HARDWAY TO ENTER PLEA ON ASSAULTING OFFICER

(10/12/2006)
Forty-five-year-old Billy Ray Hardway of Daniel's Run was arraigned last Friday for assaulting DNR officer John Apgar in August.

Hardway is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Teresa Robinson's court today to enter a plea.

The assault warrant, a misdemeanor, was obtained by Cpl. Doug Starcher of the WV State Police for Hardway, after officer Apgar shot Hardway in the shoulder while he was attempting to serve Hardway a warrant related to an earlier incident.

Apgar has been placed on duty in another county since the incident.

Hardway is currently in Central Regional Jail on a firearms charge, related to a felon possessing a gun. He was indicted by a Calhoun grand jury on the charge with bond set at $100,000.

Three charges of wanton endangerment with a firearm over an alleged dispute between Hardway and three juveniles near his residence have apparently been dropped or are not being moved forward.

Wanton endangerment charges were filed against Hardway after Apgar responded to a dispute in August, resulting in Apgar and another DNR officer going to Hardway's residence on Daniel's Run to serve those warrants.

Apgar alleges that Hardway hid behind a door and was reaching for or wielded a knife when he shot him.