BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
LOVELY-KERMIT — The Lovely and Kermit communities witnessed an intense police and water rescue operation Saturday when a man fled police and attempted a daring escape into the cold Tug River.
The incident unfolded around 7:50 p.m. and culminated in the rescue of 59-year-old Brett Waller of Lovely, who fled as police were attempting to serve him with warrants at a residence on KY 292. As officers closed in, Waller made a desperate bid for freedom by jumping into the river.
Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said deputies lost sight of Waller approximately 300 feet downstream from the Hub Cline Bridge.
The operation saw assistance from numerous agencies, including the Martin County Sheriff’s Department and District 4 Constable, Kermit Police Department, Mingo County Sheriff’s Department and West Virginia State Police; fire departments from Warfield, Kermit and Lenore; 911 personnel from Martin and Mingo counties; and the Martin County Department of Emergency Management.
The breakthrough came when Martin County 911 director Nick Endicott deployed a drone and located Waller in the water near the West Virginia riverbank.
Rescuers from Kermit and Lenore fire departments managed to reach Waller and bring him out of the river.
Corey Marcum, one of the rescuers from Lenore, recounted the critical moments of the rescue, saying Waller was “way too weak to hold on any longer” when the rescuers got to him.
“As soon as I hit the water, he gave up,” Marcum said. “Another two minutes would have been a different story.”
Following his rescue, Waller was transported by Patriot Ambulance to a nearby hospital for hypothermia evaluation.
Sheriff Kirk expressed relief at the successful outcome, saying Waller spent an hour in 40-degree water temperatures. He acknowledged the crucial role of the collaborative effort and noted his gratitude.
The sheriff stated Waller would face additional charges from this incident alongside the original charges.
This was not Waller’s first instance of resorting to the Tug River to evade law enforcement. In October 2023, he fled police at the same residence on Riverfront Road, swam across the river and escaped to West Virginia.
Law enforcement caught up with Waller in January at the same location, arresting him on two counts of violating a Kentucky Emergency Protective Order/Domestic Violence Order and fleeing or evading police on foot.