BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Beckley man is facing criminal charges after police say he left an overdose victim alone inside a vehicle without calling for help, despite admitting he knew the man was in distress.
According to the Beckley Police Department, officers responded to an overdose call on Feb. 21, 2026, at the Vape Outlet in Beckley. When officers arrived, Beckley Fire Department and EMS personnel had already determined the victim was deceased.
Police found the victim slumped over in the driver’s seat of a green Chrysler Town & Country. Drug paraphernalia was observed inside the vehicle, and because the ignition key was missing, the vehicle was towed and secured as evidence.
The victim’s wife told officers she had last spoken with him the previous evening. While driving, she recognized their vehicle parked outside the Vape Outlet and stopped to check on him, discovering him unresponsive.
Investigators later obtained surveillance footage from multiple businesses, which showed the victim’s vehicle pull into the parking lot. Approximately 40 minutes later, a passenger, later identified as Robert Hicks, exited the vehicle and walked away toward Virginia Street, leaving the victim behind.
During a recorded interview with detectives on Feb. 26, Hicks admitted he had been with the victim and that the two had purchased what he believed to be “speed” before using the drugs together.
According to investigators, Hicks said the victim was snoring, nodding off, and leaning toward the center console but claimed he did not realize he was overdosing. Hicks told detectives he removed the vehicle’s keys before leaving on foot because he did not want the victim to attempt to drive.
Police said Hicks also admitted he had a working cellphone and acknowledged that he should have called 911 but chose not to.
A toxicology report from the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the victim died from combined intoxication involving fentanyl, cocaine, cocaethylene, alcohol, and dex/levo medetomidine.
Based on the investigation, police have sought charges against Hicks in connection with the incident.
The case remains under investigation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
