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Cops and Courts

Preston County losing sheriff’s deputies over working conditions

KINGWOOD — Preston County is losing sheriff’s deputies due to low pay and complaints about working conditions caused by the flooding in December. The latest letter of resignation dropped the county’s allotted 20 deputies to 14. “I am writing you to announce that I have decided to resign my employment from the Preston County sheriff’s office effective February 5, 2024. I appreciate the opportunity that Sheriff Pritt and the Preston County Sheriff’s Office has given me to develop my professional skills and my career,” the latest deputy to resign wrote. The letter ...

Bill allowing DNA collection for felony crimes struck down

CHARLESTON — The House of Delegates defeated a bill Thursday that would have allowed DNA to be collected by police from those arrested for some felony crimes. Following a long debate, delegates defeated HB 4627 on a 30-66 vote. The bill would have allowed police to collect DNA from a person arrested for a felony crime “of violence against a person, burglary or felony offense where the victim was a minor child.” The DNA collected would be stored until the completion of the criminal case against the person arrested. If the person was eventually found to be not guilty or the ...

Judge rejects Justice defense on $300 million liabilities

CHARLESTON — A judge has rejected an argument that claims on $300 million in personally guaranteed liabilities should be set aside for Gov. Jim Justice and his family’s companies. In a filing, the judge has invited a lawyer representing Justice’s longtime lender Carter Bank & Trust to prepare an order that would be a major milestone in collecting the debt. The debts were personally guaranteed by Jim Justice, his wife Cathy and their son Jay, who runs the family’s coal operations. The debts applied to several branches of the family’s business network, but the most ...

Newly launched online magistrate court database brings court info home

Residents of West Virginia will now have easier access to county magistrate court filings from the comfort of home — or wherever you might be.  In an effort to make court records more accessible, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Chief Justice Tim Armstead announced the new ...

Sheriff’s department investigating fatal Tuesday night wreck on I-79

Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal wreck that occurred Tuesday night on Interstate 79. According to a release from the department, deputies were dispatched to a single motor vehicle accident with one fatality near the 144-mile marker on I-79. This is an ...

Former DHHR official pleads guilty to false COVID-19 test statements

A former official within the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to knowingly making false statements to federal investigators regarding millions of dollars in COVID-19 testing supplies that were not properly accounted ...