CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A Martinsburg man who was wanted for violating federal supervised release was arrested in Clarksburg after an attempt to flee law enforcement.
The United States Marshals Service announced on Thursday that Chad Berry, 37, is in custody for violating terms of supervised release following a 2017 felony firearm possession conviction after an attempt to evade arrest from the U.S. Marshals Service Mountain State Fugitive Task Force. Acting United States Marshal for the Northern District of West Virginia Terry Moore offered details on the pursuit that began at around 12:20 p.m. Thursday in Annmoore and ended in a collision involving Harrison County Sheriff’s deputies in Clarksburg.
“The US Marshals Service had a warrant for Chad Berry,” said Moore. “We observed Mr. Berry exiting a home in Anmore, and then we requested assistance from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office because he had entered a vehicle and began traveling on I-79.”
According to Moore, the U.S. Marshals Service observed Berry leaving the Annmore residence, where he was reported to have been living, Thursday afternoon shortly after 12:30 p.m., when assistance was requested from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department to make an arrest. After a traffic stop was initiated, Berry reportedly ignored attempts to stop his vehicle before fleeing on Route 50 and exiting off Wilsonburg Road. The pursuit continued until Berry’s vehicle was stopped after it was hit with spike strips and collided with a Harrison County Sheriff’s patrol unit.
“The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office started to provide us assistance on Route 50 near Joy Street,” said Moore. “They attempted to pull that subject over around 2nd Street, Mr. Berry continued to flee on Route 50 onto Wilsonburg Road and eventually was taken into custody.”
Once the vehicle was stopped, Berry also reportedly threw two items out onto Wilsonburg Road before US Marshals and Harrison County Sheriff’s deputies moved towards making an arrest. According to Moore, a Harrison County deputy and a K9 recovered a firearm at the scene along with a backpack with items that were undisclosed. An investigation is still pending on what exactly was inside the backpack at the time of the arrest.
“After he was apprehended in the pursuit, officers returned to the vicinity, and a K9 officer from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office located a firearm and a bag,” said Moore.
Along with the arrest for violating federal supervised release, Berry will also face charges from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office for the multiple crimes related to the pursuit. Moore added that charges are also pending from the US Marshals Office related to the firearm and backpack that were tossed out of the pursued vehicle before Berry was arrested. With no injuries reported from law enforcement, the US Marshals Office of the Northern District of West Virginia expressed appreciation for the local help in arresting the fugitive.
“The cooperation that we had with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office in order to safely apprehend the subject who was failing to obey the laws in the vehicle stop was instrumental in taking him into custody,” said Moore.