Paul Morrison, the 57-year-old mayor of Rich Creek, Virginia, was arrested Tuesday after allegedly arriving at a train derailment site while intoxicated. The incident occurred near the Virginia-West Virginia border, where a Norfolk Southern Railway train derailed, leaking non-hazardous soybean oil, according to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP). Morrison was taken into custody by the Giles County Sheriff’s Office on a public intoxication charge and later released on his own recognizance, jail records show.
Morrison, who became mayor in November through a write-in campaign, won 77 of 106 votes cast. His election followed a leadership shakeup in Rich Creek, where five of six town council members and the previous mayor resigned earlier this year. The town has a population of roughly 750 people.
The WVDEP confirmed that recovery operations were underway, and no hazardous materials were involved in the derailment. Details surrounding Morrison’s arrest remain unclear, and no additional statements have been released by local authorities.