A small-town Virginia mayor was arrested this week after he allegedly showed up intoxicated at the scene of a train derailment.
The derailment and arrest happened this past Tuesday near the West Virginia border, where emergency crews were responding to a Norfolk Southern derailment.
According to WSLS-TV, Rich Creek Mayor Paul Morrison was taken into custody at the scene.
Small-town Virginia mayor arrested for allegedly showing up drunk to scene of train derailment Paul Morrison, 57, was elected mayor of Rich Creek, a tiny town with a population of roughly 700 in November — winning roughly 77 out of 106 votes cast in a wr… https://t.co/1skUWCMHHw pic.twitter.com/NJKc49Cpqd
— UnfilteredAmerica (@NahBabyNahNah) April 29, 2026
The outlet obtained video of the mayor talking with first responders:
Jail records showed the 57-year-old was arrested by deputies from the Giles County Sheriff’s Office on a public intoxication charge.
Authorities have not released further details about what led directly to the arrest.
Morrison was later released on his own recognizance.
According to the New York Post, Morrison was cuffed and booked after allegedly arriving inebriated at the derailment scene.
The derailment itself involved a train that spilled soybean oil into the Bluestone River.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said the oil was not hazardous.
Morrison was elected mayor this past November through a write-in campaign.
He won 77 out of 106 votes cast in the town of roughly 700 residents, according to WSLS.
Morrison issued an apology for the arrest on Thursday.
“To my Family, the First Responders, the Town’s Employees, Town Council and the residents of Rich Creek, I would like to offer apologies for my state and any actions on 04/28 at the railroad incident,” the mayor said.
He added that he regretted “any inconvenience as well as embarrassment this may have caused.”
“I am truly sorry to have let you down and can assure you that nothing like this will happen again,” Morrison said.
Court records cited by the New York Post showed Morrison is scheduled to return to court in Giles County on July 7.
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