Latest news with #SouthernRegionalJail
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman arrested in connection to reported hit-and-run in Wyoming County
LYNCO, WV (WVNS) — A woman was arrested after a reported hit-and-run that resulted in serious bodily injury in Wyoming County. Multiple people arrested after vape shop sting operation in Greenbrier County According to a press release on the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page, Kayla Rodgers was arrested on Thursday, June 5, 2025 for multiple charges that included: Felony leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury No insurance Failure to render aid Obstructing Filing of a false emergency report The press release stated that members of the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office responded to an ATV accident that was reported in Lynco on Thursday, May 29, 2025 that resulted in serious injuries for the driver of the ATV. According to the information in the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office's Facebook post, once members of the sheriff's office arrived at the scene, they discovered that the accident was a hit-and-run. Members of law enforcement also found that the second car, that was registered to Rodgers and had reported severe front end damage matching that of an accident, was abandoned nearby. Warrants issued in relation to fight after local high school graduation The post stated that the driver of the car was identified as Rodgers, who reportedly left the accident scene without stopping to offer help or information to the other person involved. Rodgers also allegedly called the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office after the accident and stated that her car was stolen before the crash, which was found to be false. Rodgers was arrested on Thursday, June 5, 2025 and taken to Southern Regional Jail, where the post stated that she will get the chance to post bond given by a Magistrate Judge. According to the press release, the other person involved in the crash was seriously injured, but is stable and in recovery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Associated Press
Former West Virginia jail supervisor sentenced in coverup of assault that led to inmate's death
CHARLESTON, (AP) — An ex-jail supervisor in West Virginia was sentenced Thursday to more than 17 years in federal prison for his role in the coverup of an assault by other corrections officers that led to an inmate's death. Former Lt. Chad Lester was convicted in January of three felony obstruction of justice charges related to the March 2022 attack on Southern Regional Jail inmate Quantez Burks. Burks, 37, was a pretrial detainee who died less than a day after he was booked into the jail in Beaver on a wanton endangerment charge. According to court documents, Burks tried to push past an officer to leave his housing unit. Burks then was escorted to an interview room where officers hit him while he was restrained and handcuffed. Prosecutors said Lester gave false statements to investigators and told subordinate officers to do the same. Lester also threatened officers with violence and retaliation and added false statements to several officers' reports. A jury convicted Lester on charges of giving false statements, witness tampering and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses. 'On the defendant's watch, correctional officers killed an inmate, and the defendant conspired with them to cover up their crimes,' Lisa Johnston, acting U.S. attorney for West Virginia's southern district, said in a statement. 'The defendant violated the public's trust in the law enforcement system he had sworn to uphold.' Seven other correctional officers have pleaded guilty in connection with the assault. Several testified against Lester during his trial. Officer Steven Nicholas Wimmer was sentenced last week to nine years in prison for conspiring to use unreasonable force against Burks. Four others face sentencing on the same charge later this year. Two other officers are set for sentencing next month for their guilty pleas to violating the civil rights of Burks by failing to intervene in the assault. The state medical examiner's office attributed Burks' primary cause of death to natural causes, prompting his family to have a private autopsy conducted. The family's attorney revealed at a news conference in late 2022 that the second autopsy found Burks had multiple areas of blunt force trauma on his body. The case drew scrutiny to conditions and deaths at the jail, where news outlets had reported there were more than a dozen deaths in 2022. In November 2023, West Virginia agreed to pay $4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by inmates who described conditions at the jail as inhumane. The lawsuit cited such complaints as a lack of access to water and food at the facility, as well as overcrowding and fights that were allowed to continue until someone was injured. The administration of then-Gov. Jim Justice fired former Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Executive Officer Brad Douglas and Homeland Security Chief Counsel Phil Sword after a federal magistrate judge cited the 'intentional' destruction of records in recommending a default judgment in the lawsuit. That followed a hearing in October 2023 in which former and current corrections officials, including some defendants in the lawsuit, said no steps had been taken to preserve evidence at the jail, including emails and documents.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WV lawmakers have been moving legislation that would make hefty jail bills tremendously worse
A sign for Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, (Chris Jackson | West Virginia Watch) While facing the huge uncertainty around proposed federal cuts to food banks, SNAP and school feeding programs, county officials have been sounding the alarm that if their county jail bills keep increasing, they do not know how their counties can afford funding popular, non-mandated services like senior centers and food banks. Instead of taking seriously these fiscal concerns raised by county officials, state lawmakers have been moving legislation that would make the problem of hefty jail bills tremendously worse, funnel millions more dollars into the failed war on drugs, while providing no additional funding for prevention and treatment programs proven to work. Senate Bill 196, which has already passed the Senate, proposes 21 increased penalties for drug offenses when the research is clear that higher penalties will not deter drug trafficking or reduce the demand for drugs. Not only are policies like SB 196 fiscally irresponsible, but according to recent polling data, they're also very unpopular among West Virginia voters. SB 196 was rushed through the Senate under a false narrative that it solely targets fentanyl, when the truth is that SB 196 would triple the minimum time a person must serve in prison from one year to three years, for drug offenses that do not include fentanyl. Let that sink in. SB 196 would triple the minimum incarceration time for drug offenses like possession with intent to deliver, the most common drug offense, which most often ensnares people suffering from substance use disorder. SB 196 will have a major impact on our state budget due to the increased mandatory minimum prison sentences, and the biggest financial hit will be felt directly by counties. Higher penalties will result in higher bonds, which will lead to more people spending more days incarcerated pretrial, which are per diem days paid for by the county. While all 55 counties can expect jail bills to increase if SB 196 passes, and all tax payers can expect to pay millions more for prison costs, it's the poorest counties who stand to lose the most. Take for example Clay County, home county of the Speaker of the House of Delegates. Clay County has the smallest budget in the state ($1.7 million). According to analysis of Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation data by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, last year Clay County used 286.3 percent of its allotted jail days, resulting in a jail bill that was equal to 39.9 percent of the county's total budget. Currently, Clay County has a jail bill debt that is roughly twice the value of its annual budget. SB 196 is poorly considered policy that would break the budgets of our poorest counties. Recent polling conducted by pollster Mark Blankenship also reveals significant concern among voters regarding increasing criminal penalties and incarceration costs. Nearly 6 in 10 Republicans in West Virginia believe it is important to reduce the jail and prison population in the state. The results are not surprising as they come at a time when the state is spending more to incarcerate a single person annually than the average income for someone working in the state, costing taxpayers over $420 million on its prisons and jails during the 2024 fiscal year. Some other highlights from the poll include: Voters believe the best way to keep West Virginia communities safe is through investment in prevention, housing, job training, and drug and mental health treatment (65%) rather than increased jail and prison sentences (32%). Six in 10 voters support reducing criminal penalties for possession of controlled substances and treating drug use as a public health issue, including a majority (56%) of Republicans. Six in 10 Republicans support eliminating mandatory minimums for drug offenses. SB 196 and bills like it threaten to undo some of the progress the legislature has made in recent years prioritizing treatment and reducing barriers to reentry. West Virginians agree: If our lawmakers want to be tough on crime, then they should spend our tax dollars on prevention and treatment, not on more of the same failed and costly policies of the past. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
