The Original Mothman Police Reports

## **About**

The Scarberry and Mallette's wrote the following reports just days after their supposed Mothman encounter on November 15th 1966. The documents give incite into the earliest beginnings of West Virginia's Mothman legend.

These reports were not part of the public record until they were used in the production of Jeff Wamsley's book "Mothman: Facts Behind The Legend". The pages, all of which were once part of Linda Scarberry's collected documents, were later put into The Mothman Museum for all to see.

## **Linda Scarberry's Report:**

We were riding through the TNT Area on a side road by the old Power house building around 12:00 on Tuesday night Nov. 15th, 1966 when we came over this small rise in the road. All at once Steve yelled for us to look at that thing in the road.

I looked up and saw it go around the corner at the old Power House. It didn't run but wobbled like it couldn't keep it's balance. It's wings were spread just a little. We sat there a few second then Roger took off. I kept yelling for him to hurry. We didn't even stop for the curves. We got out on Route 62 and was coming down the road and that thing was sitting on the second hill when you come into the 1st bad curves.

As soon as our lights hit it, it was gone. It spread its wings a little and went straight up into the air. When we got the armory it was flying over our car. We were going between 100 and 105 mph down that straight stretch and that thing was just gliding back and forth over the back end of the car. As we got there in front of the lights by the Resort it dived at our car and went away.

I could hear the wings flapping as if to get more speed as it went up. We were all terrified and kept yelling for Roger to go faster. As we came into that straight stretch by C. C. Lewis' [farm] the thing was over our car again. Then it disappeared as we came into the lights by C. C. Lewis' gates. We went on downtown and stopped at Dairyland and tried to decide what to do. We just sat there and looked at each other.

I wanted to go to the police but Steve and Roger kept saying they'd just laugh at us. We talked about it awhile and Roger and Steve wanted to go back up the road. Mary and I kept trying to talk them out of it and finally when we go to C. C. Lewis' gate they decided they didn't want to go back up so we turned around.

As we were turning we saw a big dead dog laying along the road. When we were almost turned around this thing jumped and leaped over our car and went through the field on the other side of the road. We decided to go to the police then and went down and around Tiny's Drive-In looking for them. Gary was outside the Drive-In getting ready to take a couple boys home so we told him about seeing this thing and asked him to call the police.

After the police came we went back up the road in our car with Gary and the police about 1 / 2 mile behind us. I saw it then in a pasture field with its wings out a little walking towards the car then it went up in the air and came at the car. As Gary's car lights came over the rise in the road and the lights shined on it, it disappeared. We went up and down the road looking for it but didn't see anymore. We went back down to the Drive-In and got in Gary's car and went back up. We finally found Millard Halstead and got with him and went to the powerhouse building.

We sat there with our lights out for about 15 or 20 minutes when I heard that squeaking sound like a mouse only a lot stronger. A shadow went across the building over on the hill across from us. Mary and I saw the red eyes then and told Millard. He shined the lights right on them without being told where they were. We saw dust coming from the ground or somewhere as Millard moved the spotlight around. We finally left and came to the trailer.

[The Mallette's] were afraid to go to their apartment so we decided to stay together but we didn't go to bed. We just turned on all the lights and stayed up. Wednesday we went up again to the building and found these off tracks around the building. Steve was around the boilers by himself and suddenly he came running out white as a sheet yelling for someone. He said he saw it in the boiler.

That night it was seen at Thomas's so we went up there and Mary and I stayed in the house while Steve and Roger and a few others [bystanders] went looking for it. On the way up I saw it from the highway above the trees gliding back and forth. They searched the area around Thomas's house but didn't find anything. We started home around 12:30 and I saw it in one of the maintenance buildings. Mary and I started crying and Roger took off. I kept thinking about that thing following us again but it didn't.

We went to my mothers' and I went all to pieces. Roger and my dad took me down to the hospital. I finally got back home and we all stayed together that night again but didn't go to bed till 3 or 4 o'clock. We were still afraid to go to sleep. The next day Thursday we went back up with reporters and we all heard a clanging noise from inside the building. Roger and Steve and the reporters went back in and found the boiler door open that Steve had shut when he left a few minutes before that. That night we went back up and Mary Hyre and I saw the eyes inside the fenced off place beside the Power house building.

On the way home I saw its eyes back in some trees from the road as the car went past and looked back and could see its form. That is the last time I have seen it. To me it just looks like a man with wings. (It was a dirty grey color.) It has a body shape form with wings on its back that come around it. It has muscular legs like a man and fiery-red eyes that glow when the lights hit it. There was no glowing about it until the lights hit it. I couldn't see its head or arms. I don't know if the eyes are even in a head. When we came down the straight stretch by the armory it didn't even seem like it had any trouble keeping up with us. It must have had very powerful wings.

At no time did this thing fly at us from the front of the car. It stayed over the back end of the car while it was chasing us. It seemed to be afraid of lights but I read in the paper today that it has been seen in the day time in town. That I don't understand. The prints we found at C. C. Lewis' gate and at both Powerhouses and at Thomas's. They looked like 2 horse shes put together but they're smooth.

I know people are laughing at us but it's no laughing matter. We'll never forget this thing. It has affected our lives in many ways. I am keeping going on nerve and sleeping pills. When it gets dark I feel the fear creeping over me. When I go anyplace I automatically look up and out the windows. I am afraid to sleep at night so I lay awake sometimes crying with fear. When I do sleep or go to bed the lights burn all night. Even in the daylight I'm afraid to be by myself. I walk around in my own house expecting to see that thing. I close my eyes day or night and I can see those red fiery eyes staring at me. Every little noise scares me to death.

I can stand in a crowd and hear people talking about us and laughing. People have said we were probably "liquored up" but we were NOT. They go up there expecting to see it but then they say they don't believe us. We HAVE seen it so we know what to look for and we are constantly looking- not because we want to see it- but because we're afraid we'll see it again.

Out of all the phone calls we've gotten not one minister has called to help us or try to explain what it is. We all agree we'd like to talk to a minister about it but no one takes us that serious. One minister even laughed and said they'd finally run the devil out of their church and that's what we saw. We've been harassed and laughed at and called crazy. We just can't go up there and hand it to people on a silver platter like they seem to want us to do. We are never really going to get over our fear until we find out for sure what this thing is. I know I'll never forget it. I don't think anyone can who has seen it.

## **Mary Mallette's Report:**

The four of us were riding around between 11:30 and 12:00 o'clock Tuesday, November 15th, 1966, when we came in from behind the old powerhouse and as soon as we came up in seeing distance of the power house Steve first seen this thing along the side of the road and it ran to the power house, that is when I first saw this thing which appeared to be a man about 6 feet tall with wings on its back and red eyes 2 inches in diameter and about 6 inches apart.

[The Scarberry's] also saw this thing at the corner of the power house and we all seemed to be stunned and he took off out the road at a fast speed and as we drove back toward town on RT. 62 we saw this man with wings standing on a bank but I could not see his head and as soon as our lights hit the bank you could see its eyes plainly and it seemed to take off upward very fast, well we all saw that, and Roger the driver speeded down the road and as we speeded down the road on the straight stretch at a speed of 100 or 105 mph the thing glided over top of our car back and forth until we drove into the lights by the armory the thing never once flew in front of our car. It seemed to be afraid of the lights.

We drove down through town and stopped in the lights at about Dairyland to talk and we all discussed it and Linda said, "I think we should go to the police," but we didn't. Then we decided to go back. We got as far as [C.C.] Lewis' gate because we were not really for going back. As Roger turned the car around the lights moved over a large dead dog along the side of the road. As we turned something ran from behind a tree and jumped over top the back of our car and ran out through the field. Then was when we decided we should tell someone.

We went down by Tiny's Drive-in and Gary and a couple others were just coming out the door so we told him what we had seen. We were all frightened and the first thing he asked us was, "Have you kids been drinking?" and our answer was, "No, we had not been drinking." So we asked Gary to call the police and he did. We waited on the police and when they arrived we decided that the four of us would go up the road ahead of everyone. So we all did. As we were driving up the road we saw it again in a field and it came up behind us and when Gary 's lights could be seen behind us the thing left again and we turned at the traffic circle and went back.

Millard Halstead searched the tree tops with his search lights and we all went back to Tiny's and the four of us got in the car with Gary and went back and in the dark area on the left side of the road I seen two large red eyes and all I could do was point and burst into tears as fright came into me. But none of the other four saw anything there so we turned at the traffic circle again and went back into town and Gary told Millard of our frightening experience and we got into the car with Millard and went back to the power house and sat there with our doors locked and our lights off. We could all see shadows coming over the building and I said I can see those eyes and Millard put the spotlight right on them without asking any direction in which we were looking. Millard turned the lights on and we all seen something looking like dust or smoke.

We seen that twice then we cam back and got Roger's car and we all went to the trailer. We decided to stay with them that night. We were all so frightened we locked the doors and turned on all the lights and stayed up all night. We went back to the old power house the next day and them and [..?] went with us. The men took their guns and went through the old power house. Roger was on top of the building and Steve was inside looking around and Roger came down to the outside when we heard Steve yell come back here.

Roger came down before anyone else went into the place and he said he opened one of the boiler doors and saw something move upward. Then [..?] came and looked through the old building. We all were looking around the place and found some funny prints like a double hoof print of a horse. Then we all returned home. We stayed together most of the time. About 9:30 that evening we heard that it was seen at Thomas's so we went directly up there and the men took their guns that night. We saw tracks up there and we went home about 12:30 and we all stayed together that night.

The next day was Thursday and we went back with the T.V. reporters and all the men looked in the building and came back to talk with us when they heard a clang in the building and went back to investigate the noise and one of the doors of the boilers had been opened. That evening we all went back. The reporters from the messenger went up. While they were all looking at the building Linda saw the eyes in a field and Mrs. Hyre also saw the eyes. On the way home right before we got to the Point Pleasant resort I saw it better than I had ever saw it before. I could see the complete outline of it and the eyes but I could not any head.

That time was the most frightening time I had ever saw this. When you see something like this you know you will never forget it. At night you wonder where this man-like creature is and if it will harm you and it is all I seem to think about. And when we go somewhere I can fell someone laughing at me. And I can be in a crowd and hear people say, "Well they were all liquored up," and God only knows we were not. But all I have heard and seen is news reporters and telephones. I do think I would feel better if a minister would come to talk to us and try to help us get over this fear. There has not been a minister to call us out of all our phone calls or even try to get in touch with us.

## **Roger Scarberry's Report:**

Tuesday night about 12 o'clock while riding in the TNT Area we came upon this thing. It was in the shape of a man with wings. This thing stood about 6 feet tall with wings on its back. It was light grey in color, with red eyes about 2 inches in diameter 6 to 8 inches apart. When we came up over a rise in the road in front of the power house Steve saw these large red eyes. He pointed the eyes out to me and when we all looked it was going around the corner of the building. This thing runs awkward with its wings out to its side.

After we stopped and looked at each other I took off out the road toward the highway. When we came to the traffic circle and turned south on 62 we saw it again. It was on the bank on the left side of the road. This is where you could see it the best. But when the car lights shown on it, it moved its wings out to its side and went straight up in the air. We didn't see it again till we were on the straight road in front of the experiment farm where it came over the car again. I speeded up to 100 mph and it glided over the car till we came to the curve at the armory. Then it was gone. We came on in to town.

This thing must have been afraid of lights because it wouldn't come in to town. We went downtown and stopped. We wanted to tell the police but we were going to go back up to see for sure that it was still up the road. But when we going up through town we decided we didn't want to go back up. So I turned around at the gate at the C. C. Lewis farm. When I turned around a dead dog was lying along the road. As I turned and started back down the road this thing came out from behind where the dog was and went over the back of the car and out through the field on the other side of the road.

Then we went down to Tiny's Drive-in and told Gary what we saw and told him to call the police. When the police got there Gary and the police followed us back up the road where we saw it again. The dog was gone. But when his car came over the hill behind us it was gone. From there we went back to this field but didn't see it again. So we went down to town. Then we went with the deputy Sheriff back to the power plant and stopped. We sat in the car and saw dust or smoke coming up from the coal yard beside the plant. From there we went back and got in the car and went home.

Next day / Wednesday-The next day we went back to the power plant and looked around where Steve saw it again in a boiler inside the plant. Then Wednesday night it was seen at Thomas's home in the TNT Area. We went up to Thomas's home the same night and found a footprint this thing had made.

Thursday-Thursday we went up to the plant with reporters and went through it. While we were inside Steve shuts the boiler door. When we were outside we hear a loud noise. We went back inside and the door was open.

What this thing looked like-it is about 6 feet tall with large wings on its back. It has a shape of a man. It has two red eyes about 2 inches in diameter 6 to 8 inches apart. A wing spread of 10 feet. This thing whatever it is is definitely not a crane or goose or balloon or any of the things it has been called. I have seen it and know what it looks like.

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**Sources:**

Documents available for public viewing at The Mothman Museum

Mothman: Facts behind the legend by Jeff Wamsley

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