A man wanted by South Carolina authorities for 17 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor was arrested in Morgan County last Tuesday, September 11 by the West Virginia State Police.
Douglas B. Bishop, 50, of Union, S.C. was stopped near Paw Paw by Cpl. S. R. Smith shortly after 6:30 p.m. last Tuesday. According to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court, Cpl. Smith noticed “antique vehicle” plates on the 1990 Ford F-150 Bishop was driving and observed that the truck had no inspection sticker.
Bishop allegedly told the officer he had borrowed the truck, and had been living in an area of Great Cacapon since May since moving here to take a job he saw posted on Craigslist.
According to police, Bishop is wanted through the national crime database for 17 counts of sexual exploitation. News reports from South Carolina indicate police had located files depicting child pornography in the basement of Bishop’s home there.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office had issued a notice for residents to be on the lookout for Bishop in late December 2017.
In the criminal complaint, Cpl. Smith reported that Bishop confirmed he had moved to Morgan County to escape prosecution in South Carolina.
Bishop was charged with felony failure to register as a sexual offender and driving while his license was suspended.
Bishop will face extradition to South Carolina on charges in that state. He is being held without bond as a fugitive from justice in the Eastern Regional Jail.