Non-uniformed jail personnel would be up for a raise under House bill

February 2, 2024

West Virginia’s non-uniformed corrections workers would receive pay raises under a bill advanced by the House Jails and Prisons Committee. As committee discussion noted, uniformed corrections officers received pay raises as an outcome of a special legislative session in August. The bill currently moving would provide pay raises for their non-uniformed colleagues. HB 4734 is also referred to the House Finance Committee, and there has not yet been an assessment of the cost. Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency in August 2022 because of the many vacancies in West ...

Fairview man charged with making terrorist threats

February 1, 2024

A Fairview man was arrested and charged with making threats of terrorist acts to the Monongalia County Emergency Management Agency (MECCA) 911 dispatch center on Jan. 28.  Deputies with the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) were sent to the residence of Moses Thomas Tennant, ...

Nine arrested during multi-location drug bust

January 30, 2024

Nine people were taken into custody Monday following a multi-location drug bust coordinated by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force. Large amounts of drugs, money and firearms were recovered during the effort. Throughout December 2023, investigators with the task force received multiple tips ...

MPD says missing woman found safe and sound

January 30, 2024

The story of a missing West Virginia University student went viral in the Morgantown and Pittsburgh area Tuesday after social media posts alerted the community of her apparent disappearance from the Pittsburgh International Airport on Jan. 28. The posts said 22-year-old Taylor Mras, said to be a senior at WVU, was last seen at the airport boarding a plane to Tampa, Fla., but had not discussed her travel plans with anyone and had left most of her possessions, including her dog, behind.  The posts alleged she may have been a victim of human trafficking. The Dominion Post ...

Man accused in Milford Street murder waives prelim

January 29, 2024

The Texas man accused of stabbing 26-year-old Jacob Lough to death in his Milford Street home waived his right to a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday morning in Monongalia County Magistrate Court. The case against Jonathan Ramirez, 23, of Watauga, Texas, will now be transferred to ...

Preston County losing sheriff’s deputies over working conditions

January 27, 2024

KINGWOOD — Preston County is losing sheriff’s deputies due to low pay and complaints about working conditions caused by the flooding in December. The latest letter of resignation dropped the county’s allotted 20 deputies to 14. “I am writing you to announce that I have decided to resign my employment from the Preston County sheriff’s office effective February 5, 2024. I appreciate the opportunity that Sheriff Pritt and the Preston County Sheriff’s Office has given me to develop my professional skills and my career,” the latest deputy to resign wrote. The letter ...