Two Berkeley County Deputies Arrested, Charged After Off-Duty Altercation

Two Berkeley County deputies face criminal charges after they were arrested for an altercation that occurred last month.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department confirmed in a press release Wednesday that two off-duty sheriff’s deputies had been arrested by the Martinsburg Police Department and placed on administrative leave “pending a complete investigation of this incident.”

Deputy Bryant Andrew Snapp faces a felony charge for malicious wounding. Deputy David Allen Knotts faces a misdemeanor charge for disorderly conduct. Kaylyn Snapp, who is married to Deputy Bryant Snapp, was also arrested following the incident.

The arrests follow a physical altercation that broke out at a local recreation center event on March 14, according to local newspaper The Journal. 

Witness accounts reported by the Panhandle News Network allege that Knotts threw a beer can toward other attendees; that Deputy Snapp physically assaulted another attendee, breaking their chair in the process; and that Kaylyn Snapp put the same attendee in a chokehold.

One individual was admitted to the emergency room and reported a mild brain injury and concussion from the incident, the network reported.

Both deputies appeared before the Berkeley County Magistrate Court on Tuesday and were released on bond, The Journal reported.

In its press release, the sheriff’s department said it would follow standard state procedures while investigating the incident, but that it would not release any “further information … at this time.”