Despite recent razings of homeless encampments near Wheeling’s Heritage Trail in East Wheeling, Ohio County Sheriff Tom Howard said Wednesday on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) that local residents utilizing the paths during daylight hours should not encounter issues involving occupants of tents along the routes.
Wheeling City Manager Bob Herron ordered the encampment removals after more than 200 criminal complaints were received and confirmed by officers of the Wheeling Police Department. The transient residents were offered more than a week’s notice prior to the clearings, and during the process one of the encampments was found to be boobytrapped. Wheeling Council member Dave Palmer has referred to the closed camps as “criminal camps.”
“During the day, there haven’t been too many issues, but I would stay off them after dark,” said the sheriff, who has patrolled the trail areas while keeping tabs on the construction of the Interstate 70 bridges.. “The trails are closed at dusk anyway, so there shouldn’t be anyone on there anyway. I know there are, and there have been some reports filed, but not all have them have involved the people who are living in the tents. There are others who live around here who have been along the paths who have caused problems, too.
“I know some of the camps have been removed because of the criminal issues, and those situations have been handled by the city because the majority of the issues that have taken place have been within city limits,” Howard explained. “I know when I was with the police department, we responded to the trails for all kinds of reasons, but the majority of those calls were during the daytime.”
Down on Their Luck
The city of Wheeling’s homeless population has grown during the last five years and has been prevalent at exit ramps with panhandlers and homeless encampments along the banks of Big Wheeling Creek.
Sometimes, however, those living in the encampments are doing so to remain anonymous from law enforcement because of outstanding warrants and because criminal activity is the objective.
“I just don’t want too many people to immediately judge all of those folks because a lot of them are in a tough spot in their lives right now,” Howard said. “That was the case when I was with the city, and that’s the case in a lot of situations nowadays, too. But yes, some of those folks are hiding, but they know how many great organizations we have here who will feed them, give them the clothes they need, and even the tents and sleeping bag. Some take advantage; that’s for sure.
“From my experiences, I know most of those folks are just trying to figure things out while they are just getting by, but there are others out there who are there for a purpose and not a good one,” the sheriff explained. “It’s the same as it is with everything else. You have good people trying to make it and others who just want to take advantage of everything.”
Out in the County?
Non-profits such as the Greater Wheeling Homeless Coalition, Catholic Charities’ 18th Street Neighborhood Center, the Greater Wheeling Soup Kitchen, and Youth Services Systems are located in East Wheeling, and Northwood Health Systems are nearby in Center Wheeling. For that reason, Ohio County’s sheriff said he and his deputies respond to calls only pertaining to the homeless when requested by the city’s officers.
“I know a lot of people don’t realize it, but Ohio County is mostly a rural county with a lot of space out there, but our deputies don’t see encampments anywhere because that’s not where the services are. The people who need to the meals and the clothes and things, they stay as close to those non-profits as they can, especially during the winter months,” he explained. “It’s not a whole lot different during the summer season either, and for the same reasons, but we do see more campfires along the ridge where Suicide Hill used to be near OVMC.
“If we do find someone out in the county who says they’re homeless, those folks are always living in their cars for whatever reasons,” he explained. “Most of them have lost their job and their homes, whether they were renting a house or an apartment, so they don’t have any options while they are trying to pull things together and find a new job so they can start over.”
Howard reported that he and his deputies have found such individuals along the county’s back roads and at The Highlands from time to time.
“If our deputies see something that’s different, they will go to the area and ask the necessary questions,” he said. “We’ve had calls about people camping near the development, and our guys have checked those areas out and taken care of things. But there have been some who just try to find a spot to park their cars where it’s not too bright from all the lights up there.”
