BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) A second Southern Regional Jail Corrections Officer has been taken into custody in connection a fire that occurred at the previous home of former West Virginia Governor Hulett C. Smith at 161 Crestview Drive.
Billy Ray Workman Jr. -24 years old – was voluntarily taken before the Raleigh County Magistrate on Sunday in connection to the incident. This follows the identification and arrest of 30-year-old David Wayne Cole upon the conclusion of a recorded interview with law enforcement regarding the incident.
According to Raleigh County Magistrate Court documents, a follow-up investigation in relation to the fire led officers to secure surveillance footage of Cole and another male entering the 2100 Harper Road Go-Mart at approximately 9:40pm to purchase beer and brake fluid.
Cole stated to law enforcement during the interview that he and Billy Workman took the brake fluid to the 161 Crestview Drive residence where Cole poured it into a Styrofoam plate and lit the plate on fire with a lighter he had brought along. The two exited the area by vehicle, driving away from the area only to return to take video of the fire with a cellular device from CJ’s Tobacco and Liquor store.
Cole was arrested following the interview and transported to Southern Regional Jail. He faces charges of First Degree Arson and Conspiracy.
Workman likewise was arrested after turning himself in accompanied by legal representation. He has been charged with Conspiracy and First Degree Arson, and was arraigned, with bond having been set by the Magistrate at $100,000.
