BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Williamson Fire Chief Joey Michael Carey was reinstated July 6, less than two weeks after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor firearms charge.
The Williamson City Council voted unanimously to return Carey to his position following an executive session during a special meeting.
Carey, 49, had been on paid administrative leave since March 30, when the city took action following his arrest on two felony counts of wanton endangerment involving a firearm.
Mingo County Magistrate Court records show prosecutors dismissed both felony counts June 23. Carey pleaded guilty that day to shooting or discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling house.
The court placed him on unsupervised probation for one year.
Councilwoman Sherri Brown requested the executive session during the July 6 meeting. Council members returned to open session and unanimously approved Carey’s reinstatement.
Carey attended the council’s regular meeting July 9, where he expressed appreciation for the decision and updated officials on recent fire department operations.
Williamson operates Mingo County’s only full-time paid fire department.
The charges stemmed from a Dec. 19, 2025, incident at the Pike Street apartment building where Carey lived.
According to a criminal complaint filed by West Virginia State Police Trooper J.T. Kitts, Chadwick and Rhonda Varney were inside their third-floor apartment when a gunshot was fired from the apartment below. No injuries were reported.
Carey allegedly told investigators Jan. 18 that he had been home alone on the night of the incident.
Police searched both apartments March 9. Kitts and a West Virginia State Police crime scene coordinator conducted trajectory testing.
Investigators determined the bullet traveled through the ceiling of Carey’s second-floor apartment and the floor of the Varneys’ apartment. It then passed through their living space and lodged in the ceiling.
Police arrested Carey at the Williamson Fire Department later that month. He was released from Southwestern Regional Jail after posting 10% of a $4,000 bond.
The City Council placed Carey on paid administrative leave during an emergency meeting March 30.
Mayor Mike Casey, a retired Williamson firefighter, announced the decision “with a heavy heart.”
Carey has served as Williamson fire chief since 2014.