FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A Fayette County man was taken into custody after allegedly threatening to kill a woman with what appeared to be a firearm, later identified as a modified paintball gun, according to a police report.
Deputies responded to a reported domestic incident at a residence on Midland Trail shortly after 11:30 p.m. on September 29, 2026. The woman had left the home and traveled to Big Swell Baptist Church, where deputies met with her shortly after midnight.
The woman told deputies her brother-in-law, Justin Lephew, had been drinking liquor and became increasingly aggressive throughout the evening. She alleged that he repeatedly tapped her forehead with the weapon while threatening to kill her.
She also reported previous incidents of physical violence and said Lephew remained at her residence despite repeated requests to leave.
Deputies arrived at the home at approximately 12:16 a.m. on September 30. According to the report, Lephew did not comply with repeated announcements directing him to exit with his hands raised.
Deputies entered and found him sitting on a couch near the front door. He allegedly resisted handcuffing by tensing his body and refusing to place his hands behind his back. Officers took him into custody after a brief struggle.
During a safety sweep, deputies found a black, submachine-gun-style weapon in the bedroom the woman identified as Lephew’s. Investigators later determined it was a Pursuit Combat Systems paintball gun modified to resemble a real firearm.
In the same room, deputies reported finding a clear plastic bag containing more than nine grams of a white substance suspected to be fentanyl or a fentanyl-cocaine mixture. The bag was on a small table alongside Lephew’s state-issued identification and prescription bottles bearing his name.
The reporting deputy stated that the amount was inconsistent with personal use. The report did not include laboratory confirmation of the substance or identify specific charges.
