Accused sheriff killer pleads not guilty

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The Delbarton man charged with shooting and killing Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and felony fleeing a police officer during Wednesday’s arraignment in Cabell County.
An October 21 trial date was set for Tennis Maynard, 37.

Maynard has been a patient at Cabell Huntington Hospital since his arrest April 3 when he was shot while trying to flee after police said he gunned down the 59-year-old Crum. The sheriff was eating lunch in a parking lot near the Mingo County Courthouse in Williamson when witnesses said Maynard approached the driver’s side window and shot the sheriff. After a brief chase, Maynard allegedly pulled a gun on a sheriff’s deputy who shot the suspect.

Maynard, dressed in hospital attire Wednesday, looked and sounded frail as he answered questions from Cabell County Circuit Judge Paul Farrell.

“He was shot seven times. He’s still hurting,” Maynard’s attorney Rich Weston told reporters after the brief hearing. “You saw the (drainage) bag still going on. He’s in a lot of pain right now.”

Maynard is now being held in the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville mainly because of his ongoing medical issues.

Mingo County Prosecutor Michael Sparks said trial is currently slated to be held in Williamson.

“That matter will be determined later, but until venue is challenged or until venue is changed, the trial will be held in Mingo County,” Sparks said.

The prosecutor added he’ll attempt to have his case ready by the October but admits other factors may create delays.

“There will be motions. There will be testing that has to be done at the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory. They are obviously backlogged,” Sparks said.

Weston also said the defense also understands the trial might not begin a scheduled.
“
We’ll do everything we can to get it ready by that time, but this is going to be a pretty big case and you have to balance getting a speedy trial done while at the same time doing the job properly to prepare a defense,” Weston said.

The defense attorney said he has spoken extensively with Maynard but has much more preparation as he attempts to defend the murder charges.

“I don’t know exactly what happened yet — it’s too early to get into that. But it’s definitely sad that somebody lost their life,” Weston said.
Crum’s widow, Rosie, was on the front row in the courtroom for Wednesday’s hearing. She was named interim sheriff in Mingo County within a week of her husband’s death.

Sparks, who was a close friend of Sheriff Crum, said it projects to be an emotional case.

“As a prosecuting attorney you see awful things. You see the darker side of human nature and you just learn to detach yourself from the emotions of the situation and to do your job objectively,” Sparks said.

Judge Farrell, who was appointed to preside over the case by the state Supreme Court, has scheduled a bond hearing for June 17 in Huntington.