file says. His wife came over and Tenney began to fight with her as well. Tenney’s brother advised that while Tenney was “distracted by his wife, he was able to obtain possession of the revolver,” according to the criminal complaint.
Tenney’s brother showed DeWeese the location of the revolver and the officer secured the weapon. DeWeese observed that the brother had blood on his face from the altercation; however, he denied needing medical attention.
Later that night, at 10:25 p.m., DeWeese was notified by the E911 Upshur County Communication Center that Tenney had allegedly walked out of St. Joseph’s Hospital. The nursing staff said Tenney had allegedly stated that, “he was going to shoot everybody,” according to the file. DeWeese located Tenney in the Citizens Bank parking lot, and Tenney, who was allegedly still intoxicated, said to the officer, “I know I’m drunk in public.”
At that point, police took Tenney into custody.
Bail was set at $25,000 cash only by Upshur County Magistrate Mark Davis.
The penalty for a conviction of wanton endangerment is imprisonment in the penitentiary for a definite term of not less than one year nor more than five years. However, in the discretion of the court, the penalty could also be confinement in the county jail for up to one year, a fine ranging between $250 to $2,500, or both.
