Preston County man charged with kidnapping, malicious assault

Erin Cleavenger, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
·2 min read

Mar. 7—A Preston County man is facing kidnapping and malicious assault charges after an alleged domestic incident with a female victim.

On Feb. 27, West Virginia State troopers were dispatched to Bruceton Mills after a caller reported a woman was walking down Sugar Valley Road, near Hudson Road, yelling for help, according to a criminal complaint. The victim called the Preston County dispatch a short time later from North Preston Highway, saying she had been involved in a domestic incident.

After she was located, the victim told the trooper she and Jeremy Lee Conner, 43, of Albright, had been in a fight earlier that day. Conner allegedly returned to the home and kicked in a side door.

According to the complaint, the victim was attempting to pack her belongings in a Honda CR-V and had both the trunk and rear passenger door open.

As she was reaching in the rear passenger door, the victim reported Conner came outside, got into the vehicle, and started driving away, which caused her to fall into the vehicle as he drove off.

The woman told the trooper Conner refused to stop the vehicle and let her out, so she started yelling out the window for help. She said Conner then pulled out a pocket knife and allegedly started threatening to kill her and made attempts to harm her with the knife.

Conner allegedly struck the female in the head twice with the knife in his hand and cut her three times on her left hand.

The victim told the trooper that Conner made multiple statements that he was going to kill her, allegedly saying, "I am going to burn the car, kill you and no one will ever find you."

Conner eventually ran the vehicle off the roadway into a field and continued through the woods and a barbed wire fence before the vehicle came to a stop. According to the complaint, he then got out of the vehicle and sliced all four tires, disabling it.

Law enforcement later found the vehicle in a wooded area off Sugar Valley Road.

The victim said she was able to escape into the woods and found help from a Sugar Valley Road resident.

Conner was later located and taken into custody on kidnapping and malicious assault charges. He is currently being held without bond at Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

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