FLAT TOP W.Va. (Hinton News) – According to a criminal complaint, on Feb. 8, around 11:46 a.m., an officer was dispatched by Summers County 911 to the vicinity of Flat Top. The call was for a welfare check on a male later identified as William Patrick Morrison.
Summers County 911 told the officer that a woman contacted them, saying Morrison had threatened to kill himself. Around 12:41 p.m., the officer arrived at the house. The road conditions were bad, so the officer couldn’t reach the house by vehicle and had to go on foot up the driveway.
As the officer approached the house, he reportedly saw a white Dodge pickup sitting in the driveway. The officer continued toward the vehicle, and Morrison allegedly got out of the vehicle holding a handgun. At this point, the criminal complaint states that Morrison then proceeded to discharge a round into a wooded area in front of the officer.
The officer then reportedly retreated to cover and gave verbal commands to Morrison to drop the gun. Morrison did as he was told, and the officer then told him to lie down on his stomach and put his hands behind his back. Morrison reportedly proceeded to do this. The officer then put Morrison in handcuffs and secured the gun, which was a .357 revolver.
Around 12:47 p.m., another officer arrived and was dispatched to the scene. After arriving on the scene, the first officer explained the situation to the newly arrived officer.
The newly arrived officer then searched the area around the white vehicle and allegedly found three empty beer bottles outside the driver’s side door and a .357 on the hood. At that time, the gun was reportedly unloaded, and five live rounds and one spent round were found for the. 357.
Morrison was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment. At the time of publishing, he is no longer listed as an inmate.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
