Sexual predator found hiding in bunker in Hanover woods
David Darrell David
Convicted sex offender David David was found hiding in this manmade fort in the woods behind Tucker United Methodist Church on Steubenville Pike in Hanover Township.
A Hanover Township man wanted in Brooke County, W.Va., for allegedly sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl was found Tuesday afternoon hiding in a camouflaged wooden box in a wooded area behind a church near Paris.
David Darrell David, 64, of Steubenville Pike, was nabbed by members of the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, the Brooke County sheriff’s office, Washington County sheriff’s deputies, police from Hanover and Smith townships and the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Task Force. David, who is on Megan’s List as a sexual predator, is wanted by West Virginia authorities on a charge of first-degree sexual assault.
Brooke County Sheriff Chuck Jackson said David was found about 2:30 p.m. hiding in the manmade bunker in the woods behind Tucker United Methodist Church, where he is believed to have been for about two weeks in an effort to avoid arrest. Jackson said the hiding place was stocked with supplies for a long stay.
“There is no doubt he was hiding,” Jackson said. “You could’ve walked right by it and never known it was there.”
Washington County sheriff’s Deputy Bob Lonick, who was one of the almost two dozen officers who searched for David, said David was very surprised to see them. He and others had been looking for David for about a week and got a tip he might be in that area.
“The bunker was dug into the ground,” Lonick said. “It was very difficult to see. He meant to stay there for awhile. Unfortunately for him, he won’t be.”
Jackson said that David is accused of inappropriately touching a 3-year-old girl. David reportedly worked with the girl’s father and recently was living in a motor home in the same trailer park where the girl and her family resided. Brooke County sheriff’s deputies first learned of the allegations against David Sept. 29. A warrant for his arrest was obtained about two weeks ago and authorities began actively looking for David.
Since it became known that authorities were looking for David, Jackson said his department received two more reports of possible inappropriate contact with a child by David. In one incident, David was asked to leave the home. Jackson said Deputy Micah Knisley have uncovered evidence of another assault, similar in nature to the current case, that occurred several years ago.
Jackson said David is a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania, but has not recently reported his address as required. He is listed on the Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law list as “noncompliant.” His registration is required due to his 1999 conviction in South Carolina for similar charges involving a child.
David was arraigned Tuesday night as a fugitive from justice by District Judge James Ellis and placed in Washington County jail on $500,000 bond. Jackson expects David to be returned to Brooke County in the next week to 10 days after extradition proceedings.
Jackson urged any parent whose child had contact with David to contact police if they feel there might have been some inappropriate contact.