Small-town mayor shows up 'drunk' to scene of train derailment and gets arrested for public intoxication

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 02:42, 1 May 2026 | Updated: 02:42, 1 May 2026 A small-town mayor was arrested for apparently being drunk when he showed up at the scene of a train derailment. Paul Morrison, the mayor of Rich Creek, Virginia, was taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of public intoxication, according to New River Valley Regional Jail records cited by 10News. Morrison, sporting a purple plaid shirt, could be seen interacting with emergency crews and law enforcement officials at the scene. Morrison showed up intoxicated at the scene of a train derailment near the West Virginia border, according to an unnamed source cited by the outlet. He was subsequently arrested by deputies from the Giles County Sheriff’s Office. On Thursday, Morrison said he 'would like to offer apologies for my state and any actions ... at the railroad incident.' 'I regret any inconvenience as well as embarrassment this may have caused,' Morrison said on the town’s Facebook page. Rich Creek is a small community less about 70 miles west of Roanoke with a population of less than 800 people. Paul Morrison, the mayor of Rich Creek, Virginia, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of public intoxication Morrison, wearing a purple plaid shirt, was seen speaking to a group of people prior to being taken into custody A Norfolk Southern train derailed near the West Virginia and Virginia on Tuesday, which is what Morrison was apparently responding to In the video from the scene, Morrison could be seen leaning on a fire department truck prior to his arrest on suspicion of public intoxication. Morrison could be observed talking with at least one police officer among a group of five individuals. No details have been released about what specifically resulted in Morrison being taken into custody. A magistrate later released the mayor on his own recognizance following the arrest. Morrison said he was 'truly sorry to have let you down and can assure you that nothing like this will happen again.' The town of River Creek said it would have no further comment to make about Morrison's arrest. Morrison was elected mayor in November through a write-in campaign. He received 77 of the 106 votes cast, according to Cardinal News. The previous mayor had suddenly resigned in August. Morrison has lived in Rich Creek since 1999 and served on the town's planning commission since 2006. Morrison, who was spotted speaking with a police officer in footage captured before the arrest, was released on his own recognizance Morrison said he was 'truly sorry to have let you down and can assure you that nothing like this will happen again.' A train derailed near the West Virginia and Virginia state lines between Mercer County and Giles County on Tuesday.  The Giles County Sheriff's Office said the derailed train belonged to Norfolk Southern, according to The Independent. However, law enforcement did not provide additional information about Morrison's arrest. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) confirmed yesterday that the train was made up of 129 cars and 13 had derailed. The aftermath could be seen in footage published by WDBJ7.  One of the cars went into the East River stream in the the West Virginia-Virginia border. The car, which carried 'gas-powered and electric vehicles,' was set to be removed today. The agency added that one of the derailed railcars carried about 200,000 gallons of soybean oil. About 14,000 gallons of that oil were spilled onto the nearby soil, but not the water. The Daily Mail has reached out to Morrison, the Giles County Sheriff's Office and the Town of Rich Creek for further comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.