Dennis Claude Stanley, 69, died after a confrontation with a Mercer County deputy on September 10, 2016, on or near West Virginia Route 71 in the Montcalm area. Deputies were called about a man reportedly acting erratically and displaying what appeared to be a firearm. Deputy Adam Ballard confronted Stanley, who was standing in the middle of the roadway holding an object that looked like a handgun.

Investigators later determined the object was a toy pistol or replica, and toxicology showed Stanley had been intoxicated and had other substances in his system. Prosecutor George Sitler said Ballard repeatedly ordered Stanley to raise his hands more than a dozen times before firing; Stanley did not comply in a way that ended the encounter, and Ballard shot and killed him at the scene. The West Virginia State Police investigated and the Mercer County prosecutor reviewed whether charges were warranted; by January 2017 Sitler concluded the evidence did not justify criminal prosecution and no arrest or charges were filed.

Does anyone have information about Stanley’s last hours or about witnesses who saw the encounter on Route 71?