A joint investigation conducted by the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office and Preston County Sheriffs Office led to the arrest of several people allegedly involved in a kidnapping and murder. On October 14, 2021Garrett County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division detectives began an investigation into the kidnapping of 41 year old Jimmy Lee Barkley, of Oakland, Maryland. The investigation revealed that Barkley was taken by force from a residence in Oakland, Maryland and forcibly taken to a cabin located near Eglon, West Virginia. Late Tuesday October 12, 2021, and into the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 25 year old Dashawn Nichelle Scott, and 20 year old Roy Tyson Cheshire assisted a group of individuals from Morgantown and Detroit group in locating Barkley at the residence in Oakland, Maryland. Scott, Cheshire, and 24 year old Andrew William Wassick of Morgantown, West Virginia located Barkley inside the residence, stripped him down, tied him up and forced him into the vehicle taking him to the cabin. At the cabin a completely subdued Barkley was then relinquished to an unknown male who had directed the subjects to find him for retribution. Shortly thereafter, witnesses reported that they heard multiple gunshots in the wooded area near the cabin.
On Thursday, October 14, 2021, members of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop B Vice/ Narcotics Unit and the Mon/ Metro Drug Task Force conducted multiple operations in Uniontown, Pennsylvania and in Morgantown, West Virginia. During these operations, arrested were 20 year old Damon Lamont Hudgens, 31 year old Darrell Pettaway 31 years both from Detroit, Michigan and 38 year old Kathryn Rodriguez and Andrew Wassick from Morgantown, West Virginia on multiple drug charges.
On Saturday, October 16, 2021, information was received by Detectives with the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office regarding the shooting and location of the shooting. Preston County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to the scene and along with K-9 units from the Grafton Volunteer Fire Department K-9 Search and Rescue Team were able to locate Barkley deceased in the remote area. The West Virginia State Police Crime Scene Team responded and processed the complex crime scene.
As a result of the extensive investigations, and after multiple witnesses were identified and questioned, Damon Lamont Hudgens was identified as the male that had premeditatedly killed Jimmy Lee Barkley.
The following are the arrests and charges in Preston and Garrett Counties;
Damon Lamont Hudgens, 1st Degree Murder
Andrew William Wassick, Kidnapping/ 1st and 2nd Degree Assault
Dashawn Nichelle Scott, Kidnapping/ 1st and 2nd Degree Assault
Roy Tyson Cheshire, Kidnapping/ 1st and 2nd Degree Assault
The investigation is ongoing and further arrests are forthcoming.