Photo Provided Gov. Jim Justice reminds West Virginians to stay vigilant against COVID-19 during his Wednesday virtual briefing.

Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday he is waiting for an internal investigation to conclude within the Charleston Police Department before he speaks more on a recent traffic stop involving state Secretary of Transportation Jimmy Wriston. Yet he did say he had some concerns about the situation.

“I give people the benefit of the doubt and absolutely want to make sure that we are on solid ground before we start accusing people or saying this or that or everything else,” Justice said during his virtual briefing with state reporters. “But once we get there, my feelings are really simple. I’ll address it. And right now, there’s enough stuff here that doesn’t look very good.”

According to a release from the Charleston Police Department, officers pulled over Wriston around 11 p.m. Feb. 20 after a report of erratic driving. Wriston was neither charged nor cited for any traffic offense at the stop, CPD said, but the circumstances around the stop led the department to conduct an internal investigation to see whether department policies were followed appropriately.

The results of that internal investigation had not yet been released as of Wednesday afternoon.

Wriston has served as the state’s transportation secretary since Justice appointed him to the position in 2021. Justice lauded the work Wriston has done as Secretary of Transportation, but also made his feelings known about the situation.

“I would tell you how Jim Justice feels … he’s very concerned,” Justice said, “and how Jim Justice feels probably disappointed. We’re waiting on the outcome of a reinvestigation by the Charleston PD and as soon as we get that, I’ll be able to give you more and more and more information.”

Until then, Justice asked that everyone wait until more information came to light.

Also during the briefing, Justice signed a bill that officially made Randall Reid-Smith the cabinet Secretary of Arts, Culture and History. Until then, he served as the state’s curator of arts, culture and history, and the bill elevated Reid-Smith to a cabinet secretary position.

Before signing, Justice mentioned how important the arts are to West Virginia and to the state’s bottom line.

“For every dollar we invest in the arts and history and culture in this state, we return $11 almost immediately,” he said. For every state dollar we receive in funding, there’s a return of $21. You know, it is just amazing.

Justice also announced that the Department of Transportation’s Road Project Map was up and ready to view. The interactive map shows all the DOT projects happening around the state. A link can be found at ransportation.wv.gov/Pages/WVDOT-Projects.aspx.