BUCKHANNON — The Upshur County Board of Education is receiving public scrutiny after allowing Matthew Kerner to load school buses with food for children, despite a recent arrest for illegally possessing a firearm and aiming a firearm at an unarmed citizen.
Additionally, one of Matthew Kerner’s associates from the Opportunity House, Inc. was wearing a t-shirt depicting Kerner holding a firearm with the caption, “Vote for my friends or else.” This individual was also loading food for children on Upshur County school buses.
On June 8, 2020, buses were being loaded with food at the Upshur County Schools Warehouse in Tennerton. Photos taken at the location show Kerner on the premises.
Kerner Recent Arrest
On May 14, 2020, Kerner was arrested for brandishing a weapon on Main Street, aiming the weapon at an unarmed citizen. He was also charged for illegally possessing a firearm, after Buckhannon City Police Sgt. Tom Posey discovered that Kerner has two existing felonies in California.
According to the Criminal Complaint filed on May 12, 2020, with the Magistrate Court of Upshur County, Kerner became involved in a verbal altercation with Michael Shaffer on E Main Street in Buckhannon, WV. According to Sgt. Tom Posey, Kerner pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Shaffer. Kerner claimed that Shaffer had a closed pocket knife in his hand, expressing this to the investigating officer. After re-holstering his handgun, a few additional words were exchanged and the two parted ways.
Upon further investigation, Mountaineer Journal also received images of the alleged closed “pocketknife” Kerner claimed Shaffer was holding in his hand. Images show the object was not a pocketknife, but rather a special key on Shaffer’s keychain.
Sgt. Posey concluded that Matthew Kerner was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to felony crime convictions. Kerner has a felony drug possession conviction and a felony false check conviction in California in August of 2005.
According to the warrant for arrest, Kerner brandished a deadly weapon, threatening or causing a breach of the peace, among additional criminal penalties.
Kerner’s ‘gun meme’ t-shirt
On May 20, 2020, Kerner took a ‘selfie’ wearing the t-shirt ‘gun meme’ design. Mayor David McCauley responded to the picture with laughter on social media.
According to the Buckhannon City Charter, the Mayor serves as the head of the Buckhannon City Police Department. Therefore, this has caused many to question the appropriateness of McCauley’s reaction, indicating partiality in a criminal investigation (favorable of the perpetrator) within his department.
Kerner and McCauley are both running for positions in Buckhannon’s municipal government.