CHARLESTON – A Charleston attorney is continuing his efforts to help the family and law enforcement community in the wake of a Charleston Police officer’s death earlier this month in the line of duty.
And, he also is trying to help the family of a Putnam County man who died in the explosion at a Belle chemical plan earlier this month.
Rusty Webb had t-shirts and hats made to benefit charities related to 28-year-old Patrolman Cassie Johnson, who died December 3, two days after she was shot while responding to a parking complaint. Joshua Phillips, 38, was charged with first-degree murder in Johnson’s death.
Webb
“We received two noteworthy donations,” Webb told The West Virginia Record. “One was from a businessperson and philanthropist, who wished to remain anonymous, who contacted us who made a sizable donation to the Charleston Police Academy Alumni Association.
“The other interesting one was a husband and wife law enforcement couple from Arkansas who donated to Patrolman Johnson’s family through the Go Fund Me account set up, so I sent them t-shirts as well.”
Webb said he is donating the rest of the Johnson apparel related to the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association. Johnson worked as a humane officer before she became a police officer, and she had a deep love of animals.
“The KCHA was near and dear to Patrolman Johnson,” Webb said. “Some local business owners made a donation, and the KCHA is having a weekend adoption event in memory of Patrolman Johnson. So, I’m taking the remaining dozen or so shirts and caps to the KCHA so they can give them out to people who donate to these charities to benefit her family and police officer groups.”
Webb said he’s always been a big support of law enforcement.
“When I learned of the tragic death of Patrolman Johnson, I wanted to do something to help,” Webb told The Record. “Years ago, I started a nonprofit called Thumbs Up For West Virginia Law Enforcement. It was right after two officers were killed in Wallback back in 2012.”
In that incident, State Police Cpl. Marshall Lee Bailey and Trooper Eric Michael Workman were shot and killed in Clay County after stopping a vehicle for reckless driving.
After that 2012 incident, Webb said he found himself giving the thumbs up sign to police officers he saw in traffic as a way to show support.
That’s also when Webb created the Thumbs Up nonprofit with the idea of selling t-shirt and hats with the logo on it – as well as logos for different police agencies – and donating proceeds for college scholarships of children of fallen police officers. The following year, the state Legislature passed a bill giving those children a full ride to any state college.
Being “a big apparel guy,” Webb had some shirts and hats with the Thumbs Up logo on them. But with the bill providing scholarships, the items were just sitting on a shelf.
Webb thought of that apparel earlier this month and thought it would be a good way to help Johnson’s family.
“I decided I would add her retired badge number of 146 to the apparel,” he said. “The back of the shirts say ‘Got Your 6.’ If you know law enforcement, you know that means ‘I’ve got your back.’”
In addition, Webb said he wants to help the family of John Gillenwater, the Hurricane man who died December 9 following an explosion at the Chemours plant in Belle a day earlier.
Webb, who filed a potential class-action lawsuit on behalf of families affected by the explosion and the shelter-in-place associated with it, said he wanted to do something to spur people to donate to a fund established to help Gillenwater’s family.
He said anyone who comes by his office to make a donation to the benefit account established at City National Bank can choose one of the Webb Law Centre items on display there. He said the offer stands for anyone who donates to the account set up by River Ridge Church, where Gillenwater was an active member.
Webb is not representing the Gillenwater family. Charleston attorney Scott Segal and The Segal Law Firm are.
"The Segal Law Firm, on behalf of the Gillenwater family, assures everyone that the Gillenwaters have not asked anyone for donations, although the parishioners at River Ridge Church have set up charitable account at City National Bank," Segal told The Record. "At this time, the family only asks for your thoughts and prayers as they work through these very difficult times.
"Please be aware that the Gillenwaters have not and will not be seeking donations through any online fundraising platform, such as GoFundMe, Fundly, etc."