MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mercer County man was arrested Wednesday evening after deputies responded to a disturbance involving damage to a community blessing box and a brief foot chase.
According to authorities, at approximately 6:40 p.m. on January 22, 2026, deputies were called to the Brushfork area along Brushfork Road after a resident reported a man acting erratically in his yard. The caller said the man was dancing, yelling at his dog, shaking a nearby blessing box, and feared the individual might attempt to break into his home.
When deputies arrived, the suspect, identified as Steven McKinney, was found standing near the blessing box located beside Brushfork Elementary School. Officers observed that several pieces of the box had been torn off and were lying on the ground. McKinney admitted to damaging the box and claimed he was about to put the pieces back.
When officers attempted to detain McKinney, he refused to comply with repeated commands. After continued noncompliance, deputies deployed pepper spray and attempted to take him into custody. McKinney then fled on foot up Purdue Street.
With assistance from additional responding officers, McKinney was eventually taken to the ground and restrained after continuing to resist arrest. Officers from the Bluefield Police Department assisted in securing him in handcuffs.
McKinney was transported to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, decontaminated from the pepper spray, and later taken to Southern Regional Jail.
He has been charged with obstructing and fleeing on foot and resisting arrest. Authorities also noted McKinney has prior convictions for obstructing from October 12, 2021, and October 25, 2023.
