The following citations have been filed in the Tucker County Magistrate office:
- Kristen Leeann Behrens of Red Creek was cited for failure to yield from drive by Cpl. D.W. Burge. She pled no contest and was assessed fines of $4.75 and court cost of $165.25.
- Thomas J. Lockhart of Tazwell, Va. was cited for talking on cell phone by Cpl. D.W. Burge. He pled no contest and was assessed fines of $100.
- Shane S. Shaffer of Parsons was cited for obstructed windshield by Sr. Trp. J.J. Schmidle. He pled guilty and was assessed fines of $4.75 and court cost of $165.25.
- James Payden Michael of Parsons was cited for speeding (54-40) by Sgt. C.D. Siler. He pled guilty and was assessed fines of $4.75 and court cost of $165.25. A charge for expired registration was dismissed with proof shown.
- Rommie Quinlan Schmote of Coalton was cited for no seatbelt by Sgt. C.D. Siler. He pled no contest and was assessed fines of $25.
The following cases have been assigned in the Tucker County Magistrate Court:
- Aaron Whitehair of Elkins was charged with speeding and illegal plate-registration on March 17. He pled no contest on March 28 and a court hearing is scheduled for May 22 at 9:30 a.m. before Magistrate Carol D. Irons.
- Robert M. Shockley of Morgantown was charged with expired registration on March 27. He pled not guilty on April2 and a court hearing is scheduled for May 27 at 11 a.m. before Magistrate Riley H. Barb.
The following criminal case was filed in the Tucker County Magistrate Court:
- Heather Nicole Watson of Parsons was charged with Driving Suspended for Misc. on April 4 by Dep. C.A. Teter. According to the criminal complaint, on Wednesday, April 2 Teter was called to assist other police units with a traffic stop on a white Chevrolet Cavalier which was located at the St. John’s Methodist Church parking lot. Teter was advised by other officers on the scene that the driver, identified as Heather Watson by her driver’s license, was driving on a suspended license. Her right to operate a motor vehicle had been suspended for multiple reasons and that she had also been cited and convicted for at least three prior driving suspended charges with conviction dates of July 9, 2012, March 19, 2013 and March 20, 2013. While speaking with the defendant, Teter noticed that her eyes were blood shot and glassy and that her speech was slurred. She was asked if she had been drinking or had used any drugs that day, she stated “No”. She submitted to a series of field sobriety tests and passed but it was noted that she had nystagmus (involuntary eye movement) present in both eyes. Teter asked the defendant for permission to search her vehicle based on clues and indicators of narcotics use and possible possession. The defendant stated she did not feel comfortable giving permission to search her vehicle because of prior bad experiences. She was then placed under arrest for the driving offense and transported to the Tygart Valley Regional Jail. A K-9 unit was called in from the West Virginia State Police Detachment in Elkins and the dog positively alerted to presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A search turned up several used syringes and metal spoons with white residue on them.
She has been released on a PR bond of $3,000 and conditions of her bond are to report to Tucker County Community Corrections.