OAK HILL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Fayette County man is facing multiple charges after deputies say he threatened a neighbor with a firearm following a trailer fire in Oak Hill.
According to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched around 8:17 p.m. on May 12 to Patrick Street in Oak Hill after a woman called 911 claiming a neighbor had set her trailer on fire.
While deputies were responding, Fayette County 911 advised that a blue step-side Ford pickup truck pulling a trailer had left the scene after the driver allegedly brandished a firearm at another man nearby.
Investigators said responding officers quickly learned the vehicle description matched Thomas Speck, who was reportedly in a relationship with the original caller, Brittany Billings.
When deputies arrived on scene, they spoke with Gary Jennings, who stated a trailer beside his residence had caught fire earlier in the day and he attempted to help extinguish the flames before firefighters arrived.
According to Jennings, Billings and Speck later arrived at the scene in a blue Ford pickup truck pulling a trailer carrying a four-wheeler.
Jennings told deputies the pair were yelling and screaming before Speck allegedly entered his yard armed with a gun.
According to the report, Jennings stated Speck threatened to shoot him and burn his house down over the fire incident, despite Jennings insisting he had nothing to do with the blaze.
Deputies later obtained an audio-recorded statement from Jennings, who described the suspect as a man with a long silver beard wearing a long-sleeve shirt.
Investigators said Jennings positively identified Thomas Speck from a West Virginia DMV photograph.
During the investigation, deputies conducted a criminal history check and determined Speck is a convicted felon with multiple prior convictions in several states involving drug offenses, fleeing law enforcement, and other violent crimes.
According to deputies, Speck is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
Thomas Speck has been charged with:
- Brandishing a Deadly Weapon
- Assault
- Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person
The incident remains under investigation by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.
