CHARLESTON — A Gandeeville County woman is suing nine current and former state officials alleging she has been harassed for several years while attempting to run her wildlife rescue.
Sgt. Jeff Craig, Capt. Douglas Benson, Sgt. Charles Stephens, Officers Christopher Lester and Erin Gieseke and Director Brett McMillion of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources; former WVDNR Director Steven McDaniel; WVSPC Officer Frank Hammack; and former Major James Finley were all named as defendants in the suit.
Terri Bradshaw was previously a resident of Pocahontas County and she was forced from her home on June 16, 2021, according to a complaint filed in Kanawha Circuit Court.
Bradshaw claims several years ago the president of Point of View Farm held a fake board meeting and then provided a fraudulent document from the fake board meeting to Craif, who then came to have a meeting.
Bradshaw owns and operates a legal wildlife rescue and has done so for more than a decade. She had rehabbed and released back into the wild thousands of native wildlife.
"After agreeing Ms. Bradshaw was the VP of Point of View Farm, they left the property taking no animals and finding no issues after Ms. Bradshaw showed them around. She was in possession of around 100 animals and was not charged."
Bradshaw claims she filed a lawsuit in Pocahontas Circuit Court against the two officers after finding a video of them illegally searching the property without her permission. After the lawsuit was filed, she began to suffer harassment.
Animals were stolen and murdered on several occasions, her phone was taken twice and damaged and at least 100 animals were stolen and murdered, according to the suit.
Bradshaw claims her property was also stone and was not returned and she was also arrested on fake charges made up by DNR officers and assaulted by a state trooper.
Bradshaw says officials raided the first time on November 12, 2019. Craig obtained a warrant to enter Bradshaw's Hillsboro home, took the phone out of her hand upon entering and took with him a black bear cub, claiming the cub was possessed illegally, according to the suit. Four months later her phone was returned and it had been wiped completely.
In June 2021, she says Craig returned with more than 20 DNR employees with another warrant. She claims they disabled her internet, which disabled her security cameras, and killed 90 animals while Bradshaw was held captive on her porch.
Bradshaw also claimed Craig took the memory cards out of each of her security cameras and refused to return them. When Benson noticed Bradshaw's son recording the incident, he forced him to delete the video.
Bradshaw was charged with nine counts of illegal possession of wildlife and one count of illegal possession of a black bear and in December 2022, the charges were dismissed.
Bradshaw claims on July 29, 2022, the DNR and state troopers showed up at her home and conveyed false information to the court to obtain warrants. She claims she was handcuffed and the officers took her phone and more than one dozen animals and charged her with six counts of illegal possession of wildlife and one count of conspiracy.
When Bradshaw attempted to file a complaint, she was refused by Finley, according to the suit.
Bradshaw claims all the counts were later dismissed.
Bradshaw is seeking damages and wants the state officials' immunity to be removed for the case. She is representing herself.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Carrie Webster.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 23-C-448