A Calhoun man, Frank John Tobia, Jr., 55, of Hunt Road, Chloe, was issued obstructing charges on February 11 by the WV State Police, after Tobia interfered with the WV Department of Highways placing rock on a rural road bisecting his property near the Calhoun-Clay line.
Tobia pleaded guilty Friday before magistrate Teresa Carpenter in Grantsville.
The highway department said, according to a criminal complaint, they were attempting to place rock on the road for a funeral procession to reach a country cemetery, and had been ordered to leave the area by Tobia.
Officials described Tobia as an "isolationist."
Cpl. J. B. Hunt responded to the area with WVDH employee Wayne Duffield to mediate the problem, saying the road in question is a public highway.
In the complaint, Cpl. Hunt went to a residence occupied by Tobia, making contact, Tobia told the officer he was trespassing on private property, that the officer had made an illegal entry, and that the property "was not under the jurisdiction of West Virginia...that it was owned by a trust from a foreign country," ordering the officer to leave.
Tobia, according to the compliant, would not identify himself and was aggressive and yelling in the officers face, unwilling to discuss the issue, the officer repeatedly tried to negotiate the problem.
The complaint says after continued aggressive behavior and failure to mediate, Tobia was told he could be arrested for obstructing.
Tobia, according to the complaint, continued "yelling" and officer Hunt placed him under arrest, attempting to place handcuffs on the man while he pulled away, the officer took him down to the floor and into custody.
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