Rich Creek Mayor Arrested at Train Derailment for Intoxication

Paul Morrison, the mayor of Rich Creek, Virginia, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication on April 28 at the scene of a train derailment near the West Virginia border.

Deputies from the Giles County Sheriff's Office took the 57-year-old mayor into custody near Glen Lyn while emergency crews responded to the incident. A 911 call reported the derailment at 4:52 p.m., involving a Norfolk Southern train. Authorities said about a dozen cars carrying soybean oil derailed, with some nonhazardous oil leaking but quickly contained. No injuries occurred, and no evacuations were required. A hazmat team assisted at the site, and the cause of the derailment remains under investigation.

Video footage showed Morrison, wearing a plaid shirt, interacting with first responders and law enforcement before his arrest. Officials have not released specific details on the events leading to his detention, though a source indicated he arrived at the scene intoxicated. Morrison was processed at the New River Valley Regional Jail and released on his own recognizance.

Two days later, the town of Rich Creek posted a statement from Morrison on its Facebook page. "I would like to offer apologies for my...