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Man arrested for threatening Obama
Morgan resident had military background, was ‘disgruntled,’ police say
By Jenni Vincent / Journal staff writer POSTED: June 2, 2009
BERKELEY SPRINGS - Morgan County Sheriff Vince Shambaugh said Monday that a local man has been arrested and charged with making threats against President Barack Obama.
Dale Meadows, of 12311 Valley Road, Berkeley Springs, was arrested without incident on May 21 after his department was contacted for assistance by two U.S. Secret Service agents from Charleston, Shambaugh said.
At that time, the agents' requested assistance in locating Meadows and serving an arrest warrant, he said.
While the details of Meadows' alleged actions have not been made public, Shambaugh said that his prior military background may have played somewhat of a role.
"Evidently he had been disgruntled with the Veterans Administration and some other veterans' organizations. And for whatever reason, it went to the point of him making threats," Shambaugh said.
"I don't know the details of his actions, but it must have been credible enough for probable cause for a warrant for whatever he'd said or done," he said.
When his name was run through the system, Meadows was not found to have any previous history with law enforcement, Shambaugh said.
A SWAT team was assembled and team members met at the sheriff's office with the agents to conduct a briefing before going to Meadow's residence, which was located 12 miles south of town, near the Virginia line, he said.
"We took extra precautions because he is a veteran and has had weapons training, so we felt it was better to err on the side of caution," Shambaugh said.
There were several people in the house when law enforcement arrived and an elderly woman opened the door, he said.
They found Meadows in bed and he was taken without incident at about 1:45 p.m., Shambaugh said.
Meadows was then taken to the Eastern Regional Jail, where he was interviewed by the federal agents, he said.
This is the first time his department has served an arrest warrant for the Secret Service, Shambaugh said.
However, Shambaugh had assembled the SWAT team three years ago and team members received their training in Philadelphia, he said.
Dealing with the federal authorities is different at some levels, Shambaugh said.
"For example, it's just now that we've been able to release the information about this incident or talk about it," he said Monday.
- Staff writer Jenni Vincent can be reached at (304) 263-3381, ext. 138, or [email protected]
Morgan resident had military background, was ‘disgruntled,’ police say
By Jenni Vincent / Journal staff writer POSTED: June 2, 2009
BERKELEY SPRINGS - Morgan County Sheriff Vince Shambaugh said Monday that a local man has been arrested and charged with making threats against President Barack Obama.
Dale Meadows, of 12311 Valley Road, Berkeley Springs, was arrested without incident on May 21 after his department was contacted for assistance by two U.S. Secret Service agents from Charleston, Shambaugh said.
At that time, the agents' requested assistance in locating Meadows and serving an arrest warrant, he said.
While the details of Meadows' alleged actions have not been made public, Shambaugh said that his prior military background may have played somewhat of a role.
"Evidently he had been disgruntled with the Veterans Administration and some other veterans' organizations. And for whatever reason, it went to the point of him making threats," Shambaugh said.
"I don't know the details of his actions, but it must have been credible enough for probable cause for a warrant for whatever he'd said or done," he said.
When his name was run through the system, Meadows was not found to have any previous history with law enforcement, Shambaugh said.
A SWAT team was assembled and team members met at the sheriff's office with the agents to conduct a briefing before going to Meadow's residence, which was located 12 miles south of town, near the Virginia line, he said.
"We took extra precautions because he is a veteran and has had weapons training, so we felt it was better to err on the side of caution," Shambaugh said.
There were several people in the house when law enforcement arrived and an elderly woman opened the door, he said.
They found Meadows in bed and he was taken without incident at about 1:45 p.m., Shambaugh said.
Meadows was then taken to the Eastern Regional Jail, where he was interviewed by the federal agents, he said.
This is the first time his department has served an arrest warrant for the Secret Service, Shambaugh said.
However, Shambaugh had assembled the SWAT team three years ago and team members received their training in Philadelphia, he said.
Dealing with the federal authorities is different at some levels, Shambaugh said.
"For example, it's just now that we've been able to release the information about this incident or talk about it," he said Monday.
- Staff writer Jenni Vincent can be reached at (304) 263-3381, ext. 138, or [email protected]
