Former city employee appears on terroristic threats charge
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ELKINS – A former City of Elkins employee accused of threatening the mayor and President Donald Trump appeared in Randolph County Magistrate Court and was placed on electronic monitoring this week.
Christopher “Ben” Curtis, 44, is charged with threats of terroristic acts. He was being held in the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash bond that has since been posted.
On Monday afternoon, Curtis appeared in Magistrate Court for a motion hearing. He was represented by attorney William “Ty” Nestor, and the state was represented by Assistant Randolph County Prosecutor Leckta Poling. Magistrate Tracy Harper presided over the hearing.
Nestor asked the court to modify Curtis’ bond form to a personal recognizance bond or a surety bond, and to stop the mandatory check-ins that were a condition of Curtis’ bond. Nestor stated that Curtis always checked in with the Community Corrections program without fail and did not have any positive drug or alcohol tests. He added that Community Corrections described Curtis to have a “great attitude, and he argued that checking in with Community Corrections was important for others, but not for Curtis, who Nestor said had no criminal history, no addictions and was not a flight risk.
Nestor told the court that checking in three times a week was negatively impacting a job Curtis had obtained outside of the area. Nestor also noted that there was “no real victim” in this case, given that Curtis allegedly just made threats.
Poling, in rebuttal, said the matter of bond modification was left to the discretion of the court, but noted that it would not be appropriate for Curtis’ bond to be modified to a personal recognizance bond due to the nature of the alleged crime. She confirmed that Curtis had been doing well with checking in and had not had any positive drug or alcohol screens. Poling added that it was better for Curtis to have a job out of the area as it kept him further away from the alleged victims in this case.
Harper did not modify Curtis’ bond form, but she did replace the bond condition of checking in three times a week with the condition of electronic monitoring. Harper noted that this would make it easier for Curtis to work away from the area.
According to the criminal complaint, filed by Deputy Connor D. Waldron of the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, on July 8, he responded to the Elkins Fire Department after a report of “threats.”
Once on the scene, Waldron spoke with Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, who said Curtis, a City Water Department employee, had recently been terminated, the complaint states. Marco said that, upon being fired, Curtis “began making threats” against Marco and Trump.
The incident lead to all City of Elkins offices being locked down on July 8, Sheriff Rob Elbon said in a press statement the following day.
“The mayor and his staff deemed the defendant to be a credible threat to the City of Elkins employees,” Elbon said in the statement.
A warrant was then obtained for Curtis under the charge of “terroristic threats,” and an “emergency ping” was placed upon Curtis's cell phone in an attempt to locate him, Elbon said. About 7 p.m. on July 8, Curtis was arrested “without further incident” in Grant County, after Deputy E. Nazelrodt of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office “came into contact” with him along County Rt. 42 in Grant County, Elbon said.
Witnesses interviewed by Waldron on July 8 said Curtis made multiple threats after being fired, the complaint states. A City Water Department employee stated that Curtis said, “I was put on this earth to help cleanse the earth from people like Donald Trump.” Another witness said that Curtis grabbed a pipe wrench and “acted like he was splitting the president's head open,” after having “directed his profanities and threats” toward Mayor Marco. A third witness provided similar comments, saying Curtis said Marco was a “marked man.”