Monday, May 16, 2011
EKB Capsule News...West Virginia...5-17-'11
- Eighteen year old Shane Peck will be sentenced July 7th after pleading guilty Monday to burglary, first degree robbery and assault during the commission of a felony. Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants says Peck and 19 year old Joseph Gibson broke into 79 year old Geraldine Gibson's mobile home on Kirkwood Drive in Big Chimney on March 3rd looking for morphine packs, but instead they stole several other things including cash and prescription drugs after binding and severely beating her. Joseph Gibson, who is not related to the victim, pleaded guilty Friday. Peck was sentenced recently to up to 45 years in prison for a string of burglaries. Plants says both Peck and Gibson said during their plea hearings that Geraldine Gibson's son was with them when they planned the burglary, and investigators are looking into those claims.
- Antonio Summers pleaded guilty to second degree murder Monday morning after he fatally shot 14 year old Damion Blaney in front of Glenwood Elementary in April 2010 during ongoing argument with another boy in the neighborhood. Summers was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
- West Virginia State Police say 26 year old Steven Lupson II of Charleston died early Monday morning while trying to steal copper from an AEP power pole along Route 17 in the Blair area of Logan County.
- Garland Murray and Deshawne Taylor were both charged with murder for the April 2010 fatal shooting of Gregory Poole whose body was found in the front yard of a home on 2nd Avenue in North Charleston. Deshawne Taylor, who was expected to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge, appeared in court Monday, where he rejected a plea deal. His trial has been continued to August 1st.
- The preliminary hearing for Joshua Thomas Rose is set for May 23rd. Investigators say he used a knife to rob the 7-Eleven in Scott Depot and the Exxon in Eleanor on May 12th. Deputies arrested Rose that night after responding to a domestic call at his residence and finding a knife, money, and clothing used in the robberies. Rose is in the Western Regional Jail on a $100,000 bond.
- Kanawha County Magistrate Carol Fouty has released Daniel Dodd on a personal recognizance bond after he allegedly violated a domestic violence protection order. In March, Dodd, a Belle police officer now on paid administrative leave, was charged with domestic battery after his wife, Jennifer Totten, claimed she was physically and mentally abused. Dodd was arrested last week and his bond revoked. Totten told Magistrate Fouty Monday that Dodd had visited the house three times to see their child, but she sent several emails asking nothing happen to him. Fouty pointed out inconsistencies in Totten’s recollection of what had happened and told her Dodd had a good reputation as a police officer.
- An investigation is underway after police say a six-foot tall white man, weighing about 220 pounds and wearing a dark jacket and jeans walked into the BB&T branch on Hal Greer Boulevard in Huntington about 9:15 A.M. Monday morning and demanded money.
- The jury selection in the trial of Brian Woodson, a homeless man charged with stabbing Johnnie Doctor and leaving his body on the steps of a Charleston building in August 2010, had gotten underway when Woodson pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder. Woodson was sentenced to life in prison without mercy.
- First responders from across West Virginia are gathering in Charleston this week for a public safety expo which kicks off with a downtown parade of emergency services on Wednesday evening and runs through Sunday at the Charleston Civic Center with sessions on subjects including domestic violence, street gangs, first aid, and a stun gun presentation. The keynote speaker Wednesday night is Richard Picciotto, a New York City fire battalion commander who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center during the 2001 terrorist attacks.
- Spokeswoman Kim Link says Arch Coal Inc. plans to eliminate 50-100 jobs at International Coal Group's Putnam County office, but company officials haven't decided exactly how large the staff reduction will be. The jobs that are targeted are administrative positions that would be redundant when the acquisition of ICG is complete, which is expected to be this summer. Link says those who lose their jobs will receive severance packages and help with job placement. Once the deal is complete, Arch plans to move its Charleston office to the Scott Depot ICG office.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 11:24 PM 
