Sr. Trooper J.D. Richards filed a Magistrate Court Complaint on On Sunday, August 25, 2025, stating that on May 25th, 2025, at approximately 10:45 p.m., while he was conducting a road patrol in the 3,000 block of South Calhoun Highway, heading south, he observed an older, green in color GMC Sierra in front of him. The owner of the truck was found to be Kenneth O. Harris, discovered to be surrendered/revoked to drive in the State of West Virginia.
The Trooper observed the vehicle’s tires cross the double-yellow lines of WV Route 16/ South Calhoun Highway with both front driver’s side and back driver’s side tires in a blind curve at which time the Trooper initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle.
Sr. Trooper Richards stepped out and made contact with the driver which was identified as Kenneth O. Harris asking for his License, vehicle insurance and proof of registration. Mr. Harris made the comment to Trooper Richards “You like riding people’s a**es?” For which Trooper Richards advised Mr. Harris that he was not “riding his a**”. The Trooper was supplied with Mr. Harris’ documents and asked Mr. Harris if his license in WV had ever been suspended in West Virginia, and Mr. Harris advised that it had not. Trooper Richards thought at the time that Mr. Harris’s surrendered status was rooted in getting a valid out-of-state driver’s license through Arizona which was supplied to the Trooper and surrendering his WV Driver’s license.
Mr. Harris was cited for Left of center and was free to leave on that date. However, Upon further review, on Sunday, August 24th, 2025, Trooper Richards researched Mr. Harris further and found that his privilege to operate a motor vehicle was in fact actually Surrendered/Revoked for DUI in the state of West Virginia; for a DUI with an effective date of 05/12/2016 and implied consent with an effective date of 05/12/2016. This Trooper also found that Mr. Harris had received a previous Driving while license suspended/revoked for DUI conviction in Calhoun County on 11/15/2007 making this Mr. Harris’s Second Offense. Probable cause was found for the arrest of Kenneth Owen Harris for the charges of Driving Suspended Revoked for DUI and Left of Center on August 25th, 2025.
Mr. Harris is currently in the WV Central Regional Jail with a bond of $200.00. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
