MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A standoff at a Morgantown law office with an armed individual stemmed from a case of child pornography handled by the law firm last year.
Multiple agencies responded to a standoff at the Cranston Edwards Law office on Dorsey Avenue in Morgantown Monday. Monongalia County 911 received the call at 12:28 p.m. about a male subject who was not an employee and had a gun.
As employees left the building, while officers from the Monongalia Sheriff’s Department, Morgantown Police Department, West Virginia State Police and Mon EMS arrived on scene to assist.
A portion of Dorsey Avenue was restricted for safety purposes as crisis negotiators from the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department and Special Response Team made contact with the suspect later identified as Jeremy Harp.
After about 5 1/2 hours Harp surrendered and was transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital for further evaluation.
A statement from Cranston & Edwards said the incident was related to a child pornography case handled by the firm last year.
“In April 2024, Attorney Bryan Edwards of our firm represented a gentleman by the name of Christopher Harp, who was accused of receipt and possession of child pornography in federal court. Christopher Harp steadfastly maintained his innocence. During the trial, it was our contention that Christopher Harp was not the individual who received and possessed the pornography; but it was, in fact, his brother, who committed this heinous crime. Unfortunately, Christopher Harp was convicted.
This morning Christopher Harp’s brother, Jeremy Harp, arrived at our office unannounced and indicated that he wished to provide a statement to Attorney Edwards. Attorney Edwards was not present at the time, but did obtain Jeremy Harp’s full confession in front of a court reporter and it was recorded via Zoom. Thereafter, Jeremy Harp pulled out a pistol and placed it on his chest. Our office staff immediately exited building and called 911 to report the incident. Law enforcement officers and EMS personnel promptly responded. Fortunately, nobody got hurt.
We would like to thank the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, Morgantown Police Department, West Virginia State Police, and Monongalia County EMS, and all other responders, for handling the situation in such as professional manner. It was greatly appreciated.”
Cranston & Edwards, PLLC