A small town in West Virginia has been thrust into controversy after its entire police force was suddenly taken off duty, a move that came only days after the police chief stepped down and has prompted criticism from residents, claims of government overreach and calls for clearer answers from local officials.
“Effective immediately, the entire Barrackville Police Department has been relieved of duty by the Mayor and City Council,” the department said Tuesday in a post on Facebook.
“We are sincerely grateful for the support, trust, and encouragement shown to us by the Barrackville community throughout our service. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve and protect this town.”
Former Barrackville Police Chief Zachary Freeburn. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)
The notice caught many residents off guard and appeared to signal the breakdown of the town’s small police department, just months after local leaders had praised the hiring of a new chief tasked with strengthening and rebuilding the agency.
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In December 2025, the department announced Zachary Freeburn’s appointment as its new full-time chief of police, highlighting his graduation from the West Virginia State Police Academy, his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and his advanced Drug Recognition Expert certification.
“We look forward to continuing to rebuild and strengthen our department to better serve our community, and we are excited to once again have a full-time officer leading our agency,” the department wrote at the time.
A Barrackville Police Department K-9 vehicle is seen in Barrackville, W.Va. The town’s entire police department was relieved of duty by the mayor and town council. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)
Less than seven months later, that effort had unraveled.
Last week, the department announced that Freeburn had resigned “effective immediately.” The agency said Sgt. Hunt would serve as officer in charge while assuring residents that police operations would continue.
“Until further notice, Sergeant Hunt will serve as the officer in charge of the Barrackville Police Department to ensure the continued operation of the department,” the department said, adding that questions about the leadership transition could be addressed at the next town council meeting.
A close-up of the Barrackville Police Department shoulder patch worn by officers in the Marion County, West Virginia, police agency before the department was relieved of duty by town officials. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)
Instead, the department itself was relieved of duty days later.
A letter Freeburn wrote before the department was dismissed offers his account of why he stepped down.
The letter, which was shared with WBOY and intended to be read at the July 7 town council meeting before it was canceled, alleges that shortly after the newly elected town council took office, he was called into a closed-door meeting where he was told a council member would directly supervise the police department and implement operational changes.
Freeburn wrote that he objected because he believed those directives violated West Virginia law governing municipal police departments. He said that when he attempted to discuss the proposed changes, he was told, “If I give you a directive you follow it… I am in charge and what I say goes.”
Former Barrackville Police Chief Zachary Freeburn accepts an award during a West Virginia law enforcement event in 2025. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)
He described the situation as creating what he believed would become a hostile work environment and said those concerns ultimately led him to resign.
In the letter, Freeburn also wrote that one of the biggest complaints he heard from residents was a lack of transparency at town hall. He said he chose to resign so the issues could be brought into the open, expressing hope that residents would finally receive “the transparency that they have been asking for.”
The letter notes it was written before the announcement that the entire police department had been relieved of duty.
Former Barrackville Police Sgt. Hunt, who has been publicly identified only by his last name, told WBOY that he discovered the police evidence room had allegedly been entered when he arrived at the department Tuesday morning.
Hunt alleged town officials had previously discussed conducting an inventory of the department without officers present. He also claimed that during a meeting with Mayor Tom Straight and members of the town council, Councilmember Alex Neville acknowledged taking a set of police keys.
According to Hunt, after he accused town officials of entering the evidence room, he and another officer, who together made up the department’s entire sworn force, were immediately relieved of duty. Hunt also said he informed town officials that he intended to seek whistleblower protections.
INC News has not independently verified Hunt’s allegations.
The controversy appears to have been brewing even before the department was dismissed.
Following Freeburn’s resignation, a Barrackville resident launched an online petition urging the town council to reinstate him, arguing that he had been “forced to resign due to what many residents believe was unnecessary overreach by the newly elected Town Council.”
The petition calls on town leaders to reconsider the circumstances surrounding the resignation, restore public confidence through transparency and reinstate Freeburn as police chief.
“Our Police Chief quickly earned the trust, respect, and appreciation of our community through his professionalism, leadership, integrity, and commitment to keeping Barrackville safe,” the petition states. “Although his time serving our town was brief, his impact was undeniable.”
Organizers also urged residents to attend the July 7 town council meeting to voice their concerns. The meeting was later canceled.
In a Facebook post, the Barrackville Town Council announced the meeting had been canceled because of “a lack of sufficient information regarding items listed under unfinished business.”
The cancellation has only fueled questions from residents, many of whom flooded social media demanding answers.
An electronic sign outside the Town of Barrackville announces a town council meeting. (Barrackville Police Department Facebook)
“Time to do some deep background on the city council. The truth is not being told,” one commenter wrote beneath the police department’s announcement.
Another resident joked, “Who is gonna look over the 5 residents in Barrackville now?”
Barrackville, a town of about 1,200 people in north-central West Virginia, is located about 25 miles southwest of Morgantown.
Marion County Sheriff Roger Cunningham previously told WBOY that the sheriff’s office will continue responding to calls in Barrackville, as it routinely does throughout Marion County, ensuring residents continue receiving law enforcement services despite the town no longer having an active police department.
Town officials have not publicly explained why the entire department was relieved of duty or responded to the allegations raised by former officers.
INC News has reached out to the Barrackville Police Department, Straight, members of the Barrackville Town Council and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for comment. INC News has also contacted the West Virginia Municipal League seeking clarification on the authority of municipal officials over police department operations under state law.
