GILES CO., Va. – UPDATE
10 News has obtained exclusive video showing Rich Creek mayor Paul Morrison at the site of Tuesday’s train derailment on the West Virginia border.
In the footage, Morrison, dressed in a plaid shirt, is seen interacting with emergency crews and police officers.
According to information from the New River Valley Regional Jail’s inmate database, Mayor Morrison was arrested at the derailment scene on suspicion of public intoxication. The database shows that a magistrate released him on his own recognizance following the incident.
On Thursday, Mayor Paul Morrison released this statement:
“To my Family, the First Responders, the Town’s Employees, Town Council and the residents of Rich Creek,
I would like to offer apologies for my state and any actions on 04/28 at the railroad incident. I regret any inconvenience as well as embarrassment this may have caused.
I am truly sorry to have let you down and can assure you that nothing like this will happen again."
Rich Creek Mayor Paul Morrison
ORIGINAL STORY
The mayor of the small town of Rich Creek was arrested on a charge of being drunk in public.
According to information from the New River Valley Regional Jail’s inmate database, 57-year-old Paul Morrison, the mayor of Rich Creek, was taken into custody by deputies from the Giles County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. The charge is public intoxication.
A source told 10 News that Mayor Morrison showed up intoxicated at the scene of a train derailment near the West Virginia border. Details about what happened at the site or what led to the arrest have not been released at this time.
Jail records show that a magistrate released Morrison on his own recognizance after the arrest.
Morrison was elected mayor in November through a write-in campaign, winning 77 out of 106 votes cast. Rich Creek is a small community, with a population of about 700 people.
At this point, there’s no word from Morrison or town officials about the incident.
Stay with 10 News as this breaking news story continues to develop.