Latest news with #WestVirginiaStatePolice
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
3 hospitalized in Preston County wreck on US 50
ROWLESBURG, (WBOY) — Three people were taken to the hospital Thursday night following a two-vehicle wreck on U.S. Route 50 near Rowlesburg. According to an official with the Preston County 911 Center, at about 7 p.m., crews were alerted to a collision on U.S. 50 near Cool Springs Park. When crews arrived on the scene, they found that a Jeep and a pickup truck had collided and that three people needed to be taken to the hospital for further treatment. Fairmont man sentenced for selling para-fluorofentanyl in West Virginia. What is it? As of 7:57 p.m., U.S. 50 is still closed in the area in both directions. There is no word on the conditions and extent of injuries of the people involved. Crews with the West Virginia State Police, KAMP Ambulance, Terra Alta Community Ambulance, Fellowsville Volunteer Fire Department and the Rowlesburg Volunteer Fire Department all responded to the call. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Father charged after claiming death of child in Lewis County was ‘all his fault'
JANE LEW, (WBOY) — A father has been charged in Lewis County after he allegedly admitted to throwing a young child 'out of frustration,' causing the child's death. On May 25, troopers with the Weston detachment of the West Virginia State Police went to assist EMS workers at a residence in Jane Lew where first responders were performing CPR on a 'young juvenile,' according to a criminal complaint. Troopers assisted in life-saving measures before the child was taken to Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. After the child's death, the medical examiner noted that there was 'a bruise above the juvenile's left eye on his forehead,' but 'did not immediately notice any other physical defects or anything suspicious,' troopers said. Hospital staff also said that while intubating the juvenile, they found 'a chocolate-like substance in the juvenile's airway.' Troopers returned to the McWhorter Road residence in Jane Lew to speak with two of the juvenile's guardians, who said 'they did not suspect any neglect from either parent,' according to the complaint. Man charged after allegedly holding newborn by foot while assaulting woman in Monongalia County One guardian said the child 'was completely fine' when they had woken that morning and that the child 'had been suffering from a cold off and on for quite some time' but was 'normal all morning,' troopers said. Another said the child 'had just recently went to the doctor,' but the child 'was crawling around in the kitchen and had slipped and bumped his head on the floor' that morning which 'did leave a little red mark on his head,' according to the complaint. The guardians also told troopers that one of the juvenile's parents 'smoked Delta 8' and 'would buy it at vape stores but she was not allowed to have it around the kids,' and they 'would only let her smoke it outside,' troopers said. After the child's death, troopers spoke with the parents; the mother said she had given the child to his father, Zachary Williams, 27, of Jane Lew, because the child 'would not go down for a nap and was crying and fighting the nap more than usual,' according to the complaint. The mother stated Williams went into the child's bedroom and she went into another room, but after 'a short period of time,' Williams began 'yelling for her,' according to the complaint. When she went into the child's room, she 'observed the juvenile to be limp' and called 911; while on the phone, the child stopped breathing, the mother said. During that initial interview, Williams told troopers that when he went into the bedroom, he 'picked the juvenile up and began bouncing him in an attempt to soothe him,' and 'while bouncing him, the juvenile went rigid and then limp and became unresponsive,' at which point he yelled for assistance, troopers said. However, during another Mirandized interview later that day, Williams 'did confess to throwing the juvenile out of frustration' which caused 'the juvenile to strike his head on the bedframe and the floor,' according to the complaint. Troopers said that during that same interview, Williams 'stated that it was all his fault.' West Virginia traffic stop leads to discovery of fentanyl pressed to look like candy The juvenile's body was transported to the state medical examiner's office in Charleston, and on May 27, troopers learned the juvenile 'did sustain a severe skull fracture to the rear of the head' and the doctor who perform the autopsy noted that 'this type of skull fracture is caused by trauma,' troopers said. Williams has been charged with murder and child abuse resulting in death. He is being held in Central Regional Jail without bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
W.Va. Supreme Court of Appeals upholds murder case's verdict
princeton – Justices with the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia have upheld the 2022 second-degree murder conviction of a Mercer County woman who was charged in her boyfriend's shooting death. Monica Suzette Hartwell of Lashmeet was sentenced in September 2022 to a determinate term of 40 years in prison. A jury had convicted Hartwell on Aug. 11 that same year of second-degree murder for the July 26, 2020 shooting death of her boyfriend, Michael Walker, outside their Presbyterian Avenue home in Lashmeet. Hartwell was initially charged with first-degree murder and was later found competent to stand trial. After Walker's death, Hartwell had told troopers with the West Virginia State Police Princeton detachment that she believed Walker was possessed. Witnesses testified during her trial that Hartwell and Walker had been drinking that day, adding that Walker had spoken about Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit. Troopers found Walker on the home's front porch. Hartwell was in the home and told the troopers that the shotgun was in the living room. Walker had been shot in the head. Hartwell's attorney Ryan Flanigan, who is now a circuit court judge in Mercer County, made motions during her sentencing for a new trial and for a judgement of acquittal. The presiding judge, Circuit Court Judge Derek Swope, who is now retired, denied both motions. Flanigan told the court that Hartwell had been a productive member of society before she became ill, and that she had been struggling with mental illness her entire life. A member of Hartwell's family told the court she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and other mental conditions. Attorney David Kelley argued the appeal before the state Supreme Court of Appeals, said Prosecuting Attorney Brian K. Cochran, who prosecuted the case in 2022. The West Virginia Attorney General argued the appeal on behalf of the Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. According to court documents filed May 22, the sole issue before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virgnia was the admissibility of a statement Hartwell made after she was taken into custody and handcuffed outside the home. Trooper S.K. Weikle and Hartwell were walking to the trooper's cruiser when he asked 'where's the gun?' to which Hartwell replied 'it's on the couch.' The question was asked before Hartwell had been read her Miranda Rights. Weikle later testified that officers had not yet secured the weapon, according to the supreme court's document. Officers only knew that the victim had been shot on the porch and that Hartwell immediately went into the home and was not seen by any witnesses during the 15 to 20 minutes it took for law enforcement to respond to the 911 call. Officers did not know if the weapon was still in the house and whether anyone else had access to it or whether it had been thrown out a window or back door 'where it might be found by a passerby or an inquisitive child.' 'For the reasons set forth herein, the judgement of the Circuit Court of Mercer County is AFFIRMED,' the justices concluded in the court document. During the 2022 hearing, Swope sentenced Hartwell to 40 years in prison with 789 days credit for the time she had spent in jail and on home confinement after her arrest. Swope then told her family that she would be eligible for parole in 10 years, and could discharge her sentence with good behavior within 20 years. 'I certainly believe she needs to get help in the penal system, the maximum amount they can give her,' Swope said then. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in fatal Ritchie County shooting released from hospital
PENNSBORO, (WBOY) — A woman who has been named a suspect in a shooting incident that left a man dead in rural Ritchie County last month has been released from the hospital, but charges have yet to be filed. According to West Virginia State Police Director of Public Relations Cpt. Leslie T. Goldie, the prosecuting attorney is still reviewing the case to determine if charges are warranted and what those charges may be. Man charged after allegedly making threats to 'snipe' children at Upshur County school on Discord The woman was named a suspect in the case following a shooting incident on April 11 near Farleys Run Road in the Pennsboro area. Troopers who arrived on the scene found a man dead as well as the woman in question, who was unresponsive at the time and was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. Troopers said that both people had gunshot wounds and named the woman as a suspect. The identities of both people involved have yet to be released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
West Virginia man found with nearly 1500 child porn images, troopers say
FRANKLIN, (WBOY) — Law enforcement has announced the arrest of a Pendleton County man who they say was found with nearly 1500 pictures of child pornography. Jerry Ayres According to a release from the FBI, troopers with the West Virginia State Police opened an investigation into Jerry Lewis Ayres, 55, of Franklin, after receiving a tip from the Virginia State Police's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. An investigation into Ayres revealed that he downloaded child pornography multiple times, with some images depicting minors under the age of 12 in 'sexual acts and positions.' A search of his home, phone and computer yielded nearly 1500 images. Woman who allegedly fled from police in a semi truck while drunk indicted in Harrison County Ayres was arrested and federally charged with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He faces between five and 20 years in prison for the receipt count and up to 20 years in prison for the possession count. He's currently being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail. Ayres' arrest comes as part of the Department of Justice's Operation Restore Justice, a nationwide effort between several agencies to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. In total, the five-day operation resulted in the arrests of 205 such predators and the rescue of 115 children. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
