Hill

BUCKHANNON — An Upshur County man faces two felony charges after allegedly firing an illegally owned shotgun inside of a residence.

Jacob Wayne Hill, 29, is charged with one count of prohibited possession of a firearm and one count of wanton endangerment, both felonies. Hill is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by Sgt. Tyler A. Gordon with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, on March 17, Hill was allegedly found with a .12 gauge single-shot shotgun during the execution of a warrant at a residence in Buckhannon. The firearm was reportedly found wrapped in a towel under Hill’s bed.

Gordon obtained a search warrant for the residence after receiving information that Hill, a convicted felon, had allegedly obtained some type of firearm, the complaint states. Gordon was also advised that, in the middle of night, Hill had allegedly discharged the weapon inside the residence. 

A hole was reportedly found in an exterior wall of the residence, the complaint states. Gordon writes that the hole is reportedly from where Hill discharged the shotgun in a “reckless and careless manner.”

Hill allegedly is a “long time” drug user who has had a history of hallucinations, paranoia and “seeing people who aren’t there,” according to the complaint. The homeowner reportedly corroborated the incident to police.

According to the complaint, Hill has a previous 2019 felony conviction in Upshur County for one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.