State Police Apprehend Escapee

• {West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police arrested Jordan Dunlap after he stole a car and escaped police custody Friday while he was being taken to the Central Regional Jail in Braxton County. Dunlap had been charged with two felonies.

Clay County Man Acquitted Of Murder

• {West Virginia}...Following more than five hours of deliberations, a Clay County jury acquitted Bobby Hanshaw of murder Friday afternoon. Prosecutors say Hanshaw fatally shot Guy Dwier of Procious in May over a stolen ATV, but Hanshaw testified Thursday the shooting was in self-defense. He told the jury he thought Dwier was coming at him with a gun. It was a crowbar. Assistant Clay County Prosecutor Danny Dotson says the jury obviously believed Hanshaw was in fear at the time that he shot Dwier.

Man Killed In Motorcycle Wreck

• {West Virginia}...Charleston Police say Kyle Flinchum, 55, of Charleston, was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle early Friday morning on Wilmore Lane in North Charleston and went over an embankment.

Man Arrested In Huntington Shooting

• {West Virginia}...Police say 26 year old Anthony Driscoll was shot in the leg on 9th Avenue in Huntington last Saturday night. During the investigation, police realized Driscoll hadn't shown up to court on a past felony charge so he was arrested. Thursday, Eugene Walmsley,31, of Huntington, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding for shooting Driscoll. If convicted, Walmsley faces 2 to 10 years in prison.

Florida Man Allegedly Attempts To Extort Tomblin

• {West Virginia}...During the campaign season, the Maloney campaign has issued several news releases and television ads attacking gubernatorial candidate and Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s ties to the greyhound racing industry. Tomblin’s mother owns a greyhound breeding business that has received several million dollars in state subsidies. Tomblin was president of the state Senate when those subsidies were approved. Maloney has said Tomblin should have recused himself from voting on that legislation. Harry Marshall Rae of Florida was arrested Thursday in California after he allegedly attempted to extort $50,000 from a West Virginia greyhound breeder and sent an email to Tomblin’s office and threatened to release videos related to greyhound breeding to Maloney’s campaign, ESPN and other media outlets. According to animal rights group Grey2K USA, Rae, a former greyhound trainer, contacted them regarding the possibility of animal cruelty issues in the greyhound racing industry. Grey2K asked Rae to contact a private investigator named “Greg,” who was working on a project aimed at uncovering animal cruelty in the greyhound racing industry. Rae also contacted a West Virginia greyhound breeder stating his desire to sell video tapes of these illegal greyhound training methods. That breeder forwarded the email to industry leaders and an attorney who contacted the West Virginia State Police. The State Police teamed up with the FBI to conduct the investigation which led to Rae’s arrest. Maloney’s campaign says it has never communicated with Rae.

Nitro Man Arrested For Sissonville Shooting

{West Virginia}...Kanawha County Sheriff's Deputies say Timothy Michael Chapman, 36, of Nitro, turned himself in about 7:30 P.M. Thursday in connection with a shooting Wednesday morning at an apartment along Lakeview Drive in Sissonville. Matthew Singleton, who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, was taken to a hospital. Chapman is serving probation after he pleaded not guilty to second-degree robbery on the grounds of mental illness. Police say, last February, Chapman approached the service desk at the St. Albans Kroger and threatened to blow up the store if he didn't receive money.

Cabell County Man Waives Extradition

{West Virginia}...Hubert Allen Porter, a Branchland man accused of holding his estranged wife, Alicia Huffman, hostage for 20 hours and fleeing to Virginia, waived extradition Thursday morning in Roanoke County Circuit Court. Porter will return to Cabell County to face charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, domestic battery, destruction of property and domestic assault. Porter is currently in custody at the Western Virginia Regional Jail.

Detroit Man Sentenced For Huntington Shooting Death

{West Virginia}...Edward William Crawford, 24, of Detroit was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison and a $3,000 fine after being convicted of felony wanton endangerment and misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter. Crawford was convicted of killing Toney Johnson, 26, of Huntington, and endangering his brother Jermaine Johnson. Johnson died after being shot on September 30, 2009 on 28th Street. Both sides say a confrontation between Crawford and the Johnsons led to the shooting. The manslaughter charge was a lesser offense than the indictment's initial charge of murder.

MSHA Announces Brookwood-Sago Grants

{West Virginia}...The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration announced Thursday that eight groups will share $1 million in Brookwood-Sago grants to develop training for emergency preparedness and accident prevention in underground mines. Receiving grants are the University of Arizona, Penn State University, the Colorado School of Mines, Wheeling Jesuit and Marshall Universities in West Virginia, Bevill State Community College in Alabama, the United Mine Workers of America Career Centers Inc. in Washington, Pennsylvania and the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. The grants are named after the 13 men who died in two explosions at the Jim Walter Resources mine in Brookwood, Alabama in 2001 and 12 men who died in an explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia in 2006.

Search For Missing Lewis County Toddler Continues

{West Virginia}...Three year old Aliayah Lunsford was last seen Saturday morning by her mother. Since then, members of the community have joined law enforcement officials to search for Lunsford who may have wandered off from her home. FBI officials say there's no reason to believe an actual crime has been committed. Nothing was found in a pond that was drained Thursday right down the road from the Lunsford home in Bendale in Lewis County. The FBI indicates it still has no evidence of foul play and investigators remain optimistic that they can recover the young girl alive and return her to her family. Jeff Killeen, a special agent with the FBI's Pittsburgh Division, says, though little progress has been made to find Lunsford, he is remaining optimistic about locating the child alive.

Thailand-Based Company Coming To Charleston

{West Virginia}...Thailand-based Precision Converting Solutions LLC announced Thursday it has chosen Kanawha County for its first North American manufacturing and research and development facility and it plans to make a $6 million investment creating 25 high-technology jobs. The new jobs will be engineer and technician positions specializing in precision machining, stamping and converting of high precision components. Precision plans to begin operations in January 2012 in an interim center while construction of a new 20,000 square-foot clean room manufacturing and R&D center is completed at a yet-to-be announced Charleston location. Plans are to be fully operational by January 2013.

Deputies Investigating Sissonville Stabbing

• {West Virginia}...Kanawha County Sheriff's deputies are looking for two suspects wanted in connection to a stabbing at the Meg Village Apartments in Sissonville. When deputies arrived just before 2:00 A.M. Wednesday morning, they found James Burdette, 25, sitting outside with very serious stab wounds to the chest. Burdette was transported to Charleston Area Medical Center. Burdette told deputies he and his brother got into a fight with two unknown males, and one of the men stabbed him in the chest before fleeing in a silver Ford Taurus with a female. A short time later, police spotted a silver vehicle on Martins Branch Road.  After initiating a traffic stop, police say two men fled the vehicle and ran into the woods.

Boone County Man Charged With Killing Mother

• {West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police arrested Wesley Kinder in the Ashford area of Boone County Wednesday afternoon after his mother, 79 year old Janice Kinder, was found dead in a creek. During the arrest, Troopers say Kinder hit a Boone County Sheriff's Deputy with his car.

Dunbar Man Surrenders In Fatal Shooting

• {West Virginia}...U.S. Marshals say Jeron Cleveland Hawkins, 18, of Dunbar, surrendered himself at the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston late Tuesday night after being sought in connection to a shooting that happened early Sunday morning outside Karma night club on High Street in Morgantown that left 28 year old Lucas Lee dead and several other people injured. Detectives say a verbal argument began inside Karma, and, once Lee was outside the bar, Hawkins and a group approached the victim and the group he was with and they got into another argument. That's when Hawkins shot Lee several times.

Sissonville Man Shot In Chest

• {West Virginia}...An arrest warrant has been issued for 36 year old Timothy Michael Chapman of Nitro, who is wanted on a felony malicious wounding charge. Sissonville Deputies say 32 year old Matthew Singleton was taken to the hospital with very serious injuries after being shot once in the chest around 3:00 A.M. Wednesday morning. An initial investigation indicates the shooting happened after an argument between the victim and other male acquaintances at an apartment on Lakewood Drive. The suspects fled the scene.

Putnam County Murder Case Heads To Grand Jury

{West Virginia}...Eric Pauley, 49, was in court Wednesday for his preliminary hearing after being charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend, 52 year old Debra Rosiek, who was killed at the Winfield Mobile Home Village on September 17th. During Wednesday's hearing, the State Medical Examiner testified that Rosiek was shot four times, three times in the chest, once in the hand. Michael Davis, a deputy with the Putnam County Sheriff's Department also took the stand, saying Pauley came to the sheriff's department and admitted to shooting and killing Rosiek. The deputy also testified that Pauley handed him a key to his mobile home and then told them the gun he used in the crime was in his vehicle parked outside of the sheriff's department. Deputies found a 45-caliber gun in Pauley's car. The case is headed to the grand jury.

Boone County Woman Arrested

{West Virginia}...Devine Jackson, 21, of Madison, in Boone County, was arrested Tuesday and charged with driving under the influence causing bodily injury and driving without an operator's license in connection with an August 15th crash. Police say Jackson was driving along W.Va. 17 near Madison when she lost control, ran off the roadway, struck a power pole and went over an embankment. Her passenger, Derek Sutphin, 31, was transported to CAMC General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Family members say Sutphin uses a ventilator to breathe and is paralyzed from the shoulders down. He was not wearing a seatbelt and became pinned under the car's dashboard during the crash.

Subcommittee Hearing Continues

• {West Virginia}...The special hearing of the U.S. House's Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources continued Tuesday at the Kanawha County Courthouse in Charleston. State officials and industry representatives said the Obama administration's effort to overhaul rules to protect streams would have potentially devastating effects on coal jobs and production, particularly in Appalachia. The hearing's focus was on the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's so-called stream buffer zones rules, which date to 1983. Only two members, Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., and Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, of the 25-member subcommittee attended the hearings. Consol Energy's vice president for regulatory affairs, Katharine Fredriksen, told the committee that, under stronger rules, the company estimates it would be unable to access 40 percent of its eastern longwall coal. That is over 1 billion tons Consol would be prohibited from mining. Bo Webb, a founder of Coal River Mountain Watch, called the focus on jobs "offensive." Webb cited several controversial studies that suggest a link between mountaintop mining and health problems, including birth defects.

Woman Sentenced For Trafficking Marijuana

• {West Virginia}...Rosa Ledezma, 44, of Las Cruces, New Mexico was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison for conspiracy after she admitted she conspired to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana linked to an ongoing trafficking scheme from February 17th to February 19th. Ledezma also admitted to traveling to Columbus to meet with a confidential informant and an undercover officer to receive and distribute a shipment of marijuana. She also admitted to approving a drop off location and assisted with unloading marijuana from a delivery truck. The case was investigated by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team and the Huntington Police Department.

DuPont Employees In Belle Sent To Hospital

• {West Virginia}...Three employees at the DuPont plant in Belle have been taken to the hospital after becoming ill while working at the plant at different times Monday night and Tuesday morning. The first DuPont employee felt ill after conducting maintenance work in an area of the plant that is shut down for scheduled maintenance. The employee was examined by the plant's medical staff and later transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition. Just a short time later, a second employee reported feeling ill while working in the same area. The worker has been treated and released from the hospital. Tuesday morning, a plant contract employee who was also working in the area reported to the plant medical facility with similar symptoms. He was transported to the hospital for evaluation. The plant is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the workers' symptoms.

Bone Marrow Donor Drive Set

{West Virginia}...A bone marrow donor drive and fundraiser for 6-year-old Mailyn Chandler of Louisa, Kentucky will be held Friday at the Charleston Civic Center. Chandler was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008 and had a relapse in her central nervous system in September 2010. Last week, the girl developed a blood infection and underwent emergency surgery at Cabell-Huntington Hospital. Money raised at the event Friday will help the Be The Match Foundation test potential bone marrow donors. So far, 1,500 people have undergone a mouth cotton-swab test to be put on the donor registry list. The event will run from 1 to 6 P.M. Friday at the Civic Center's Parlor A. Anyone who wishes to be tested can do so at no cost. Donations also will be accepted.

"Kanawha County Sniper" Trial Delayed

{West Virginia}...Tuesday, Shawn Lester's Public Defender George Castelle told Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Duke Bloom he's received so many documents from the prosecutor's office it's not physically possible to begin Lester's trial on October 26th. Castelle said the 75-thousand pages are filled with lots of information that would be helpful, if not necessary, to the defense of the case. Kanawha County prosecutors did not object to moving the trial to March 5, 2012, and Judge Bloom granted the continuation, saying, after considering the amount of documents, witnesses and evidence involved in the case, it will likely take more time to conduct the trial than he originally thought. The one sticking point the two sides had Tuesday was the the use of the term "sniper" in the questionnaire for potential jurors. Castelle argued it's what the case has been called from the beginning and that it should be referred to as such, but Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Don Morris argued against any mention of "sniper" in the questionnaire. Judge Bloom not only banned the word "sniper" in the questionnaire but also made it clear to both sides that no one is to refer to the case as the "sniper" case,” including witnesses, law enforcement and lawyers, anyone who goes before the jury. Shawn Lester remains in the South Central Regional Jail without bail.

State Police Investigating Fatal Prison Fight

{West Virginia}...State Police continue to investigate a fight which took place at the Mt. Olive Prison about 9:30 A.M. Saturday morning that left one inmate dead and a second facing murder charges. Troopers say 30 year old Joseph Braddock of Morgantown and 26 year old Christopher Cox of Spencer got into an altercation.  State Police Col. R.A. Spearen says Braddock was thrown to the ground and Cox kicked him in the head several times, causing severe trauma. Braddock was flown by helicopter to CAMC General Hospital where he was taken off life support Sunday night. Braddock was at the correctional facility after he was indicted in 2006 in connection with a trip he took to Pittsburgh with two 14 year old Preston County boys, where he was accused of giving them cocaine and having sex with them. Cox, who was incarcerated for a conviction of second degree murder and robbery, will face additional charges.

Coal House Reopened

• {West Virginia}...Monday, a grand opening ceremony took place at the Coal House in Williamson after it was damaged by fire last October. Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Natalie Young says the landmark is better than it was before the fire. Young says it now has a raised ceiling, an open floor plan and has been divided into three rooms so it seems much bigger, and new paint has replaced the paneling it had before. The Mingo County Commission put up $315,000 to repair the damages. The Coal House, built in 1933, is made totally of coal and serves as the home of the chamber of commerce and the area's visitor’s center.

Congressional Subcommittee Meets In Charleston

• {West Virginia}...A congressional subcommittee of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee met Monday in Charleston to discuss a proposed Stream Buffer Zone rule. The hearing, “Jobs at Risk: Community Impacts of the Obama Administration’s Effort to Require the Stream Buffer Zone Rule,” included several congressional representatives along with testimony from about 12 people representing the coal industry, mine workers, state environmental protection agencies and coal opponents. Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin were among the witnesses. Both West Virginia Democrats fault the Obama administration for what they consider an ill-advised, unrealistic and aggressive approach to environmental oversight. They say this approach threatens jobs and West Virginia's economy. The Stream Buffer Zone Rule was rewritten in 2008, and the Obama Administration’s Office of Surface Mining, which is currently working to rewrite it again, has expanded the rule to other portions of mining regulation, such as underground coal mines. The proposal aims to keep rock, dirt and other mining debris away from mountain streams.

Kanawha County Murder Trials Set

• {West Virginia}...Trial dates have been scheduled in three Kanawha County murder cases following arraignments Monday morning before Circuit Judge Jim Stucky. Brandon Gray will go on trial January 3rd for allegedly killing Timothy Thompson, Jr. near the intersection of Stockton Street and 1st Avenue in Charleston on June 9th. A January 3rd trial date was set for 51 year old Kenneth Carter who is charged with murder following the July death of Ronald Forton on Charleston's West Side. A trial date was set for January 30th for Ernest Young, Jr. of Handley who is accused of fatally beating 81 year old Wilfred Naylor of Mammoth in June.

Rafter Drowns In Gauley River

• {West Virginia}...The National Park Service says that, around 8:30 A.M. Monday morning, a raft with six people onboard overturned at the Pillow Rock Rapid on the Gauley River, ejecting everyone in the raft. The body of a 40 year old West Virginia woman was recovered around 300 P.M. just below the Pillow Rock Rapid. The US Army Corps of Engineers reduced flow to the rapid gradually over several hours to allow other rafts to safely navigate down the river.

Man Pleads Guilty To Voluntary Manslaughter

{West Virginia}...Emanuel Armond McCarty has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after being charged with first degree murder in the March shooting death of Michael Grady who was found shot to death in a van that crashed into a yard on Charleston's West Side. Prosecutor Mark Plants says he agreed to the deal because there were conflicting witness statements that could have made it difficult to convict McCarty of murder.  McCarty faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced on December 5th.

Ohio Judge Sentences Barboursville Man

{West Virginia}...A federal judge in Cleveland, Ohio sentenced 57 year old Randall Keyser, of Barboursville, to 27 months in prison Monday after he pleaded guilty to wire and mail fraud. Keyser, who admitted to posing as an Army general with references including the Army chief of staff to try to land a six-figure construction management job in Ohio, had asked the judge for leniency. The judge says Keyser must get mental-health treatment after his release. Keyser was hired under false pretenses in at least four states.

Recreational Trails Expanding

• {West Virginia}...Efforts are under way to connect West Virginia's recreational trails and build new ones. Jeff Lusk, director of the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority, says a 9-mile trail will connect the Hatfield-McCoy Trails' Indian Ridge system in McDowell County to the nearly finished Pocahontas system in Mercer County. The connector will make trail rides of nearly 300 miles possible. Lincoln County will soon have a new trail system stretching nearly 100 miles across Corridor G from the Hatfield-McCoy's Little Coal River trail system. Work on the new Pocahontas trail system should be complete within 60 days. Lusk says a new trailhead facility at Bramwell, the gateway to the Pocahontas system, is in the works but won't likely be finished until April or May. He says planners have to work around coal, timber and natural-gas extraction sites.

Shooting Victim Arrested

• {West Virginia}...Huntington Police arrested Anthony Driscoll, 26, after he was shot in the leg just after 11:00 P.M. Saturday night. After a visit to the hospital authorities discovered Driscoll was wanted on a felony charge and had failed to show up in Cabell County Court on the charge. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.

Union Says WV Mental Hospitals Violating Federal Laws

{West Virginia}...John Thompson, a field organizer for the West Virginia Public Workers Union, says state mental hospitals William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital in Weston and Mildred-Mitchell Bateman Hospital in Huntington are violating several federal labor laws concerning overcrowding, staff turnover and unpaid overtime. The union has sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Michael Lewis outlining the alleged lapses in overtime compensation and other problems. The union's attorney says the state has failed to follow provisions of a 2009 court order, which called for reducing involuntary commitments and cutting patients' average length of stay. The order also had called for the state's two psychiatric-care facilities to boost pay in order to retain workers. Charleston attorney Brian Yost sent a letter last week to Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Michael J. Lewis, questioning failures by Sharpe and Bateman to pay their workers more in order to "recruit staff and retain existing staff." Yost's letter ended, "If an amicable resolution cannot be reached, or if the DHHR is not interested in discussing these matters, we are prepared to exercise all legal rights available to these employees."

Charleston Police Continue Shootings/Stabbing Investigations

{West Virginia}...Charleston Police are continuing to investigate a pair of shootings and a stabbing which took place early Saturday morning. The first shooting happened on West Washington Street just after 1:00 A.M., and ten minutes later a second shooting occurred in the Garvin Avenue area. Stephen Thompson, 19, and Latief Dickerson, 27, of Charleston, were CAMC General Hospital. Detectives are also investigating a stabbing which occurred shortly after 4:30 A.M. on Wyoming Street. Stephan McRay, 37, of Charleston, was taken to CAMC General Hospital with numerous stab wounds. McRay was released Sunday afternoon. Police believe the stabbing resulted from a domestic dispute and have arrested McRay's girlfriend, 37 year old Keitra Gibson.

Police Investigating Double Shooting And Stabbing

{West Virginia}...Charleston Police are investigating a pair of shootings and a stabbing which took place early Saturday morning. The first shooting happened on West Washington Street just after 1:00 A.M., and ten minutes later a second shooting occurred in the Garvin Avenue area. Stephen Thompson, 19, and Latief Dickerson, 27, of Charleston, are in stable condition at CAMC General Hospital. Detectives are also investigating a stabbing which occurred shortly after 4:30 A.M. on Wyoming Street. Stephan McRay, 37, of Charleston, was taken to CAMC General Hospital with numerous stab wounds. Police believe the stabbing resulted from a domestic dispute. Police arrested McRay's girlfriend, 37 year old Ketra Gibson.

Cabell County Deputies Make Arrests

{West Virginia}...Cabell County Deputies arrested Tiffany Lucas and her cousin Melissa Lucas early Saturday morning after they broke into the Salt Rock home of a 70 year old cancer patient to steal prescription medication and money while he was asleep. Deputies say Melissa Lucas broke into the man's home with a key, and, when he woke up, she hit him over the head then ran outside, where Tiffany, the homeowner’s cleaning lady, was driving the get-away car. Melissa, who confessed to the crime, has been charged with malicious wounding, burglary and assault while committing a felony and destruction of property. Tiffany has been charged as an accessory to the crimes.

West Virginia To Host National Conference

{West Virginia}..More than 110 land reclamation experts from 15 states will gather in West Virginia for a national conference focused on protecting the nation's waterways. The 39th annual conference of the National Association of State Land Reclamationists runs Monday through Wednesday at Glade Springs Resort in Daniels. The organization has members in 38 states and is a nationally recognized authority on the reclamation of mined lands.

Sissonville Man Violates Home Confinement

{West Virginia}...Eric Fields, 23, of Sissonville, who led police on a high-speed chase through Charleston and crashed into two parked cars, a house and a gas main, will go to jail for a year after he violated his home confinement rules. Prosecutors say Fields drank alcohol and left his home when he wasn't allowed to after he pleaded guilty a year ago to charges of fleeing while under the influence of alcohol and fleeing resulting in property damage and was ordered to the Anthony Correctional Center for Youthful Offenders. When he failed to show up, a capias was issued for his arrest in April and authorities found him hiding in a closet in a Cross Lanes home. Field's court-appointed defense attorney, Richard Holicker, told Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman that Fields has Crohn's disease, and shortly after being taken to the Anthony Center, he was sent to a hospital for treatment. Holicker told Judge Kaufman that Fields had been "at death's door" because of his illness and asked for probation.

Woman Rescued After Car Collides With Train

{West Virginia}...Charleston Police say Martha Lambert, 81, of North Carolina, was freed from her car after it collided with a train at MacCorkle Avenue Southeast in Kanawha City just before 12:30 A.M. Friday morning. Investigators say Lambert was confused when police first arrived, and she told them she thought she was in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Police say Lambert, a a dementia patient, was listed as a missing person from North Carolina. Friday, Lambert was listed in critical condition at CAMC General.

Elderly Woman Sentenced For Selling Drugs

{West Virginia}...Sixty-nine year old Clo Ann Copley of Crum was sentenced Friday to 1 to 15 years in jail after being convicted in August for selling Hydrocodone and Oxycodone. Copley was one of nine people arrested during a drug round-up in Crum in March when officers confiscated a large amount of pills, stolen guns and stolen ATV’s. Trial testimony revealed Copley traveled to Coral Springs, Florida to get her prescriptions filled and sold them from her home in Crum. Copley must serve at least one year of the sentence before being eligible for parole.

Accident Kills South Charleston Man

{West Virginia}...Arthur Cerda, 24, of South Charleston, died after his vehicle crashed into a tree about 1:30 A.M. Friday morning. Deputies say Cerda was driving along Childress Road in Alum Creek when he lost control of his car, went over a hill and hit a tree.

Charges Dropped Against Mingo County Man

{West Virginia}...Murder charges have been dropped against James Harrison, a Mingo County man accused of killing his brother Matthew. Harrison was arrested in July after police say he fatally shot his brother at their mother's home near North Matewan. The Prosecuting Attorney's Office says evidence indicated Harrison acted in self defense. Attorney's for Harrison say he killed his brother because he was trying to protect his family.

Vehicle Sought In Fatal Accident

• {West Virginia}...The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office released details Thursday about the accident that killed 25 year old Zachary Hudnall of Scott Depot. Hudnall, a student at West Virginia State University, was pronounced dead at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston Tuesday afternoon. Police say, about 1:15 A.M. Monday, he was traveling east on Interstate 64 near the Cross Lanes exit when his car struck an unknown vehicle that was either stopped or traveling very slowly without lights on. Hudnall lost control of his vehicle and a cargo van driven by David Westover, 56, of South Charleston, struck Hudnall’s car from behind, pushing it into the path of a car driven by Mark Puryear, 45, of Louisa, Kentucky. Police think the vehicle that Hudnall struck could be a pickup truck with a lift kit that raises it higher off the ground than standard trucks. Anyone with information about the vehicle, which should have substantial damage, is asked to call the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office at 304-357-0160.

Barboursville Doctor Seeks Reinstatement

• {West Virginia}...The West Virginia Board of Osteopathy began hearing testimony Wednesday during a license suspension hearing for Dr. Philip Fisher, a Barboursville doctor accused of prescribing dangerous amounts of pain medication to patients, which may have contributed to at least seven deaths. The board revoked Fisher's license last month after he was accused of prescribing pain pills to patients while not providing sufficient patient monitoring. Board members say Fisher had romantic relationships with some patients who later became overdose victims. Fisher's attorney claims his client was involved with patients who were already susceptible to hurting themselves, and suicide may be the cause of some of the deaths. The hearing is not related to a federal investigation, which could result in charges being filed against Fisher.

Bond Lowered For St. Albans Man

• {West Virginia}...Bond was lowered Thursday for Paul D. Woolwine of St. Albans, a man accused of threatening a potential witness in Kanawha County's 2003 sniper shooting case. Kanawha Circuit Judge James C. Stucky ordered bond for Woolwine reduced from $200,000 cash only to $100,000 full surety. Woolwine was arrested last month on allegations that he showed up at the home of Craig Hughes and threatened him Hughes is a potential witness in sniper-style killings that led to the indictment of Shawn Lester, 36, on murder charges in connection with the killings of Jeanie Patton, Gary Carrier Jr. and Okey Meadows Jr. Police say Hughes told them Lester was friends with alleged drug-runner Gilberto "Tito" Lopez, but Lester has denied any connection with the Mexican national. Assistant prosecutor Maryclaire Akers says Woolwine used to be a drug-runner for Lopez, who has been indicted on conspiracy drug charges, but remains at large. Akers says Woolwine has ties to a Mexican drug dealer who can get him out of the country if he needs to, or to another state.

Former Big Branch Mine Worker Sentenced

{West Virginia}...A former Performance Coal Co. assistant mine foreman accused of using a fake certification number and lying to federal investigators has been sentenced. Thursday, a federal judge sentenced Thomas Harrah, 45, of Comfort, in Boone County, to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Harrah worked at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County form January 2008 to August 2009 as a foreman, but he falsified his qualifications and performed safety checks as part of the job. Harrah was not working at UBB at the time of the April 2010 explosion. Authorities discovered what Harrah had done while investigating the tragedy that killed 29 miners. He faced a second criminal count after lying to a federal investigator.

Charleston Grand Jury Indicts Sex Offender

{West Virginia}...A federal grand jury in Charleston has indicted 29 year old James G. Propes Jr., also known as Tommy E. Clemons, a convicted sex offender, for failing to register while living in Huntington. According to the indictment, Propes was convicted in a court in Genesee County, Michigan of criminal sexual conduct assault with intent to commit sexual penetration and registered as a sex offender in Michigan in 2007 after serving jail time. The indictment states that Propes moved to the Huntington area in January 2011 and knowingly failed to register as a sex offender. If convicted, Propes faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release for the rest of his life.

WV Cracks Down On Mortgage Fraud

{West Virginia}...Federal investigators in West Virginia say they're making progress in fighting mortgage fraud. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin says federal law enforcement on Monday arrested Raymond Paul Morris, 51, of South Weber, Utah on charges connected to alleged fraud in Putnam County. Federal officials say Deborah Joyce, 38, of Hurricane and Michael Hurd, 37, of Utah, were involved in a scheme in which they would secure false, inflated appraisals of homes in the Stonegate subdivision before enticing a Utah real estate investment club, 100X, to buy the properties in an effort to 'flip' the homes for quick profit. In April, Joyce was sentenced to 46 months in prison for her involvement.  Her husband, Todd, 38, was sentenced to 18 months behind bars. In an unrelated but similar scheme, U.S. District Judge Irene Berger sentenced Donald Carter II, 38, of Poca, and Roy Leon Cooper, 56, of Hico, to 51 months in prison Wednesday for their involvement in fraudulent practices in the Lamplighter Valley subdivision in Lewisburg in Greenbrier County. The judge also ordered the defendants to pay $1.9 million each in restitution after they each pleaded guilty in January to bank fraud and tax evasion. In 2005, Carter bought 23 undeveloped lots in the subdivision and sought financing from United Bank to build several homes. Cooper, who worked as a loan officer at United Bank, helped Carter circumvent the rules by listing friends and family members as straw buyers. Through the process, Carter secured 16 loans worth $4 million, but never built any homes. Carter drew down $1.9 million from those loans, but used it to pay off gambling debts. Cooper and Carter also admitted to falsifying several income tax returns during the mid-2000s.

Beaver Woman Steals Hearse And Body

• {West Virginia}...Angela Jennette Dehart, 23, of Beaver, a woman wanted in connection with a stolen hearse that had a dead body in it, turned herself in to Beckley Police early Wednesday afternoon. Capt. Jeff Shumate with the Beckley Police Department says Dehart confessed to stealing a hearse from in front of an East Beckley funeral home just after midnight on Tuesday. The hearse, along with the body inside, was found four hours later parked near Dehart's home on Blue Jay Drive in Beaver. Dehart is charged with grand larceny for the theft of the hearse and displacement of a dead body.

Kanawha County Grand Jury Hands Down Indictments

{West Virginia}...A Kanawha County Grand Jury handed down indictments Tuesday. Kenneth Eugene Carter, 51, of Charleston, was indicted on a charge of murder in the July 20th beating death of his roommate 51 year old Ronald Forton. Ernest Lyle Young Jr. of Handley was indicted in the June 11th beating death of  81 year old WIlfred Naylor. Kanawha County Sheriff's deputies say Young has admitted to killing Naylor with a club. Nineteen year old Brandon Gray was charged with first-degree murder. Police say Gray killed Timothy Thompson, Jr. near the intersection of Stockton Street and First Avenue on June 9th. Gray says Thompson was his friend's brother and has denied killing him, but police say they have multiple pieces of evidence, including phone records, that link Gray to the crime. Police say they believe Thompson met Gray to buy drugs, but Gray pulled out a gun and shot Thompson. Justin Tyler Robbins, 18, is indicted on 19 counts of wanton endangerment after allegedly firing an AK-47 assault weapon at the 7-11 on Washington Street East in the early morning hours of August 17th.

Man Files Lawsuit In Son's Death

{West Virginia}...Gary Hill, a man whose son died while staying in an alcohol recovery shelter, has filed a lawsuit in Kanawha County Circuit Court seeking punitive damages against the nonprofit Prestera Center. It also names the city of Dunbar. The lawsuit says 24 year old Dustin Hill died in September 2009 after he was admitted to a Prestera alcohol detoxification program. The lawsuit says Hill had no alcohol in his system and that Dunbar police didn’t perform a blood-alcohol test. The suit says Hill had taken multiple prescription drugs, and he wasn’t properly treated for an apparent overdose.

Early Gubernatorial Voting Begins

• {West Virginia}...Early voting started Wednesday morning in West Virginia's special gubernatorial election which is slated for October 4th. Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat, is facing Republican Bill Maloney, the Mountain Party's Bob Henry Baber, Constitution Party's Phil Hudok and Independent Marla Ingels. The winner will take office immediately and serve for the rest of former Governor Joe Manchin's regular term, which ends in January 2012. Early voting will run until October 1st. Voters can cast their ballots early in the Voters Registration office from 8:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Early voting will be open from 8:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Thursdays and from 9:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. on Saturdays.

Alpha Says Overseas Coal Demand Drops

{West Virginia}...Alpha Natural Resources Inc. said Wednesday that it will ship less coal than estimated earlier in the year as demand drops in Asia and production falls short at some of its mines. Alpha expects to ship between 102.5 million and 109.5 million tons this year, down from a previous estimate of between 104 million and 112 million tons. Alpha says production from some central Appalachian mines acquired in the acquisition of Massey Energy is lower than expected.

Drug/Alcohol Abuse Costs Justice System Millions

{West Virginia}...A report released Wednesday by the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center says drug and alcohol abuse has cost West Virginia's criminal justice system an extra $50 million since 2009 and estimates the financial impact of substance abuse at nearly $430 million in 2010. It projects those costs could soar to $695 million by 2017. Author Yetty Shobo says more than half of prosecutors, public defenders, parole board to the Division of Corrections and the Regional Jail Authority budgets go toward crimes that are related to substance abuse. 

  

Nevada Man Sentenced In Putnam County Bust

• {West Virginia}...U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers has sentenced Jay Van Meenen, 33, of Las Vegas, to 37 months in prison and four years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of 100 kilograms or more of marijuana in May. Van Meenen was stopped on March 5, 2010 in Putnam County. A search of his Haulmark box trailer turned up 310.3 kilograms of marijuana, or 684 pounds. Police say Van Meenen said he agreed to transport the marijuana for a drug trafficking organization operating out of Arizona and Mexico to West Virginia to deliver to a confidential source in Putnam County.

Murder Trial Postponed

• {West Virginia}...A murder trial for David Washington Kinney, 32, of Charleston, has been postponed until March 26, 2012. Jeremy Parsons, 31, of Poca, was shot inside his vehicle near Park Avenue and Virginia Street on July 4, 2010. The car then crashed into a barrier near the Sav-A-Lot store. Kinney was arrested four months after the shooting, but his trial has been postponed several times. Defense attorneys for Kinney requested time to inspect physical evidence, including shell casings found at the scene and the vehicle belonging to the victim. Assistant Prosecutors Erica Lord and Ben Freeman said Charleston Police detectives took shell casings recovered from the scene to a lab in London for analysis, but, after inspecting the casings, they were not able to determine anything. Defense co-counsel Obumni Kusimo said she wanted permission to see the shell casings and also have another independent lab analyze them. Kinney was being held without bond until January, when Kanawha Circuit Judge Carrie Webster agreed to set a $250,000 bond. Kinney is now on home confinement.

US Marshals Arrest West Virginia Fugitive

• {West Virginia}...U.S. Marshals joined local law enforcement in tracking down 31 year old Hubert Porter, known as“Bucky” of Branchland, West Virginia, who was arrested late Tuesday night at his sister's home in Salem, Virginia. Authorities say Porter was arrested on September 12th and charged with burglary, petit larceny and destruction of property after being accused of breaking into the home of his estranged wife, Alicia Porter, on September 5th and busting her TV, and stealing all of her clothes. State Police say he bonded out on Friday by posting a $17,000 bond, and he then went directly to  Alicia Porter's home where he broke in and hid, then ambushed her when she got there, holding her hostage for almost 20 hours. Police say Alicia Porter escaped from Hubert Porter, running out the back door, falling and breaking her arm, before getting help from of a nearby church group that was holding a hay ride. Cabell County Sheriff's Deputies say Porter stole beer from a Speedway in Huntington and took gas, without paying, from a Speedway in Hamlin, in Lincoln County. Porter is expected to be armed and dangerous.

Major Marijuana Bust In Wayne

• {West Virginia}...West Virginia State Troopers from the Huntington and Wayne detachments teamed up with the National Guard Monday afternoon and confiscated about 375 marijuana plants along Route 52 in Wayne. Troopers say the bust, worth nearly $750,000, is one of the biggest busts of the year.

Putnam County Commissioner Charged With Domestic Battery

• {West Virginia}...Putnam County Commissioner Gary Tillis was arrested around 9:30 P.M. Monday night and charged with domestic battery following an alleged fight with his wife. According to the criminal complaint, Mrs. Tillis says the two got into an argument after Tillis came home in Eleanor and had been drinking, and he punched her in the face. Police say, when they told Tillis' wife that he would be charged with domestic battery, she started to change her story, telling them she did not get hit and that, instead, she hit Tillis and split his lip. She also told police that when Tillis was leaving, she broke his car's windshield with a rock. Police met Tillis at the Speedway gas station in Winfield, and he told them he swung at his wife after she threw a rock at his vehicle, but Tillis did not have a split lip.

Former Lakin Corrections Center Officer Sentenced

• {West Virginia}...Joseph F. Roush, Jr., 35, of Mason County, a former correctional officer at the Lakin Corrections Center, was sentenced Monday to 46 months in prison for possession of child pornography. An investigation showed Roush used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download, share and store illegal material and that he had more than 600 images of minors engaged in sexual conduct. Roush pleaded guilty in April 2009.

Belle Man Subdued After Standoff

• {West Virginia}...After a 1 1/2-hour standoff in West Belle Monday morning, Kanawha County Sheriff's Deputies subdued 58 year old Michael Slayton. Sheriff Mike Rutherford said a family member called 911 at about 9:30 A.M. saying Slayton was outside the house with a gun and threatening to shoot himself. A short time later Slayton came back into the house, but said he would shoot if police showed up. Sam Holcomb, a sheriff's department legal process server who knew Slayton personally, repeatedly tried to talk to Slayton on the telephone while deputies and members of the county SWAT team took up positions outside the house. Slayton came outside and threw a cellphone at deputies. Lt. Sean Crosier tried to grab Slayton, but Slayton pulled a gun on him before going back inside the house. Slayton eventually came back outside at the rear of the house, and deputies were able to subdue him with TASER guns.

Murder Charges Dropped In Logan County Shooting

• {West Virginia}...Logan County Prosecuting Attorney John Bennett says charges against Jesus Canul have been dropped without prejudice, meaning the charges could be refiled at another time. Canul was charged with the August 22nd murder of David Abbott of Chapmanville, which occurred at the Logan Walmart. Canul told police he had just cashed his paycheck and was walking through the Walmart parking lot when David Abbott threatened to cut his throat, demanded cash and took off with his wallet. Canul says Abott was running away when he fatally shot him. Since then, dozens of people have rallied in support of Canul, saying he acted in self defense.

Man Arrested For Robberies

• {West Virginia}...Kanawha County Deputies arrested DeSean Saunders Monday afternoon and charged him with the August robbery at Smiley's Motel and Lounge in Jefferson and the July robbery at Jolie's in Nitro.

Work Release Escapee Captured

• {West Virginia}...The West Virginia Division of Corrections says Terry Scott McClure, 44, was captured early Monday morning after escaping Sunday from the Charleston Work Release Center. He was scheduled to return to the center at 7:00 P.M. Sunday but never returned. McClure, also known as Shawn Maynard, had been charged with two counts of forgery and uttering in Fayette County.

West Virginia Drafting Caylee's Law

{West Virginia}...Earlier this year, Cabell County Delegate Kelli Soboyna announced her intention to draft a bill that would make it a crime for a parent or guardian not to report a child missing to law enforcement officials in a timely manner. Members of the state Legislature are looking to the Director of the West Virginia Prosecutor's Institute for help with drafting a law that could prevent a death like Caylee Anthony's in West Virginia. Institute Director Philip Morrison says he's taken a look at the rough draft of the bill, and, while creating a law is plausible, the current draft needs to contain language to tighten it up. Morrison says one change is distinguishing missing children into two categories: infants to the age of 12 and teenagers. He also says the bill should focus more on parents or guardians with missing children who may be withholding the information to hide criminal activity. Morrison believes it's important for the bill not to target parents or guardians where there could be a legitimate explanation why a child has not been reported missing. The goal is still to have a final draft ready in January when lawmakers return to Charleston for the 60 day session.

Murder Charges Against Mingo County Man Dropped

{West Virginia}...Twenty-four year old Justin Lee, of Matewan, in Mingo County, was supposed to go on trial Monday morning in the death of his unborn child, but charges against him were dropped. Police say Lee punched Brittany Adkins, his pregnant girlfriend, in the stomach in June 2010. She went into labor shortly after being hit, and the baby died an hour after being born. Monday, assistant prosecutor Dan Holstein told Circuit Judge Charles E. King the state cannot establish without a reasonable doubt that the assault was connected to the death, noting in particular that medical experts could not conclusively link the incident to Adkins' miscarriage. Lee pleaded guilty to domestic battery. Lee has been in prison since November 11th.

Putnam County Man Charged With Murder

{West Virginia}...Putnam County Sheriff's deputies say 49 year old Eric Brian Pauley of Winfield went to the sheriff's office Saturday night and confessed to killing his girlfriend. Police went to the home of Debra Rosiek, 52, in Winfield Mobile Home Village, where they found her dead from gunshot wounds to the chest. Pauley was arrested, charged with first degree murder and lodged in the Western Regional Jail without bond.

Police Investigate Institute Shooting

{West Virginia}...Kanawha County sheriff’s deputies say Travis Bush was taken to CAMC Hospital in serious condition after being shot several times in the leg while on Carver Street in Institute around 7:30 P.M. Saturday. An arrest warrant was issued for Lamont Van Harris of Dunbar, charging him with malicious wounding. Police are searching for Harris, who is considered armed and dangerous.

Jay Rockefeller's Father-In-Law Dies

{West Virginia}...Former Illinois Senator Charles H. Percy, father-in-law to Senator Jay Rockefeller, D. W.Va., died Saturday in Washington at the age of 91. Percy, once widely viewed as a top presidential contender, represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate for nearly 20 years. Percy's daughter, Sharon Rockefeller, announced in March 2009 that he had Alzheimer's disease. Senator Percy served his country in World War II. He was elected to the first of his three Senate terms in 1966.

Pilot Killed At "Thunder Over the Blue Ridge"

{West Virginia}...According to the West Virginia National Guard, a T-28 from the six-plane Trojan Horsemen Demonstration Flight Team crashed and burst into flames at the "Thunder Over the Blue Ridge" air show in Martinsburg Saturday, taking the life of  the 54 year old pilot, John "Flash" Mangan of Concord, North Carolina. The post-World War II plane crashed into a runway and exploded. Mangan graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, served in the Air Force for 13 years and had been piloting planes more than three decades.

Squirrel Causes Major Power Outage

{West Virginia}...AEP officials say power was restored to nearly 4,000 customers in South Charleston Sunday morning after a squirrel got into a substation near the South Hills area and shorted out a live line, causing a power outage in areas including MacCorkle Avenue, Davis Creek Road, Jefferson Road. It also resulted in major thoroughfares losing traffic signals. 

Manchin Questions American Jobs Act

• {West Virginia}...Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., says he will support some, but not all, the provisions in President Obama's American Jobs Act. Manchin says the projected deficit for fiscal year 2012, which begins October 1st, is $1.1 trillion, and he has serious reservations about the proposals.  Manchin says, "If spending money would solve our crisis in America, we wouldn't have a problem right now." Obama's jobs legislation would cost close to $450 billion, which includes a proposal to extend payroll cuts for another year on money going to the Social Security Administration. Manchin says payroll tax cuts sound good. They would increase from a 2 percent to nearly a 3 percent reduction, and it will cost $240 billion to extend that for another year, but it cripples and does irreparable damage to Social Security. Manchin says he's not sure people realize that.

Wayne County Man Arrested

• {West Virginia}...Deputies say a fight involving over a half dozen people broke out at a party at a house on Webb Road in Crum in Wayne County early Saturday morning. Police say, during the fight, Cody Marcum allegedly stabbed Terry Chaffin in the back five times and in the shoulder three times, sending him to the hospital in critical condition.

Manchin Supports Tomblin For Governor

• {West Virginia}...U.S. Senator Joe Manchin is taking issue with attacks against acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, including one that says Manchin has stood up for West Virginia, but Tomblin hasn't. Manchin said Friday that Tomblin has fought as hard for West Virginia as he has, and, although he has nothing against Maloney, he's voting for Tomblin in the October 4th special election. The attack refers to Obama administration policies on coal and health care. Manchin also disagrees with a Maloney TV ad that blames Tomblin for problems with a state weatherization program, saying the problems occurred under his watch, not Tomblin's, and that he sought to correct them immediately.

Hamlin Police Find Body Of Elderly Man

• {West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police in Hamlin are investigating after the body of 75 year old Jack Gilkerson was found about 10:40 P.M. Friday in the Mud River Dam. Police believe he fell out while he was fishing. The death is under investigation but troopers say no foul play is suspected.

WV Police Searching For Missing Kentucky Man

{West Virginia}...Police are searching for Channing Dwayne Adkins, 33, of McCarr, Kentucky, who went missing while driving his ATV last Sunday along the Tug River near Matewan in Mingo County. Adkins was reported missing Thursday by family members when he did not return. Adkins was last seen wearing a khaki mining shirt with stripes, long pants and white Nike shoes. He is approximately 5 feet 11 inches, weighs 195 pounds,has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen heading south along the Tug River. Anyone with information is asked to call the State Police in Williamson at 304-235-6000.

High Heel Hike Raises More Than $25,000

{West Virginia}...The High Heel Hike for Autism ended at Haddad Riverfront Park Saturday after 16 teams of people walked through downtown Charleston to raise money and awareness for the autism socialization program at Children's Therapy Clinic. More than 100 people who walked raised more than $25,000 for the cause.

Jackson County Murder Ends In Life Sentence

{West Virginia}... Ronald Davis was sentenced Friday to life without parole for the murder of his girlfriend, Cathy Parsons, who died when fire consumed her trailer in the Kenna community of Jackson County last September. He also received  twenty years for arson. Parsons' daughter Eltina Harper, had testified she saw Davis use a lighter to set the deadly fire. Davis faces a trial on October 18th for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Director Says Permit Fee Increases Too High

{West Virginia}...Corky DeMarco, the Executive Director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, says the permit fee increases approved in a bill dealing with regulations for natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale this week are too high. As proposed, drillers would have to pay $10,000 for the permit for the initial drilling rig on a pad and $5,000 for each additional drilling rig. Right now, those charges are $5,000 and $1,000 respectively. DeMarco says that puts the state in a less competitive position for investment dollars coming to West Virginia when you compare it to the competition within the basin. Supporters of the increases say they are needed to generate more money for additional gas well inspectors and permit process workers which the state cannot afford.

Charleston Facing Lawsuits

{West Virginia}...Both Samantha Jones, the wife of former Charleston patrolman Jerry Jones, the patrolman killed in the line of duty in 2009, and Patricia Harrison, the mother of Brian Good, have lawsuits this week against the city of Charleston. Officer Jerry Jones and Good were both killed after a pursuit of Good through Kanawha County that started late September 12, 2009. Samantha Jones claims Charleston Police Officer Christopher Burford did not check to see where his fellow officers, including Jerry Jones, were located before firing at Good’s vehicle, and that Good never displayed a firearm. Harrison filed a complaint Tuesday in Kanawha County Circuit Court, naming the Charleston Police Department and the city of Charleston as responsible for the death of her son. Harrison has filed similar suits before, and they have been dismissed.

West Virginia Soldier Escapes Military Custody

{West Virginia}...Friday, police searched for 20 year old Russell C. Marcum, a soldier from Morgantown, West Virginia, who had escaped from military custody and led police on a multi-county car chase in central New York. State Trooper Jack Keller says police used dogs and helicopters in their search for Marcum, who is believed to be armed and suicidal. Marcum's parents had just bailed him out of a Jefferson County jail where he was held on a burglary charge when he assaulted a soldier escorting him back to Fort Drum on Thursday night, and he escaped in his parents' SUV. A chase through Madison, Oneida and Otsego counties ended when police damaged the car tires with a spike strip. Marcum then ran into woods near Richfield Springs, south of Utica.

West Virginia Schools Named National Blue Ribbon

{West Virginia}...The U.S. Department of Education has named three West Virginia schools as 2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The schools are Inwood Primary School in Berkeley County, Maxwell Hill Elementary School in Raleigh County and Triadelphia Middle School in Ohio County. They're among 304 schools recognized nationwide. To qualify for the program, public schools must have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds dramatically improve scores on state tests. The schools will receive an award certificate during a ceremony later this year in Washington, D.C. More than 6,500 schools nationwide have won the award. The Blue Ribbon program began in 1982.

United Mine Workers Support Tomblin

{West Virginia}...Friday, the United Mine Workers of America announced its support of gubernatorial candidate Earl Ray Tomblin. Earlier this week, the West Virginia Coal Association endorsed Tomblin. UMW International President Cecil Roberts says the union's members need someone who understands the coal industry and their communities, and understands their values. He says Tomblin best meets those criteria.

Patriot Names Executive Vice President And CEO

• {West Virginia}...Patriot Coal Group Inc. announced Wednesday that 54 year old Ben Hatfield, former president and CEO of International Coal Group Inc., has been named as executive vice president and CEO of Patriot. Hatfield’s position will be based in Charleston, and the appointment is part of a reorganization of senior management. Hatfield was ICG’s chief executive for six years before Arch Coal bought the company in June. Patriot operates coal mines throughout West Virginia and Kentucky.  

Board Revokes License Of Former Chairman

• {West Virginia}...Following an investigation into recent ethical and professional misconduct, the West Virginia Massage Therapy Licensure Board has revoked the license of its former chairman, Dewayne Vass, who operated Healthcare Therapy Services in Princeton and Beckley. The board had suspended his license in May 2010 and ordered him to pay nearly $34,000 in legal and administrative costs. Vass was fired as chairman in 2004 after fellow board members questioned $9,000 in expenses that Vass billed to the agency. The board has also referred his case to other agencies for further investigation.

U.S. Postal Service To Study Possible Closures

• {West Virginia}...The U.S. Postal Service says annual mail volume has declined by more than 43 billion pieces in the past 5 years and is continuing to decline. Total first-class mail has dropped 25 percent and single piece first-class mail, letters bearing postage stamps, has declined 36 percent in the same time frame. The agency lost $8.5 billion last year and is facing an even larger deficit this year. Even when the economy fully recovers, the Postal Service does not expect mail volume to return to previous peak levels, and is projecting annual deficits for the foreseeable future. The Postal Service says it may close more than 250 mail processing facilities across the country. Four mail-processing facilities in West Virginia are on the list: Bluefield, Clarksburg, Parkersburg and Petersburg.

Man Sentenced In Beating Death

{West Virginia}...In July, Dwain Foster entered a Kennedy plea to unlawful wounding in connection with the beating death of 22 year old Jeremy Cook. Cook, who was from Hurricane, was found beaten and unconscious in an alley behind a Huntington nightclub in May 2010. He died several days later at a hospital in Huntington. Thursday, Judge Paul Farrell sentenced Foster to one to five years in prison with time served. Foster has already spent a year in jail which makes him eligible for parole now. Judge Farrell said he is going to make a recommendation to the parole board that Foster have to serve two more years before being eligible for parole. In July, Clyde Cooper, entered a Kennedy Plea to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Last month, Rhamel Hatcher, of South Point, Ohio, was indicted for murder. According to that indictment, Hatcher picked up Cook and slammed him to the ground, causing his head to strike the ground.

Marfork Coal Sues Protesters

{West Virginia}...Marfork Coal Co., a subsidiary of Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources, is suing strip mining protesters who staged a 30 day tree-sit this summer at the Bee Tree Mine on Coal River Mountain in southern West Virginia. Marfork is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages against Becks Kolins and Catherine-Ann MacDougal, and their ground support crew, Elias Schewel and Junior Walk, who are with Radical Action for Mountain People's Survival. Marfork wants fines imposed if any of them trespass again. Raleigh County Circuit Judge Robert Burnside was set to consider a request for a restraining order against the defendants Wednesday, but the hearing was postponed by mutual request.

Man Sentenced In Mingo County Killing

{West Virginia}...Darrell Davis, a Cattlettsburg, Kentucky man, has been sentenced to two life terms in prison for murder, kidnapping and arson. Davis was convicted in August after he shot and killed Gary Newsome in a cabin along Newsome Ridge near Kermit in Mingo County in July 2010. Davis entered the cabin where he shot his estranged wife, Laura Davis, and Newsome then dragged his wife from the cabin before setting it ablaze, with Newsome inside. Davis took his wife to a cousin's Kentucky home. She was taken to Fleming County Hospital, where she received blood transfusions and was airlifted to Lexington for additional medical treatment. She testified against Davis during the trial.

Charleston Native Found Dead In Texas

{West Virginia}...Fifty-one year old Patricia Duling, originally from Charleston, was found dead in a bathroom in the Villa Del Sol Condominiums in Corpus Christi, Texas by her boyfriend on Monday afternoon. The Nueces County Medical Examiner confirms Duling died from multiple stab wounds. Her boyfriend, 51 year old Leslie Moul, told police he found blood in the living room of the condo before discovering her body. Moul, was recently indicted for allegedly choking Duling on July 4th.

West Virginia Coal Association Endorses Tomblin

{West Virginia}...The West Virginia Coal Association announced Wednesday it is supporting acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin in the upcoming gubernatorial election. The industry group referred to Tomblin as a tireless advocate for coal and the most qualified candidate for governor the state's ever had. Tomblin's opponents in the October 4th election include Republican Bill Maloney. The coal association says Maloney has worked in the industry and has friends there, but it views Tomblin as the seasoned, proven leader it needs while it fights the Obama administration over mining-related permits and environmental regulations.

Judge Considers Former School Custodian Lawsuit

{West Virginia}...Kanawha Circuit Judge Paul Zakaib has been asked to decide a case involving Willis McLemore, a former Capital High School custodian who claims he was racially harassed. McLemore sued the Kanawha County Board of Education, principal Clinton Giles and his supervisor, Frank Thompson, in 2008. McLemore, an African American, contends he was harassed with racial slurs shortly after he was hired in January 2007. Attorney Jan Fox, representing the school board, made a motion for summary judgment, which requests the judge to decide the case based on the facts prior to going to a jury. Fox says McLemore's work was evaluated several times and determined to be poor, and he was warned that if he did not improve his work he would be put on a plan of improvement. but, before that plan was instituted, he resigned. McLemore's attorney, Matthew Criswell, says the performance evaluations were racially motivated and the racial slurs were an attempt to get McLemore to quit. Criswell says McLemore took his complaints to Giles, who is also African American, but nothing changed. McLemore resigned in April 2008 and filed a grievance with the school board shortly afterward. That grievance was denied. McLemore appealed that decision to the West Virginia Supreme Court in 2009, but the court refused to hear the case.

Institute Volunteer Fire Department Audited

{West Virginia}...State auditors made recommendations that the Institute Volunteer Fire Department reimburse the state, cease writing checks for cash and have an independent accountant inspect the department's books after an audit showed a former treasurer cashed checks for $1,221 for unknown purposes and another $380 was improperly spent between 2009 and 2010. The audit further states that a former treasurer went against the department's policy by cashing checks with only his signature, although the department requires checks to be signed by two people. Another $378 was used to pay for cable bills. That's not permitted under state rules. According to the audit, fire department officials have agreed with the findings and will move to implement the recommendations. Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper says the county gives Institute VFD about $20,000 per year, and the alleged fraud is a serious matter that the county will monitor. Institute resident Bill Raglin, who also sits on the Kanawha County Board of Education, has been pushing for the city of Dunbar to annex the unincorporated area. He says city oversight could have helped in this situation.

State Police Superintendent Seeks Raise For Civilian Workers

{West Virginia}...State Police Superintendent Col. Jay Smithers  appeared before the Joint Finance Committee Wednesday in an effort to urge state lawmakers to approve a pay increase package for the civilian workers within the State Police. Smithers told lawmakers State Police forensic analysts are the lowest paid in the nation. He says, during the last five years, 24 of the 41 lab personnel have left the State Police for other jobs, and, in the area of dispatching, the starting salary is $20,800. He says dispatchers that work for cities and counties make at least $5,000 more a year. Smithers says 79 State Police telecommunicators have been hired in the last five years but only 36 remain on the job today. Smithers also told lawmakers that 47 percent of the civilian workers were given the minimum amount, approximately $500, of an across the board pay raise that state workers received beginning in July. The State Police has already handed in its proposed budget for next fiscal year to acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. The proposal includes a change in pay for civilian workers.

Poca Man Killed In ATV Accident

• {West Virginia}...Putnam Chief Deputy Greg Barnett says 37 year old John Calvin Oakes of Poca was riding his all-terrain vehicle on Heizer Creek Road just after 6:00 P.M. Monday when he lost control of the vehicle, went off the left side of the road and slammed into a tree. Barnett said the ATV flipped, throwing Oakes from the vehicle. Oakes, who was not wearing a helmet at the time, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Huntington Teen Sentenced

• {West Virginia}... Jordan Jeter, 19, of Huntington, has been sentenced to two years in prison and four years of supervised release for dealing more than 28 grams of crack cocaine. Jeter told federal prosecutors he sold 48 grams of cocaine base to an undercover agent with the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives while at the Smokin' Aces store on October 1, 2010.

Man Found Dead In Hamlin

• {West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police in Hamlin say Jamie Dale Amburgey, 27, of Harts, was found dead Tuesday morning about 50 feet over a hillside on Little Harts Creek Road in Lincoln County. Troopers say Amburgey had recently been released from jail. Family members say Amburgery disappeared sometime Monday night, and that family members searched for him all night.

Huntington VA Medical Center To Host Recognition Day Event

• {West Virginia}...As part of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, the VA Medical Center in Huntington will host a program, beginning at 11:00 A.M. Friday morning, September 16th, to honor former prisoners of war and soldiers still missing. The Missing Man Table, set for 6, will be on display, the empty places representing those missing from each of the five services -- Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. A luncheon for all former POW's and their family members will follow the program. The event will take place in the Recreation Hall of the VA Medical Center.

Huntington Work Release Center Inmate Escapes

• {West Virginia}...Paul Herbert Chambers, 39, of Morgantown, who was serving 1 to 10 years for forgery, uttering and fraudulent schemes in Monongalia County, escaped from the West Virginia Division of Corrections Huntington Work Release Center around 8:40 A.M. Tuesday morning. Chambers has blonde hair and hazel colored eyes, is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs 293 lbs. He has a tattoo with two orange cats on his back with the names ZACK and KUNDAL and a cross tattoo on his right forearm.

West Virginia Inmates Paid Unemployment Benefits

{West Virginia}...A legislative audit released Tuesday says around $150,000 in unemployment benefits were paid over the last three years on behalf of West Virginia claimants who were either in prison or jail. Auditors had WorkForce West Virginia check the Social Security numbers of all inmates during the time period, and the agency, which oversees unemployment compensation, found it had paid 700 weeks' worth of benefits on behalf of at least 26 inmates. In one case, the benefits ran for a total of two and a half years. Auditors say some claims could have been filed by family members. WorkForce West Virginia's fraud unit continues to investigate.

Barboursville Man Seeks Leniency

• {West Virginia}...Fifty-seven year old Randall Keyser, of Barboursville, who has pleaded guilty to posing as an Army general to try to land a six-figure construction management job in Ohio, has asked the judge for leniency. Prosecutors say Keyser applied for an online job posting with an Akron area construction development company in March, posing himself as Major General R. Thomas Keyser with the United States Army. He also said he was a commanding officer of the Department of Defense's Joint Construction Command who answered directly to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Keyser is scheduled for sentencing on September 26th after pleading guilty to wire and mail fraud.

Voter Registration Deadline

• {West Virginia}...West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant is reminding West Virginians they must register to vote by Tuesday, September 13th, if they want to participate in the October election. West Virginia residents can pick up a voter registration application at Tennant’s office in the State Capitol or at several other state agency offices, such as the Division of Motor Vehicles, can download it from the Secretary of State’s website or go to their county clerks' offices. Early voting for the 2011 special gubernatorial general election begins September 21st. Voters can cast their ballots early at their courthouses or courthouse annexes during regular business hours. Early voting will also be available Saturday, September 24th and October 1st. Voting will be available at precincts around the state from 6:30 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. on October 4th.

Letter Left Behind by Shooter in Deadly Shooting Rampage

(Morgantown, WV) - A letter now provides some insight into the mind of a 22 year old man who killed six people, including a pregnant woman, before turning the gun on himself last week. Shayne Riggleman's crime spree spanned three states and changed countless lives. His mother delivered a letter a few days ago to a Morgantown newspaper, that she says her son left before the murders. It includes some strong spiritual references and some quotes directly from the Bible. The 25-paragraph document surfaced just days after Riggleman went on a violent rampage. His mother says Riggleman was bipolar and schizophrenic and wasn't taking his medication, and was upset that he was rejected from the military. The shooting that began in Morgantown was just the beginning of his violent journey that went through West Virginia. Riggleman stopped in Roane County where violence continued until he shot himself along a highway in Lewis County, Kentucky, when deputies pulled him over.

Widow Of Former Charleston Police Officer Files Lawsuit

{West Virginia}...Samantha Jones, the widow of former Charleston Police Officer Jerry Jones, is suing the city of Charleston and  Officer Christopher Burford, the officer who shot and killed her husband on September 13, 2009. Jones and several other Charleston police officers were pursuing Brian Good and had his truck cornered on Quick Road outside of Charleston. The lawsuit says the officer shot at the truck but instead hit Officer Jones who was near the passenger side of the vehicle. Jones and Good were both killed. The lawsuit claims Burford did not check to see where his fellow officers, including Jerry Jones, were located before firing at Good’s vehicle, and that Good never displayed a firearm. A second count in the lawsuit claims the city of Charleston had “deliberate indifference toward the staffing and training of its patrol officers,” and that Burford’s actions were a result of the city’s failure to “exercise reasonable care in training its police officers.” The city was first notified of the possible lawsuit last week and was given 48 hours to hand over $1 million dollars or the lawsuit would be filed. Charleston Mayor Danny Jones says the city will vigorously defend its position that reasonable force was used in the shooting and the shooting of Officer Jones was a tragic accident.  Mayor Jones says it could have been a ricochet that hit Officer Jerry Jones.

West Virginia Attorneys Charged With Wire Fraud

{West Virginia}...U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced Monday that Jeremy Vickers, 36, of Point Pleasant, and Christopher Bledsoe, 33, of Pineville, two attorneys in West Virginia have been charged with wire fraud in separate, but similar, cases. Vickers was charged for submitting fraudulent bills to a third-party vendor that was reimbursed by the West Virginia Public Defender Service for work he performed in state criminal matters. Bledsoe allegedly forged a local circuit court judge’s signature on payment vouchers and other court documents so he could submit false invoices to a third-party vendor who was reimbursed by the West Virginia Public Defender Service. The charges claim Vickers billed more than 24 hours for one day’s work on 173 occasions. Vickers and Bledsoe have agreed to plead guilty to the charges.