Man charged with burglary in Randolph County

ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — A man has been arrested and charged after allegedly burglarizing a trailer in Pickens.

According to a release from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, on March 25, a deputy received a call of a burglary and arson at a camp in Pickens off Silica Road. The victim told the deputy that he arrived at his camp and found one of the campers “burned to the ground” and his trailer “had the door kicked in, it was ransacked, the siding was damaged, and that his smoker was missing.”

The man told the deputy that he had found a Samsung cell phone left behind by a suspect, later identified as Edward Matthew Williams, 38, and that a Dr. Pepper can was left behind “that was used to smoke Marijuana out of,” the release said.

The man said that Williams had burglarized the camp over the past few years and had stolen several items that were reported to law enforcement. He also said Williams was not allowed on the property and “had no reason to be there.”

The deputy then obtained a search warrant for the cell phone and had its contents reviewed by the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, which was able to confirm that the phone had been used by Williams.

The release said that on April 4, the deputy obtained an arrest warrant for Williams for burglary, and he was able to arrest Williams without incident in the Adrian area of Upshur County on the same day, alongside the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.

The release said the Dr. Pepper can was sent to the West Virginia State Police Crime Lab to be tested for DNA, and that the arson incident remains under investigation by the West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office.

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