Pants taken in Fairmont robbery

October 20, 2023

BY MIKE NOLTING A male victim, who had been robbed of his boots and pants, ran down Washington Street in Fairmont as the alleged robber chased him with a knife. Fairmont Police arrested Jeffrey Hibbs, 35, of Fairmont, after responding to Tuesday reports of a man being chased in his underwear. The victim had several cuts and told police Hibbs had robbed him as they were walking down the street together. Hibbs allegedly told the victim he was being robbed and took the victim’s boots and jacket. Hibbs then pulled out a knife and demanded the victim’s pants, cell phone and ...

Mon Sheriff’s Department awarded check from treasurer’s unclaimed gun auction

October 19, 2023

West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore stopped by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office Thursday afternoon to present the department with an unclaimed property check that came from a gun auction held by Moore’s office. According to the state’s Unclaimed Property Code, every year ...

Westover man facing murder charges among those indicted in Preston County

October 18, 2023

The man who allegedly confessed to the 1985 murder of 13-year-old Jeremiah “Jerry” Matthew Watkins was indicted for first-degree murder earlier this week by a Preston County grand jury. According to an article published by The Dominion Post on Nov. 13, 1985, the teen had been reported ...

Hazelton inmate found guilty of attack on prison guard

October 17, 2023

An inmate previously housed at the United States Penitentiary (USP) Hazelton in Bruceton Mills will now serve additional time behind bars after he was convicted of assaulting a correctional officer on Sept. 15, 2021.  After a two-day trial, a jury of 12 found Dwight F. Foster, 50, ...

CPS referral backlog tops 400 in courts

October 17, 2023

BY CARRIE HODOUSEK CHARLESTON — An Eastern Panhandle judge told state lawmakers Monday that despite improvements in pay for Child Protective Services workers in his region, there is still a 400-referral backlog in connection with child abuse and neglect cases. Berkeley County Circuit Judge Steven Redding told the Joint Committee on Judiciary there have been issues of understaffing and under-trained new hires and that many of those issues are due to delayed response times, delayed referrals and no court reports filed. Redding said when the state Department of Health and Human ...

Preston County teacher facing child abuse charges

October 16, 2023

A Preston County teacher faces child abuse charges after allegedly putting duct tape over a student’s mouth and binding the child’s hands. Cassandra “Candi” Diann Sisler, 43, of Terra Alta, and a teacher at Central Preston Middle School, was charged by West Virginia State Police on Friday with four counts of child abuse resulting in injury or creating risk of injury. According to criminal complaints, the victim told law enforcement that their teacher, who they identified as Sisler, put duct tape over their mouth on Oct. 2, 3, 4, and 5 “in the middle of class.” The ...