| SUTTON WCHS-TV - Braxton County deputies said the owner of a floral shop in Sutton faces a charge after he allegedly threatened to beat up the town's mayor and bumped him with his chest.
Court records say the incident happened on Main Street in Sutton about 10:30 a.m. Monday after the mayor was struck by another man driving a vehicle in front of the flower shop.
John R. Beam, 69, of Sutton is charged with battery on a government representative, according to a criminal complaint filed in Braxton County Magistrate Court.
A deputy said he responded after receiving an emergency call about two males involved in an altercation and a vehicle blocking Main Street in Sutton.
When he arrived at the scene, the deputy spoke to Sutton Mayor Johnnie Campbell who said he was on his way to Gassaway when he saw a vehicle parked on the road in a no parking zone, making deliveries at the flower shop.
The mayor told the deputy he stopped to speak to the driver about blocking the roadway, due to numerous complaints.
He said the driver refused to roll the window of the van down and moved the vehicle forward, striking the mayor. The mayor said the driver continued to refuse to roll down the window and hit the mayor with the vehicle again.
After the confrontation, the owner of the flower shop, Beam, came out of the store and was cursing at the mayor, the complaint said. The mayor told the deputy Beam threatened to beat him up and bumped him with his chest twice.
The criminal complaint said a $1,000 personal recognizance bond was set for Beam. He was not listed on the West Virginia Regional Jail website.
A spokeswoman in Braxton County Magistrate Court said there was no record of a criminal complaint being filed against the driver of the van. The Braxton County Sheriff's Department could not be reached for comment.
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