Tomblin On Japanese Trade Mission

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...Governor Earl Ray Tomblin left Thursday on his way to Japan for his first 10-day overseas trade mission as the state's chief executive. The mission will include networking receptions in Tokyo and Nagoya. West Virginia has had a trade office in Nagoya since 1990. Tomblin and his team are seeking new investments for the state, which currently hosts operations by at least 20 Japanese businesses that employ around 2,300 people. Japan is also one of the state's top non-coal export markets.

Alpha Natural Resources Cited

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Thursday, MSHA released inspection documents showing Alpha Natural Resources has been cited for more than 200 safety violations after the company did not evacuate Alpha's Road Fork 51 Mine in Wyoming County when workers encountered thick smoke from a burned conveyor belt. MSHA filed an imminent danger order at the mine May on 18th. MSHA evacuated all employees, except for a few foremen. No one was injured, but the order wasn't lifted for three days. At Road Fork, investigators found inoperable smoke detectors and fire suppression systems, inadequate conveyor belt maintenance, and multiple accumulations of explosive coal dust as deep as 18 inches.

Man Wanted For Wanton Endangerment

{St. Albans, West Virginia}...Authorities are searching for a man after he escaped from a standoff. Police say 28 year old Eric Scott Hazelwood of St. Albans had been in an argument with his brother Robert Hazelwood Wednesday night when he brandished a firearm and held it to Robert's head and threatened to kill him. Kanawha County Deputies went to the suspect's home on Main Street just outside St. Albans about 8:00 P.M. after witnesses indicated they had seen Eric Hazelwood headed that way. The department's SWAT team surrounded the home for four hours until gaining a search warrant and arrest warrant. They entered the home to find it empty. Detectives found a pistol in the residence, but it's unclear if it's the same firearm used in the incident. 

Kentucky Man Sentenced

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Marvin Ford, 38, of Rush, Kentucky, was sentenced Thursday to more than 15 years in prison after being convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court in Charleston. Ford was arrested in January 2011 after officers found a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop. Ford had been convicted of a number of felonies before that, including the 1994 attempted murder of a West Virginia State Police trooper.

Charleston Man Arraigned

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Thomas Paul Sturm, 26, of Charleston, was arraigned Thursday on negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Investigators say Sturm was traveling along Interstate 64 near Cross Lanes in September 2011 when Zachary Hudnall, of Scott Depot, crashed into him, and Sturm took off. Hudnall was taken to the hospital, where he died the next day. During his arraignment, Sturm pleaded not guilty to the charges. The judge set his bond at $20,000 property only. He has until Monday to post it or go to jail. Sturm is scheduled for trial on September 17th.

Hearing Set For Suspended Magistrate

{Charleston, West Virginia}...The state Supreme Court's Judicial Hearing Board has set an August 8th hearing for suspended Kanawha County Magistrate Carol Fouty. Fouty was suspended without pay in April after being charged with ethical misconduct. Fouty is accused of dismissing a ticket on January 30th against Melea Dawn Fisher for simple possession of prescription pills without consulting prosecutors or police. Fisher later was arrested for driving under the influence in Fouty's vehicle after Fouty hired her to be her maid. Fouty is accused of using her influence as a judge to lower Fisher's bail. Fouty admitted in a May 10th reply that she dismissed Fisher's ticket, but denied the other charges. The court will hear arguments concerning Fouty's suspension on June 6th.

Service Set For Kanawha County Murder Victim

{Charleston, West Virginia}...A funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church in Charleston for murder victim Kathy Goble. Charles March is charged with her murder. March and Goble were co-workers at Kelly's Men's Shop in Charleston before Goble disappeared on April 24, 2010. Her dismembered body was found in a shallow grave in March's yard in Chesapeake the day after the two-year anniversary of her disappearance. Investigators say March strangled Goble at his home. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking donations be made to the Kathy Goble Trust to benefit women and children of domestic violence.

Mercer County Pastor Dies

{Matoaka, West Virginia}...Mercer County Pastor Mack Randall Wolford, 44, from Green Valley who lead the Full Gospel Apostolic House of the Lord Jesus in Matoaka, died Monday after a bite from a timber rattlesnake during a religious service Sunday in McDowell County. Wolford had been bitten by snakes at least three times previously. Filmmaker Kate Fowler had been working with Wolford over the past 18 months on a yet to be released film about snake handling called, "With Signs Following." After the bite, Pastor Wolford was taken to a home in Brushfork. It is not clear how much time passed before paramedics were called.

Drowning On New River

Officials have confirmed that 43 year old Dwayne Allen Cooper of Mount Hope, in Fayette County, drowned in the New River Wednesday afternoon. The National Park Service says Cooper was swimming with his fiance's children about 15 feet from shore near the Stone Cliff River Landing when the children noticed he had disappeared and called out for their mother, a certified nursing assistant who dragged him to shore, called for help and began CPR. Cooper was unconscious and unresponsive at that time. Cooper was transported to Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill, where he was pronounced dead at 7:20 P.M.

State Supreme Court Considering Earlier Ruling

{Charleston, West Virginia}...A Kanawha County murder case was argued before the State Supreme Court Wednesday. The Court is being asked to decide whether Kanawha County Circuit Judge Carrie Webster abused her power when ruling gun shell casings found at a crime scene could not be used as evidence in the upcoming murder trial against 33 year old David Kinney of Charleston. Kinney is accused of fatally shooting Jeremy Parsons, 31, on Charleston's West Side on July 4, 2010. Prosecutors originally thought the shell casings were lost during testing, but they were at the State Police Crime Lab under the victim's name not the name of the defendant. Judge Webster ruled the casings couldn't be used because of the state’s continual delay in taking the case to trial. Kinney's attorney Olubunmi Kusimo told the Court her client has been denied his right to a speedy trial. Assistant Kanawha County Prosecutor Erica Lord told the Court that without the 10mm shell casings the prosecution’s circumstantial case against Kinney would be gutted, and Webster's ruling is a complete abuse of discretion when there are other means she could have sanctioned the state for this time period. The Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on the case in the near future.

Hamlin Native Becomes Appeals Judge

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Hamlin native Stephanie Thacker was officially sworn in Tuesday as the first West Virginia woman to sit on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in Richmond. The U.S. Senate confirmed Thacker by a 93-3 vote on April 16th after Senator Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., recommended that President Barack Obama appoint Thacker to fill the position left vacant by the death of Judge M. Blane Michael. Thacker became one of 15 judges for the appeals court that covers West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. Thacker graduated Order of the Coif from West Virginia College of Law in 1990 and while in law school served as a member of the West Virginia Law Review. She served as a federal prosecutor for 12 years both at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Child Exploitation and Obscenity section. During her tenure with the  Department of Justice, she was awarded the attorney general's Distinguished Service Award.

Drug Debt...Possible Motive In Nicholas County Killings

{Carl,  West Virginia}...James Roy Belknap was arrested at a roadblock in Nicholas County Monday following a three-day search after the bodies of Steven Hendrix, his girlfriend Amber Martin and two children, ages 4 and 6, were found less than a mile from Belknap's residence Saturday. Greenbrier County Prosecutor Patrick Via says both Hendrix and Martin missed separate court hearings May 22nd in Greenbrier County Circuit Court. Hendrix's hearing was on a previous drug indictment and Martin's hearing was on an unrelated case. State Police believe Belknap owed Hendrix money for drugs, and Hendrix went to Belknap's property to collect a drug debt. The victims appeared to have been shot to death, stripped naked and their bodies dumped. Belknap is charged with four counts of first-degree murder.

Milton Couple Facing Meth Charges

{Milton, West Virginia}...Milton Police went to an apartment on North Main Street Monday morning, where they found a meth lab. Beth Ann Smith, 27, and Michael Landon Smith, 37, both of Milton, were arrested and charged with two felonies for conspiracy and operating or attempting to operate a clandestine lab. Officers were given permission to search the apartment and found a glass bowl, pop bottle containing pill dough and a rubber ventilation tube coming from it combined to make a gas generator for a meth lab, Hydrogen peroxide and crystallized Drano.

Trial Set In Young Boy's Death

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Ethan Chic Colbert, 21, of Charleston pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges relating to the death of his girlfriend's son on Interstate 64/77 and to the beating of the mother. Chic-Colbert was arraigned in Kanawha County Court in Charleston on several charges, including murder and child neglect resulting in death. In March, Chic-Colbert was a passenger in Lynitrah Woodson's car, along with four children, when he started hitting her. She stopped the car along Interstate 77, where police say Colbert dragged her out of the car and continued to beat her. Her 11 year old son, Jahlil, got out of the car and tried to flag down help for his mom but was hit by another car. Chic-Colbert pleaded not guilty, and his trial was set for July 9th.

Woman Arraigned In Charleston Stabbing

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Nicole Dowd was arraigned Monday on a malicious wounding charge, and a  trial was set for June 25th. Charleston Police say, in January, Dowd got into a fight with Rachele Williams after they got off a bus at the Transit Mall on Laidley Street in Charleston, and Dowd stabbed Williams in the right side of the head with a pair of scissors. Dowd was out on a $10,000 bond, but it was revoked because the person who posted it was a bail bondsman and they're not allowed to do so in Kanawha County. Dowd's bond was increased to $25,000 or 10-percent cash.

Groundbreaking For Sissonville Fire Department

{Sissonville, West Virginia}...The Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department lost its main station after a fire destroyed it in October 2010. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for a new fire station for the Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department. The new station will be located along Call Road in Sissonville. Construction will get underway next Monday.

Arrests Made In Nicholas County Murders

{Carl, West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police arrested James Roy Belknap Monday afternoon for the murders of Steven Hendrix, his children, four year old Kaylee Hendrix, six year old Dakota Hendrix, and Steven's girlfriend, Amber Martin. Police found Belknap at a checkpoint along Brushy Creek Road as a passenger in a pickup truck driven by Mark Haynes, 53, of Leviasy. Haynes was arrested and charged with accessory to murder after the fact. The victims had been missing from Greenbrier County since May 19th. On Friday, Nicholas County Sheriff's deputies were alerted about an abandoned van off Brushy Meadow Creek Road near the community of Carl. The condition of the vehicle indicated foul play. A search warrant was issued, and troopers found all four bodies Saturday evening nearly a mile from where the van was located. The bodies have been sent to the Charleston medical examiner's office for an autopsy. In 2005, Belknap and his father, Kenneth, were indicted on murder charges accusing them  of killing Richard Barnell and then burning his body. Kenneth Belknap denied that his son was ever involved in the murder. In 2007, James Belknap struck a plea deal where the murder charges against him were dropped and he was sent to prison for two years on drug charges.

State Cemetery For Veterans Opens In West Virginia

{Institute,  West Virginia}...Monday, Memorial Day, a 3:00 P.M. dedication ceremony was held marking the official opening of the first state cemetery for veterans in West Virginia. The $14 million site is located in Institute in Kanawha County. It is named the Donal Kinnard Memorial State Veteran's Cemetery in honor of the Navy SEAL who served during the Vietnam War and worked prior to his 2009 death to secure funding for the cemetery. The project was largely paid for with funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs which provided more money for it than any other state cemetery.  The state cemetery is located on 100 acres of land Dow Chemical donated, near the State Police Academy. There will eventually be enough space for 60,000 burial plots. U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and Keith Gwinn, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance were among those who attended the ceremony.

WV Couple Arrested

{South Williamson, Kentucky}...Michael Adkins, 33, of Colcord, and Jennifer Bailey, 30, of Delbarton, are facing charges related to possession and manufacturing of methamphetamine following a traffic stop late last week at Walmart in South Williamson. Police found what they believe to be an active meth lab in their truck. Pike County Sheriff’s Deputy Billy McCoy says Adkins admitted to having injected Roxicodone and that more needles and another Roxicodone pill was in the vehicle and that he had made meth inside the vehicle. Deputy McCoy says he also found syringes in Bailey's purse.

Mountaintop Removal Protest Held At Capitol

{Charleston, West Virginia}...A group of women shaved their heads Monday at the West Virginia Capitol to protest mountaintop removal  mining. They say the shaving of their heads is symbolic of mountains that have been stripped of the things living on them and people who are sick or dying because of the mining.

Manhunt In Nicholas County

{Carl, West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police are searching for James Roy Belknap after four people were found dead not far from their van off Brushy Meadow Creek Road in Nicholas County. The bodies are believed to be Steven Hendrix, his children, four year old Kaylee Hendrix, six year old Dakota Hendrix, and Steven's girlfriend, Amber Martin, who have been missing from Greenbrier County since May 19th. On Friday, Nicholas County Sheriff's deputies were alerted about an abandoned 2003 Chevy Venture van near Carl. The condition of the vehicle indicated foul play. A search warrant was issued and troopers found all four bodies Saturday evening nearly a mile from where the van was located. The bodies have been sent to Charleston to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy.

Drowning On New River

{Beckley, West Virginia}...Sixty year old Eddie Ramsey, Sr. of Edmond, West Virginia died in a boating accident on the New River Gorge National River Saturday. Chief Ranger Jeff West says Ramsey and his son were ferrying camping gear across the New River in a small boat when the boat filled with water and capsized. The son made it to shore, and the family saw the father struggling. They went into the water and pulled him ashore, but he was unresponsive. A passerby and emergency services workers also were unable to revive him. Neither man was wearing a life jacket.

Missing Charleston Man Found In Elk River

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...Police in Charleston are conducting a homicide investigation after a body was found floating in the Elk River near the Slack Street boat ramp in Charleston around 11:30 A.M. Saturday morning. Police say the body found is that of 55 year old Robert "Bob" Snow of Charleston who had been missing since Wednesday night.

Deadly Holiday Weekend

The Memorial Day holiday weekend got off to a deadly start in West Virginia as three people were killed in separate traffic accidents. Seventeen year old Kristen Stiltner, the daughter of Wayne Mayor Dwayne Stiltner, was killed when the car she was in crashed into some trees near Camp Creek Road in East Lynn, injuring three other teenage passengers. Just after 4:00 P.M. Friday afternoon, William Fontaine of Columbus was killed when he lost control of his pickup truck near Henderson on Route 35 near the Mason-Putnam County line. The vehicle sideswiped a tractor trailer and then went head-on into the path of a second tractor-trailer, causing the pickup to go off the side of the road and burst into flames, instantly killing Fontaine. State Police are investigating a fatal crash that took place on Route 53 near Elizabeth in Wirt County early Saturday morning. Three of the victims were flown to Charleston Area Medical Center and a fourth was taken to Camden-Clark Hospital in Parkersburg.

Woman Arrested For Setting Boyfriend On Fire

{Dunbar, West Virginia}...Cynthia Marie Swoboda, 45, of Dunbar was arrested Saturday and charged with felony attempted murder, malicious wounding and assault in commission of a felony. Police say she poured gasoline on her boyfriend, Shane Stone, then set him on fire in the parking lot outside the CVS Pharmacy on 10th Street in Dunbar. Stone was transported to Charleston Area Medical Center for treatment. Swoboda was lodged in the South Central Regional Jail on a $25,000 bond.

Man Crashes Pickup Into Kanawha River

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Charleston Police say 18 year old Joshua McCoy of Princeton was heading west on Kanawha Boulevard near McFarland Street around 4:00 A.M. Friday morning when he crashed his pickup truck over a barrier, causing it to roll down the riverbank and into the Kanawha River, where it became completely submerged. McCoy, who walked away with minor injuries, was charged with driving under the influence.

Tomblin Grand Marshal For NASCAR Race

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin will be the grand marshal at the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday night. Tomblin's duties begin Saturday when he'll speak at the VIP pre-race party at NASCAR Hall of Fame. The governor will tour the garage and pit area at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon and then be in the lead car when the race begins at 6:00 P.M. Tomblin is scheduled to return to West Virginia Monday in time for the dedication service for the new state Veterans Cemetery in Kanawha County. Former Governor Joe Manchin was the race's honorary starter in 2006 and West Virginia House Speaker Rick Thompson had the same duties in 2008.

Boone County Murder Case Goes To Grand Jury

{Madison, West Virginia}...A Boone County grand jury will consider double-murder and sexual assault charges against Timothy Parsons of Bloomingrose. In a preliminary hearing Friday, Boone County Chief Deputy Chad Barker testified that Parsons killed his wife, 35 year old Leigh Anne Kinder-Parsons  and her mother, 62 year old Gloria Sue Kinder of Lexington, Kentucky, on May 15th at his home in Bloomingrose. Barker said Parsons then spent the rest of the day running around with his 15 year old stepdaughter before bringing her back to the house where he asked her to have sex with him. When she refused, Parsons showed her the two dead bodies, and sexually assaulted her. According to testimony, Parsons slashed the throat of Leigh Anne following an argument over finances. He later killed her mother in the same manner. Parsons remains in jail without bail.

Putnam County Woman Sentenced

{Winfield, West Virginia}...Susanne Thomas, 50, of Hurricane, was sentenced Friday to 2 to 10 years in prison. She'll be given credit for time served. Police say Thomas was under the influence of alcohol last June when she drove her car across the center line on Route 34 near Hurricane and slammed head-on into a motorcycle driven by Rodney Thomas of St. Albans, killing him.

MSHA Targets Former Massey Energy Operations

{Charleston, West Virginia}...The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration says it conducted a one-day inspection blitz at 43 Alpha Natural Resources mines in in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky Wednesday, targeting former Massey Energy operations. MSHA spokeswoman Amy Louviere says the blitz followed a recent incident involving a burning conveyor belt at Alpha's Road Fork No. 51 mine near Pineville in Wyoming County. That mine was cited for serious and substantial violations. Louviere says no violations issued this week were as serious as those at Road Fork. Other results will be released later.

Three Appear In Court On Meth Charges

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Derrick Walker of Elkview, Jennifer Chapman of Seth and Jeremiah Schuler of Delbarton were in Cabell County Magistrate court for a preliminary hearing Friday in connection with a meth lab bust in a hotel room at the Day's Inn in Barboursville in May. Both Walker and Schuler waived their right to a preliminary hearing, while Chapman had her case continued until June 5th. Investigators say Schuler rented the room to join Chapman and Walker. Each is charged with felony conspiracy. Walker and Chapman are also charged with felony attempt to operate a clandestine drug lab.

Woman Charged With Robbing Bank

{Hamlin, West Virginia}...Sheriff's deputies, FBI agents and West Virginia State Police troopers arrested 26 year old Morgan Maria Mullins of West Hamlin about 11:00 P.M. Wednesday night and charged her with Tuesday's robbery at the City National Bank in West Hamlin. Investigators say she entered the bank armed with a gun, demanded money, then fled with more than $3,000. After she was arrested, Mullins confessed to robbing the Genesis Health Nursing Home in Teays Valley earlier this month, while wearing a clown outfit. Mullins, who was an employee of the nursing home, used a Hispanic accent to disguise her voice during the robbery in which prescription drugs were taken. Mullins is charged with armed robbery.

Former Mingo County Doctor Pleads Guilty

Sixty year old Diane Shafer, a former West Virginia doctor, faces up to four years in prison when sentenced on  August 24th after pleading guilty Thursday to conspiracy to misuse a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration number. Shafer remains free on bond. Prosecutors say, between 2003 and early 2010, Shafer wrote more than 118,000 prescriptions for controlled substances, more than what some hospitals in West Virginia issued during that time. Shafer admitted that she left signed prescription slips at her office in Williamson in Mingo County throughout 2009. Her staff would hand them out for such drugs as Hydrocodone and Xanax in exchange for cash.

Police Searching For Missing Man

{Charleston, West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police are searching for 55 year old Robert Kenneth Snow who was caught on security cameras driving through the Go-Mart parking lot on Bigley Avenue near Westmoreland Road around 5:30 P.M. Wednesday evening. Police found his abandoned SUV, with his cell phone inside, behind Pronto Warehouse on Westmoreland Road, not far from his home. Police say Snow was on his way to a work appointment at the 7-Eleven in Kanawha City, but he never made it.

Shooting At Charleston Bar

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Charleston Police responded to a shooting at Artie's Kickback Lounge on Central Avenue around 2:30 A.M. Thursday morning after a male victim was shot three times. Housein Bakir Keaton, 29, of Charleston was transported to Charleston Area Medical Center. Keaton refused to cooperate with police investigating the incident.

Protest Against Mountaintop Removal Mining

{Chelyan, West Virginia}...Five protesters chained themselves to a coal barge docked at Chelyan in eastern Kanawha County Thursday morning. The members of Mountain Justice and RAMPS were protesting mountaintop removal mining. The group of protesters had a large banner than read "Coal leaves, cancer stays." Another group of activists with the same organizations blocked a coal haul road near Kayford Mountain on Cabin Creek Thursday morning. The protesters say they stopped trucks leaving the Republic Energy mine.

Man Arrested In Lincoln County Shooting

{Harts, West Virginia}...Brian Lee Maynard, 26, of Harts, has been arrested in connection with a shooting in Lincoln County. Maynard admitted to shooting Fulton Toney in the stomach, leg, and arm Wednesday night after Toney went to Maynard's home in the Upper Mud River area to tell him to turn his car radio down. Police say Maynard grabbed a shotgun out of his vehicle and shot Toney in the feet. Toney then pulled out a gun and began firing a round at Maynard. Maynard is charged with malicious wounding and brandishing.

Bikers Stop In West Virginia

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Hundreds of motorcycles roared onto the grounds of the state Capitol in Charleston Thursday morning after stopping in Hurricane Wednesday night on their way Washington, D.C., where they will participate in a special Memorial Day ceremony Monday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. It's all part of the "Run for the Wall," an annual motorcycle ride across the U.S. to honor those killed in action and support military personnel across the world. The ride started in California.

Massey Energy Headed For Trial

A slurry pollution case against Massey Energy and four subsidiaries is headed for trial on June 12th. Hundreds of residents of Seth and Prenter, in Boone County, say mining activities, including the underground injection of coal slurry, are to blame for discolored, foul-smelling well water and health problems. Circuit Judge William Thompson has consolidated 155 medical monitoring lawsuits involving about 350 people.

MSHA Role Questioned

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond could decide by the end of summer to certify a question to the West Virginia Supreme Court in connection with a lawsuit filed by Delorice Bragg and Freda Hatfield, the widows of the 2006 Aracoma mine fire that killed Don Bragg and Elvis Hatfield. The Aracoma Coal operation was located in Logan County and owned at the time by Massey Energy. During an appeal hearing last week, judges’ questions focused on whether MSHA's actions at Aracoma violated West Virginia state law. Bruce Stanley, the lawyer for Bragg and Hatfield, argued MSHA's inspectors didn't do their jobs at Aracoma and must be held accountable in part for the deadly fire. Stanley told the appeal panel that, when a government inspector goes into a mine and sees first hand life-threatening conditions and then affirmatively chooses not to do anything about it, he breached a duty. Ben Kingsley, arguing the case for the federal government, said it's not MSHA's duty to protect coal miners, and it is not reasonable to rely on the government to assume the duty to protect you. Kingsley citied the MINER Act and said the primary duty for safety is always on the mine operators and the miners. The lawsuit against MSHA was dismissed by U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver in July 2010.

Murder Trial Postponed

{Charleston, West Virginia}...A second trial for 55 year old Rhonda Stewart, an Elkview woman accused of shooting and killing her estranged husband, Sammy Stewart, in his hospital bed has been postponed until October 9th. A jury found Stewart guilty of first-degree murder in 2009, and she was sentenced to life in prison with mercy, making her eligible for parole in 15 years. John Mitchell, her attorney at the time, appealed the verdict to the state Supreme Court, and justices ruled 3-2 that Stewart did not receive a fair trial because she was prevented from presenting a battered-wife defense. Prosecutor Mark Plants had successfully argued the defense shouldn't be used since the abuse had stopped long before, and the couple hadn't lived together for three years. Tuesday, a joint motion by prosecutors and her defense attorneys delayed the trial, which had been set for June 4th, so they could properly prepare the case and bring medical witnesses from out of state.

Man Sentenced For Contraband Cigarettes

{Elkins, West Virginia}...Mohammad D. Mohammad of Brooklyn, New York was sentenced in Elkins Tuesday to one year and nine months in prison for contraband cigarette charges in West Virginia. Mohammad must also pay a $5,000 fine. Mohammad pleaded guilty last November to one count of transporting and possessing more than 10,000 cigarettes without paying state taxes. Officers found the cigarettes when they stopped him in Lewis County on March 29, 2011.

Man Fires Shotgun During Traffic Stop

{Dunbar, West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police First Class K. L. Adkins, of the South Charleston detachment conducted a routine traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 20 year old Breanna Hall Tuesday on WV 25 in Dunbar for an expired inspection sticker and improper vehicle registration. While the officer was filling out citations, a passenger, 22 year old Malcolm Jamar Hodges, fired a pistol-gripped 12 gauge shotgun into the floorboard of the car. Hall's two children, ages one and two, were also in the car. Hodges was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment. Hall was charged with various traffic violations.

Woman Sentenced On Welfare Fraud

{Elkins, West Virginia}...Lena Lunsford, 29, of Bendale, the mother of missing Lewis County 3 year old Aliayah Lunsford, was sentenced Tuesday afternoon to eight months in prison after pleading guilty in January to a single count of federal welfare fraud. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey ruled Lunsford must begin serving her sentence June 28th. She'll also serve one year of probation and must repay the U.S. Department of Agriculture $522.82. Lunsford had been charged with six counts of federal welfare fraud for selling her Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP card. As part of the plea agreement five of those counts were dismissed. Prosecutors say she sold $114 dollars worth of welfare benefits. Aliayah Lunsford  has been missing since September 2011.

Lincoln County Bank Robbed

{Hamlin, West Virginia}...The City National Bank in West Hamlin in Lincoln County was robbed at gunpoint about 1:10 P.M. Tuesday afternoon. Police say a male suspect about 5'6” with a very slim build, wearing blue jeans, a light grey hoodie and a mask walked into the bank with a gun and demanded money. State Police say he left the bank in a silver Nissan with a woman driving the car.

Accused Sniper Appears In Court

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Shawn Lester, the man charged in the 2003 sniper style shooting deaths of Gary Carrier, Jr. Jeanie Patton and Okey Meadows Jr., was in Kanawha County Circuit Court Tuesday for a status conference hearing to make sure both the prosecutor and Lester's defense attorney, George Castelle, will be ready for the trial set for July 30th. This week, the state added several additional witnesses to testify during the trial. Castelle told the judge he will have plenty of time to go through the new evidence for the trial to begin in July. The judge also discussed the jury questionnaire to make sure both sides agreed on the jury selection process. Pre-trial motions will get underway in the case on June 27th.

Guilty Pleas In AEP Scheme

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Jonathan Shaffer, 33, and Tiffany Shaffer, 24, both of Charleston, Bryan P. Javins, 34, and Jeanette Boggs, 58, both of Nitro, each pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony mail fraud in connection with a scheme to illegally obtain money through fraudulent claims that were submitted to American Electric Power Service Corporation, Inc., resulting in a total of nearly $600,000. The defendants admitted they colluded with 47 year old Deborah Farmer of Winfield, a former AEP property damage claims adjuster, to unlawfully obtain money from AEP by submitting fraudulent claims for power surge damage. Farmer pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, admitting she arranged the scheme and conspired with others. Two other co-defendants, Julia Washington and Freda Bradshaw, have also pleaded guilty to their role in the scheme and await sentencing. Each defendant faces a possible 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced August 16th. All defendants agreed to pay restitution.

Two Sentenced In Home Invasion

Twenty-seven year old Tiffany Lucas of Huntington and her cousin, 28 year old Melissa Lucas of Salt Rock, were sentenced Tuesday in connection to the September burglary at the home of 72 year old Harold Parsons near Salt Rock. Tiffany Lucas, Parsons' cleaning lady, entered a Kennedy Plea to burglary and conspiracy in March, while Melissa Lucas pleaded guilty in February. During their sentencing hearing, Judge Alfred Ferguson told Tiffany Lucas that evidence showed she was the one who planned the burglary then sentenced her to 1 to 15 years and 1 to 5 years in jail to run consecutively. He then sentenced Melissa to 1 to 15 years and 1 to 5 years on home confinement to run consecutively.

Attorney General Sues Charleston Funeral Director

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Attorney General Darrell McGraw filed an embezzlement lawsuit Monday against Elk Funeral Home in Charleston and its owner Billy Surratt, claiming Surratt misappropriated funds belonging to at least sixteen people who paid in advance for funeral arrangements. The Attorney General's Office says at least $61,990 is missing. State law requires funeral providers to deposit all payments for preneed funeral contracts in special accounts for safekeeping until the time of need and that it be reported to the Attorney General's Office. An investigation was launched in February 2012 after someone called the Consumer Protection Hotline with concerns over her mother's preneed contract, and investigators found the transaction was never reported to the Attorney General's Office nor deposited in a special trust account. The lawsuit seeks to ban Suratt and Elk Funeral Home from accepting prepayments for funerals. It also wants to seize more than $189,900 in preneed contract funds currently under Surratt's control and asks for restitution for customers who were harmed by this conduct, as well as civil penalties, punitive damages and interest on all judgments.

Former WVU Football Coach Dies

{Roanoke, West Virginia}...Former West Virginia University football coach Bill Stewart has died from an apparent heart attack after collapsing while playing in a golf charity event at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke with former WVU AD Eddie Pastilong, as part of the West Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association’s annual golf outing. Stewart was rushed to Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston where he was pronounced dead after life-saving procedures were used. Stewart, who would have turned 60 next month, was hired as an assistant coach for the Mountaineers in 2000, was named interim head coach in 2007 after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan, and then elevated to head coach in January 2008 after a stunning victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Stewart resigned as head coach in June 2011 after he and WVU athletic director Oliver Luck disagreed over the hiring of Dana Holgorsen as the head-coach-in-waiting.

Former UBB Security Chief Files Appeal

{Morgantown, West Virginia}...Hughie Elbert Stover filed an appeal with the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, asking his October conviction be overturned and that he be granted a new trial. Stover, a former Upper Big Branch Mine security chief, was convicted of lying to investigators and ordering a subordinate to destroy documents after the 2010 explosion that killed 29 men. Stover was sentenced to three years in prison, one of the stiffest punishments ever handed down in a mine safety case.

Alpha Subsidiary Cited

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Alpha Natural Resources' subsidiary Kingston Resources has been cited with 45 safety violations in the March mine wall collapse that killed 34 year old section foreman Jeremy Sigler of Pool at the Kingston No. 2 Mine near Mossy in Fayette County. State investigators have concluded Kingston did not ensure proper support of underground mine roof and walls in part of the mine. One citation included a fine of $10,000 for not controlling the mine wall, or rib, in the area where Sigler was killed.

Man Indicted In Death Of Child

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Twenty-nine year old Ethan Chic-Colbert of Charleston was indicted Monday on charges of kidnapping, domestic battery, first degree murder, child neglect resulting in death and three counts of child neglect creating risk of serious bodily injury and death. Police say, in March, Chic-Colbert was a passenger in Lynitrah Woodson's car, along with four children, when he started hitting her. After Woodson stopped the car along Interstate 77 near the Leon Sullivan exit, Chic-Colbert dragged his girlfriend out of the car and continued to beat her. Woodson's son, 11 year old Jahlil Clements, got out of the car and tried to flag down help, but he was struck by a passing car. Jahlil died one day after he was hit. Chic-Colbert is being held on a $100,000 cash bond and will be arraigned May 29th.

Trial Set In Murder Of Wayne County Coach

{Wayne, West Virginia}...A pretrial hearing was held Monday in Wayne County Circuit Court in the case of 53 year old Clinton Skeens of Huntington who allegedly killed former Wayne High School football coach Jess "Scott" Jarrell on December 31, 2010. Jarrell was stabbed 43 times. Skeens' trial is scheduled for June 4th. Jury selection will begin this week.

Comedian Andy Dick Gets Pre-Trial Diversion

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Comedian Andy Dick was in a Cabell Court courtroom Monday afternoon for a status hearing after being accused of grabbing a bouncer's crotch and groping and kissing a male patron at a Huntington bar in January 2010, while he was in town to perform at the Funny Bone Comedy Club. During the hearing, Judge Paul Farrell ruled, at the request of the both the prosecutor and defense attorney, that Dick be given six months pre-trial diversion. At the end of the six-months, if Dick follows the rules of the diversion order, the charges against him would likely be dropped.

Murder-Suicide In Mercer County

{Princeton, West Virginia}...An investigation is underway in Mercer County after a murder-suicide took place Saturday afternoon. Mercer County Sheriff's Deputies say 21 year old John Paul Moore shot and killed his father 51 year old Clarence Moore II and then turned the gun on himself. The incident took place at a townhouse just outside of Princeton. Both were killed with a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. Investigators say there was no history of problems between the two, but John Moore did leave behind a note. The bodies were sent to the state Medical Examiner's office in Charleston.

Teen Killed In Accident

{Winfield,  West Virginia}...Friends say 19 year old Karissa Ramsey died Sunday morning after she wrecked her car while driving along Route 34 near Winfield in Putnam County around 2:30 A.M. Karissa was a student at Marshall University and worked at Sonic in St. Albans for the past three years.

Robberies In Huntington

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Police say two robberies happened early Sunday morning in Huntington. The first one occurred around 5:30 A.M. at the 7-11 on 5th Avenue. An employee at the BP Station on 16th Street told police a male suspect entered the convenience store just after 8:00 A.M. and handed the clerk a note saying he had a gun, and he then demanded money. Police say 32 year old Charles Wentz fled from them twice when they tried to question him about the robberies. Police found Wentz hiding in a CSX rail car. He has been arrested in connection with fleeing and remains a person of interest in the robberies.

Former Lincoln County Candidate Files Lawsuit

{Hamlin, West Virginia}...Former Lincoln County commission candidate Phoebe Harless has filed a lawsuit against a half dozen current and former county officials, seeking $57,000 plus unspecific punitive damages. The lawsuit sheds new light on Lincoln County's 2010 Democratic primary, which is the subject of an ongoing federal investigation. Harless claims she was deprived of her civil rights because Wandell "Rocky" Adkins, Sheriff Jerry Bowman, County Clerk Donald Whitten and County Commissioner Thomas Ramey all visited the homes of a select group of Lincoln County voters to have them sign up for absentee ballots even though they weren't eligible. Harless was challenging incumbent Ramey and was leading by 95 votes, but when the absentee and early votes were tallied, Ramey had won. Bowman and Whitten resigned earlier this year as part of a federal plea deal. Ramey is believed to be a focus of the ongoing federal investigation.

Boone County Mine Permit Temporarily Blocked

{Huntington, West Virginia}...During a hearing in Huntington Friday, U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers issued a temporary restraining order blocking a Clean Water Act permit for Loadout LLC's Nellis Surface Mine in Boone County. The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and other citizen groups argue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated a previous court order by not re-evaluating the entire Loadout permit and not responding to public comments on the mine's mitigation plan. Chambers ruled that mining activity that impacted streams needed to be halted until the court could hold a more detailed hearing on the matter. Loadout is a unit of Penn Virginia Resources.

Meth Lab Found At Cross Lanes Comfort Inn

{Cross Lanes, West Virginia}...The Comfort Inn in Cross Lanes could be closed for up to a week after a meth lab was discovered there Friday morning. Kanawha County Sheriff's Deputies went to the hotel after someone in the room was showing suicidial tendencies and found the meth lab. Thirty-two year old Jesse Joe Moore of Sissonville and Amanda Fletcher of Charleston were taken into custody. State law requires each room in a hotel or motel where a math lab has been discovered to be inspected and cleaned. Authorities closed the Comfort Inn Friday morning.

Putnam County Has New Circuit Judge

{Winfield, West Virginia}...J. Robert Leslie, of Hurricane, has become the new Circuit Judge for the 29th Judicial Circuit serving Putnam County. Leslie is a Marshall University and Ohio Northern University College of Law graduate with a law office in Teays Valley. He has been a lawyer at the Tyree, Embree & Leslie law firm for 11 years and has 18 years of experience in the courtroom. Leslie fills the vacancy left behind by the retirement of The Honorable O.C. Spaulding. Leslie won the May 8th Democratic pirmary for the seat. Leslie attracted 44% of the vote in a three-candidate race. He faces Republican Joe Reeder in November.

Dollar General Store Robbed In Huntington

Huntington, West Virginia}...Huntington Police are investigating a robbery which happened at the Dollar General on Fifth Avenue about 5:00 P.M. Friday afternoon. Police say a man walked into the store, threatened the clerk, demanded money and left with an undetermined amount of money.

Bid To Open W.Va. Police Records Denied

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Thursday, a Kanawha County judge has denied the Charleston Gazette's bid to compel the West Virginia State Police to release documents that detail internal investigations into accusations of trooper misconduct. Two years ago, the newspaper filed the lawsuit against the state police to obtain documents and complaint logs that would detail the agency’s investigations into allegations of brutality and sexual misconduct. In rejecting the request, Kanawha Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey said releasing the documents could lead to the identification of people making the accusations, violating their privacy.
  

Cable Stolen From Columbia Gas Transmission Station

{Sissonville, West Virginia}...Kanawha County Sheriff's Deputies were called to the Columbia Gas Transmission station on Kelly's Creek Road in Sissonville just before 10:00 A.M. Thursday morning. Deputies say a couple of spools of fiber optic cable were stolen from the station. If you have any information about the theft, you are asked to call the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department.

Huntington Store Robbed

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Police are investigating after the Payless Shoes store along Route 60 East in Huntington was robbed about 6:45 P,M. Thursday night. Once inside, officers say the male suspect threatened to shoot employees if they didn't give him the money. He then took off into a wooded area behind the store.

Postal Service To Close Mail Processing Plants

{Washington, D.C.}...The U.S. Postal Service says it can no longer wait for Congress to decide how to cut postal costs, so it is moving ahead with plans to close dozens of mail processing centers. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says postal operations are simply too big given declining mail volume. The agency will consolidate 140 mail processing centers within the next year, including 48 this August. Most will occur next January and February, and another 89 will close in 2014. Consolidations include the Bluefield, Wheeling, Petersburg and Parkersburg processing facilities. The Charleston processing facility will take over the work for Bluefield and Parkersburg while Petersburg's processing work will move to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and Wheeling's center to Pittsburgh. Other processing centers, including the one in Clarksburg, appear targeted for closing by February 2014. The Postal Service had previously planned to close 252 mail processing centers beginning this summer but was awaiting congressional action.

Body Identified As Charleston Man

{Charleston, West Virginia}...The state Medical Examiner's office is conducting an autopsy on the body of 31 year old Tarone Taylor of Charleston, a man discovered Wednesday evening in the Kanawha River. South Charleston Police responded to the scene after a man cleaning his boat in Dunbar discovered the body floating off the end of his dock and notified Dunbar police. South Charleston police were called to investigate, because they have jurisdiction over the river. Taylor had been missing since May 8th. South Charleston Assistant Police Chief Robert Houck says Taylor may have jumped from the Dunbar Toll Bridge, but rains have kept the river running at a high flow in recent weeks and the body could have come from anywhere upstream several weeks ago. South Charleston Police say foul play is not suspected.

Fatal Mining Accident

{Uneeda, West Virginia}...A man died in a three-story fall at Alpha Natural Resources' Independence Coal Co. in Madison Thursday. The state Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training says veteran mechanic 57 year old Clyde Dolin of Danville died at Liberty Processing near Uneeda in Boone County. Dolin was pronounced dead at Boone Memorial Hospital. Spokeswoman Leslie Fitzwater says Dolin had 39 years mining experience, including 13 at the Uneeda prep plant. This is the eighth coal miner death in the U.S. this year, the second in West Virginia and the second at an Alpha mine.

Couple Charged With Burglary And Child Neglect

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Dustin Ray Ogden and Amanda Grace Morris-Ogden of Huntington are each charged with two counts of burglary and three counts of child neglect. The husband and wife are accused of breaking into a residence Tuesday in an attempt to steal copper pipes while their three young children, ages 5, 2, and 9 months, were left at home nine blocks away unattended.

Milton Man Charged With Wanton Endangerment

{Milton, West Virginia}...Milton Police have charged 41 year old Brett McComas with wanton endangerment and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. Police say, Wednesday, slug from a shotgun McComas fired in his bedroom, ended up in a neighboring house. McComas told police he accidentally fired the gun, but police say the gun had to be manually reloaded to fire more than one shot. No one was hurt in the residence across the street where one of the rounds fired from the pump style shot gun ended up.

WV Military Family To Be Honored

{Hartland,  West Virginia}...A West Virginia family that served and sacrificed for their country will be honored Saturday with a 2:00 P.M. dedication ceremony in which a span along WV Route 16 that crosses the Elk River at Hartland in Clay County will be named the Jones Brothers Memorial Bridge. The 80 year old bridge is slated for replacement, and the new structure will also be called the Jones Brothers Memorial Bridge. Four of the brothers died while in the military. Three were killed in combat during World War II. Ozro Jones, 28, died fighting on New Guinea in the Pacific in 1943. Burman Jones, 24, also an Army private, was killed during the Battle of the Bulge on the European front in January 1945. Army Signalman Johnnie Jones, 27, died five months later on Okinawa, just weeks before Japan surrendered. Eugene Jones, 25, killed in a 1950 crash during paratrooper training at Fort Benning, Georgia. A surviving brother, William Lawson Jones, who served during World War II and made a career of the U.S. Air Force, died in 1994.

WV, KY, Ohio Involved In Skechers USA, Inc. Settlement

Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are three of four dozen states involved in a $45 million settlement with Skechers USA, Inc., a shoe company accused of deceptive advertising involving their rocker-bottom shoe products. $40 million will be used to refund customers who bought the Shape-ups, Tone-ups and the Skechers Resistance Runners. Officials in Ohio and Tennessee co-led an investigation into the health-related claims that Skechers made in their ads, saying Skechers shoes would promote weight loss, burn more calories, fight cellulite, improve circulation and firm muscles in the thigh, buttocks and back. The attorney generals of all the states involved filed lawsuits alleging the benefits were not adequately substantiated at the time Skechers made the claims. Under the settlement, Skechers is prohibited from making these claims without adequate substantiation.

EPA Administrator Signs New Air Standards

{Washington, D.C.}...Testifying before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Wednesday, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson told members she has signed a policy setting new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for coal and oil-fired power plants. The rules will require power companies to install equipment to control emissions to cut back on mercury, arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide. Jackson says the standards were first discussed in connection with the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act but only about 50 percent of companies that operate coal-fired power plants have made changes. The new standards will force everyone to do so. Jackson was criticized during Wednesday's meeting about what many have called the over-reaching nature of the Obama administration's EPA.

Boone County Man Arraigned

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Wednesday, 36 year old Timothy Parsons from Comfort, in Boone County, was arraigned in Kanawha County Magistrate Court on two counts of first degree murder and one count of second degree sexual assault. Parsons allegedly killed his wife, 35 year old Leigh Anne Kinder-Parsons of Bloomingrose and her mother, Gloria Sue Kinder, 62, of Lexington, Kentucky, and raped his 15 year old stepdaughter. According to the criminal complaint, the daughter of Kinder-Parsons says she was taking a shower at her family's home in Bloomingrose late Monday night when Gloria Kinder found the body of her daughter, Leigh Anne, whose throat had been cut. Kinder confronted Timothy Parsons and he allegedly tied her up and cut her throat to kill her. The girl says Parsons then showed her the bodies of her mother and grandmother, tied her up and threatened to kill her if she did not have sex with him. She escaped and contacted others for help after Parsons left their home at 9:00 A.M. Tuesday morning. Parsons remains in the South Central Regional Jail without bond. He was arrested near DuPont Middle School in Rand early Wednesday morning.

Charleston Man Sentenced

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Michael Tincher, 45, of Charleston, was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution for mail fraud. Tincher admitted that, from 2002 through October 2010, he defrauded Sodaro's Electronic Sales, Inc. in Charleston, where he was an employee. He admitted that he placed numerous orders for merchandise on behalf of Sodaro's, then listed the items for sale on eBay and sold about 1,295 items, netting at least $197,312.

Cabell County Man Charged With Murder

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Edward "Jessie" Dreyfuse, 45, had his preliminary hearing in Cabell County Magistrate Court Wednesday morning. Dreyfuse is charged with first-degree murder and burglary in the death of 66 year old Otis Clay, a man beaten with a baseball bat at his home on Washington Avenue in Huntington on April 9th. Clay was taken to intensive care after the attack. He remained on life support for several days, but later died of blunt trauma to the head suffering bleeding to the brain. The case is now headed to the grand jury.

Man Charged With Domestic Battery And Brandishing

{Cross Lanes, West Virginia}...Glen Curtis Hughes, 28, of Sissonville, was arrested Tuesday evening on charges of domestic battery and brandishing a weapon after police say he went to his wife's home in Cross Lanes and threatened his wife and bystanders with a knife and dragged his young step-son down the street by his arm. A neighbor attempted to intervene, but Hughes retrieved a gun from some bushes and threatened to shoot people in the area. Hughes left before deputies arrived, but he was arrested when he returned to the same location and started causing another disturbance.

Double Homicide In Boone County

{Bloomingrose, West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police from the Madison detachment and Boone County Sheriff's Deputies are investigating a double homicide after Leigh Ann Kinder-Parsons of Bloomingrose and her mother, Sue Kinder of Lexington, Kentucky were found stabbed to death in Kinder-Parsons' home Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff Rodney Miller says both women's throats were slashed. Kinder-Parsons' teenage daughter escaped and contacted a neighbor for help. Deputies are looking for Kinder-Parsons' husband, 36 year old Timothy Parsons in connection with the murders. Sherman Elementary School was placed on "code red"  lockdown for about two hours. Kinder-Parsons' 5 year old daughter attends the school. As a precaution, Sherman High School and Sherman Junior High School were placed on modified lockdown, where students could be checked out by a parent or guardian.

Charleston Mayor Diagnosed With Cancer

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Charleston Mayor Danny Jones has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Doctors say they caught the cancer early and his prognosis looks good. Jones says he has not decided on a course of treatment. He will either have surgery or radiation therapy. Jones says he is optimistic about his recovery.

Huntington Woman Denied Bond

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Cierra Jordan of Huntington was in Cabell County Court  Monday afternoon for a bond revocation hearing after being indicted on charges of felony child neglect causing the death of her 10 month old son in January 2011. The judge denied Jordan's bond after the court said she failed a drug test. Her next court appearance is in September.

Man Pleads Guilty To Heroin Charge

• {Huntington, West Virginia}...Terrence Antione McArthur, 27, of Inkster, Michigan, pleaded guilty Monday to possession with intent to distribute heroin, admitting that, in December 2010, he had 349 bundles of heroin in his home in Huntington and that he obtained it from Detroit. McArthur faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when sentenced August 27th.

Death Being Investigated As Homicide

{Matheny, West Virginia}...Police are investigating the death of 49 year old Chester Stewart of Matheny as a homicide after his body was found last Friday at a vacant house between Matheny and Oceana in Wyoming County. Stewart was last seen alive August 6, 2011 in Matheny. Wyoming County Sheriff Randall Aliff says identification found with the body was Stewart's. Stewart was one of four people in the Matheny and Oceana areas who went missing last summer.

Juveniles Petition Supreme Court

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Division of Juvenile Services Director Dale Humphreys told legislators Monday that he's not found any major violations at the Industrial Home for Youth in Salem after two juveniles petitioned the Supreme Court last month alleging illegal policies at the detention center. State law forbids solitary confinement for juveniles as punishment, but allows it when they become safety threats. Humphreys says Salem had been confining out-of-control juveniles for five or 10 days, but such confinement now ends once they resume behaving. Humphreys also says Salem issues uniforms, though the law calls for personal or individualized clothing. Humphreys  has directed a "time specific" lockdown option be removed, but he doesn't plan on ending the lockdowns. Humphreys was also questioned about recreation time at Salem, strip searches, uniforms, restroom options and not allowing the juveniles to talk with each other at meal time. Humphreys says he believes most policies are proper. The Division of Juvenile Services will have its official answer to the petition at the Supreme Court by next Monday, May 21st.

Head On Wreck In Mingo County

{Delbarton, West Virginia}...Three people were injured in a head on wreck involving a pickup truck and a loaded coal truck in the area of Mingo Central High School on the King Coal Highway just before 1:30 P.M. Monday afternoon. Witnesses say the pickup truck crossed the centerline and hit the coal truck head-on. Lt. Kenneth Smith with the Delbarton Fire Department says he believes a male driving the pickup and a female passenger were both students at Mingo Central. They were both taken to Logan Area Medical Center. The coal truck driver was taken to a hospital in Williamson. Smith does not believe they suffered life threatening injuries.

Prison Inmate Indicted

{Mount Olive, West Virginia}...Christopher Cox of Spencer, an inmate at the Mount Olive State Prison in Fayette County, has been indicted on a murder charge. Spencer got into a fight with fellow inmate 30 year old Joseph Braddock of Morgantown in September 2011. Cox is accused of throwing Braddock to the ground and kicking him in the head several times, causing severe trauma. Braddock was flown by helicopter to CAMC General Hospital, where his family took him off life-support and he died from the injuries he suffered. Cox will be arraigned May 21st.

Charleston Man Sentenced

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Monday, 20 year old Brandon Levert Gray of Charleston was sentenced to life in prison with mercy for the first-degree murder of 29 year old Timothy Thompson which occurred last summer in a West Side neighborhood not far from the Patrick Street Bridge. Police say Gray lured Thompson there for a supposed drug deal and then shot him over a drug debt. Gray testified at his trial that he was on his way to meet Thompson at First and Stockton Streets when he heard shots ring out. He denied being the shooter. Defense attorneys questioned the role of local attorney William Foster who they said spent the day with Thompson prior to his murder and who dropped him off at the scene minutes before he was shot. Foster died of an apparent drug overdose just after Gray's first trial ended abruptly when a juror became ill. Gray will get credit for nearly a year spent in jail and will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

Kanawha County Jury Convicts Man

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...After deliberating for about four hours Monday, a Kanawha County jury found Kenneth Eugene Carter guilty of first-degree murder in the beating death of 51 year old Ronald Forton and guilty of malicious wounding in connection to the beating of 52 year old Brady Dunlap. Prosecutors say that, on July 20th, Carter, Dunlap and Forton, had been drinking heavily and arguing in the home the men shared at Buehring Avenue. Carter allegedly accused the other two men, who were lovers, of having an affair with his wife. Prosecutors say, after the argument died down, Carter picked up a baseball bat and attacked Dunlap in the living room of the home, breaking his collarbone, shattering the bones behind his kneecap and fracturing his skull, then he entered the bedroom where Forton lay and beat him to death.

Environmental Groups Support EPA Appeal

The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Coal River Mountain Watch and Sierra Club have filed as friends of the court in support of the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement Friday that the agency would appeal a decision on a massive surface mine permit. In March, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C. ruled in favor of St. Louis-based Arch Coal subsidiary Mingo Logan Coal Co. regarding a vetoed surface permit, saying EPA's interpretation of law that it had authority to revoke the permit was false, and the EPA had overstepped its bounds. The permit had been issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers but the EPA revoked the permit in January 2011, saying the environmental impact would be too damaging to the region. The organizations are being represented by Earthjustice and Appalachian Mountain Advocates.

Three Chosen To Research Mine Safety

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Mining engineering professors Michael Karmis of Virginia Tech, Keith Heasley of West Virginia University and Dr. David Wegman, a professor emeritus of work environment at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, have been selected to research ways to make U.S. coal mines safer. Their appointments announced Monday by Alpha Natural Resources are part of the company's settlement with the federal government following the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion. Under the $210 million settlement, Virginia-based Alpha will invest $48 million in the foundation that will spearhead mine safety and health research and development.

Alpha To Idle Two Mines

Alpha Natural Resources announced late Friday it plans to idle two surface mines in southern West Virginia, laying off 130 miners at its Bee Tree Mine in Raleigh County and the Twilight Mine in Boone County. The layoffs will begin July 10th. Alpha officials say the market is soft for both metallurgical coal produced at Bee Tree and thermal coal mined at Twilight, and the very low price for natural gas is also having an impact. Alpha says it does have openings at several of its other operations and the laid-off miners are encouraged to apply at those mines.

UBB Widow Files Lawsuit

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...According to a financial disclosure Alpha Natural Resources filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday, a lawsuit filed last month by Edith May Willingham alleges that Massey officials, including then-CEO Don Blankenship, "fraudulently induced" her to settle claims regarding the death of her husband, Benny, who was one of 29 miners killed in the April 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine. The lawsuit states that Massey and Alpha Natural Resources, along with Blankenship, Alpha CEO Kevin Crutchfield and nine other Massey officers and board members possess information regarding the tragic event that they intentionally withheld from her, while those individuals who were representatives of the company were much better schooled and educated and in a better position to entice her into an early settlement. Alpha says it had reached settlements with all 29 families of miners who died, but two families recently withdrew their prior agreements to settle and negotiations are ongoing in those cases. The filing says the Boone County Circuit Court has ordered that remaining personal injury and emotional distress claims be mediated through July 6th. Alpha entered a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice December 6, 2011, costing Alpha more than $200 million in outstanding fines, restitution, and improved miner safety equipment.

Prosecution Rests In Charleston Murder Trial

{Charleston, West Virginia}...The state rested its case Friday in the murder trial of Garland Murray, a Charleston man facing charges of first-degree murder in the April 2010 shooting death of Gregory Poole. Police say Poole, who was found dead in the front yard of a home on Second Avenue in Charleston, died of a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Prosecutors contend Murray and his brother kidnapped Poole in an attempt to steal drugs or money. Detectives with the Charleston Police Department took the stand Friday morning. Detective Jeremy Tate testified that he met Poole’s wife, Ebony, at the police station the morning Poole’s body was found. She was there filling out a missing person’s report for him. Another detective testified that he found blood in the area of Poole’s body, but it turned out it was Poole's. Murray’s attorneys called for charges against their client to be dropped, saying the state had not provided any evidence that Murray had anything to do with the crime, except for Ebony Poole’s testimony, and her testimony is unreliable because she was involved in dealing drugs to Murray and his brother, Deshawn Taylor. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Charles King acquitted Murray on a charge of breaking without entering. The jury will begin deliberations Monday morning.

Red Roof Inn Robbed

{Kanawha City, West Virginia}...Just before 2:30 A.M. Saturday, Charleston Police were called to the Red Roof Inn on MacCorkle Avenue in Kanawha City after a man used pepper spray to rob a female clerk. Joseph McKinney, 20, is charged with first degree robbery and is being held on a $50,000 bond. Charleston Police Lt. S.A. Cooper says McKinney was wearing a white shirt around his head and he brandished a can of pepper spray at her, threatening to use it and telling her he was also armed with a firearm and a knife.

Police Arrest Michigan Woman

• {Chapmanville, West Virginia}...Chapmanville Police say more arrests are coming after 42 year old Crystal VanNorstrand was arrested for bringing pills from Michigan into the Chapmanville area. Police say VanNorstrand had 589 narcotic pills in her lap when she was pulled over for a traffic violation, and the arresting officer found four bottles containing more than 350 Vicodin pain pills, one bottle containing more than 90 Hydrocodone pills, one bottle containing more than 100 Valiums, one bottle containing 60 Xanax, one bottle containing 20 Forcets and one bottle containing 60 Hydromorphone pills, all with a street value of approximately $4,000. VanNorstrand told police she left Detroit, Mich. hours earlier and was en-route to deliver the pills in exchange for cash. She was charged with possession and intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Roane County Man Charged

{Reedy, West Virginia}...Thirty year old Michael Smith of Reedy was charged Friday with throwing his girlfriend over a Roane County bridge. Smith, already on house arrest for drug charges, was taken to jail last Sunday for violating home confinement orders. According to the criminal complaint, Smith followed 23 year old Brandi Shaw to a bridge on Middle Fork Road, where the two fought before Smith took hold of her bag and jerked her, then shoved her over the side of the bridge. Smith then allegedly told Shaw she had to say "I Love You" before being helped out of the shallow water. Shaw had injuries to her face and spine. The Roane County Sheriff's Department did not charge Smith until Friday because deputies were awaiting medical results and statements from doctors.

Bond Set For Mason County Couple

Bond has been set for a couple charged in the April kidnapping and beating of David Greene in Mason County. William and Elizabeth McDermitt have been in the Western Regional Jail without bond since police say they kidnapped Greene from his vehicle and took him to their home where William allegedly beat him. Greene was able to get away with a broken leg and some minor injuries. Bond for William was set at $250,000. Bond for Elizabeth was set at $75,000.

Major Interstate Project Set In Charleston

{Charleston, West Virginia}...The state Division of Highways has hired a California-based contractor to take up the original concrete pavement from the Interstate 64-Interstate 77 split in Charleston and put down new concrete to replace it. The $21 million project begins next week and continue through most of the rest of this year and into next spring and early summer. Because of the multiple lanes and the decision to do the work at night, the project will go from May 15th to November this year and then April to June in 2013. The first stretch to be worked on will be eastbound I-64 near the on-ramp closest to CAMC's Women and Children's Hospital. Approximately 110-thousand vehicles travel the split through the heart of Charleston on a daily basis.

Children's Hospital Groundbreaking Ceremony

{Huntington, West Virginia}...After more than five years, a groundbreaking ceremony took place Friday afternoon for the new Children's Hospital at Cabell Huntington Hospital. Organizers have raised more than $11 million dollars and are now ready to move forward with construction plans. The Hoops Family Foundation, Jeffery and Patricia, their children and grandchildren have pledged the lead gift of $3 million dollars for the project. Friday, Cabell Huntington Hospital officials announced they are naming the Children's Hospital The Hoops Family Children's Hospital. Work on the entrance to the Children's Hospital should start early next month.

Milton Man Charged With Embezzlement

{Milton, West Virginia}...Arcoma Elleen Bias, 41, of Milton, a former employee at the One Stop on Johns Creek Road in Milton, is facing felony embezzlement charges after police say he stole close to $4,000 dollars. Police say Bias had been using worthless credit cards to make a sale, then would charge a dollar amount to that card, and take the cash from the register. Records show that about $3,655 dollars was taken between October and November 2011.

Ripley Police Officer Resigns

{Ripley, West Virginia}...Ripley Police Officer George Michael Puskas resigned Friday after being investigated for possessing child pornography after a then 14 year old girl Puskas coached in soccer told investigators her family had to move to Virginia after Puskas began harassing her. That's when the girl said she tried to break off a relationship. Puskas, who has been on the department for three years, has not yet been charged with any crime. Puskas was put on unpaid leave last month, but Chief Raymond Fridley said the unpaid leave had nothing to do with the investigation, but the leave was for violation of department policy and procedure. Fridley says he doesn't have the power to terminate an employee, but before Puskas handed in his resignation he planned on recommending to council that he be let go.

Beckley Man Pleads Guilty

• {Beckley, West Virginia}...Benjamin J. Webb, 39, of Beckley, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of burglary and aiding and abetting the burglary of a federal post office. Webb admitted that, on October 30, 2011, he and a second individual were driven to the Fairdale Post Office in Beckley, where they grabbed a sledgehammer and smashed a glass door to gain entry. Once inside, they stole nine packages and fled the scene. The packages, addressed to Webb, contained bath salts. Webb faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced August 30th.

Delagate Backs Off Resigning

{Wheeling, West Virginia}...Delagate Ryan Ferns, D-Ohio, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, announced April 26th he would resign "immediately" after pleading guilty April 23rd to DUI. Friday morning, Ferns announced he'll complete the rest of his term in the House and that he is having second thoughts about an earlier decision not to seek reelection. Ferns was pulled over on National Road by Wheeling police who say Ferns had a blood alcohol content of .229, nearly three times the legal limit. Delagate Ferns' name was on the ballot for reelection in Tuesday's primary, and he advanced to the November general election.

Tennant Explains Ballot

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...Friday, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant held a news conference to explain how Texas federal inmate Keith Judd ran for President of the United States, a federal office, in Tuesday's primary election in West Virginia. According to the U.S. Constitution, the only eligibility requirements are that candidates must be at least 35 years of age, born in the U.S. and been a resident for the last 14 years. Tennant says convicted felons, including current inmates, are not precluded from running, and, according to state code, she cannot disqualify them. While the federal eligibility requirements cannot change, some states require candidates to collect signatures in the state in which they are running. Currently, West Virginia doesn't require signatures, but State Senator Corey Palumbo says that is one change he might propose during the next legislative session.

Woman Critical Following Kidnapping

{Campbell's Creek, West Virginia}...Kanawha County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 21 year old Donald Christopher Crawford III Friday and charged him with kidnapping his girlfriend, 19 year old Angel-Leigh Proctor. Proctor remains in the Charleston Area Medical Center's General Hospital in critical condition after deputies say Crawford forced her into a vehicle at a home in the Campbell's Creek area last Sunday morning and drove off at a high rate of speed. In an effort to escape, Proctor exited the vehicle by the passenger side door and fell onto the ground causing major head trauma, abrasions and other injuries to her body.

Beating Victim In Hospital

{Charleston, West Virginia}...James Queens, 27, of Verdunville, in Logan County, is at Charleston Area Medical Center's General Hospital after being beaten at the Speedway gas station off Corridor G in Charleston early Tuesday morning. Queens had been in the store with others just after midnight. The group moved outside, and an altercation apparently ensued. Police have charged a 17 year old from Logan County with malicious wounding.

Lincoln County Man Convicted

{Hamlin, West Virginia}...James Matheny, 62, of Midkiff, in Lincoln County, will be sentenced in August after a federal jury convicted him Friday of assaulting a federal officer and using a deadly weapon during and in relation to a crime of violence for pulling a gun on FBI Special Agent Todd Berry and Jim Wise, an investigator with the West Virginia Secretary of State's office, who were looking into voter fraud in Lincoln County in the May 2010 primary election. Matheny testified that, when the investigators came to his home on February 28th, they never identified themselves and he never saw a badge, but U.S. Attorney Thomas Ryan argued there was no basis for Matheny's self-defense claim. Matheny faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment when sentenced August 22nd.

Alpha Natural Resources Subsidiaries Sued

{Huntington, West Virginia}...The Sierra Club, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and Coal River Mountain Watch filed a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Huntington against two Alpha Natural Resources subsidiaries, claiming selenium discharges from Independence Coal's Crescent No. 2 Surface Mine in Boone County and Marfork Coal's 7 billion-gallon Brushy Fork impoundment in Raleigh County exceed state water quality standards for selenium, violating federal clean water and surface mining laws. The lawsuit says federal and state regulators have not taken any action since the plaintiffs notified them of the alleged violations and the intent to sue. The groups say many local residents are concerned about their ability to evacuate if the Brushy Fork impoundment failed. The groups say such an event would eclipse the 1972 Buffalo Creek dam collapse that killed 125 people. The groups' members say they have refrained from fishing, swimming and other recreational activities because of the selenium discharges into tributaries of the Big Coal and Little Coal Rivers.

Remains Identified As Missing Charleston Woman

{Charleston, West Virginia}...The state Medical Examiner's office has confirmed the remains found buried in a yard in Chesapeake, West Virginia are those of Kathy Goble, a 62 year old Charleston woman who went missing on April 24, 2010. Charles March was arrested on April 25th at Kelley's Mens Shop in Charleston, where he and Goble had been co-workers. David March, Charles March's son, was digging in the yard the morning of April 25th when he found the skeletal remains wrapped in a bag. Charles March waived his preliminary hearing earlier this week, and his case will be heard by a Kanawha County grand jury.

Charleston Murder Trial Continues

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...Testimony in the Charleston murder trial of Garland Murray continued Thursday. Prosecutors say Murray killed Gregory Poole and left his body in the front yard of a home in North Charleston in April 2010. Kanawha County Sheriff’s Detectives testified that phone records show multiple calls between Murray and Deshawn Taylor before and after the murder. The prosecution said text messages between Poole and Taylor before the murder show a drug deal was set up to lure Poole and his wife, Ebony, to a spot so Murray and Taylor could kidnap, rob and kill them. Prosecutors say Gregory Poole met with Murray and Taylor but wouldn't tell them where the money and the drugs were. After the murder, Murray and Taylor attempted to kidnap Ebony. Margaret Cavender, a North Charleston woman who spotted the dead body of Poole testified she spotted Poole's body as she drank her morning coffee. She also described hearing the shots that killed him in the middle of the night, unsure whether or not they were firecrackers.