What The Cryptid? — Witness File WITNESS INTERVIEW — FILE #0508 INTERNAL — NOT FOR RELEASE Location: Town Hall, Room 1B (Conference), Harlan’s Creek, WVWitness: Mayor Robert Pruitt, 67 — Mayor, Harlan’s Creek (third term)Interviewer: Mara VaneDCA Case Reference: DCA-HC-2024-0508 [DCA NOTE: Interview conducted at witness’s request. Witness initiated contact via the town hall administrative line at 8:47 a.m. on a Tuesday. He left a message with the DCA field office describing the matter as ‘something worth a conversation.’ No further detail was provided. This is the first time Mayor Pruitt has initiated contact.] INTERVIEWER: Mayor Pruitt, thank you for reaching out. For the record, this is Mara Vane, senior investigative correspondent with What The Cryptid?, conducting an interview in association with the DCA. Today’s date is — can you confirm the date for me? WITNESS: The fourteenth. Tuesday the fourteenth. INTERVIEWER: Tuesday the fourteenth. You contacted us. That’s notable. In fourteen years, you haven’t filed a report or requested an interview. WITNESS: No. I haven’t. INTERVIEWER: What changed? WITNESS: I wanted to make sure there was a record. I think it’s important, in circumstances like this, that there be a record. [DCA NOTE: Witness did not specify what ‘circumstances like this’ refers to at this point in the interview.] INTERVIEWER: Walk me through it. WITNESS: I came into the office on Sunday morning — I do that sometimes, when it’s quiet, just to get ahead of the week. I was at my desk. It was around seven-fifteen. The building was empty. INTERVIEWER: Which office? Your office on the second...