Fairmont State University professor charged with multiple sex crimes

July 14, 2023

BY MIKE NOLTING A Fairmont State University professor was charged this week with 28 sex crimes, some involving juveniles in Marion County. Professor John O’Connor was taken into custody Wednesday by state police and charged with 14 counts of sexual abuse by a parent or guardian and 14 counts of first-degree sexual assault. O’Connor is being held at North Central Regional Jail on a $1 million bond. The Fairmont State University website lists O’Connor as the chair of the Department of Humanities and a senior level professor of communication arts. The university ...

Counsels rest in Kuretza trial; jury deliberations to begin Monday

July 14, 2023

On Thursday, jurors heard the final four witnesses in the criminal trial of Monongalia County Sheriff’s Deputy Lance Kuretza, who is accused of depriving Quintin Graziano of his rights by using unnecessary force during a 2018 arrest at a Morgantown hotel and falsifying his report of the ...

Mountain Valley Pipeline halted in court, again congressional action being challenged

July 13, 2023

CHARLESTON — The Mountain Valley Pipeline, which appeared to be on its way to completion after federal action, has been halted again by the court system. Three judges with the Fourth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals entered a short order late Monday to stay construction in the Jefferson National Forest while a court challenge continues. A second stay entered Tuesday morning halts construction on the pipeline even more broadly. The stays were entered in two separate but related cases by appeals judges Roger Gregory, Stephanie Thacker and James Wynn. The pipeline’s ...

Mon deputy’s trial continues in Wheeling; third day of testimony

July 12, 2023

Perception was the word of the day during the ongoing trial for Monongalia County Sheriff’s Deputy Lance Kuretza who is accused of allegedly violating the constitutional rights of Quintin Graciano by using excessive force during a January 2018 arrest at a Morgantown hotel and falsifying ...

Mon County deputy on trial for second day; training officer says: ‘We have never trained knee striking to the head’

July 11, 2023

WHEELING -- Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department 1st Sgt. Kurt Thomas spent nearly five hours on the stand Tuesday explaining use-of-force training deputies receive. He also answered questions from attorneys about when, where, how and what type of force is appropriate for law ...

Fairview man faces drug charges following Blacksville bust Friday

July 11, 2023

A Fairview man was arrested on drug charges Friday after Monongalia County Sheriff’s deputies seized meth, suspected fentanyl and other substances. According to a release issued by the department, deputies were dispatched to a drug incident, near the Blacksville Post Office. An officer and his canine responded to the call, near the 7-Eleven in Blacksville. There, Deputy Hall’s K-9 indicated on the driver’s side door of a vehicle. A search of the vehicle yielded approximately 1.94 ounces of methamphetamine, 1.02 ounces of suspected fentanyl, 24 grams of marijuana, ...