Randolph-Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center Executive Director provides update during Tucker County Commission meeting

PARSONS – Tucker County Commission members received an update on a local entity that helps support healing and justice for children and their families who have been victimized. Randolph-Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center Executive Director Margot Kubichek told Tucker County Commissioners their program is growing and said they continue to help children and their families and help educate the public about where to go to report abuse and help children learn about keeping their bodies safe.

“First of all, I want to thank you for your continued support of the Children’s Advocacy Center,” Kubichek said. “The in-kind space we receive and the financial support helps us provide the services we do in Tucker County. We are very grateful for your support. We hope to continue on your budget list this year. I have sent you our formal request for funding.”
Kubichek said in Tucker County last year, the Children’s Advocacy Center saw 17 new kids that were referred to their program.

“We were able to do 15 forensic interviews specific for Tucker County,” Kubichek said. “There were 52 children who received on-going case review from our team of professionals and 10 arrests were made. So far for 2017, from July 1 until now, we have seen 15 new kids, provided seven forensic interviews and we have three arrests.”

She said the Center has seen a 65 percent increase in new kids served last year.
“That is huge,” Kubichek said. “We had 62 percent more kids referred for trauma therapy which actually followed through with treatment. That is amazing and shows our team is really working well together. We are proud of that.”

Kubichek said their model is actually being utilized as the model for other CAC’s emerging.
“The state has identified us as someone to look at,” she said. “We are always offering prevention training. Our Talking about Touching program is going to be started this week in Tucker County. Our Prevention Coordinator, Patrick O’Brien, will be going to all the schools presenting the program so they can learn to keep their bodies safe.”

Another program being offered by the Randolph-Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center is the Stewards of Children Workshops, in collaboration with the Tucker County Family Resource Center. Kubichek said the workshops will be April 10 and 11 and are for community members to learn what to do when a child discloses abuse and symptoms to look for.

“It’s a great workshop,” she said. “It lasts two hours and we encourage the community to attend that.”

Commissioner Patrick Darlington said he wanted to thank Kubichek and the Randolph-Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center for the service they provide the county.
“It is a tremendous help,” Darlington said.

“We appreciate your service,” Commission President Lowell Moore said.

West Virginia State Police Trooper First Class J.E. Kopec addressed Commissioners reporting Tucker County is experiencing an increase of breaking and entering cases.

“I want to raise awareness and have residents keep an eye on their belongings,” Kopec said. “It’s really a trend that is leaking over from drug abuse. We have some suspects and one has already been apprehended and arrested in Virginia.”

 

“I want to raise awareness and have residents keep an eye on their belongings,” Kopec said. “It’s really a trend that is leaking over from drug abuse. We have some suspects and one has already been apprehended and arrested in Virginia.”

Kopec said some of the thefts are of things that are easy targets such as four-wheelers left out and tools that are not stored in locked buildings. “A lot of the times they are hitting easy targets,” Kopec said.

Darlington thanked Kopec and said he wanted to recognize how well the West Virginia State Police work with the Tucker County Sheriff’s Department.

“I have talked to people in counties where the West Virginia State Police and Sheriff’s Departments do not necessarily mesh well,” Darlington said. “The Sheriff’s Department and State Police work really well together and we appreciate that.”

Commissioner Diane Hinkle asked Kopec how many drug arrests they make in a month’s time.
“Probably three per month,” Kopec said. “That may not seem like a lot, but we have to play by a set of rules and they don’t. They have to get lucky every day and we only have to get lucky once.”

Tucker County Clerk Sherry Simmons said she is working on their grant for 2016 to 2017.
“It is programming birth records,” Simmons said. “To date, my office staff has programmed 569 pages, totaling 9,104 births from 1935 to the present. Along with that grant, on March 17, Courthouse Computer Systems came and updated our receipt computer and updated all of our scan documents for that grant period.”

Simmons said on the election side, her office has been updating addresses on a daily basis.
“The State of West Virginia has adopted an Inspire WV Program,” Simmons said. “The purpose is to get high school students involved in the voting process. I contacted the Student Body President to get the students involved in the Inspire WV Program.”

Simmons said on March 15 her office along with the St. George Clinic hosted a Colon Cancer Awareness Day.

“I have been working doing the audit preparation for the 2015-2016,” Simmons said. “That audit started today.”

Simmons thanked the Commissioners for their work on the preliminary 2017-2018 budget.
“We really thank you,” Moore said. “She is great to work with.”

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Tucker County Commissioners took the following actions:
-Voted to accept a letter of resignation from Floodplain Manager Charles Baker.
-Voted to approve a Fair Housing Proclamation/Resolution for the month of April.
-Voted to approve the 2017-2018 preliminary budget.
-Voted to approve an application for the 2017-2018 Economic Development Grant Application. The grant is for a $35,000 matching grant for the local Development Authority.

The next Tucker County Commission meeting will be 9 a.m. April 12 in the Tucker County Courthouse Courtroom.