Attorney Seeks Delay For Former UBB Official

• {Beckley, West Virginia}...Monday, defense attorney Tim Carrico asked for a postponement of a hearing for Gary May, a former superintendent of the Upper Big Branch mine. May is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Irene Berger in Beckley on March 22nd to enter a plea after being accused, among other things, of disabling a methane gas monitor, falsifying safety records and using code words to tip off miners underground about surprise inspections. May has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the federal government and is apparently cooperating with prosecutors in a continuing criminal investigation of the 2010 explosion. Last week, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin asked Berger to schedule a hearing for May.

Man Charged In 7-Eleven Robbery

• {South Charleston, West Virginia}...Police say 54 year old Gary Wayne Jeffrey went into the 7-Eleven on Rocklake Drive in South Charleston just after 10:00 P.M. Sunday night, pulled out a knife and demanded money. Police say Jeffrey then forced the clerk to go outside with him but ran when a customer arrived. Police found him at a home on MacCorkle Avenue in St. Albans.

Hatcher Convicted Of Involuntary Manslaughter

• {Huntington, West Virginia}...Monday, a Cabell County jury convicted Rhamel Hatcher on a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter in the May 2010 beating death of Jeremy Cook, who died a few days after he was beaten outside Peckers Bar in Huntington. Hatcher took the stand Friday in his own defense and testified that he acted in self-defense and that he did not deliver a "fatal blow" to Cook. The jury had the case for two and a half hours on Friday and reconvened for about two hours Monday morning before reaching a decision. Hatcher is set to be sentenced on April 26th. He could serve up to 1 year in jail. Dwain Foster and Clyde Cooper were also charged in Cook’s death. Foster was sentenced to one to five years in prison, while Cooper was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Tomblin Submits Request For Federal Disaster

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...Friday, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin submitted a request for a federal disaster declaration for residents of Marion, Lincoln, and Wayne counties. State Homeland Security Secretary Jimmy Gianato says there is about $5 million in highway damage alone, while more than 150 homes were damaged, about 70 of those either heavily damaged or destroyed. Several additional counties, most in northern West Virginia, are seeking assistance to repair public infrastructure outlets like water and sewer plants. Marion County was hardest hit by flooding. Wayne and Lincoln counties were ravaged by a tornado which blew through days later and caused widespread property damage.

Clay County Teen Shot To Death

{Nebo, West Virginia}...Troopers say Dillon Dawson, a freshman at Clay High School, was shot to death Saturday in by his 79 year old great uncle, Alfred Dawson. Investigators say it appears either the boy or his dog was mistaken for a coyote. Natural Resources Police have taken over the investigation that troopers say appears to be a tragic accident.

Michigan Man Arrested

{Buffalo, West Virginia}...Putnam County Deputies say 33 year old Ashlee Liebert from Whitmore Lake, Michigan came to West Virginia with plans to return to Detroit with a 12 year old Putnam County girl he met over the Internet while playing an online game called "World of Warcraft" about five months ago. A friend of the girl told a parent about her plans to leave with Liebert and police were notified. Putnam County Deputies were getting ready to issue an Amber Alert early Sunday morning when a call came in about a suspicious car along Cross Creek Road in Buffalo. Liebert, who was found in the backseat of the vehicle with the girl, is now facing charges of third degree sexual assault and sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust.

Teenager Leads Police On Chase

• {Charleston, West Virginia}...Charleston Police arrested 18 year old Larry Gaynor Saturday night. Police say Gaynor was driving drunk and going 86 miles per hour in a 50-mph speed zone on Corridor G when the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but then Gaynor took off, leading police on a chase. Gaynor eventually crashed into another car near 50th Street and MacCorkle Avenue in Kanawha City. He then took off on foot, and police had to tase him before arresting him. Police charged Gaynor with grand larceny, felony fleeing, obstructing and resisting arrest and DUI under 21.