MARTINSBURG, W.Va – Just over a month after the Berkeley Sheriff’s Department was alerted to the possible sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, a Martinsburg man has been taken into custody in connection with the crime.
Michael Scott Vanmetre III was arrested on Friday after being accused of forcing his 13-year-old cousin to have sex with him. According to a release from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department, Corporal Derek Walker was dispatched to Bessemer Lane in Martinsburg on June 30 where he received information that Vanmetre “held the female juvenile victim down and forced her to have sex with him” in April 2024.
Information was also gathered showing the juvenile received inappropriate text messages from Vanmetre.
The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division was assigned to assist in the investigation and Sergeant Funk conducted a forensic examination over the phone to extract evidence for the allegations. Deputy Jenkins reviewed an interview conducted by the Safe Haven Child Advocacy Center during which it was disclosed by the victim that since April 2024, Vanmetre had sexual intercourse with her approximately ten times.
Deputy Jenkins obtained an arrest warrant for Vanmetre who was taken into custody on August 1 and charged with third-degree sexual assault. He was remanded to the Eastern Regional Jail and held on a $30,000 cash-only bond.
