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Arraignments include Morgantown Motel robbery, Sheetz parking lot attack

Twenty-three defendants in cases assigned to Judge Debra Scudiere following their indictments by the September 2019 term of the Monongalia County grand jury appeared in court pleaded not guilty on Thursday. Nicholas Curtis, 27, was among them. The grand jury indicted him for first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony. Curtis is accused of taking part in a robbery at the Morgantown Motel on June 26. He was arrested June 26 in South Park by the Morgantown Police Department. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department responded to the robbery about 1 a.m. that morning and ...

W.Va. jobless rate drops to 4.6%

West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 4.6% in August, the lowest for the state since October 2008 when it was 4.4%, Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday. “Businesses are realizing West Virginia is the diamond in the rough that they have missed in a lot of ways,” said Justice in a statement. “Now, with that realization, we hope to see more and more businesses choose West Virginia as a place to grow and bring more jobs along with them.” Despite the decline, West Virginia still has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, according to August ...

Judge Scudiere kicks off election campaign

Judge Debra Scudiere used to start her talks by telling her follow attorneys how much she loved being a lawyer. “Now that I’m in my dream job I can sincerely say I love being your judge,” Scudiere told the gathered crowd at Erickson Alumni Center on Thursday during her election campaign kickoff. Scudiere is the only one of Monongalia County’s three Circuit Court judges who has to run for election in 2020, she explained. She was appointed by Gov. Jim Justice to fill the void left by Judge Russell Clawges when he retired in January. Whichever judge wins the election will hold the ...

County to review subdivision regulations

An issue that has veered in and out of the pubic eye since the late 1960s is about to make a return. Monongalia County Planning Director Andrew Gast-Bray told the county commission on Wednesday that he’s laid out a tentative schedule that would have subdivision regulations before the commission for a vote in November. Gast-Bray explained that a draft copy of the regulations has been in the hands of the county commission and other involved stakeholders since August and that the document is continually being tweaked for clarity. Subdivision regulations help ensure safe and sustainable ...

Ex-firefighter accused of embezzlement

A grandmother indicted for leaving her grandson alone, who then got into her medicine, and a former volunteer firefighter accused of stealing from his department while acting as its treasurer were among the 24 people to plead not guilty on Wednesday. The 24 people who appeared before Judge Susan Tucker are the defendants in cases assigned to her following the September 2019 term of the Monongalia County grand jury, which returned 92 indictments — making it the smallest grand jury of the year. David Tennant, 57, of Morgantown, was indicted for embezzlement of more than $1,000. ...

Tunnelton couple charged with child neglect have prison sentences suspended, given probation

KINGWOOD, W.Va. — A Tunnelton couple who pleaded guilty to child neglect after their children were found living without heat, water or electricity in freezing temperatures were sentenced to probation Monday. Joseph and Brandy Velone each received a one-to-five-year prison sentence. Preston Circuit Judge Steve Shaffer suspended each sentence and gave the Velones four years of probation. The penalty for child neglect with the risk of injury is a fine of $1,000-$3,000 and one-to-five years in prison or both. Preston Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Megan Allender told the court ...