PARSONS – Probable cause was found during a preliminary hearing for a man accused of three felony charges including one count of burglary, one count of strangulation and one count of kidnapping.
Charles Lee Wolfe, 34, appeared with his attorney David Fuellhart III of the Isner Law Office in Elkins Wednesday in Tucker County Magistrate Court. Magistrate William “Mont” Miller heard the case.
Tucker County Prosecuting Attorney Ray LaMora III called two witnesses including Tucker County Deputy C.R. Donelson and the 20-year-old victim.
Donelson said the trio traveled to Bayard to search for Wolfe and found him behind the sewage plant pulling the alleged victim along the river bank.
After hearing the testimony, Miller said the court believes the charges were substantiated and said he found probable cause on all three charges and ruled the charges be bound over for presentation to the Grand Jury. Miller said he would leave the bond where it was initially set at cash/surety of $150,000.
A criminal complaint filed in Tucker County Magistrate Court at 6:45 p.m. April 10, Cpt. D. W. Burge, WVSP Trooper First Class J.J. Schmidle and Tucker County Deputy C. R. Donelson were notified of an alleged kidnapping in Davis. The complaint alleges the victim was abducted by Wolfe from her parent’s home in Davis.
The complaint said officers received information from Tucker County 911 and that information was passed along to Grant County 911. Wolfe allegedly headed toward Bayard, where officers found Wolfe pulling the victim along the Potomac River’s edge.
The complaint further states the alleged victim told officers she locked herself in her bedroom and Wolfe broke into the house and forced her to leave the residence. The alleged victim said Wolfe had been abusing her for about eight months and said Wolfe has been telling her he was going to kill her and her family.
Charges against Wolfe were filed in Grant County as well, where he is charged with attempted murder, strangulation and kidnapping.
Wolfe is currently housed in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail. His bond for his Tucker County charges is set at $150,000 cash/surety.
