MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Morgantown officials are taking steps to limit, and control people who are staying in the homeless encampment in Greenmont.
Communications director Andrew Stacy released the follwong statement:
The city is continuing to enforce the plan that was approved by city council regarding the homeless encampment. City officials, Morgantown Police, and representatives from Bartlett House visited the camp and asked anyone not on the registration list to leave the camp and to go to Bartlett House, which is now open 24 hours.
On social media camp representatives called the move a “disruption” and in part, released the following statement:
Coming in with police to destroy someone’s home is not the type of community outreach likely to build the already-damaged trust our houseless community has with Bartlett, nor is it a way to encourage anyone to place themselves under the care of people who will do that. Bartlett’ and the City of Morgantown’s continued attacks on our friends and neighbors will be addressed.
A resident of the camp, Delbert Lemley, 49, was arrested for breaking into the Clear Mountain Bank branch in Suncrest recently. Police say Lemley damaged an ATM, camera and smashed a window to get inside. Allegedly, police found Lemley sitting on a couch in the bank with food and feces littering the floor.