Photo by Casey Junkins Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said city leaders oppose a West Virginia Legislature bill that would require Wheeling to invest police and fire pension plans with a state agency.

WHEELING — A car crash late Saturday at 16th and Market streets downtown led to the arrest of City Manager Robert Herron for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott and Ohio County Sheriff Thomas Howard confirmed Herron’s arrest late Sunday morning. Herron was charged with aggravated DUI, as his blood alcohol content level reportedly was .305, and he spent Sunday morning lodged in the Northern Regional Jail. In West Virginia, the legal limit is .08.

Elliott issued the following statement on Herron’s arrest:

“I learned early this morning that there was a vehicular crash last night at approximately 11 p.m at 16th and Market Street involving Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron. Officers from the Wheeling Police Department responded to the scene, and my understanding is that there were no serious injuries resulting. Upon realizing that a city official was involved, per departmental protocol, the officers called in an outside agency — in this case the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office — to investigate the situation. Mr. Herron was subsequently arrested by the OCSO and charged with driving under the influence,” Elliott said.

The city finds itself in the middle of several large projects including a possible public safety building, a new parking garage downtown and other matters, with Herron serving as the point person for all those issues in his role as city manager. Elliott said he hopes to convene a meeting of City Council soon to discuss how to proceed.

“I have this morning alerted all members of Wheeling City Council of this incident and intend to call for a special meeting as soon as possible this week so that we can discuss this matter and its impact on City operations,” Elliott said. “We will have much more to say about this matter as more facts become available. In the meantime, I would direct all inquiries regarding these alleged incidents to the OCSO.”

Ohio County Sheriff Thomas Howard also confirmed Herron’s arrest, and said his department was called in to handle the situation by a Wheeling police officer. He said deputies will handle the matter just as they would for any person arrest on a DUI charge.