Berkeley County Sheriff's Department Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

National Animal Welfare Group Alleges Mistreatment In Berkeley, Purchases County Land

A Bethesda, Maryland-based advocacy organization that works to protect animals from abuse filed a petition last week with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals alleging that Berkeley County Animal Control is not providing proper veterinary care for several of its animals.

The day before the filing, the advocacy group purchased a large property in the county for more than $300,000.

Alley Cat Allies said they conducted an in-depth investigation for more than a year that allegedly revealed that Berkeley County Animal Control “intentionally, knowingly and recklessly withheld necessary medical treatment for animals in its shelter, causing extreme suffering and in some cases death.”

The filing details cases of malnourishment, untreated inflammation, swollen eyes and tongues, a ruptured hernia, and a broken leg. Two animals were allegedly in such poor condition, they had to be euthanized.

Alley Cat Allies, on Nov. 23, submitted the petition asking the state’s high court to intervene and order Berkeley County Animal Control to “act on its legal duty” and provide veterinary care for the animals in its shelter.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s office, which houses the animal control unit, has not yet released a formal statement on the matter. But according to a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office, there will be a press conference sometime next week to address the allegations.

The day prior to the filing, on Nov. 22, Alley Cat Allies purchased more than 17 acres of land in Berkeley County for $311,000, according to a deed filed with the county clerk’s office.

Alley Cat Allies told West Virginia Public Broadcasting they purchased the property “to further our work and advance our mission in the area.” They did not detail further on the future of the property.

Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies, said they have done work in Berkeley County for decades.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a Washington, D.C.-based magazine that covers philanthropic and nonprofit organizations around the world, wrote an in-depth report in 2018 alleging that “Robinson runs the organization with few checks on her power.” The Chronicle also noted in its story that the nonprofit is not properly scrutinized for real estate purchases and for the salaries of its employees.

The organization, according to its 2020 IRS 990 report, brought in about $10.7 million that year. Robinson’s compensation was more than $247,000.

In contrast to the report from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Alley Cat Allies holds a platinum rating on GuideStar, which claims to have “the most complete, up-to-date nonprofit data available” on its website. A platinum rating from the organization signifies a high ranking in transparency for tax filings, leadership and mission, among others.

Alley Cat Allies was founded more than 30 years ago and has 650,000 supporters worldwide, according to its website.

Berkeley County Animal Control has favorable ratings on its Facebook page and posts photos and activities often. At the time of this story, the shelter received 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 127 Facebook reviews. However, several recent reviews, dating back to 2019, are negative.

Martinsburg Police Deputies Involved in November Incident to Return to Work

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department has announced that two deputies involved in a November incident will return to duty.

A news release from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department says the two deputies will return to work on Monday, Apr. 15. Questions arose about their conduct during the apprehension of a 16-year-old suspect on Nov. 19, 2018.

The deputies, along with West Virginia State Police troopers, were responding to a high-speed chase that resulted in two vehicle crashes before the suspect was detained.

Dashcam video of the incident shows the suspect being kicked, punched and thrown.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department says an internal investigation was conducted, resulting in disciplinary action against the deputies, which were accepted by all parties following an appeal.

West Virginia State Police Trooper First Class Michael Kennedy was charged last month with deprivation of rights under the color of law for his part in the incident.

Gov. Tomblin Says W.Va. Has Options to Combat Substance Abuse

Two weeks after President Obama’s visit to West Virginia, aimed at putting the spotlight on substance abuse issues across the country, the state’s leaders are still talking about ways to combat the issue.

At a forum in Martinsburg, Governor Tomblin met with those struggling with the disease and others trying to provide assistance in the Eastern Panhandle.

While treating addiction is still a major issue, law enforcement officials in the area still want the governor to know that drug trafficking is a major problem.

More than 150 people came out for Governor Tomblin’s Substance Abuse Summit at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department. The event provided a comprehensive review of the state’s efforts to combat substance abuse problems.

Nearly twenty presenters shared information and stories about how they’re working to help addicts get and stay clean. Tomblin says the presentations alone prove the state is improving when it comes to access to treatment.

“We’ve come a long way in the last five years as you can see from the services listed on the charts today,” Tomblin noted, “We’ve got the call line now, we’ve never had before, where people that’s wanting help, that’s needing help have a place to call where they can get professional help they need to get into programs.”

That call line is the state’s new 24 hour hotline for substance abuse help. Launched in September, Tomblin says so far more than 350 West Virginians have used it to find substance abuse treatment services.

And there are other initiatives to aid in the fight against substance abuse, too.

From expanding out-patient treatment options, to random drug testing in the workplace, to possible legislation – many accomplishments and new ideas were brought to the conversation.

But in the Eastern Panhandle, where the forum was held, there’s a lack of access to treatment facilities and other drug abuse services. It’s something Tomblin says is a challenge not just for West Virginia, but the entire country.

“I am frustrated, you know, we’ve got a great state, we’ve got great people, and to have this plague is something that we don’t need,” Tomblin explained, “and of course it’s not only West Virginia, it’s across the country. I’ve talked with other governors; we’re all facing the same thing, and you know, we’ve all got to work together, we’ve got to get the services people need to get off drugs, we got to have programs to keep them from getting on drugs to start with.”

But in the eyes of law enforcement officials, drug trafficking is still the main issue in the Eastern Panhandle.

Because of the nearness to major cities on the east coast, like Baltimore, heroin trafficking has become a major problem for cities like Martinsburg.

Berkeley County Sheriff Kenny Lemaster says he wants to make sure state officials don’t lose sight of the trafficking problem and ways to fix it. Still, he says he was pleased with the outcome of the governor’s drug summit.

“I think there’s still a lot of things still being worked on, and a lot of things that will still continue to evolve from this,” Lemaster said, “As drugs do, they evolve in different ways to create problems for our community and our state, and I think that we’re gonna have to be able to keep an open mind and continue to work through the spin-offs from what’s going on.”

Lemaster says he thinks educating young people about the dangers of drugs early on is one of the best ways in combatting substance abuse.

Substance Abuse Help Hotline: 1-844-HELP4WV

Gov. Tomblin to Hold Substance Abuse Summit in Martinsburg

With President Obama’s visit to Charleston just two short weeks ago, people and organizations across the state have responded to the President’s call to fight drugs and overdose deaths in West Virginia.

On Wednesday, Governor Tomblin continues this fight and travels to Martinsburg to host a summit with law enforcement and the community on substance abuse in the area.

Back in April, Senator Shelley Moore Capito visited Martinsburg to host a Drug Prevention Summit. During her visit, much of the community expressed concern about Berkeley County’s lack of treatment facilities and the rate at which heroin is trafficked throughout the county.

Berkeley County holds the number two spot for most heroin overdose deaths in the state, following Cabell County.

Now, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin visits Martinsburg to host his own summit on substance abuse and plans to take a comprehensive look at the state’s efforts to combat this problem in the Eastern Panhandle.

Berkeley County Sheriff Kenny Lemaster says he hopes the governor will bring new ideas to the table.

“There are things we can start doing with education; educating, you know within out school systems about the drugs, educating programs outside the school system, trying to help set up addiction facilities, and then also give us the resources to combat this, and you know allow the police to continue their fight to curb the continuous stream of drugs into our state,” Lemaster said.

Governor Tomblin’s Substance Abuse Summit will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 4 at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department in Martinsburg.

Former Berkeley County Deputy on Trial for Embezzlement

A former Berkeley County deputy is on trial on charges of embezzling guns from the sheriff’s office.

Fifty-four-year-old Dennis E. Streets of Martinsburg is charged with felony embezzlement and fraudulent scheme. The Herald-Mail reports that Street’s trial began Tuesday in Berkeley County Circuit Court.

Streets retired in January 2014 after working at the sheriff’s office since 1982. He was indicted in October 2014.

The indictment accuses Streets of taking more than $5,000 worth of guns from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office between October 2008 and March 2013.

Updated: Former Mussleman High Student Arrested for Making Terroristic Threats

Editor’s Note: We have redacted the photo and username of the person in question due to the potential of they being a minor. The tweets included in this post are graphic in nature and have not be edited.

Updated: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 9:40 a.m.

A former student faces charges of using a hacked Twitter account to threaten a Berkeley County school.

Police arrested 21-year-old Justin Matthew Light of Kearneysville around 1:30 a.m. Monday. Light is charged with making threats of terrorist acts.

Berkeley County Sheriff Kenneth Lemaster Jr. announced the arrest Monday afternoon during a joint news conference with school officials.

Schools Superintendent Manny Arvon says an individual in Massachusetts alerted authorities after seeing the online threats against Musselman High School. The threats were posted on Twitter on Sunday.

The Twitter account belongs to another former student who now attends Fairmont State University.

Light is being held at the Eastern Regional Jail.

Updated: Monday, October 13, 2014 at 1:05 p.m.

Berkeley County Schools says a former student at Musselman High School was arrested Monday for making terroristic threats against the school principal, students and staff. The school system says those responsible will face criminal prosecution.

Updated: Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 11:29 p.m.

Berkley County Sheriff Kenny Lemaster says an investigation is ongoing and a person of interest has been developed after threats were made Sunday to open fire at Musselman High School on Monday morning.

Lemaster says the threats were made after a Twitter account had been hacked. He says the person whose identity was compromised is not a suspect.

Lemaster says law enforcement officials are working towards making an arrest as evidence continues to be collected.

Classes at Musselman High School are planned for Monday.

Lemaster said additional officers will be on call, and law enforcement officials will have an increased presence at Musselman High School and throughout the county to try to ease student and parents concerns.

“We are urging people not to give into their fears on this. We are working hard with so students and staff can safely go to school,” Lemaster said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, West Virginia State Police, Martinsburg Police and Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department were involved in the investigation.

Original Post: Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 7:07 p.m.

Officials with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s department and West Virginia State Police have confirmed an investigation into threats of a shooting at Musselman High School.

A dispatcher at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s department said an investigator from that agency and a school resource officer from Musselman High were working together on the investigation.

Law enforcement officials said Sunday evening they were made aware of threatening tweets from what appeared to be a student claiming he would open fire on the school Monday morning.

They have provided no details about whether the student in question has been detained or arrested. When asked about confirming the legitimacy of the account–as to whether or not the account was truly that of the student in question or had been hacked–officials also declined comment.