The entity has not entered the premises, has not caused damage, and has not inserted any quarters. Authorities confirm this makes the situation considerably more difficult to resolve.

HARLAN’S CREEK, WV — For the fourth consecutive night, a large white-furred bipedal entity consistent with regional descriptions of the Sheepsquatch has been observed standing motionless outside Spin Cycle Laundromat on Millhook Street, positioned approximately four feet from the establishment’s change machine, facing the door.

The entity, which witnesses describe as standing between eight and nine feet tall with prominent curling ram horns and emitting what multiple residents have characterised as a persistent sulfur odour detectable from the opposite pavement, was first reported at 11:47 p.m. on Tuesday. It was present again Wednesday. It was present again Thursday. It is, as of the filing of this report, present again tonight. It has not moved in any way that witnesses have been able to document. It has not spoken. It has not attempted to enter the laundromat. It has simply been there, in the way that a problem is there before anyone has found the correct form to address it.

Community Notice

The Legal Situation

Chief Ron Adkins of the Harlan’s Creek Police Department confirmed that responding officers attended the scene on all four nights and on all four nights reached the same conclusion. “We reviewed the relevant municipal code,” Chief Adkins said at a brief press availability Friday morning. “Loitering, as currently defined under Harlan’s Creek Ordinance 14-B, requires that the individual be causing obstruction, creating a nuisance, or refusing to move when lawfully directed. We directed it to move on the first night.” Chief Adkins paused. “It did not respond to the direction. That is a different legal situation.” He was asked whether officers had approached the entity directly. Chief Adkins said the question was a good one. He did not answer it.

The ordinance covers persons. We are currently seeking clarification on whether the Sheepsquatch meets the definitional threshold for person. We expect that process to take some time.

— Chief Ron Adkins, Harlan’s Creek Police Department

Sheriff Linda Calhoun confirmed that the Sheriff’s Department is aware of the situation on Millhook Street and that the matter is being handled through the appropriate channels. She did not specify which channels. She was asked if the Sheriff’s Department had contacted the Department of Cryptid Affairs. She confirmed that Form DCA-9, Local Law Enforcement Supplement, had been filed. She confirmed it had been filed in triplicate. She did not confirm that the DCA had responded.

Residents And Business Owners Respond

Donna Pelham, 58, who lives in the apartment above the dry cleaner’s two doors from Spin Cycle, said she became aware of the situation on the second night when she noticed the smell. “It’s sulfur,” she said. “Like eggs, but with intent.” She added that she had lived on Millhook Street for eleven years and that while she was not unfamiliar with unusual occurrences, she found the consistency of the visits “particularly unsettling, because at least the other things don’t come back to the same spot.” She was asked if she had attempted to communicate with the entity. She said she had not. She said she had considered it. She said she had ultimately decided against it. She declined to say why.

It’s not doing anything. That’s what bothers me. Things in Harlan’s Creek that aren’t doing anything are usually about to do something.

— Donna Pelham, Millhook Street resident, 11 years

Barry Hutchins, 62, retired, who was not on Millhook Street but submitted a written statement regardless, suggested the Sheepsquatch may be waiting for a specific individual to collect a specific garment, as part of what he described as “a long-running territorial fabric dispute dating to the late Pleistocene.” The DCA was asked to comment on Mr. Hutchins’ theory. A spokesperson said the DCA was not in a position to confirm or deny claims about Pleistocene-era fabric disputes at this time. The spokesperson’s tone did not suggest this was because the theory was implausible.

Spin Cycle Laundromat has not issued a formal statement. A handwritten sign has appeared in the window reading: OPEN AS USUAL. CHANGE MACHINE FULLY OPERATIONAL. BUSINESS AS NORMAL. The sign is laminated. This suggests it was prepared in advance of at least one of the words being accurate.

The Sheepsquatch was not available for comment. This is consistent with prior coverage. Authorities continue to urge caution. The change machine, WTC has confirmed, is fully operational. No one is currently using it. This is Hal Ridgeway. Reporting continues.