Criminal Investigation Could be Launched Against Weston Police Officer After Death of Weston Man

WESTON, W.Va. — The death of a man involved in an incident earlier this month with an officer from the Weston Police Department could lead to an agency outside of the county opening a criminal investigation into the matter.

On July 1st, police were called to a disturbance involving a man, believed to be drunk, who may have been urinating in public near a business. Officer Eric Riddle approached the man, 57-year-old William Dale Jeffries of Weston, and asked him to take a breathalyzer. Jeffries is believed to have refused. Allegedly, Jeffries leaned against Officer Riddle’s police cruiser, and a scuffle ensued as Jeffries resisted attempts by Officer Riddle to subdue him. Jeffries hit his head on the police cruiser, and his neck snapped. He passed away 15 days later on July 16th.

An internal investigation by the Weston Police Department cleared Officer Eric Riddle, who had been under suspension since the incident on July 1st. He returned to work one week later. Lewis County Prosecutor Christie Flanigan said that Chief Randall Posey is standing by the results of the investigation done by the Weston Police Department, but felt that the death of Jeffries last week called for at least another look at the situation.

“[Chief of Police Randall Posey’s] internal investigation he still stands by and feels that nothing criminal was done and nothing was done against policies and procedures as set forth by the Weston Police Department,” Lewis County Prosecutor Christie Flanigan said.

Upon learning that William Jeffries passed away, the Weston Police Department placed Officer Riddle on administrative leave.

“I’ve not seen anything in writing, but it’s my understanding that he did clear the officer of any wrongdoing,” Flanigan said. “That was prior to Mr. Jeffries passing, however.”

After consulting with the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, Chief Randall Posey and Prosecutor Christie Flanigan agreed an outside agency should look at the case. They requested West Virginia State Police handle the case, but they refused.

“We both agreed an outside agency should conduct an investigation to determine whether or not the officer had done anything criminally,” Flanigan said.

According to Flanigan, State Police referred the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether or not there were any civil rights violations.

According to Flanigan, a lot of the questions surrounding this incident could be answered by the autopsy, which is currently underway in Morgantown. She also said that the autopsy results will determine whether or not State Police is again asked to open an investigation.

She added that the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office is not officially involved in the situation, but has provided consultation on proper procedures.