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ELKINS -- A Valley Head man accused of running over another man with an ATV in September accepted a plea agreement to drop one of two felony charges this week.
Joseph Lee Shipman, 38, appeared in front of Randolph County Circuit Court Judge David Wilmoth and accepted a plea agreement that would see him plead guilty to one count of malicious assault, a felony.
Shipman was initially indicted in February on one count of malicious assault and one count of attempted malicious assault, a felony. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.
Before accepting the plea agreement, Wilmoth asked Shipman what he did that made him guilty of malicious assault. Shipman admitted to running over the alleged victim with his ATV after he saw the alleged victim was walking with a woman Shipman had been involved with.
Shipman will be sentenced at a later date.
According to the criminal complaint, which was prepared by Trooper Brenton K. Riffle of the Elkins detachment of the West Virginia State Police, on June 30, 2024 at about 12:42 a.m., Riffle was dispatched for a "hit and run involving an ATV." He was told by a female caller that Shipman had run over another man on a four-wheeler and "then messaged her saying he was going to kill (the man)."
The alleged victim told officers, while at Davis Medical Center, that the incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. while he was walking in Valley Head, the complaint states. The alleged victim said Shipman "ran him over... (and) then turned around and tried to run him over again." He said the incident happened at the Valley Head Post Office.
The alleged victim said he knew Shipman and the two "have had issues in the past," according to the complaint. Riffle said he observed the alleged victim had suffered "significant injuries" to his "face, eye, left arm and both legs."
Riffle said Shipman had also sent messages to the female caller saying "im gonna kill him" and "I just ran over (him because she) went with him." Another message stated, "Yea and if he says anything to the cops ill kill him and he knows it."