By Sarah Richardson
Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver pled not guilty this week to five charges, which included two felonies and three misdemeanors, filed against him by the latest convening of the Greenbrier County Grand Jury. Copenhaver was charged with felony burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary; and misdemeanors including removal, injury to, or destruction of property; harassment; and unlawful restraint.
The indictment documents state that Copenhaver and his brother-in-law Lloyd “Billy” Lightner “broke into and entered” a private residence in Alderson, and then “did unlawfully take and carry away a Remington .270 rifle and Black Bear compound bow.” The document alleges that Copenhaver and Lightner also engaged with the residents “to cause the other person to fear for his or her personal safety,” and blocked in a vehicle when a resident tried to leave the property “under apprehension of an implied threat of violence.”
A pretrial status hearing has been set for June 13. More updates will be available as the case continues.
