Bill allowing DNA collection for felony crimes struck down

January 26, 2024

CHARLESTON — The House of Delegates defeated a bill Thursday that would have allowed DNA to be collected by police from those arrested for some felony crimes. Following a long debate, delegates defeated HB 4627 on a 30-66 vote. The bill would have allowed police to collect DNA from a person arrested for a felony crime “of violence against a person, burglary or felony offense where the victim was a minor child.” The DNA collected would be stored until the completion of the criminal case against the person arrested. If the person was eventually found to be not guilty or the ...

Judge rejects Justice defense on $300 million liabilities

January 26, 2024

CHARLESTON — A judge has rejected an argument that claims on $300 million in personally guaranteed liabilities should be set aside for Gov. Jim Justice and his family’s companies. In a filing, the judge has invited a lawyer representing Justice’s longtime lender Carter Bank & Trust to prepare an order that would be a major milestone in collecting the debt. The debts were personally guaranteed by Jim Justice, his wife Cathy and their son Jay, who runs the family’s coal operations. The debts applied to several branches of the family’s business network, but the most ...

Newly launched online magistrate court database brings court info home

January 25, 2024

Residents of West Virginia will now have easier access to county magistrate court filings from the comfort of home — or wherever you might be.  In an effort to make court records more accessible, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Chief Justice Tim Armstead announced the new ...

Sheriff’s department investigating fatal Tuesday night wreck on I-79

January 25, 2024

Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal wreck that occurred Tuesday night on Interstate 79. According to a release from the department, deputies were dispatched to a single motor vehicle accident with one fatality near the 144-mile marker on I-79. This is an ...

Former DHHR official pleads guilty to false COVID-19 test statements

January 23, 2024

A former official within the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to knowingly making false statements to federal investigators regarding millions of dollars in COVID-19 testing supplies that were not properly accounted ...

Mon County grand jury returns 97 indictments

January 20, 2024

The first Monongalia County grand jury of 2024 returned 97 indictments for 85 individuals during the session held Jan. 10-12 at the Monongalia County Justice Center.   This is a significant drop from the previous sessions held in September and May 2023, which returned 139 and 150, ...