by Kate Shunney
A Morgan County Sheriff’s deputy was shot on Saturday morning while responding to a break-in at a home in the Spohrs Crossroads area east of Berkeley Springs. The deputy, Bradley Meacham, was treated and released from the hospital by lunchtime on Saturday, said Morgan County Sheriff Johnnie Walter.
The Maryland man who shot Meacham, identified as Melvin E. Gallion of Flintstone, Md. has been charged by the West Virginia State Police with two counts of attempted murder and malicious assault of an officer.
Deputy Meacham, who is the most recent hire to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department, responded to the burglary call around 6:50 a.m. on Saturday, July 26 along with Deputy M. Butts.
Sheriff Walter told The Morgan Messenger that an unwanted male was banging on the door of the residence on Anderson Court when the 911 call was made. When deputies arrived, the man had broken into the home and the occupants had fled out a back door.
Sheriff Walter said Gallion had already shot two dogs at the residence in front of a child who lived there, and when officers arrived, Gallion turned his shotgun on deputies.
Deputy Meacham was shot four times with a 12-gauge shotgun, once above his eye and in his hand.
“He stayed and engaged the suspect after being shot,” said the sheriff.
Officers returned fire and shot Gallion, who was transported to Berkeley Medical Center for treatment.
Deputy Meacham was treated at War Memorial Hospital for his immediate wounds and released. Sheriff Walter said he will have to have surgery for the wounds on his hand.
A medical helicopter was called to respond to the scene but the helicopter was later cancelled.
The West Virginia State Police is investigating the incident and handled the processing of the crime scene.
Sheriff Walter said he has reviewed the bodycam footage of the exchange and said his officers did things “by the book.” Sheriff Walter said if officers had not arrived on the scene when they did to draw Gallion’s attention away from the residents of the home, the call could have ended very differently.
Sheriff Walter said Gallion is wanted on a warrant out of Allegany County, Maryland for strangulation and was involved in a case in Morgan County being investigated by Deputy Diehl of the Sheriff’s Department.
Gallion is being held at the Eastern Regional Jail on a $300,000 cash bond on the attempted murder charges.
Gallion was also charged on Saturday with strangulation, a crime he is accused of committing in March.
An arrest warrant for Gallion had been issued months ago, but it was served on July 26, according to court records in the Morgan County Magistrate Court.
According to the criminal complaint, Morgan County Sheriff’s deputies Knotts and Diehl responded to Anderson Court on March 16 for a physical domestic incident. Gallion had reportedly left before officers arrived at the home.
Police wrote in the complaint that the victim reported being in a verbal argument with Gallion while the victim was showering. Gallion allegedly tore the glass door off the shower, breaking the glass, which was shattered into the shower. Gallion is accused of then grabbing the victim by the esophagus and squeezing until they could not breathe. He allegedly released the victim and then begged them not to call the police. Police reported seeing bruising and scratch marks on both sides of the victim’s neck consistent with strangulation.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department is the investigating agency on those charges, with Deputy Diehl as the investigating officer.
