Latest news with #WestVirginiaStatePolice
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Three states sign new agreements with ICE for expanded immigration enforcement operations
EXCLUSIVE: Three new states have signed agreements of varying intensity and substance, with one governor 1,700 miles away from Mexico saying his is effectively a "border state" due to its major fentanyl crisis. On Wednesday, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey will announce one of the most wide-ranging agreements a state has forged with ICE yet, enlisting the West Virginia State Police, Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and National Guard to aid immigration enforcement through the "287(g)" authority heralded by President Donald Trump. West Virginia has long ranked among the states with the highest rates of drug-related deaths, a crisis that Morrisey says underscores the need to work with ICE to combat fentanyl trafficking. "Under the Biden administration, millions of people poured into our country unlawfully and we had no knowledge about who they were, or whether they were a threat to our nation," Morrisey told Fox News Digital ahead of his expected Wednesday mid-morning announcement in Parkersburg. "West Virginia became an effective 'border state' due to the massive fentanyl problem caused by illegal immigration," he said. The National Guard and state police will have "task force" authority to interrogate any person believed to be an illegal immigrant as to his right to remain in the U.S. – under the supervision or direction of the feds. Officers will be able to process immigration-related violations for those arrested for state or federal offenses, and can also make warrantless arrests of any illegal immigrant in the officer's "presence or view" if that person is believed to be a flight risk in the interim of obtaining a warrant. Morrisey also authorized state law enforcement to serve immigration warrants, administer oaths and collect evidence for "required alien processing," including fingerprints and suspect interviews. Unlike some other states, West Virginia law enforcement will also be able to issue immigration detainers, prepare documents for approval from federal ICE officers and arrest felonious aliens who have the penchant to escape. West Virginia Division of Corrections will be permitted to hold immigrants on detainer, so long as the actions fall under federal auspices. Corrections officers will be able to follow the federal "warrant officer model," which includes serving warrants for immigration violations in jails and transferring custody to the feds. Farther west, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden recently announced cooperation with ICE to a lesser extent with his "Operation Prairie Thunder" public safety crackdown. Rhoden, who rose to the governorship upon the departure of now-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, announced earlier this month that Operation Prairie Thunder would be a "comprehensive, targeted public safety initiative" in the state – with a focus on the Sioux Falls metro area. The anti-crime effort seeks to interdict drugs, probe gang activity and "deter lawlessness." It includes a "comprehensive effort to support the work of [ICE], secure our borders and deport illegal alien criminals," according to a statement. The South Dakota Highway Patrol will be able to assist ICE, and six South Dakota National Guard soldiers will be tasked with helping the agency with administrative functions. "Our work alongside ICE boils down to this: Highway Patrol will support ICE with arrests," Rhoden said. "The National Guard will support ICE with processing and administrative functions. And DOC will support ICE with transportation, identifying illegal immigrants in our prisons, and getting them paroled to ICE custody." In Arkansas, a state law took effect this week that increases penalties for illegal immigrants committing "serious felonies involving violence," among other stipulations. The "Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act," signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, also allowed Arkansas sheriffs to engage with ICE. It allows law enforcement to apply via 287(g) to be authorized to serve immigration warrants on illegal immigrants already in custody for other offenses. Arkansas State Police will go beyond the minimum cooperation required by the law, according to the Arkansas Times. Cops will be able to stop people in public and ask them their immigration status – and potentially arrest suspected violators. A spokeswoman for the state police told the outlet that troopers must undergo training before any can work in an immigration-related capacity. The regimen includes a 40-hour online course laying out officers' "scope of authority, immigration law, civil rights law, cross-cultural issues, liability issues, complaint procedures and obligations under federal law," the spokeswoman said. Sanders credited Trump with making border security a top priority and obtaining results. "The Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act makes it clear: Arkansas will not tolerate violent, criminal illegals and will do our part to help the Trump administration keep our citizens safe," the former Trump press secretary said in a statement. Those states join Florida and Wyoming, the first two to sign substantive 287(g) agreements with ICE.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Marion County man arrested on 300+ counts of sexual abuse: WVSP
FAIRMONT, (WBOY) — A man was arrested in Marion County on Wednesday and charged with more than 300 felony counts of incest and sexual abuse. According to a release from the West Virginia State Police, troopers with the Fairmont Detachment arrested 50-year-old Andrew Miller in Marion County on July 1 for 3 felony counts of possession of use of minors in filming sexually explicit conduct. Skylar Neese's killers not up for parole in 2025 The following day, he was served arrest warrants while in jail for an additional 104 felony counts of incest, 104 felony counts of sexual abuse by parent or guardian, and 104 felony counts of 1st degree sexual abuse for a total of 315 sexual-related crimes. According to the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation website, Miller was booked into the North Central Regional Jail at 11 p.m. on July 1. As of July 6, he is being held there on a $200,012 cash bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor Morrisey puts the National Guard and West Virginia State Police on standby for planned protests in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — Governor Morrisey put the National Guard and State Police on standby for planned protests in West Virginia. 'No Kings' protests scheduled across the nation and in West Virginia are in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies on immigration and ICE detainments and his scheduled military parade in Washington, D.C. for the Army's 250th birthday on June 14, which also coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. According to a post on Governor Patrick Morrisey's Facebook page, Governor Morrisey stated that the National Guard and the West Virginia State Police on standby due to planned political demonstrations in parts of the Mountain State on the weekend of June 14, 2025 and June 15, 2025. I support the constitutional right to free speech and assembly, but West Virginia will uphold law and order. We will not tolerate looting, destruction, vandalism, or any violence toward law enforcement. Governor Morrisey In the post, Governor Morrisey also stated that the National Guard and West Virginia State Police will be on standby to stop any of the protests from going from peaceful to violent. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
Pregnant woman injured when impaired driver crashed into apartment in Braxton County: WVSP
SUTTON, (WBOY) — Two people were injured in Sutton, West Virginia when a driver who was allegedly under the influence crashed into their porch while they were eating dinner on Saturday. Troopers with the West Virginia State Police were called to a home on North Hill Road in Sutton where a vehicle had crashed around 5 p.m. on June 7, according to a press release. Troopers said that a Cadillac driven by Marilee McKenzie, 57, of Lucasville, Ohio, crashed into the front porch of an apartment where a couple was having dinner. Both of the people on the porch were injured and transported by EMS to Braxton County Memorial Hospital, including a 44-year-old pregnant women who 'suffered a significant laceration to her leg,' according to the complaint. WV Prosecuting Attorneys Association 'setting record straight' on criminal penalties from miscarriages 'Fortunately, medical staff indicated that her unborn child was unharmed,' troopers said. McKenzie was charged with felony DUI causing serious bodily injury and misdemeanor DUI causing injury and in being held in the Central Regional Jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Four-vehicle crash closes lanes of Route 460
PRINCETON – Route 460's eastbound traffic was blocked Thursday after a four-vehicle crash. Troopers with the West Virginia State Police Princeton Detachment and other first responders were dispatched after a four-vehicle crash was reported near East Martin Drive off Route 460, according to Cpl. D.R. Kincaid with the State Police. The crash occurred around 2:45 p.m., Kincaid said. Around four injured people were transported to a WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital. Their conditions were not available at press time Thursday. Cpl. J.L. Morris was the investigating officer, while Sgt. J.R. Tupper also worked at the scene. Morris was unavailable Thursday for additional comment. The crash's cause was under investigation.
