RONCEVERTE W.Va. (WVDN) – Police received a complaint of breaking and entering of an outbuilding at a location off of Monroe Ave. in Ronceverte on Sept. 11. The responding officer received footage of two individuals who entered the outbuilding from the owner. According to the criminal complaint, the two individuals in the footage were identified as Bruce Lee Hicks and Patrick McDade.
The criminal complaint noted that the victim stated the building had been broken into multiple times. Reportedly, the victim also said several items had been moved around and they wanted to press charges.
A few days later. on Sept. 14, an officer made contact with Hicks who allegedly admitted to entering the outbuilding with McDade. He also reportedly stated that he had been inside the building several times.
Two days after speaking with Hicks, on Sept. 16, officers reportedly obtained an audio-recorded statement from McDade. According to the criminal complaint, when shown the photo showing the individuals who entered the building, and asked if he was in the photo, McDade stated, “Yes.” He also reportedly identified the other person as Hicks.
The criminal complaint states that officers asked McDade how they got into the building. He reportedly replied they opened the door. He was then asked what they did while inside. McDade allegedly said they looked at all of the items and took a starter motor and took it apart. Additionally, he said the motor was now located at a residence on Greenbrier Ave. When asked the purpose of entering the building, McDade reportedly said it was to get something he could scrap or something old he could fix up and sell. According to the criminal complaint, McDade stated he has a drug addiction and went into the outbuilding to get scrap metal to support his habit.
Additionally, the officer met with the victim and noted a hasp on the door of the building had been cut and noted a saw blade leaning against the exterior door. When going through the items in the building, the victim allegedly pointed out items that were out of place, copper wiring that had been cut, radiators missing from vehicles and a cut ATV frame. After advising the victim of McDade saying he took a starter. The victim then located a Briggs and Stratton engine that was missing a starter located in the same area where the photos were taken of the individuals who entered the building.
At the time of writing, Bruce Hicks is incarcerated at Southern Regional Jail on a $30,000 bail amount. Patrick McDade is not listed in the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate list.
