Lincoln County Man Allegedly Threatens Investigators

• {Lincoln, West Virginia}...James Matheny, 61, of Midkiff, in Lincoln County, was arrested Tuesday at his home after officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Secretary of State's Office say he threatened a federal and a state election fraud investigator with a gun. At the time, the two were trying to talk with Matheny about the 2010 Primary Election voter fraud case in Lincoln County. Matheny, who made an initial court appearance Wednesday in Charleston, has a preliminary and detention hearing set for Friday. He's charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. Federal investigators say Lincoln County Sheriff Jerry Bowman, former Lincoln County Clerk Donald Whitten and an unidentified third person, believed to be Lincoln County Commissioner Thomas Ramey Jr., tried to fix the outcomes of local races by illegally manipulating absentee votes. Bowman and Whitten are scheduled to plead guilty in connection with the vote fraud case next week.