JACKSON COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A man is facing charges after allegedly threatening a woman with a machete during a domestic incident earlier this week.
According to deputies, the incident happened Monday, April 27, 2026, at a home on Walters Run Road. Dispatchers received a call reporting that Justin Short was at the residence and had threatened a woman with a machete.
Investigators say Short had arrived at the home the night before and refused to leave. The woman allowed him to stay on the couch overnight to avoid causing a disturbance in front of her children. Before leaving for work the next morning, she reportedly told Short to be gone by the time she returned.
When she arrived home later that day, Short was still at the residence. Deputies say he was sharpening a large knife—described as having an approximately 12-inch blade with a wooden handle—when an argument broke out.
During the confrontation, Short allegedly yelled accusations at the woman and threatened to “chop off” her head. Authorities say he also pushed her, got in her face, and spit on her while still holding the knife.
Fearing for her safety, the woman locked herself inside a closet and texted 911. While she was hiding, Short reportedly paced through the home yelling and threatened to break down the door and harm her if police were called.
Short later told deputies he had been invited to the home the previous night but admitted he refused to leave when asked. He claimed he was sharpening the knife for the homeowner before the argument escalated.
Authorities also noted Short had previously been trespassed from the residence by the property owner and had a prior trespassing charge stemming from an incident in October 2025.
The case remains under investigation.
