Area law enforcement officials confer Wednesday during the search for a man who allegedly wounded a West Virginia State Police trooper who was attempting to serve an arrest warrant. The trooper’s superiors said the fight was so fierce, it was lucky the officer wasn’t killed.
HUTTONSVILLE, W.Va. — An extensive manhunt Wednesday resulted in the capture of a fugitive who allegedly assaulted a West Virginia State Police trooper who, according to his superiors, barely escaped death.
Nathaniel Ray Wegman, 27, was flown to the hospital by medical helicopter for treatment of knife wounds he sustained fighting the officer, according to Lt. Michael Baylous, public relations officer for the West Virginia State Police.
Though he could provide few details of the struggle, Baylous said the fight was so fierce the trooper was lucky to escape with his life.
“We’re very fortunate that we didn’t have a line-of-duty death,” he said.
The trooper, who is from the Elkins detachment, was taken to the hospital with a head injury and is expected to make a full recovery, Baylous said. His identity was not being released at press time.
The incident began shortly before 1 p.m. and wasn’t over until Wegman was apprehended shortly after 6 p.m. near Linger Farm Road.
Wegman allegedly fought with the trooper who tried to serve him with an arrest warrant in the Mill Creek area, Baylous said. Wegman, who was wanted in Indiana on burglary charges, managed to escape and fled with a woman in a car with Indiana tags.
The woman was apprehended around 4:30 p.m., when a vehicle was located on Becky’s Creek Road. Preliminary reports indicate the woman is Laura Gail Lynn, who is being held on charges of attempted first-degree murder and accessory before the fact.
During the manhunt, officers were stationed on Becky’s Creek Road approximately 4 miles from Valley Chapel United Methodist Church near Huttonsville, where they searched vehicles and blocked through traffic.
Numerous agencies including the West Virginia State Police, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Natural Resources police searched for Wegman throughout the afternoon.
A helicopter also circled the immediate vicinity of a Pond Street residence in Mill Creek, where the assault is alleged to have taken place, before expanding the search further into the valley.
While on scene in the early afternoon, an Inter-Mountain reporter observed several law enforcement officials who appeared to be searching for something or someone in the stream beside Hamill Park in Mill Creek.
Officials with the Randolph County EMS were also on the scene, standing by to provide medical assistance if needed.
A state police vehicle on its way to assist in the manhunt was involved in a car accident near Wal-Mart in Elkins. Officials with the state police said that no officers were injured in the collision.
Throughout the afternoon, three Randolph County Schools Tygart Valley High School/Middle School, George Ward Elementary School and Homestead Elementary School were placed on precautionary lockdown until the end of the school day, Randolph County Assistant Superintendent Rich Carr said.
Carr outlined the precautions taken as not allowing anyone to enter or exit the school while children were there. He said Randolph County Schools Transportation Director Randy Long also contacted bus drivers and advised them to use extreme caution and be aware of suspicious activity when letting students on and off the bus.
“Our staff did a nice job,” Carr said. “Our principals did a really nice job during the lockdown.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
