Alleged Threats Lead to Arrest

MEIGS COUNTY – Alleged threats have led to a weekend arrest.

Meigs County Sheriff Keith Wood reports that Ernest L. Ramsey, 63 years old, from Pomeroy was arrested on several charges June 8, 2014.

Sheriff Wood reports that the Sheriff’s Office received a call around 4 p.m. on Sunday from an individual reporting that a male subject was at her neighbor’s residence and was making threats to kill her neighbor with a hatchet that he had in his possession.

An alert to law enforcement was given with the vehicle description and license plate number and at 4:39 p.m., a call came into the Sheriff’s Office in reference to a possible drunk driver in the suspect vehicle that was making threats earlier.

At 4:46 p.m., a traffic stop was made on the suspect vehicle by Pomeroy Police Chief Mark Proffitt after the suspect vehicle was observed driving erratically. When exiting the vehicle, Ramsey allegedly had in his possession what looked like a large machete and started yelling. According to the report, the suspect then allegedly charged at Chief Proffitt. Chief Proffitt drew his service weapon and ordered Ramsey to put down the machete. Ramsey threw the machete down to the ground but then ran to his vehicle and attempted to retrieve something from underneath the seat of the pickup truck before officers were able to subdue Ramsey and take him into custody.

Officers found that the weapon was an axe. Sheriff Wood along with deputies from the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office were on the scene to assist.

Ramsey was charged with two counts of felonious assault and one count of resisting arrest following this incident.

Ramsey was incarcerated in the Middleport Jail pending a court appearance in the Meigs County Court.