WAR, W.Va. - A southern West Virginia mayor has been reelected despite facing criminal charges.
Robert Beavers, the incumbent mayor of War in McDowell County, defeated challenger Grover Mahone on Tuesday by a vote of 123-40, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported.
The win came two days after Beavers, 67, was arrested in Fayette County on charges including possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence, according to a criminal complaint filed by West Virginia State Police Trooper A.E. Roberts. The newspaper cited his complaint in its report.
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Roberts initiated a traffic stop because Beavers failed to yield to stopped emergency vehicles, the complaint said. Upon speaking with Beavers, Roberts smelled marijuana and saw a pill bottle in the car, the complaint said.
Beavers said the pill bottle contained prescribed hydrocodone and he later gave officers "a small baggie of a green leafy substance consistent with marijuana," the complaint said.
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Beavers failed several standardized field sobriety tests and was arrested, Roberts said in the complaint.
Even if Beavers is convicted, he could continue to serve as mayor, the newspaper reported.
A message seeking comment from Beavers was not immediately returned.
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