Price

DAILEY — A Randolph County man allegedly threatened to kill a Drug Task Force officer, and the officer’s mother, and kicked multiple officers while being taken into custody.

Michael Joseph Price, 54, of Dailey, is charged with intimidation and retaliation against public officers. He is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $15,000 cash-only bond, set by Randolph County Magistrate Mike Dyer.

According to the criminal complaint, prepared by Senior Deputy T.J. Knotts with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Knotts received a call on Sunday about a “shirtless male wielding a crowbar and acting erratic” in East Dailey. An elderly woman caller allegedly told police Price was “on a rampage, he has had her up for days, and that he was on meth threatening to kill people.”

911 dispatchers said Price had called back and “told them that if a federal officer didn’t respond, ‘he said he will start killing people,'” the complaint states. He reportedly then called 911 again and said a local law enforcement official “is the biggest meth dealer in Elkins” and hung up again.

Officials said that, on Friday, Price had called 911 and said “an officer on the Drug Task Force has threatened to kill him and kill his mom,” according to the complaint.

Upon his arrival at the East Dailey residence, Knotts saw Price “through the screen door on the front porch,” with the elderly caller behind him with “a large screwdriver in her hand,” the complaint states. Officers allegedly instructed him to come out of the residence, but he refused to comply. Knotts “grabbed (Price’s) left arm to pull him out of the doorway away from” the elderly woman. A state trooper at the scene grabbed Price’s right arm, and Price “attempted to pull away from both officers.”

Price “was then assisted to the ground in an attempt to place him into hand restraints,” according to the complaint. “Officers instructed (Price) to to stop resisting and to give (them) his hands, in which he did not comply. Officers then utilized a conducted energy weapon (Taser) which was ineffective. While attempting to gain compliance, and place the defendant into restraints, (Price) kicked officers multiple times.”

After a brief struggle, officers were able to get Price into hand restraints and in custody, the complaint states. “While escorting (Price) to a marked police cruiser, he made several threatening statements, such as ‘You’re gonna be f—–, I know who you are, I know exactly who you are.”

While en route to Davis Medical Center, and while receiving treatment, Price allegedly “made several excited utterances” claiming a local law enforcement official “was the leader of the MS13 International Gang, the Mafia, and (police officers) were the biggest drug dealers in town,” according to the complaint. Price also said a local law enforcement leader “came to his house with other men to kill him earlier that morning.”