FBI opens probe into alleged beating at W.Va. traffic stop

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A West Virginia county prosecutor says the FBI has opened an investigation into a traffic stop involving two state police troopers and a sheriff’s deputy in which a teenage motorist allegedly was beaten.

Berkeley County Prosecutor Catie Wilkes Delligatti said Thursday the FBI investigation is separate from one her office is conducting into the Nov. 19 incident.

Gov. Jim Justice learned last week of dashboard camera video involving a 16-year-old male.

Martinsburg Trooper First Class Derek R. Walker, Trooper First Class Michael W. Kennedy, and Berkeley County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Ennis have been suspended without pay.

Delligatti says after all investigations are complete, she’ll co-ordinate with federal prosecutors on any further action. She’ll also wait to release the video until the FBI has finished its interviews and investigation.