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Grant County man facing felony charges for laundromat coin theft
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A Petersburg man is facing felony charges after allegedly stealing nearly $1,300 in change from his apartment’s laundromat.
The charges stem from a call made on Nov. 22 by a Petersburg apartment owner to the West Virginia State Police.
The victim reported that one of his tenants, identified as Michael G. Bennett of Petersburg, had been stealing from the buildings communal laundry space. The space included multiple machines that require the user to pay in coins prior to using the machines.
The victim states that he had noticed the coins being stolen out of the machines for some time.
To catch the coin-thief, the building owner put a small hole in the drywall of a storage closet which looked into the laundry room.
The victim states that on Sept. 26, he hid in the storage closet and used his cellphone to take a video through the hole.
Bridge closure will reroute emergency response
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The West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) announced last week that Lower Knobley Road (County Route Three) will be closing on Jan. 6.
According to the release by the DOH, the Tracy Rohrbaugh Memorial Bridge in Maysville will be being replaced during the closure.
At this time, a temporary bridge for traffic is not set to be installed and traffic will be rerouted. A pedestrian bridge will be installed for foot traffic.
Grant County Office of Emergency Management and 911 director Peggy Bobo-Alt expressed concern with the decision, saying the closure will reroute emergency transports in that area.
“This will cause a delay in emergency response in that section of the county,” Alt said. “We are working to make sure we have a plan for rerouting emergency vehicles as necessary.”
Commission receives update on Grant County Ambulance, call volume drops
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Discuss addition of new blood program to emergency response
Grant County Ambulance director Jeff Teter appeared before the Grant County Commission earlier this month to provide an update on the department.
Teter met with the commission on Dec. 10 to provide a status update on the department as well as discuss the introduction of a potentially life-saving blood program.
During his report, Teter told the commission that the monthly call volume had dropped back to a more normal range following a series of busy months.
During November, Grant County Ambulance responded
to 178 calls, a drastic drop of 82 from the previous month. Teter explained that these numbers, which included 141 calls for the Petersburg station and 37 calls for the Mount Storm station, are closer to average than previous months. The department averaged six calls a day.
Teter also updated the commission on the number of transports being taken. This number had increased in November, with the department running 13 transports. Teter said that the department had been able to take all the transport requests they received. Of these transports,
Teter said a majority were local but one was a run to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.
Teter and Jeremy Hottinger, assistant director of Grant County Ambulance, told the commission on repairs and updates ongoing at the Petersburg station, which included replacing shelves, painting and replacing furniture.
Petersburg announces Trick-or- Treat date (Oct. 31, 6-8 p.m.)
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The Petersburg City Council confirmed last week that this year’s Trick-or-Treat event will be held on Halloween night (Oct. 31) starting at 6 p.m.
The council asked that anyone interested in participating leave their porch lights on to let trick-or-treaters and their families know which households will be giving out sweets this year.
The announcement came during the council’s regularly scheduled Oct. 7 meeting.
Former ambulance director files suit against the county, claims retaliation (Issue surrounding a firearm being pulled during a police incident)
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Grant County’s former ambulance director has filed a lawsuit claiming he was removed from the position due to whistle-blower retaliation and discrimination following an incident in which an ambulance driver illegally pulled a concealed firearm and physically punched a suspect during a domestic violence incident.
Robert Funk worked as the county’s Director of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) since August 2017 until February 2024 when he was removed from the position.
In the first section of his complaint, which was filed last month in the Grant County Circuit Court, Funk described an incident in 2020-21 when Grant County Ambulance was contacted by Grant Memorial Hospital and requested a mental hygiene patient be transported out of the county. After the transport, Funk contacted the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services and was advised not to transport mental hygiene patients in the future.
Interactive science exhibit comes to Grant County from Charleston
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Grant County Schools will be hosting the Charleston Clay Center’s Clay2Go Outreach Exhibit, a large exhibit that offers interactive education and experience with scientific concepts.
Grant County Superintendent Mitch Webster said he saw the exhibit on display in another area and was impressed with the scientific interactivity and quickly began working to bring it to Grant County.
“There was a long wait list and a lot of work that goes into something like this, but I came back and went to Ms. [Linda] Carlson and asked if she would take this on and get it arranged, and she did, and I greatly appreciate that,” Webster explained.
Peer recovery counselor honored as a ‘Beacon of Hope’ in the community
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A local peer recovery coach and counselor was honored yesterday as a “Beacon of Hope” in the community, being awarded the 2024 Beacon of Hope award during a ceremony at Grant Memorial Hospital by the Mosaic Group.
Roger Dodd works not only with the Potomac Highlands Guild and the Russ Hedrick Resource and Recovery Center but also serves as a first contact for those hospitalized from overdose at Grant Memorial Hospital and Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser.
“Roger’s commitment to patients is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Marla Oros, the CEO of the Mosaic Group. “He embodies the essence of a peer recovery coach, tirelessly dedicating himself to guide individuals on their path to recovery from substance abuse. Roger’s role is not just about providing support, it’s about promoting health and preventing harm. He stands as a guardian for those who may have lost their way.”
Violent domestic dispute turns into charges
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Domestic violence is one of the most common violent crimes that passes through Grant County’s court system.
Over the past few months, one dangerous charge that has been appearing multiple times is strangulation. This is charged anytime a person “strangles, suffocates or asphyxiates another without that person’s consent and thereby causes the other person bodily harm or loss of consciousness.”
One of the more recent charges stem from an incident on June 14, when officers with the Grant County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a dispute at Shobes Trailer Drive in Petersburg.
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Letters to the editor are encouraged. The writer must sign the letter and include a phone number and address for verification. Letters are subject to editing and those longer than 400 words will usually not be published. No more than one letter per month per person will be published. Political endorsements, as well as letters of opposition to any candidate, and thank you notes, are considered advertising, not subjects for letters.
Vikings clip Yellow Jacket wings, grab their ninth consecutive sectional title
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By: Ryan Colaw
PHS Softball
Petersburg and Moorefield met for the fifth time this season Friday — the latest installment for the region championship.
Moorefi eld was able to force a winner-take-all Class A, Region II, Section 1 title bout by defeating Petersburg on Thursday 3-1, but the Vikings responded with a 3-2 victory the following day to capture a ninth consecutive section championship.
Petersburg right-hander Samantha Colaw went the distance and earned the victory allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out fi ve. Colaw (15-5) has pitched in three straight section title games.
“It means a lot to me to get the chance to pitch in these games,” she said. “I have been blessed with great teammates, athletes and coaches to have my back when stepping onto the field.”'
Petersburg (23-8) advances to the Region II championship game, where it’ll play a best-of-three series with Doddridge County with a spot in the Class A state tournament on the line.
Longtime head coach Bubba Hedrick recently won his 400th game when the Vikings toppled top-seeded Pendleton County, 6-2, on May 5. His 401st victory Friday proved to be even more difficult.
“Hard, hard game,” said Hedrick, who has a 401-156 record at the helm. “You got two great nights of softball against Moorefield. Kudos to them. We just got enough hitting.
“A key home run by Shyane Tawney got us going and loosened us up a little bit. Sammy worked out of some jams and that was big for us.”
Moorefield (18-10) pushed Petersburg to the winner-take-all matchup after Amber Williams carried the Yellow Jackets by allowing an unearned run on three hits while striking out nine Vikings to help secure the 3-1 victory.
