MATOAKA, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A man was arrested after an eviction dispute allegedly turned violent at a Mercer County residence Sunday afternoon.
Mercer County deputies responded to an unwanted guest complaint at a home on Piedmont Road in Matoaka at approximately 1:42 p.m. on September 13.
According to the criminal complaint, James Tooley told deputies that he and his brother, Tommy Tooley, went to the residence to inform Shawna Jenkins that she was being evicted.
James Tooley said the discussion escalated into an argument involving Jenkins and her son. He alleged that Jenkins and her son had been shooting glass bottles with a BB gun in the backyard the previous day and failed to clean up the broken glass.
Tooley told deputies that Jenkins’ son confronted him before performing a burnout in the roadway and leaving the property. He said Jenkins then began yelling at him in defense of her son, prompting his brother to call 911.
Jenkins provided deputies with a different account. She alleged that Tooley retrieved a firearm from a red pickup truck and brandished it at her son, causing him to leave the property.
Jenkins further claimed that Tooley struck her in the back of the head with a key ring during the argument, causing a knot to form. The responding deputy reported being unable to see an injury because of her hair.
Jenkins provided deputies with an audio-recorded statement.
Tooley was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department for processing. He is charged with domestic battery.
The charge is an allegation, and Tooley is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
