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Attorney: Deputy Kuretza had no reason to interact with alleged victim

BY DAVE WILSON Monongalia County Deputy Lance Kuretza had no reason to enter a hotel room on Jan. 20, 2018 where Quintin Graciano was sound asleep, according to Graciano’s attorney. According to attorney Todd La Neve, the ugly incident that resulted in a civil lawsuit and a federal criminal indictment against Monongalia County Deputy Lance Kuretza was totally avoidable. “He immediately demanded access to this room that was not part of the complaint call, where no activity had gone and had no legitimate reason under the fourth amendment to enter,” said La Neve in an ...

Kuretza case pushed back with new defense attorney in the mix

On Aug. 30, United States District Judge Thomas Kleeh granted a motion to continue filing deadlines, the pre-trial conference, and trial dates in the case of Lance Kuretza, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Deputy who pleaded not guilty on Aug. 25 after a federal indictment alleged he ...

Troopers find drugs in strange location after traffic stop

A Friday traffic stop on Fairmont Road in Morgantown ended with two people being arrested after police found drugs in some interesting places. According to a criminal complaint, West Virginia State Police Cpl. G.W. Merkich III observed a gray Chevy Silverado traveling eastbound in the ...

4-year-old left alone in Morgantown apartment, mother charged

A Morgantown woman is being held on $40,000 bond after she allegedly left her 4-year-old daughter home alone in their apartment. Jasmine Lynette Burrows, 29, of Morgantown, told Morgantown Police officers that she left her apartment on Aug. 31 at approximately 5:45 a.m. to work a 6 a.m.-2 ...

Philadelphia man in custody after Collins Ferry Road incident

Local law enforcement responded to a domestic dispute incident Tuesday involving a vehicle on Collins Ferry Road in Morgantown that sent a woman to the hospital and a Philadelphia man to jail. According to a criminal complaint, the Morgantown Police Department initially responded to the ...

Police offer tips to prevent vandalism after seeing rise in incidents

The Morgantown Police Department has recently been seeing a slight uptick in vandalism reports — mainly in the downtown area of the city.  MPD Chief Eric Powell said most of the recent reports have been for destruction of property, but several months to almost a year ago, the ...