FAYETTEVILLE - A father took exception to a statement made in a Fayette County Circuit Court hearing that his son's whereabouts are unknown.

Charles "Chuck" Andrews is the father of Sean Andrews. In a hearing last week, a childhood friend of Sean Andrews' testified as to what Sean Andrews told him about the disappearance of Jonathan Skaggs nearly 20 years ago.

At the time Skaggs disappeared, both Sean Andrews and Wes Jones were about 13 years old. In August 1999, Skaggs' body was found in many small, burned pieces near Oak Hill.

Charles Andrews called the Gazette-Mail to say that the Fayette County prosecutor knows where his son lives and that his son had given police a statement about the Skaggs case.

Fayette County Prosecutor Larry Harrah acknowledged in an interview Friday morning that he does know where Sean Andrews is.

Harrah said he traveled to Florida to try to get an official statement from Sean Andrews about his knowledge of what happened to Skaggs. The prosecutor said Sean Andrews would not agree to make an official statement.

When a reporter asked Harrah why he did not make it clear in last Tuesday's hearing that he knew where Sean Andrews is, Harrah said, "No one asked me."

Harrah also said that Public Defender Scott Stanton also knows where Sean Andrews is.

Contacted at his office, Stanton also acknowledged that he knew the whereabouts of Sean Andrews.

"But I cannot get him to respond to me," Stanton said.

He said he must go through a process to get a subpoena issued for someone who does not live within the state of West Virginia. Stanton said he is working on that process.

Stanton represents Clint Toney, who was indicted in 2015 for Skaggs' murder. Some of Skaggs' remains were found in a fire pit where Toney once lived. Stanton has asked a judge to dismiss the indictment, citing several reasons for the dismissal. Stanton subpoenaed Jones who testified Tuesday to what he said Sean Andrews told him about what he saw in 1999.

After swearing to tell the truth, Jones testified that Sean Andrews told him he was hiding in the woods and saw what was done to Skaggs. Sean Andrews' father disputes this. Charles Andrews said his son, who is 31 now, "knows nothing about the case."

At the conclusion of Tuesday's hearing, Fayette County Circuit Judge John Hatcher told both sides to prepare conclusions of law.

Susan Williams is a retired Gazette reporter.

The sizzling sound of wires under hot metal filled a training room at the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office Monday morning.

Eight members of the bomb squad formed an assembly line and pieced together 24 plastic eggs to use in an Easter event for the visually impaired.

With each quality check, the egg made a noise comparable to the sound of a beeping smoke detector.

Chasity Gillespie, a teacher for the visually impaired in Jackson County, first learned about beeping eggs when she read about a similar event in Florida.

Gillespie brought the idea to leaders of the bomb squad, and both hope the first event will lead to similar opportunities in the future.

She said the egg hunt on April 5 is not just about fun, but also a chance for the students to build confidence and meet peers with the same struggle.

"They practice traveling skills, searching skills, independence skills - and also getting the kids together to socialize," she said.

The event will be held at Cedar Lakes Conference Center from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., and Gillespie said she expects 15 to 20 students to attend.

Lt. Chris George said the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators donated the supplies and a set of building instructions.

The process, referred to as The Rachel Project on the organization's website, started in 2005 when member David Hyche wanted his blind daughter to enjoy an Easter egg hunt in Alabama, according to a news release.

The Blind Children's Center in Los Angeles, Calif., sent him instructions on how to build the eggs and hold an event.

Along with the egg, Hyche needed a switch, beeper and 9-volt battery. He also needed a large area with no holes or large rocks, according to the release.

A group of volunteers went on to build 40 eggs at a cost of about $11.50 per egg.

Hyche later became a regional director for the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, which has since worked with the group of bomb technicians and investigators.

Gillespie said there are 10 visually-impaired students in Jackson County, and students from other counties will join them to experience the egg hunt together.

She said she looks forward to "the joy of looking for these eggs and the excitement it brings."

Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @gsabella on Twitter.

Attorneys for Kanawha Valley residents and businesses still are working with lawyers for West Virginia American Water Company and Eastman Chemical on detailed documents to spell out the terms of a $151 million deal resolving the class-action lawsuit over the January 2014 Kanawha Valley water crisis.

The various sides are scheduled to meet again next week with U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver as part of their continuing effort to "finalize details of the settlement and commit the settlement protocol to writing for consideration by the court," the judge said in an order issued Monday.

In the one-page order, Copenhaver pushed the trial date in the case back again, this time from Tuesday until April 25. The move mostly is a formality, because no trial is really planned in the case, unless the settlement were to fall apart, and there has been no indication that is likely to happen.

Tentative settlements were reached in late October between the lawyers for hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses and attorneys for West Virginia American Water and Eastman Chemical.

Under the deals, West Virginia American would pay up to $126 million and Eastman up to $25 million to residents, businesses, and workers who were unable to use their tap water during the "do not use" order period that followed the contamination of the region's Elk River water supply by a spill of MCHM and other chemicals from the Freedom Industries facility just 1.5 miles upstream from the water company intake.

Lawyers now are trying to work out the exact language of longer and more detailed settlement documents that must be submitted to Copenhaver for his review and approval and for a public review period that allows members of the plaintiff class to object or opt-out of the deal. More information about how residents and businesses can file claims for compensation will be made public once those formal settlement documents are publicly filed with the court.

Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kward@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1702 or follow @kenwardjr on Twitter.

Earlier this month, vandals destroyed numerous doors and windows on the structure, threw furniture from a second-floor window onto the ground, spray painted walls with graffiti and profanity and ripped the railing off a second-story porch. The building is one of many structures in the Thurmond Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, that is owned by the New River Gorge National River. In the early 2000s, the boarding house and other structures in the Thurmond Historic District were stabilized to give park visitors a chance to see what the once-bustling railroad town looked like, but their interiors were sealed from entry.

Known officially as the John Bullock/Roger Armandtrout House, the building was known as Fatty Lipscomb's Guest House, an inexpensive haven for kayakers and other New River paddlers, in the years immediately preceding the National Park Service's acquisition of the property. In the movie "Matewan," the building served as a boarding house during the West Virginia Mine Wars that housed both Baldwin-Felts detectives and a labor organizer portrayed by actor Chris Cooper in his debut film appearance.

"This kind of intentional destruction is not only unlawful, but it is also very disrespectful to the community of Thurmond and to the thousands of visitors who come each year to learn more about this historic treasure," said Lizzie Watts, superintendent of New River Gorge National River. "We are reaching out to the community to assist us in finding the person or people responsible for this crime."

Vandalism is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000, and often involves a community service requirement to serve as partial restitution for the crime.

Spray-painted tags left by the vandals include Zone Boys, 304-440 Gang, Caddie, Brandon, Pookie, Justine and #FreeBriscoenotTyler.

NPS officials are urging anyone with information regarding the vandalism to contact the New River Gorge National River at 304-465-6516.

A Charleston man who admitted he shot at another man as he drove past him on Falcon Drive was sentenced Monday to spend more than four years in federal prison. William Cody McClung, 31, was sentenced to spend four years and three months in prison. McClung previously admitted that he illegally possessed a firearm after being convicted of a felony.

McClung admitted that on Dec. 6, 2015, he shot at a man as he drove past him on Falcon Drive in Charleston. After the shooting, police obtained a warrant to search McClung's house.

The 9 mm handgun was located at the residence along with two other weapons, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Carol Casto's office.

U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver Jr. handed down the sentence on Monday.

At least one person is dead after a vehicle fire off Corridor G near Southridge Centre.

Kanawha Metro 911 dispatchers said the car was coming down Parkway Road at about 10:45 p.m. Monday when it crossed all four lanes of Corridor G and went over a hill. The car, which came to a stop in the wooded area between Corridor G and Ruthdale Road, caught fire. At press time, it was unclear if any other people were in the vehicle.

Multiple law enforcement and emergency service agencies responded to the crash.

South Charleston police are investigating the crash.

West Virginia State Police arrested a 69-year-old man last week after he allegedly encouraged people to shoot Nicholas County Schools Superintendent Donna Burge-Tetrick amid conversations about the district's plan to consolidate its schools.

James "Jim" Swartz Jr., of Leivasy, made the comment March 3 in a Facebook group where members - mostly opposed to consolidation - update each other on the plan to close Richwood schools, according to a criminal complaint filed in Nicholas County Magistrate Court.

"Why don't one of our red necks just shoot her. Not dead just a shoulder injury would do, lol," he reportedly wrote.

Several people reportedly agreed with Swartz, who soon deleted his post after the number of comments multiplied, according to the complaint.

Burge-Tetrick reported Swartz's comment to the county's prosecuting attorney and requested a criminal investigation.

She also requested security for a meeting about the school closings, the complaint states.

Police arrested Swartz late last week on a charge of making threats of terrorist acts.

Authorities soon released Swartz after he posted a $10,000 bail.

Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-358-5189 or

@Gsabella on Twitter.

Workers at Kanawha Metro 911 hosted a surprise celebration for Lt. Blaine Means on Tuesday. Means marks his 30-year anniversary at the Ned Chilton 911 Center.

Charleston Police arrested a 48-year-old Charleston man Wednesday after he allegedly harassed one of its detectives.

Ryan Drake, of Charleston, first called the detective March 13 at 9 p.m. and left a vague message, according to the criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

He said there was a "big hoax" and the detective was a pervert who wanted to find a 17-year-old kid, the complaint states.

The detective reportedly called Drake back and suggested he had the wrong number.

Drake said he meant to contact the detective, and then he called him a pedophile and said he would "take care of him," according to the complaint.

He also reportedly mentioned a double homicide the detective investigated in Drake's neighborhood during February.

In a separate investigation, the detective suspected Drake's son of being an accomplice to Bobby Hall, who is accused of shooting and killing a man and woman in the double homicide.

On Tuesday night, the detective connected his phone to a charger and got in bed. Drake called almost immediately after, the complaint states.

The detective reportedly walked to the next room and hoped the call wouldn't wake up his children. Drake cursed and then hung up, according to the complaint.

Police arrested Drake on a charge of telephone harassment and took him to South Central Regional Jail, where he remained in lieu of a $5,000 bail Wednesday afternoon.

Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or @gsabella on Twitter.

A Charleston woman faces up to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm Wednesday.

Tiffany Shaffer, 27, said she pulled out a pistol in front of a confidential informant whom she sold crystal methamphetamine to on Jan. 9, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Authorities searched Shaffer's home a week later and found two more guns, the release states. Her previous felony stemmed from a conviction for conspiracy to operate a clandestine drug laboratory.

Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide program to reduce gun crime in the U.S., helped bring the case to court. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation, according to the release.

Shaffer remained at South Central Regional Jail without bond Wednesday afternoon. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 19.

Kanawha County's domestic violence court program, which was put in place more than five years ago as a way to monitor those cases more closely, was disbanded Wednesday by order of the West Virginia Supreme Court.

Gary Johnson, the Supreme Court's administrative director, said complaints had been received about the Kanawha domestic violence program. He did not describe those complaints.

"Because of the nature of the complaints and because the Domestic Violence Court is such an important program, we want to make sure the cases are being handled in a proper manner," Johnson said. "The complaints we received were referred to the Judicial Investigation Commission, and I cannot comment further."

Under the program, Kanawha Magistrate Julie Yeager handled all of the county's domestic violence cases. Those cases will again be distributed among Kanawha County's 10 magistrates.

"These changes will better serve domestic violence victims," Johnson said in an email.

Yeager said Wednesday she was called to a meeting earlier in the day with Johnson and Kanawha Chief Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey. She thought it was because she had asked for more office space, because her domestic violence caseload continued to grow.

"I was told by Mr. Johnson that justices had decided to dissolve the court," Yeager said. "Of course, I was shocked, but there's so many changes going on.

"I've not heard about complaints. I'm not aware of any investigation," Yeager said. "All I can say is that the court has been so successful."

Kanawha Prosecuting Attorney Charles Miller and Kanawha Chief Public Defender Diana Panucci would not comment on the domestic violence court's end.

Kanawha's domestic violence court was put in place to streamline cases involving allegations of domestic violence, with one magistrate and one family court judge handling those cases.

The program began in Kanawha County in 2012 as an experiment by the Supreme Court. Yeager has handled the domestic violence caseload in magistrate court since then and, initially, Family Judge Mike Kelly oversaw those cases in family court.

In 2014, though, Kelly retired. His replacement, Joe Zak, wouldn't agree to handle only domestic violence cases. Since then, cases in family court have been shared among the county's five judges.

Yeager, and the three assistants assigned to her, maintained the domestic violence caseload in magistrate court. It was taken off pilot-status last year and five additional counties were permitted to open their own domestic violence courts. No other county in the state has done so.

Supreme Court officials explained in 2015 that, while the program experienced incredible success under Yeager and Kelly, it hadn't yet been determined if the court would prove beneficial with only a single magistrate dedicated to it.

The cases served as a point of contention during last year's Kanawha magistrate race, as several candidates expressed frustration over the arrangement.

"It's nothing personal, but I feel a change is needed," said Melanie Rucker, a longtime magistrate assistant who ran against Yeager.

Rucker, along with Magistrate Tim Halloran, said the domestic violence cases shouldn't all be assigned to one magistrate.

"A magistrate is supposed to handle the entire caseload," Halloran said at the time. Others complained that Yeager was given special treatment by handling only one type of case. She had been taken out of the night-shift rotation and doesn't have to work weekends or holidays, Halloran said last year.

Some have been critical that Yeager has a staff of three assistants, when other magistrates have one. Yeager said Wednesday that two of her assistants no longer will work in magistrate court. They were hired with grant money for the domestic violence program, she said.

"With about 6,000 cases a year, we've had a staff of three," Yeager said. "It's taken years to perfect what we have - it's not something that can be done overnight. It's just a huge, huge loss. This is a sad day for Kanawha County."

Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.

Jury selection began Wednesday in the case against a man charged with malicious assault in the beating of then-candidate Sen. Richard Ojeda, D-Logan.

Jonathan Porter, 42, of Holden, will stand trial on the charge in Logan County Circuit Court. Kanawha Circuit Judge Duke Bloom was appointed to preside over the case after both Logan circuit judges recused themselves from it.

Bloom will return to Logan on Monday to complete jury selection and begin Porter's trial, said Logan Prosecuting Attorney John Bennett.

Ojeda was attacked in the days before he defeated the incumbent senator, Art Kirkendoll, in one of the biggest political upsets in Logan County history.

Ojeda has said Porter hit him from behind with a pipe and brass knuckles and then tried to run him over with a pickup.

West Virginia State Police are investigating Mark Sumpter, a former member of the Boone County Board of Education, and Danny Cantley, a current member, as part of an embezzlement case that led to the arrest of two others earlier this month.

Cantley is listed as a current board member on the Boone County Schools website, along with a criminal complaint filed in Boone County Magistrate Court on March 8.

Sumpter left his position as the board's president in late October 2016. In a past interview, Sumpter said personal issues and his plans to leave the county led to the resignation.

Cpl. Dean Brinegar, who is investigating the case, confirmed both Sumpter and Cantley are being investigated.

"They received property that was paid for by Boone County Schools," he alleged.

Brinegar said more information about the ongoing investigation will likely be available in the coming weeks.

Earlier this month, police arrested two employees of the Boone County Schools Transportation Department after they allegedly stole more than $20,000 through fraudulent purchases.

David Jarrell, who served as the transportation director, and Tracy Harvey, who worked as a mechanic, reportedly bought tires, lift kits, mud flaps and a host of other goods for their own use.

Authorities charged Jarrell and Harvey with embezzlement and fraudulent schemes. Before their arraignment, both men told police they made fraudulent purchases for Cantley and Sumpter, who are still under investigation.

After the initial arrests, Superintendent Jeff Huffman said the lost money could have gone toward employee salaries.

When it comes to the public school system's more than 500 employees, the full-time professionals suffered a $3,800 to $4,000 salary cut in July, and the full-time service employees - including custodians and bus drivers - suffered a $3,650 to $3,850 salary cut.

Huffman, Sumpter and Cantley could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or @Gsabella on Twitter.

Before jurors decide the fate of a South Charleston man accused of killing and stuffing a 2-year-old boy in a freezer, prosecutors must decide which charge they want him to be found guilty of.

Jarrel Stricklen, 24, who is accused of killing Gavin Aldridge in May 2015, was indicted by a Kanawha County grand jury on both charges of first-degree murder and death by a parent, guardian, custodian or other person by refusal to supply necessities.

During a pretrial hearing on Thursday, one of Stricklen's lawyers asked Kanawha Circuit Judge Charles King to require prosecutors pick one of those charges to bring against Stricklen at trial.

"These are contrary indictments," said Charleston lawyer Matthew Stonestreet. "One of them accuses him of premeditation, while the other says he failed to care. This puts [Stricklen] at a disadvantage defending himself. Are we accusing him of failing to do something or actually doing something?

"We just want to know what he's charged with," Stonestreet said.

Assistant Kanawha prosecutor Maryclaire Akers told King that Stricklen is indicted "in the alternative." That means jurors are presented with both charges to decide between.

Akers said the case was brought with an alternative charge against Stricklen because of the autopsy conducted on the 2-year-old by the state Medical Examiner.

King, despite saying he didn't see how the two charges put Stricklen at a disadvantage, ruled prosecutors must make up their mind about which charge for jurors to deliberate on before closing arguments are made in the case.

Gavin Aldridge died from "physical assault with fatal asphyxiation with the possibility of hypothermia," according to an autopsy conducted by the state Medical Examiner. "We charged it that way because it depends which way the Medical Examiner goes," Akers said of the two charges Stricklen faces.

Something stopped the boy from breathing, but no water was found in his lungs or nose, South Charleston police previously said. Stricklen initially told police the child's death was an accidental drowning. The Medical Examiner wrote that the "findings were inconsistent with a drowning," however.

The child had been dead for several hours when Stricklen allegedly placed him in a freezer. He didn't call 911 until the next day, prosecutors said.

Stricklen's trial had been set to begin on Monday, but King agreed Thursday to push it back. Prosecutors requested a continuance in the trial because a witness they expect to call to testify as an expert won't be available next week, Akers said.

A new trial date was expected to be scheduled Friday, King said.

Stricklen had been set to go to trial in December but a psychological report to determine his competency hadn't yet been provided to King at the time. Stricklen was determined competent to stand trial, the report showed.

Akers revealed during Thursday's hearing that on the day of the toddler's death, Stricklen had asked to babysit the boy three times. The child's mother eventually dropped the boy off at Stricklen's house before taking his twin brother for an emergency room visit because that boy had hit his head on a coffee table, according to Akers.

Troy Giatras, another of Stricklen's lawyers, has questioned why the child was left with Stricklen in the first place. He wasn't a paid babysitter and didn't really know the child's mother, Meghan Aldridge.

Stricklen's lawyers Thursday asked that they be provided transcripts of interviews conducted by officials with Child Protective Services and Meghan Aldridge's three other children in the aftermath of Gavin's death.

When prosecutors pushed back, Stonestreet said that prosecutors "are saying every bruise [on the child] is a product of this one incident."

"If there have been other abuse allegations made we should know about them. One kid went to the emergency room on the day the child went to the defendant's," Stonestreet said.

Akers said she didn't have any documents from CPS involving an investigation into the child's mother. She said it would require an order from King to obtain the sealed information. The prosecutor also said she didn't think a CPS report would change the case against Stricklen.

"The defendant only watched one of the twin boys and maybe only one or two times before this incident. The mother was never present and there are no allegations of abuse against her," the prosecutor said. "He is the only person who had custody of the child when the child was suffocated and killed," Akers added, pointing toward Stricklen.

Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.

Jerome Sutton said Thursday that he knows a North Carolina man didn't set out to kill his brother during a shootout last year at a North Charleston bar.

But Jacques Slade, of Gastonia, North Carolina, wasn't even supposed to have a gun the night Jamaine Sutton, 32, of Dunbar, was killed, said Kanawha Circuit Judge Duke Bloom on Thursday. Bloom handed down the maximum prison sentence to the man.

"People are too quick to pull out a gun. First of all, you should not have had a gun," the judge told Slade on Thursday.

Slade, 26, pleaded guilty last month to voluntary manslaughter for Jamaine Sutton's death, which occurred during a shootout at the Boondocks Bar and Grill on Washington Street West. Slade also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He initially was charged with murder.

Bloom on Thursday sentenced him to spend 15 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and five years for possessing a gun.

"To run consecutively," the judge said, "one after the other."

Before his sentence was handed down Thursday, Slade said nothing more than that he wanted to apologize to Sutton's family.

Slade, who is represented by former county prosecutor Mark Plants, admitted to firing shots on the night Sutton was killed, but said he wasn't aiming for Sutton.

"I didn't even know him," he said during his plea hearing.

The manslaughter charge carries a potential 3- to 15-year prison sentence and the gun charge carries a 5-year maximum.

Jerome Sutton spoke about what kind of person his younger brother was before the sentencing. The death has been a huge loss for his family, Jerome Sutton said.

"My brother had a daughter - has a daughter," Jerome Sutton said. "That's going to be rough road every day for her. He was a good person, a really good person. He was really well liked."

Although four other people were shot, Jamaine Sutton was the only one who died as a result of a shootout inside the bar which broke out just after 2 a.m. on May 14.

Jamaine Sutton was shot five times and pronounced dead at the scene, assistant Kanawha prosecutor Fred Giggenbach said. Any one of three gunshot wounds - one to his head, another in his shoulder and a shot in the back - would have killed the man, the prosecutor said.

"The defendant chose to pull a gun and fire very recklessly into a crowd," Giggenbach said of Slade. "We ask the court to impose the maximum sentence and run them consecutively."

The weapon used to kill Sutton has not been recovered. There is video of the incident but it's not clear, as the bar was very dark, according to Giggenbach. There also is no DNA or fingerprint evidence to show who shot Sutton, the prosecutor previously said.

While he said he knows Slade didn't set out to kill his brother, Jerome Sutton said he hopes Slade will spend his time in prison trying to change his life.

"I don't know much about him," Jerome Sutton said of Slade, "but I do know the rash decision he made that night cost my brother his life."

Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.

With less than two months left in his federal prison sentence, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship has been moved to a halfway house in Phoenix, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons website.

The agency website says Blankenship is now housed at RRM Phoenix, a residential reentry management field office.

Blankenship, who turned 67 on March 14, was previously doing his time at Correctional Institute Taft near Bakersfield, California. It was not immediately clear when Blankenship was moved.

He is serving a one-year sentence after he was convicted of conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards at Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine, where 29 workers died in an April 2010 explosion. He is scheduled to be released from custody on May 10. He must also serve one year of supervised release.

The Bureau of Prisons says that halfway houses "provide assistance to inmates who are nearing release." It says the facilities provide "a safe, structured, supervised environment, as well as employment counseling, job placement, financial management assistance, and other programs and services." It says the facilities "help inmates gradually rebuild their ties to the community and facilitate supervising ex-offenders' activities during this readjustment phase."

In February, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down Blankenship's request for a rehearing on his appeal of his criminal conviction. He can still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The deadline for that is in late May.

Prosecutors asked a Kanawha County judge on Friday to allow the state parole board do its job in the case of an East Bank man, who has served nearly eight years of a possible 35-year prison sentence after being convicted of several sexual assaults.

Thomas Henry Gravely was convicted in 2009 of four counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree sexual assault. Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman sentenced Gravely the following year to a 15- to 35-year prison sentence. The judge allowed the sentences for all of the charges of which Gravely was convicted to be served at the same time. Kaufman could have sentenced the man to spend nearly 200 years in prison.

Gravely was back in court Friday asking Kaufman to reconsider the sentence. Gravely hopes to be able to complete his sentence on home confinement.

"I want to be able to see my kids graduate," Gravely, a father of five, said during Friday's hearing.

Kaufman didn't make a ruling Friday. He asked lawyers to submit proposed orders.

Reconsideration hearings usually aren't held outside of the 120 days following a defendant's sentencing hearing. Gravely's request for reconsideration is part of his habeas corpus petition, which alleges his former lawyer was ineffective.

Ed Rebrook represented Gravely during the 2009 trial. Following sentencing, ReBrook didn't timely file a motion asking Kaufman to reconsider the sentence, according to documents in the case. ReBrook gave notice to the West Virginia Supreme Court that he planned to appeal Gravely's conviction, but no appeal was ever filed, according to Gravely's latest lawyer John Carr.

Documents note that Gravely did file motions on his own behalf requesting the reconsideration hearing. Assistant Kanawha prosecutor Fred Giggenbach, who prosecuted Gravely during the 2009 trial, agreed last month that Gravely deserved to have his sentence reconsidered.

Giggenbach, though, is adamant that Gravely needs to remain in jail. He said the judge cut Gravely a break with his original sentence.

"You're not the parole board," Giggenbach told Kaufman during Friday's hearing.

Gravely isn't eligible to appear before the parole board until 2024. By then, he will have served 15 years in prison.

The prosecutor also dismissed the progress Gravely reported making while incarcerated. He obtained his GED while in prison. A copy of his state Division of Corrections file was provided to Kaufman before the hearing.

"Nothing has changed," said Giggenbach, adding that Gravely previously admitted to sexually assaulting between 15 and 20 sex workers in Charleston. "The facts of the crimes have remained the same. Three women sexually assaulted by knifepoint and strangulation."

During Gravely's sentencing hearing nearly eight years ago, Giggenbach requested a stiff sentence. While Gravely's victims may have agreed to have sex with him in exchange for money, "they did not agree to be raped by knifepoint and violence," the prosecutor said at the time.

None of the victims in the case attended Friday's hearing. Giggenbcah said one of the women had told him she wanted to and planned to attend the proceeding.

ReBrook stressed during Gravely's 2009 sentencing that the victims in the case were prostitutes, including one who admitted during the trial that she had sex - mostly oral - with up to 10 men a night until she made enough money to support her $250- to $350-a-day crack cocaine habit, according to previous Gazette-Mail reports.

"These people with whom he was engaged were not innocents he pulled off the streets," ReBrook said at the time. "We're not talking about normal, average people."

Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @katelwhite on Twitter.

The Nitro Police Department is investigating after a body was found in the Kanawha River near 12th Street, a Kanawha County 911 dispatcher confirmed. Media outlets report police received a call about the body around 1 p.m. Saturday.

A call to the police department was not returned Saturday.

Marriages

The following people filed for marriage licenses in Kanawha County between March 16 and 23, 2017:

Mark Christopher Ratliff, 28, and Crystalyn Spring Sowards, 33, both of Cross Lanes.

Douglas Gene White, 67, and Donna Kay Nichols, 51, both of Charleston.

Ronald Wayne Taylor, 59, of Charleston and Christine Lynn Redding, 67, of Delray Beach, Florida.

Jeffrey Pahl Hayhurst, 33, and Diana Cotoros, 23, both of Charleston.

Brent Millerd Wolfe, 49, of Dunbar and Kathryn Sue Greene, 48 of Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Nicholas Dean Evans, 19, and Abagail Kathaleen Walden, 20, both of Belle.

Andrew Stephen Cassis, 27 and Michelle Marie Romeo, 28, both of Charleston.

Lonnie Wain Smith, 53, and Janice Faye Linger, 50, both of St. Albans.

Raymond Scott Smith, 53, of Cross Lanes and Tammra Lynn Neville, 55, of Charleston.

Coty Dale Smith, 24, of Cabin Creek and Taylor Michelle Howell, 22, of Belle.

Michael John Kroll, 45, and Gale Lafon Kirby, 52, both of Charleston.

Scott Andrew Yates, 39, of Charleston and Tina Lynn King, 45, of South Charleston.

William Ray Lacy, 33, and Stefani Nichole Kargel, 33, both of Charleston.

Justin Richard Atkinson, 36, and Diane Lee Stephens, 62, both of St. Albans.

Richard Alan Radford Jr., 49, and Mechelle Lynn Vickers, 43, both of Dunbar.

Alexander Franklin Hall, 25, and Michelle Lea Legg, 25, both of London.

Divorces

The following people filed for divorce in Kanawha County between March 16 and 23, 2017:

Leeta Faye Beachum from Paul Andrew Beachum

Brittany M. Day from Jason A. Day

Rhonda Gail Castle from Brian Lee Castle

Kathryn Elizabeth LaGrange from Matthew Raymond LaGrange

Mary Elizabeth Thomas from Denton Lloyd Thomas

William E. Jarrell from Nikki Ann Elswick

Kelly Jo Martin from Thomas Andrew Martin

David Dewayne Balser from Bobbi Jo Balser

Donna Jean Claypool from James Allan Claypool

Denni Ray Smith from Rebecca Jean Smith

Raisa Lychelle Rich from Jonathan Lawrence Rich

Michael Allen Means from Angela Dawn Payne

Brittany Nicole Berry from Shawn Paul Berry

Amanda Nicole Young from Christopher Dale Young

Whitney Donn Buonarto from Michael Angelo Buonarto

Danielle N. Edgell from Scotty Lee Edgell

Brittany Kay Core from Michael Wayne Core

Briana Morgan Poe from Dakota Brent Jernell

Adara Farris from Robert Farris

Diana Deloris Pratt from Van Sterlin Pratt

Terry Gene Turner Jr. from Rachel Renee Turner

Property transfers

The following property transfers of $75,000 or more were recorded in Kanawha County between March 16 and 23, 2017:

Stephen L. Thompson to Christine J. Tribble. Condominium, Kanawha City Tax District, $112,000.

Christopher A. and Bridget N. May to Zeina N. Haidar. Lot, Charleston, $290,000.

Marc Bryson to Hillary M. Harrison and Daniel E. Davis. Lot, Charleston West District, $193,000.

Richard A. Pill and David D. Pill to West Virginia Housing Fund. Lot, St. Albans, $76,909.66.

Chad A. Ellis to B. Yvonne Black. Lot, Union District, $106,900.

Larry M. II and Marsha E. Angell to Kim A. Whittington. Lot, Union District, $285,000.

Jason Goff and Starlena Slater to Adam M. Elkins. Lot, Union District, $125,000.

Deborah L. Shuff to David M. and Christina Difilippo. Lot, South Charleston, $120,000.

Linda Gale Sigmon Facemyer, Helen Carol Murphy et al. to Joshua R. and Callie E. Gingerich. Parcel, Poca District, $90,000.

Howard L. Williams to John P. and Wanda C. Thacker. Lots, Jefferson District, $75,000.

Hanover Property Management LLC to Allie W. Smaidi. Lot, Charleston, $155,000.

Sharon F. Daugherty to Beatrice Mae Coffman. Lots, Elk District, $280,000.

Steven F. Luby to Jason C. Pizatella. Lot, Charleston, $229,900.

Michael B. Cochran II to William J. Kimberling. Lot, Charleston, $125,000.

Garrett K. Tomblin to Conrad G. II and Patricia A. Lucas. Lot, Charleston South Annex District, $245,000.

Lisa Drennen Shaffer and Matthew Thomas Drennen to Brian T. Morrison. Lot, South Charleston, $80,000.

George John Stablein and Anne M. Berry to Aaron M. and Kathleen A. Ferrari. Lot, Big Sandy District, $91,300.

Jessica M. Angle to Sherry L. Spencer. Lot, Jefferson District, 102,500.

Roger Kelly to Kellie M. and William R. Blake. Lot, Jefferson District, $90,000.

Robert W. and Susan D. Dowell from Jessica Lee and Robert Lee Smith II. Lot, Loudon District, $136,000.

Christopher B. Paul and Brittany J. Dickson-Paul to My Hardy and Paul Hardy Jr. Lots, Jefferson District, $220,000.

James E. and Lesa K. Jones to Jennifer L. Mathis. Parcel, Dunbar, $162,500.

Marvin Smith, Donald Lanham and Vernon Bowen as Trustees of Fairlawn Baptist Church to Shree Durga Shiva Vishnu Temple. Lots, Dunbar, $160,000.

JDI Asset Management LLC to Joseph Z. Wiley and Carly B. McConnell. Lot, Charleston South Annex, $155,000.

Thomas P. and Deborah A. Schoolcraft to Ridley E. and Brenda S. Durham. Lot, Jefferson District, $185,000.

Lynn Johnston to Lorna V. Harris. Lot, Charleston, $150,000.

Jeffrey A. Petry Jr. to Thayer E. Winnell and Betty J. Taylor. Lot, Union District, $160,000.

Robert B. and Tina M. Taylor to Benjamin Paul Samples. Lot, St. Albans, $149,900.

Karen E. Pettit, Phillip M. Legg et al. to Sarah Wilson. Parcel, Loudon District, $94,000.

Seneca Trustees Inc. to PennyMac Loan Services LLC. Lot, Jefferson District, $80,334.80.

Bankruptcies

The bankruptcies listed below are limited to those filed by residents or companies in the Gazette-Mail's circulation area. Chapter 7 designates the liquidation of non-exempt property; Chapter 11 calls for business reorganization; Chapter 13 establishes a schedule of payments to creditors. The following bankruptcies were filed between March 17 and 24, 2017:

Rex Steel Hamilton, Mammoth, Chapter 7. Assets: $38,200, Liabilities: $74,202.

Ashley Rene Nunn, South Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $30,170, Liabilities: $46,209.

Duaine Gregory Cowley, Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $50,042, Liabilities: $62,741.

Charles William Roth, Nitro, Chapter 7. Assets: $11,919, Liabilities: $35,362.

Laura Elizabeth Vesely, South Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $48,345, Liabilities: $46,971.

Samuel Robert Walker-Matthews, Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $237,994, Liabilities: $1,088,521.

Roy Lee and Hester Wilma Curry, Delbarton, Chapter 7. Assets: $60,665, Liabilities: $103,637.

Belinda Faye Kiser, Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $10,741, Liabilities: $30,911.

Jessica Yvonne Whitmore, Dunbar, Chapter 7. Assets: $18,851, Liabilities: $425,193.

Gary Wayne Sr. and Kimberly Sue Linville, Hamlin, Chapter 7. Assets: $55,017, Liabilities: $88,904.

Randall Wade and Elizabeth Mae Watkins, Nitro, Chapter 7. Assets: $67,010, Liabilities: $111,246.

Erica Wesley Trigg, South Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $139,454, Liabilities: $231,787.

James Carl Blackburn Jr., Williamson, Chapter 7. Assets: $46,205, Liabilities: $135,372.

Bliss Ryan Koontz, Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $3,735, Liabilities: $20,376.

Douglas Lee and Linda Sue Damron, Danville, Chapter 7. Assets: $67,278, Liabilities: $86,329.

Cherri Lynn Wilson, Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $25,950, Liabilities: $46,385.

Francis Marcelles and Rebecca Sue Pollastrini, Fayetteville, Chapter 7. Assets: $244,503, Liabilities: $219,392.

Roger Lee and Patty Gail Justice, Chapter 7. Assets: Unavailable, Liabilities: Unavailable.

Scott Alan Maddy, Alderson, Chapter 7. Assets: $56,284, Liabilities: $36,229.

Matthew Ogle, Shady Spring, Chapter 7. Assets: $22,3675, Liabilities: $314,103.

Shawn Tyrone Taylor, Charleston, Chapter 13. Assets: $171,515, Liabilities: $128,214.

Jessica Rena Smith, Nettie, Chapter 13. Assets: $0, Liabilities: $84,346.

Clifford Ray and Patsy Evangeline Mills, Alderson, Chapter 13. Assets: $209,286, Liabilities: $682,112.

Lindsey Taylor Wolford and Candi Lee Wolford, White Sulphur Springs, Chapter 13. Assets: $148,232, Liabilities: $167,630.

The following crimes were reported to the Charleston Police Department between March 16 and 23, 2017:

East District:

Lee Street East 200 block, petit larceny, March 16, 2 p.m.

Lee Street East 200 block, breaking and entering auto, March 16, 9 p.m.

Summers Street 100 block, breaking and entering auto, March 17, 11:17 a.m.

Washington Street East 900 block, breaking and entering, March 17, noon.

Morris Street 500 block, petit larceny, March 17, 1 p.m.

Leon Sullivan Way 500 block, petit larceny, March 17, 3:30 p.m.

Capital Street 100 block, petit larceny, March 18, 2:31 p.m.

Charleston Town Center, shoplifting, March 18, 3 p.m.

Morris/Lewis streets, robbery, March 19, 3:45 a.m.

Shrewsbury/Smith streets, robbery March 20, 7 p.m.

Washington Street East 2400 block, grand larceny auto, March 21, midnight.

Washington Street East 100 block, petit larceny auto, March 21, 8 a.m.

Summers Street 100 block, petit larceny, March 21, 6:30 p.m.

South District:

RHL Boulevard 200 block, shoplifting, March 16, 10:34 a.m.

Mountaineer Boulevard 2600 block, shoplifting, March 16, 1 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue Southeast 6500 block, shoplifting, March 16, 3:30 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue Southeast 6500 block, shoplifting, March 16, 9:45 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue Southeast 6500 block, shoplifting, March 17, 4:30 p.m.

30th Street 300 block, breaking and entering, March 17, 5 p.m.

Huber Road 2000 block, burglary, March 17, 6:30 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue Southeast 5300 block, burglary, March 18, 10 a.m.

Cross Terrace Boulevard 200 block, shoplifting, March 18, 2 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 6500 block, breaking and entering auto, March 18, 7 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 4000 block, grand larceny auto, March 19, 7:30 p.m.

Virginia Avenue 3700 block, breaking and entering auto, March 20, 2:30 a.m.

Delaware Avenue 500 block, shoplifting, March 20, 7 a.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 3800 block, shoplifting, March 20, 9:30 p.m.

Leslie Road 900 block, burglary, March 21, 11 a.m.

57th Street , petit larceny auto, March 21, 4:29 p.m.

Oakwood Road 100 block, grand larceny auto, March 21, 6:37 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 3100 block, petit larceny, March 21, 8:30 p.m.

West District:

Tennessee Avenue 200 block, breaking and entering, March 17, 4:23 a.m.

Chandler Drive 1600 block, burglary, March 17, 5 p.m.

Washington Street West 2200 block, petit larceny, March 17, 6 p.m.

Summit Drive West 1600 block, breaking and entering auto, March 17, 9:30 p.m.

Central Avenue 900 block, grand larceny auto, March 17, 11 p.m.

Wood Road 600 block, breaking and entering auto, March 18, 12:30 a.m.

Grant Street 500 block, breaking and entering auto, March 18, 4:32 p.m.

4th Avenue 1700 block, shoplifting, March 18, 10:17 p.m.

Delaware Avenue 200 block, strangulation, March 19, 2:30 a.m.

4th Avenue 1700 block, shoplifting, March 19, 1:13 p.m

Virginia Street West 700 block, shoplifting, March 19, 4:40 p.m.

Patrick Street Plaza 1800 block, brandishing, March 20, 2:45 a.m.

7th Avenue 2600 block, breaking and entering auto, March 20, 9:10 a.m.

1st Avenue 1500 block, burglary, March 20, 7 p.m.

Patrick Street Plaza 300 block, breaking and entering, March 20, 8 p.m.

Sissonville Drive 2300 block, shoplifting, March 21, 11:55 a.m.

Ferguson Avenue 1100 block, breaking and entering auto, March 22, midnight.

6th Street 900 block, shoplifting, March 22, 7:52 a.m.

Littlepage Terrace, petit larceny auto, March 22, 5 p.m.

26th Street 400 block, grand larceny auto, March 22, 7:53 p.m.