BECKLEY, W.Va. — The mayor of Raleigh County’s largest city addressed a recent crime that has some residents concerned.
It happened late Sunday night when a woman was held at gunpoint and sexually assaulted near Beckley’s Rails-to-Trails. Timothy Harris and Michael Ritter were taken into custody on first degree sexual assault charges. Beckley Police said Harris had cocaine base in his possession at the time of arrest.
Beckley Mayor Rob Rappold addressed the sexual assault on the rails-to-trails Wednesday on MetroNews affiliate WJLS’s “Radio Roundtable”. He does not want a few incidents to ruin the city’s image.
“Those things happen. It’s unfortunate as hard as we work and the great events we have on the rails-to-trails. If you look at the crime reports on the rails-to-trails it’s minute. It bothers me that the rails-to-trails, which is such a great facility for the City of Beckley, these instances become such high profile.”
Beckley Police have said it was an isolated incident and officers are frequently patrolling the 4.2 mile-long trail system during the day. The asphalt path runs from the town of Mabscott, winds through downtown Beckley before ending at the Beckley Crossing Shopping Center.
“In the wee hours of the morning, we’re patrolling neighborhoods,” said Rappold. “We’re watching for people who could be thinking about breaking and entering or they’re checking door handles to steal change out of cars, that sort of thing. So we’re not down there at 2:30 or 3 o’clock in the morning.”
Rappold said he is working closely with Beckley Police.
“There are definitely folks out there who may have nefarious ideas or intentions. Yesterday I was with one of our officers and we patrolled the rails-to-trails, which we do. We have regular patrols during the day and early evening of rails-to-trails.”
The trail is lighted for nighttime use, but Rappold said the majority of usage comes during that daytime.