MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – A homeless man is under arrest after he reportedly assaulted multiple staff members and ransacked work stations as well as other areas of a nursing home in Martinsburg.
The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department tells The Panhandle News Network the suspect, 52-year-old James Buford Cressel of no fixed address was taken into custody after a brief struggle.
Deputies were called to the Martinsburg Healthcare Center at 209 Clover Street in Martinsburg just after 9:00 on the night of February 8th 2024.
A male suspect, later identified as Cressel, had reportedly gained unlawful entry into the building and was actively throwing tables and breaking into offices. A report of the incident indicates workers were attempting to keep patients safe but “multiple staff members had already been assaulted.”
As deputies arrived on scene, Cressel was allegedly attempting to break out of a locked door in the front entrance. He was “taken into custody after a brief struggle,” according to the sheriff’s department report.
Cressel “committed violent assaults to multiple staff,” according to the Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Eric Burnett. One victim has to be transported to the hospital for treatment.
Cressel was transported to the Eastern Regional Jail. Burnett reports Cressel also had outstanding warrants through the West Virginia State Police for his arrest from previous unrelated incidents.