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Giving back is Spiker’s goal: Preston County sheriff warns seniors of scams

Preston County Sheriff Scott Spiker said he got his start in law enforcement at the Kingwood City Police. He said he worked with them for five years before going to Fairmont State then West Virginia University.

"I was a bicycle cop there (at WVU) for a few years and then I went to work at the federal prison for 15 years at USP Hazelton and about five years at FPI in Morgantown," he said.

Spiker said he also volunteered and served as chief with the Newburg and Reedsville volunteer fire departments for a combined 25 years.

"I'm still a member of the water rescue team," he said. "I always wanted to go out and give back to the community. Every day was a different day," Spiker said.

Spiker said arresting criminals is not the only job a sheriff has. He said the sheriff is also responsible for the Sheriff's Tax Office.

"We collect all of the taxes in Preston County," he said. "Actually the we're the county treasurers. A lot of people don't realize the amount of money you have to deal with. To do this we also work with the assessor."

He said county residents can go online and check or pay their taxes. Spiker said residents can also go to the tax office located in the courthouse annex.

He said court security, litter control, civil process serving, and issuing concealed weapon permits are some of the responsibilities that also come under the Sheriff's Departments.

Spiker said then there is the law enforcement part of the job. He said in June this department received 650 calls.

"We have officers out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," Spiker said. "I'm in the process of hiring three more deputies. We have several people who are retiring in the near future. We had 13 people take the test required for the job and nine passed it. Now we are down to four. Thanks to the county commission we were able to raise the beginning salary to $52,000 and were able to give decent raises this year."

Spiker said one thing he would like to advise seniors about is scams. He said his department gets calls from people about different scams that show up on line in the county.. Some of them when its too late.

"Don't give information out over the phone," he said. "You can have a 329 number show up on your phone and it could be coming from another country There were people who gave $1,000 over the phone to a scammer. Don't give money or gift cards. Hang up and call the Attorney General's office at 1-800-368-8808 or email scams@wvago.gov. A digital report can also be filed at ago.wv.gov."

Spiker said during a recent nationwide Drug Take Back in the county his office collected 51 pounds of medication. Spiker said his office has a secure place in the lobby where people can still drop off medication they no longer want or need. The Sheriff's Department can be reached at 304-329-1611,