A Dunbar police officer was arrested Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. It’s at least the fourth alleged incident of violence by the city’s officers in just over two years.
“For these things to happen, there was something broken in the department,†Dunbar Police Chief Brian Oxley said Thursday, referring to the claims of violence against his officers.
The latest incident
In Wednesday’s arrest, Chris Kendall, 31, of Dunbar, and the alleged victim were screaming at each other while the woman held her juvenile daughter, according to a criminal complaint in the case.
After the woman took the child inside a Dunbar house, the argument reportedly escalated outside. According to the complaint, the woman sat on the back porch and Kendall grabbed her by the bicep, pulling her inside the house.
In a statement to police, a neighbor said he “heard the female screaming like she was in danger.†The neighbor said he saw Kendall grab the woman by the hair and stand over top of her in an aggressive stance, according to the complaint.
Kendall was transported to Kanawha County Magistrate Court for arraignment, the complaint said. If convicted, Kendall faces up to a year in jail and a $500 fine for domestic battery.
According to Dunbar Police Department protocol, Kendall was placed on administrative leave following his arrest. Oxley said the department has begun an internal investigation into the incident.
There are 12 officers in the Dunbar department, three of whom are suspended, Mayor Scott Elliott said.
There have been three lawsuits filed in the past two years against the police department. Dunbar officials are “trying to change everything†by hiring new people and updating policies, Oxley said.
In May, a lawsuit filed against a Dunbar officer alleged that the officer sexually assaulted a woman while he was in uniform. The officer, Lt. Chad Shafer, was placed on paid administrative leave.
In August 2023, a federal court approved a $2 million settlement to be paid to the family of a man who died from injuries sustained while in the custody of Dunbar police. The lawsuit alleged that the death was the result of police brutality, disregard for medical needs and the use of excessive force.
Just a few months after the settlement, the police found themselves subject to another excessive-force lawsuit. This one named Officers Todd Hannah and Zachary Winters, as well as with two unnamed members of the department.
Six officers, including Winters and the two unnamed officers, allegedly gathered around Anthony Reese and attacked him for two minutes. Footage from the attack showed Reese being pulled to his feet and arrested while bleeding from the head, according to the lawsuit.
Kendall’s arrest was first reported by WCHS-TV.
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