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BELINGTON -- A Belington man has been arrested after allegedly shooting at two recovery agents trying to repossess his van.
Jason Westwood Lego, 43, was charged with two counts of wanton endangerment involving a firearm, and one count of cultivation of marijuana. He is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $60,000 surety/cash bond from Barbour County, and a $3,000 cash-only bond from Randolph County.
According to the criminal complaint, prepared by Cpl. Steven G. Blake, on Tuesday, two employees of B's Recovery Service were attempting to repossess a Ford Econoline van on Abilene Drive, when Lego exited the residence and allegedly shot at the agents.
"The vehicle was unhooked from the rollback and both agents left the property," the complaint states.
Blake spoke with the agents afterward and they said they had knocked on the door of the residence but had heard no response. They said as they began to move the vehicle, Lego exited the home and "brandished a pistol" at them, firing four to five shots, "some in the air, some toward the wood line, and one shot in the direction of the recovery agents."
During the investigation, officers found "four 5-gallon buckets in a bathroom containing plants consistent with marijuana," according to the complaint.
The same day, Lego "willfully surrendered to law enforcement" and was "very cooperative," the complaint states. Lego said he had been woken up that morning to discover the two men taking away his van. Because they did not identify themselves, he fired shots into the air, Lego told police.
Lego also told officers the marijuana plants "were his and he had been growing them for approximately one month," according to the complaint. He also told police he had placed ta pistol in a barn behind the residence. Officers recovered and secured the pistol believed to have been used in the incident.
Lego has prior felony convictions which prohibit him from possessing a firearm, police said.