RIPLEY, W.Va. –– A Jackson County man is being treated at a Charleston hospital and faces charges of shooting his dad with a crossbow.
According to Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger, Chase Fleming, 35, was in an argument on the phone with his father. Investigators say he decided to drive to his father’s home in the Kenna community to confront him in person. He did so with a loaded crossbow.
“The son travelled to the father’s home and entered with this pre-loaded crossbow. Once he entered the residence, the argument continues and at some point he shouldered the weapon, fired, and struck the guy in the face,” said Mellinger.
The bolt entered the victim’s face just below his left eye and came out the back of this head.
“How the guy is still alive is beyond me, it’s really remarkable,” said Mellinger.
The victim was taken to CAMC where he continues his recovery. Fleming fled the area in his pickup truck but soon crashed near the Roane/Jackson/Kanawha County border.
“He rolled his truck over a hillside just inside the Roane County line,” said Mellinger. “We still had about three inches of snow up here. So, it wasn’t hard to track him but we had multiple K-9’s and multiple drones up. We ended up covering about seven miles through the woods.”
They found Fleming hiding under a rock outcropping on a remote ridge. He was taken into custody without resistance and taken to CAMC for treatment. He’s still hospitalized and under guard until his health improves enough to take him to jail.
Fleming faces a charge of malicious assault, but more charges may be pending.