Manuel

ELKINS — A Randolph County man has entered a guilty plea after allegedly threatening the Elkins mayor and chief of police, and saying he was going to “shoot up” the Tygart Valley Regional Jail in February.

Richard Allan Manuel, known as “Opie,” 52, appeared in front of Randolph County Magistrate Tracy Harper on Monday, with his attorney, Gregory Tingler, and accepted a plea agreement, which lowered his felony charge to two misdemeanor charges.

Manuel agreed to plead guilty or no contest to two counts of obstructing law-enforcement, probation, parole, court security, corrections officer with threats of harm, both misdemeanors.

He was initially charged with one count of threats of terrorist acts, a felony.

The punishment for one count of the misdemeanor is confinement in jail for no more than one year, a fine of no less than $50 or no more than $500, or both. 

After the plea agreement was signed, Harper sentenced Manuel, for the first misdemeanor charge, to one year in jail with credit for all time served from a separate felony charge he was serving beforehand, and no fine.

For the second misdemeanor charge, Manuel was sentenced to one year in jail and a $100 fine, and he was ordered to have no contact with Elkins City Police Chief Travis Bennett or Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco.

On May 22, Manuel and Tingler appeared before Randolph County Circuit Court Judge David Wilmoth for a status hearing regarding a competency evaluation that was previously requested for Manuel after he was indicted in February. The results of the evaluation showed that Manuel was “competent and criminally responsible” for his actions, Wilmoth said.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Manuel in February, prepared by Senior Deputy T.J. Knotts of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, on Feb. 25, Knotts was contacted by Elkins Police Chief Travis Bennett in regard to Manuel “making threats to kill him, Mayor Jerry Marco, and shoot up Tygart Valley Regional Jail.”

Knotts spoke with an employee at Tygart Valley Regional Jail, who said Manuel told her on Feb. 21 that “he went to rehab and therefore his felony will be dropped and he had been planning on buying a gun upon his release,” the complaint states.

“He then stated he had a list of people he was going to ‘take care of,'” according to the complaint. “He specifically mentioned the Chief of Police, whom he said took him on the railroad tracks and beat the s*** out of him before he brought him here. He also mentioned the Mayor of Elkins and (another man) whom he said came to his place where he was living and demanded he be arrested.”

Manuel then “turned his hand over and made the shape of a gun and stated, ‘That’s the smell of death,'” the complaint reads. He also allegedly said, “If you think I busted up the jail before, just wait until I shoot it up.”

The TVRJ employee said she feared for her and her coworker’s safety, and told a TVRJ official what happened, according to the complaint.

Knotts wrote that he then met with Bennett and Marco to obtain written statements.

“Due to these threats and the extensive history of Mr. Manuel and the Elkins Police Department, I fear that Mr. Manuel will attempt to carry these threats out, and feel that my safety and well-being are in jeopardy,” Bennett wrote, the complaint states.

Marco wrote, “Due to these threats and the fact that I am in the public with my wife on a regular basis, I am seriously concerned for both of us, the safety and well-being of me and my wife. I feel these are terroristic threats against an elected official,” according to the complaint.

In April 2023, Manuel was charged with felony destruction of property after allegedly throwing a rock through the front glass doors of the Tygart Valley Regional Jail in broad daylight, causing damage. 

Later, in November 2023, Manuel was charged with petit larceny and obstructing an officer after allegedly stealing a bicycle from the Elkins Wal-Mart and fleeing from police.