West Virginia town fires entire police force after chief resigns, sergeant alleges evidence room break-In

A tiny West Virginia municipality is astatine the halfway of a increasing contention aft its full constabulary section was abruptly relieved of work conscionable days aft its constabulary main resigned, sparking nationalist backlash, allegations of authorities overreach and increasing demands for transparency.

"Effective immediately, the full Barrackville Police Department has been relieved of work by the Mayor and City Council," the section wrote successful a Facebook station connected Tuesday.

"We are sincerely grateful for the support, trust, and encouragement shown to america by the Barrackville assemblage passim our service. It has been an grant and a privilege to service and support this town."

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Former Barrackville Police Chief Zachary Freeburn. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)

The announcement stunned residents and marked the evident illness of the tiny section conscionable months aft officials celebrated hiring a caller main to rebuild the agency.

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In December 2025, the section announced Zachary Freeburn's assignment arsenic its caller full-time main of police, highlighting his graduation from the West Virginia State Police Academy, his bachelor's grade successful transgression justness and his precocious Drug Recognition Expert certification.

"We look guardant to continuing to rebuild and fortify our section to amended service our community, and we are excited to erstwhile again person a full-time serviceman starring our agency," the section wrote astatine the time.

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A Barrackville Police Department K-9 conveyance is seen successful Barrackville, W.Va. The town's full constabulary section was relieved of work by the politician and municipality council. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)

Less than 7 months later, that effort had unraveled.

Last week, the section announced that Freeburn had resigned "effective immediately." The bureau said Sgt. Hunt would service arsenic serviceman successful complaint portion assuring residents that constabulary operations would continue.

"Until further notice, Sergeant Hunt volition service arsenic the serviceman successful complaint of the Barrackville Police Department to guarantee the continued cognition of the department," the section said, adding that questions astir the enactment modulation could beryllium addressed astatine the adjacent municipality assembly meeting.

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A close-up of the Barrackville Police Department enarthrosis spot worn by officers successful the Marion County, West Virginia, constabulary bureau earlier the section was relieved of work by municipality officials. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)

Instead, the section itself was relieved of work days later.

A missive Freeburn wrote earlier the section was dismissed offers his relationship of wherefore helium stepped down.

The letter, which was shared with WBOY and intended to beryllium work astatine the July 7 municipality assembly gathering earlier it was canceled, alleges that soon aft the recently elected municipality assembly took office, helium was called into a closed-door gathering wherever helium was told a assembly subordinate would straight supervise the constabulary section and instrumentality operational changes.

Freeburn wrote that helium objected due to the fact that helium believed those directives violated West Virginia instrumentality governing municipal constabulary departments. He said that erstwhile helium attempted to sermon the projected changes, helium was told, "If I springiness you a directive you travel it... I americium successful complaint and what I accidental goes."

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Former Barrackville Police Chief Zachary Freeburn accepts an grant during a West Virginia instrumentality enforcement lawsuit successful 2025. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)

He described the concern arsenic creating what helium believed would go a hostile enactment situation and said those concerns yet led him to resign.

In the letter, Freeburn besides wrote that 1 of the biggest complaints helium heard from residents was a deficiency of transparency astatine municipality hall. He said helium chose to resign truthful the issues could beryllium brought into the open, expressing anticipation that residents would yet person "the transparency that they person been asking for."

The missive notes it was written earlier the announcement that the full constabulary section had been relieved of duty.

Former Barrackville Police Sgt. Hunt, who has been publically identified lone by his past name, told WBOY that helium discovered the constabulary grounds country had allegedly been entered erstwhile helium arrived astatine the section Tuesday morning.

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Hunt alleged municipality officials had antecedently discussed conducting an inventory of the section without officers present. He besides claimed that during a gathering with Mayor Tom Straight and members of the municipality council, Councilmember Alex Neville acknowledged taking a acceptable of constabulary keys.

According to Hunt, aft helium accused municipality officials of entering the grounds room, helium and different officer, who unneurotic made up the department's full sworn force, were instantly relieved of duty. Hunt besides said helium informed municipality officials that helium intended to question whistleblower protections.

Fox News Digital has not independently verified Hunt's allegations.

The contention appears to person been brewing adjacent earlier the section was dismissed.

Following Freeburn's resignation, a Barrackville nonmigratory launched an online petition urging the municipality assembly to reinstate him, arguing that helium had been "forced to resign owed to what galore residents judge was unnecessary overreach by the recently elected Town Council."

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The petition calls connected municipality leaders to reconsider the circumstances surrounding the resignation, reconstruct nationalist assurance done transparency and reinstate Freeburn arsenic constabulary chief.

"Our Police Chief rapidly earned the trust, respect, and appreciation of our assemblage done his professionalism, leadership, integrity, and committedness to keeping Barrackville safe," the petition states. "Although his clip serving our municipality was brief, his interaction was undeniable."

Organizers besides urged residents to be the July 7 municipality assembly gathering to dependable their concerns. The gathering was aboriginal canceled.

In a Facebook post, the Barrackville Town Council announced the gathering had been canceled due to the fact that of "a deficiency of capable accusation regarding items listed nether unfinished business."

The cancellation has lone fueled questions from residents, galore of whom flooded societal media demanding answers.

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An physics motion extracurricular the Town of Barrackville announces a municipality assembly meeting. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)

"Time to bash immoderate heavy inheritance connected the metropolis council. The information is not being told," 1 commenter wrote beneath the constabulary department's announcement.

Another nonmigratory joked, "Who is gonna look implicit the 5 residents successful Barrackville now?"

Barrackville, a municipality of astir 1,200 radical successful north-central West Virginia, is located astir 25 miles southwest of Morgantown.

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Marion County Sheriff Roger Cunningham antecedently told WBOY that the sheriff's bureau volition proceed responding to calls successful Barrackville, arsenic it routinely does passim Marion County, ensuring residents proceed receiving instrumentality enforcement services contempt the municipality nary longer having an progressive constabulary department.

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Town officials person not publically explained wherefore the full section was relieved of work oregon responded to the allegations raised by erstwhile officers.

Fox News Digital has reached retired to the Barrackville Police Department, Straight, members of the Barrackville Town Council and the Marion County Sheriff's Office for comment. Fox News Digital has besides contacted the West Virginia Municipal League seeking clarification connected the authorization of municipal officials implicit constabulary section operations nether authorities law.