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Suspect in Wheeling American Legion Shooting Arrested

MARTINS FERRY — The suspect in a New Year’s Eve shots-fired incident in Wheeling is back in West Virginia following his arrest Tuesday in a joint operation by the Martins Ferry Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Mountain State Fugitive Task Force.

“For the last couple weeks, (we were) working with the U.S. Marshals during surveillance and keeping an eye out for him.

They had received information that he was in town somewhere here, and yesterday we were able to take him into custody along with the U.S. Marshals,” Martins Ferry Police Chief John McFarland said Wednesday.

He added that Jerome Saunders, 29, of Wheeling was arrested at 14 N. Third St. in Martins Ferry.

“We found out he was in the residence. We set up a perimeter and we were able to take him into custody,” McFarland said, adding that Saunders was arrested without incident.

He added the various agencies worked well together on the case.

“You can get a lot more done working together as a team than you do individually, so I always strive to try to help out anyone that we can to try to bring the bad guys to jail,” he said, adding that his office has worked with the marshals, the Wheeling police and the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department. “We have a great working relationship together and we know that at any point and time we deal with jurisdiction lines, we give them a quick call and they’re always there to help us, just like we’re always there to help them.”

He added that Saunders has been transported to West Virginia on a federal warrant.

Ohio County Prosecutor Scott Smith said Saunders is charged with malicious assault and wanton endangerment with a firearm.

“That’s when you fire a weapon, a firearm, and you put someone else at risk of harm,” he said, adding his office would continue to review the case with detectives.

Charges stem from an incident at 3:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve near the American Legion Post 89 in East Wheeling.

“We know that he was inside the American Legion bar,” said Wheeling Police Department spokesman Philip Stahl, adding that police have interviewed witnesses and 14 shell casings were found at Lane E, near 15th and Jacob streets. A bystander suffered minor injuries from debris.

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