Protesters Demanding Investigation

Environmental activists are demanding an investigation into the alleged beating of 21 year old Dustin Steele, a mountaintop removal mining protester. Steele is a Matewan native who now lives in Blair. He and 19 other protestors were arrested Saturday after a RAMPS, Radical Action for Mountain People's Survival, demonstration at Patriot Coal's Hobet Mine. Steele claims he was dragged across asphalt outside the Madison State Police detachment, then punched and kicked by several troopers. He says he has abrasions on his back and deep bruises on his ribs and thighs, but the injuries have only strengthened his commitment. Sgt. Michael Baylous says State Police officials have received no complaint from Steele, so they're not doing an internal investigation. Several groups have asked Attorney General Darrell McGraw to investigate the incident, but in West Virginia, the attorney general has no investigative or prosecutorial powers in criminal matters. RAMPS claims another veteran protester was dragged away from the scene by her hair. 

RAMPS posted a 9-minute "Mountain Mobilization" video on YouTube Wednesday morning that shows protesters being forced to walk for miles to their caravan of vehicles while other motorists are allowed to pass. The video also shows counter-protesters in blue mining uniforms with fluorescent stripes lining the road in some places, forming a blockade and following along in vehicles. Protesters interviewed for the video accused the State Police of putting them in an unsafe situation.

Miner Killed In Raleigh County

{Eccles, West Virginia}...Gregory A. Byers, 43, of Beckley, died Tuesday afternoon after being injured at Arch Coal's Beckley Pocahontas Mine near Eccles in Raleigh County. MSHA officials say Byers was near a scoop at the battery charging station when a second scoop struck the scoop beside him, causing it to slide against Byers, pinning him. Byers was taken to a hospital in Beckley and then transferred to CAMC in Charleston, where he died from his injuries. This is the fourth mining fatality in West Virginia in 2012.

Work Release Inmate Captured

{Beckley, West Virginia}...Authorities say 27 year old George Henderson has been captured. Henderson, a work release inmate at the Beckley Correctional Center in Raleigh County, left for work Wednesday morning but did not return. He was in jail on drug charges out of Kanawha County.

Man To Plead Guilty To Manslaughter

{Bluefield, West Virginia}...Forty-four year old Joseph Flack Jr. of Bluefield is scheduled to appear Thursday in Mercer County Circuit Court, where he will plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, burglary and conspiracy in the 2011 fatal shooting of 17 year old Matthew Flack. Matthew Flack was killed during an attempted robbery at his home. Prosecutor Scott Ash says 19 year old Jacob Thomas of Pulaski, Virginia has agreed to plead guilty to the same charges. The victim's cousin, 21 year old Brandon Flack, and 27 year old Jasmen Montgomery, both of Pulaski, were convicted of first-degree murder earlier this year.

Charleston Man Sentenced

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Thirty-nine year old Timothy Aaron Buckhannon of Charleston has been sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison on illegal drug charges after pleading guilty in April to aiding and abetting the distribution of crack cocaine. Authorities say Buckhannon admitted to distributing crack cocaine in and around the Charleston area.

Charleston Man Faces Child Porn Charge

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Kanawha County Deputies have charged 54 year old Joseph Albohn with two counts of possessing material depicting minors in sexual acts. Police say a concerned family member contacted law enforcement about possible child pornography pictures on Albohn's computer and then confronted Albohn, who admitted to having the images.

Man Enters Kennedy Plea To Arson

{Huntington, West Virginia}...Quinton Kennie, 24, of Huntington, entered a Kennedy plea Wednesday to first-degree arson. Police say, on February 2nd, he set a fire at an apartment building on 9th Street West in Huntington, leaving at least 18 people homeless. Kennie faces 2 to 11 years in prison when sentenced October 11th.