Sturms

MOATSVILLE — A Barbour County man faces felony firearm charges, as well as a misdemeanor charge, after allegedly shooting a gun while making a woman leave a residence.

Jason Lee Sturms, 48, of Moatsville, is charged with two counts of wanton endangerment involving a firearm, a felony, and one count of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a misdemeanor. Sturms is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $50,000 multiple 10% and surety bond.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by Trooper K. D. Moss with the West Virginia State Police, on Oct. 26, Moss received statements from two witnesses regarding an incident that occurred the day before, on Oct. 25, on Kasson Road, Moatsville.

A witness said he and the alleged victim’s daughter had stopped at a residence on Kasson Road to pick up the alleged victim, the complaint states. While at the property, the witness states that Sturms had “kicked” the alleged victim out of the residence “while loading the vehicle.”

Sturms allegedly came outside of the residence with a gun and shot into the air, the complaint states. The witness described the firearm as a 9mm or a .40 caliber pistol.

The second witness, the alleged victim’s daughter, also told Moss that she and the first witness had gone to the residence to pick up the alleged victim, the complaint states. Sturms allegedly told the alleged victim to “not come back” and to “not get her person(al) belongings and pets.”

The second witness also told Moss that Sturms had fired a shot in an “unknown direction,” which made her “fear for her safety,” the complaint states.

Moss writes that, during the investigation, it was determined that Sturms has a previous felony conviction in 2019 for “wanton endangerment with a firearm.”

According to a second criminal complaint written by Moss, also on Oct. 26, Moss executed search and arrest warrants for Sturms after the incident with the firearm was reported.

Moss allegedly found a clear plastic baggie containing a “white crystalline substance” in Sturms’ front pocket, the complaint states. Moss writes that, due to his training and experience, he believed the substance was methamphetamine, a schedule II controlled substance.