State News

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Dunbar man charged in a police pursuit and standoff last June could spend up to 20 years in prison.

Nathan Lee Cunningham, 20, was charged with the felony offense of Fleeing with Reckless Indifference among eight other charges after previously pleading guilty to those charges.

The charges come in relation to violating a domestic violence protection order on June 26, 2023. Eight of the nine counts will run consecutively.

Cunningham went before Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey for sentencing Monday.

“It’s actually frightening to hear how violently you conducted yourself, and the actual harm you did physically and emotionally that you have thrust upon this victim,” Bailey said during Cunninghams’ sentencing.

Cunningham was issued warrants for his arrest on June 23, 2023 after he violated the protective order a woman had filed against him. He reportedly followed the woman in her vehicle when she called 911 to report him.

Officers attempted to stop Cunningham in South Charleston before he began to flee. They said after getting on and off I-64, Cunningham eventually stopped in the 200 block of Lincoln Avenue where he ran into a home and barricaded himself for over an hour before being taken into custody.

Many letters of sentiment were sent to the court coming to Cunningham’s’ defense.

“You are a young man, there are a lot of people who have a lot of faith in you,” Bailey said. “We hope that someday in some way you will be in a position to have some counseling and come to terms with the fact that this type of behavior is not acceptable.”

Along with recklessly fleeing, Cunningham’s’ charges included Unlawful Restraint, Harassment, Strangulation, Domestic Battery, among others. Most of his charges added up to be 1 to 5 years.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The recent sentencing of a Charleston man is marking a significant milestone in a four-indictment drug trafficking organization case yielding the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history.

Jasper Wemh, 39, will spend 16 years and eight months in prison now for being one of the four leading defendants to come forward involved in the ongoing Operation Smoke and Mirrors drug trafficking investigation.

Wemh is among 27 of 32 total defendants involved in the drug trafficking organization (DTO) who have pleaded guilty, and among the 20 who have been sentenced to prison.

The host of law enforcement agencies working together as part of Operation Smoke and Mirrors seized over 400 pounds of meth, as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms, and approximately $935,000 in cash.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, Will Thompson said the operation stretched across Putnam, Kanawha, and Raleigh counties, and even some into Mercer County, and came from about four main suppliers.

He put the magnitude of how large the operation was into context Monday on MetroNews Talkline.

“I know that my office, before I got here, did a press release of what they called the biggest drug bust ever in the state, and it was less than a pound of fentanyl, so if that gives you any type of idea of how large this was,” Thompson said.

He met with law enforcement officials involved in the case, including those from the FBI, the DEA, and the Department of Homeland Security at the Federal Courthouse in Charleston on Monday for a press conference regarding the operation.

According to court documents, Wemh is responsible for over 85 pounds of that meth that was distributed by the DTO in 2022.

Documents revealed that he routinely made transactions with multiple pounds at a time, selling over 20 pounds of meth in a single night on December 4, 2022.

Wemh reportedly made payments totaling $250,000 to his out-of-state supplier to repay his methamphetamine debts, and often provided the illicit drug to his customers on consignment knowing that what he sold was getting redistributed.

Thompson said the drug bust definitely puts a damper on future drug distributions in the state, but it doesn’t end it completely as there’s plenty more investigative work to be done.

“I’ve been doing this for too long to think this is going to stop it, it doesn’t,” he said. “In fact, we have several more cases right now where people have tried to fill in that I can’t really comment on yet, because there’s still an investigative stage and stuff like that, but we’re definitely getting pretty close to the source.”

Wemh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of meth. He was sentenced on May 2.

Wemh has a long criminal history that includes prior drug distribution convictions.

Along with the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security, other agencies involved with the investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, among several others.

Thompson said the significant drug bust is a reflection of the good work that can be done to put a halt on drug trafficking when agencies come together.

“It represents the good work, the very good work that our federal, state, and local partners are doing, I think they are getting together better than they’ve ever gotten along in the past, working together better than they’ve ever worked in the past, and this is what happens when they do that,” said Thompson.

The following is a list of the other defendants sentenced to prison in the case:

. Michael Allen Roberts Jr., 41, of St. Albans, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on March 6, 2024, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine.

. Justin Allen Bowen, 41, of Charleston, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison on August 31, 2023, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

. Perry Johnson Jr., 30, of Dunwoody, Georgia, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison on April 11, 2024, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

. Todd Tyler Snead, 58, of Waynesboro, Virginia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 6, 2023, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

. Ryan Keith Kincaid, 47, of South Charleston, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on December 8, 2023, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

. Telisa Rene McCauley, 32, of Charleston, was sentenced to nine years in prison on November 9, 2023, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

. Les Van Bumpus, 35, of Charleston, was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison on January 22, 2024, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Indictments against five defendants are pending.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A Monongalia County murder case is headed to a grand jury after the man charged waived his preliminary hearing Monday.

Rick Allen Cordes, 49, of Morgantown, was charged last week following the April 19 shooting death of his wife.

Deputies allege Cordes killed Jennifer Hribar, 39, at their home on Falling Water Lane after reportedly being seen arguing at two Cheat Lake night spots. Reports indicate Cordes was the aggressor in the altercations.

An autopsy confirmed Hribar’s death was caused by a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Cordes is being held at North Central Regional Jail without bail.

The case will now head to the Monongalia County grand jury with Cordes’ decision Monday to waive his preliminary hearing. The next meeting of the grand jury is next week.

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –– The West Virginia University Board of Governors met Monday and approved the rule that will govern the search for a new WVU president.

The rule was approved following a 30-day comment period.

“We appreciate the comments that were submitted and each one was carefully reviewed. Several resulted in revisions, including to the Presidential Search Committee nomination process and soliciting feedback,” Vice President and General Counsel Stephanie Taylor said. “We also clarified that the Board has not given itself any new authority regarding the selection of a new University president; rather, it is exercising the authority previously given to it under West Virginia law and as required by State Code.”

WVU President Gordon Gee has previously announced he’ll leave the position in the summer of 2025.

The BOG will soon be asked to endorse a list of nominees who will serve on the search committee. Also this month, the BOG’s Ad Hoc Governance Committee intends to complete the RFP and potentially release the name of the presidential search firm.

A number of listening events are planned with the search firm beginning this summer. The BOG hopes to choose a new president by next spring.

Another special meeting is planned May 29 to provide more information about the next steps for the presidential search process.

The next regular BOG meeting is scheduled for June 21.

The rule, a timeline, updates and details about the Presidential Search Committee are available here.

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GLENVILLE, W.Va. — With 23 wins in the regular season, Gilmer County has taken up residence in the MetroNews Class A baseball rankings for much of the spring. The fourth-ranked Titans have a mix of youth and experienced veterans and they are led by senior pitcher Bryant Yoak.

His impressive stats have caught the attention of professional scouts that have been posted up behind home plate with radar guns and cameras at the ready.

“It is pretty crazy. It got crazy really fast. It started off with like three or four and now we’re at a dozen. It gets pretty crazy sometimes,” Yoak said.

“It does get my nerves a little bit. But I am able to just reset, take a deep breath and I’m fine. Sometimes it does help me. I can rear back, chuck one and blow it by a kid and feel really good about it.”

Yoak committed to play at West Virginia University in 2022 while playing at Calhoun County and he officially signed with the Mountaineers in November.

“It means everything. Since I was little I always dreamed of being a Mountaineer and playing for the baseball program up there. They have an amazing coaching staff and a really good class I am going up there with. I am really excited and it is a huge blessing.”

If Yoak is selected in the Major League Baseball Draft this summer, he could have a decision to make on whether or not to go pro right out of high school. His first priority is to help Gilmer County navigate a challenging sectional that contains defending state champion Wahama.

“I love Coach [Ben] Hall. I love all these guys like they are my brother. It is just an amazing atmosphere.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys but they are really mature when it comes to their skills. We have a really solid team and I think we are going to make it.”

Prior to last Thursday’s LKC semifinal victory against Tyler Consolidated, Yoak had not allowed an earned run in his first eight appearances. He owns a 0.51 ERA and a record of 6-1. Yoak has struck out 97 batters in 41 innings while walking just ten.

“I am getting better at generally everything. I can always work on command. I can always get a little more break on a pitch. I can always execute a pitch more. I am always working on things.”

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The MetroNews high school baseball poll is voted upon weekly by a panel of 10 radio broadcasters and sports writers across West Virginia. The rankings include overall records, total points and first-place votes in parenthesis.

The post Week 6 Power Rankings: Martinsburg, Winfield, Williamstown enter postseason No. 1 appeared first on WV MetroNews.

WINFIELD, W.Va. — Putnam County voters will be asked again to consider an excess levy to fund the county’s fire service. A similar levy failed in 2022 when it garnered more than 50 percent of the vote, but needed 60 percent to be ratified.

Richard Pullin, Fire Administrator for Putnam County, said county attorneys re-examined the caveat and were able to successfully determine 50-Percent would have been sufficient. However, since so much time had passed they determined it would be unreasonable to try and revert back to the 2022 vote to implement the levy.

“We just wanted to put it back out on the ballot. It will be cleaner this time and it won’t have the EMS on there as well. We wanted to get that push from the public again to get more than 50 percent,” said Pullin.

This time around, 50-percent plus one is all the levy will need for passage and according to Pullin it is desperately needed since the county, safety-wise, is in a very difficult situation.

“Volunteerism is falling off nationwide and what volunteers we do have left are primarily working during the day to earn their living. That leaves us very short handed during the weekdays,” he said.

The city of Hurricane supplements the service with some paid positions in their volunteer fire department. Teays Valley also supplements fire fighting staff through EMS service, but when the levy failed in 2022 they were forced to cut back and currently do not have 24/7 staffing. Putnam County actually has eight volunteer fire departments and all would benefit from the levy.

Another point Pullin wanted to make was for many in the county, very little will change with the passage of the levy since it would replace the current fire service fee paid by all county households.

“The levy will replace the fire service fee. The way it’s structured based on property value, there will be citizens in the county who will save money. There will be a group of people who break even with a dollar or two difference. There will be some in the larger, higher end homes who will pay more,” said Pullin.

However, the fire service fee hasn’t increased in Putnam County since 2013. Pullin said trying to afford the costs of fire service in 2024 with a 2013 revenue stream is becoming impossible. He suggested the cost of a fire truck as an example. Prior to the pandemic, the Fire Service purchased a fire truck and before it was outfitted with tools and equipment the cost was $420,000. This year, the county purchased another fire truck and the stripped down cost was $760,0000, an increase of 60 percent in just four years.

“Something has to give, we cannot keep stretching what we’ve done,” he said.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Charleston Police Chief Tyke Hunt went back on medical leave Monday after serving a 20-day suspension for violating police department policies.

Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin backed the decision made by current Police Chief Scott Dempsey in the Hunt case during an appearance Monday on 580Live with Dave Allen.

“I have confidence in our chief of police, Scott Dempsey, who made that decision and I stand by him,” Goodwin said.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail first reported the length of the suspension in a story that published over the weekend. Dempsey confirmed on April 11 that the investigation into Hunt had concluded.

Hunt was also demoted from lieutenant to corporal, two ranks, as a result of his actions.

The department investigated two complaints against Hunt involving a former police officer and a second woman.

According to the Gazette-Mail report, Hunt was disciplined twice for Unbecoming Conduct. He also violated the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct.

Hunt was a lieutenant when he stepped down from his position as chief last August and went on medical leave. His medical leave came soon after allegations came to light of inappropriate behavior involving former officer Chelsea McCoy. McCoy alleged Hunt tampered with her polygraph results during her departmental application process in exchange for sex in the polygraph examination room. McCoy also alleged having sex with Hunt in the chief’s office.

The second complaint came from Jenny Harless who has repeatedly said that Hunt made sexual advances toward her in his office in 2022.

Hunt was suspended without pay for 10 days on each complaint following the internal investigation.

According to the Gazette-Mail, the police department’s Professional Services Division did not find that Hunt had violated the department’s Workplace Violence, Harassment & Discrimination policy.

Dempsey didn’t give a reason why but Goodwin said Monday you can only punish what you can prove.

“We make the best decisions that we make with the information that we have in front of us, we do,” Goodwin said. “Our head and our heart are always in the right place and my moral compass are never off and that’s what I have to go on. This chief of police made a good decision with the information he had.”

Goodwin said a situation like this is “a punch in the gut” to officers that are doing the right thing.

“It’s really hard work…but guess what they’re doing? Still doing their work and that’s what we should be doing too,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said she’s heard from the criticism from the outside. She said she stands behind the integrity of the investigative process.

“It’s easy just to say it (opening it all up) when you’re not in it when you don’t have to abide by rules of HR (Human Resources) or, by the way, to protect people, the people who are coming forward,” Goodwin said.

Hunt began serving his 20-day unpaid suspension on April 8. He went back on medical leave on Monday and is being paid as a corporal.

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An entirely new coaching staff at West Virginia has worked diligently over the last few weeks to reshape the Mountaineers’ roster by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal.

On Monday, the Mountaineers added their second player from the high school ranks since naming Darian DeVries head coach.

Jonathan Powell, a 6-foot-5 guard from Centerville High School in Dayton, Ohio, has pledged his commitment to WVU.

Powell was in Morgantown for an official visit over the weekend after recently requesting to be released from a National Letter of Intent he had signed last November to play at Xavier.

Powell, the Division I Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year, is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports. He averaged 19.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in his final season at Centerville.

Powell becomes West Virginia’s ninth scholarship player for the upcoming season. He joins the lone holdover from last season’s roster in Ofri Naveh, fellow incoming freshman KJ Tenner and a group of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois), Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Javon Small (Oklahoma State) and Toby Okani (Illinois Chicago).

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— By Bill Cornwell

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — New Marshall men’s basketball coach Cornelius Jackson has added to the Thundering Herd’s roster for 2024-2025.

The latest additions are brothers Cade Gibbs and Jakob Gibbs. The duo is coming to Huntington from NAIA power Grace College in Indiana.

The Gibbs brothers join Huntington native Mikel Dawson, an Akron transfer, as additions to Marshall’s program since Jackson became head coach. Like Dawson, the Gibbs brothers have one season of eligibility remaining.

The Gibbs brothers hail from Plainfield, Indiana, and are triplets with a third brother. Cade and Jakob Gibbs helped lead the Grace Lancers to the NAIA Fab Four last season with a 34-2 record. The Lancers went 66-5 over the last two seasons.

“We are thrilled to have Jakob and Cade join our program,” Jackson said. “They will bring experience, a competitive spirit as well as a winning mentality on and off the court.”

Elijah Malone, a teammate of the Gibbs brothers at Grace, has transferred to Colorado.

Jakob Gibbs was a third-team NAIA All-American last season after averaging 13.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and two assists while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, including 37.3 percent from three-point range. He is also regarded as a top-tier defender and was the 2023-24 Crossroads League Defensive Player of the Year. He was a first-team all-conference honoree in 2023-24 and a CSC NAIA First-Team Academic All-American in 2024.

Cade Gibbs was also a first-team All-Crossroads League honoree in 2023-24 after averaging 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists, while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range. 

Cade was named a CSC NAIA Second-Team Academic All-American after the 2023-24 campaign.

The brothers have graduated from Grace with MBA degrees.

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