KINGWOOD, W.Va. (AP) - A Terra Alta man has been given the maximum sentence for a DUI with death.

The Dominion Post of Morgantown reports that in August 2014, 27-year-old Jerold Lee Sisler was driving a pickup truck that crossed the center line of W.Va. 7 near Hopemont. The truck hit a car driven by 34-year-old Saunya Sines, killing her.

On Monday, Judge Lawrance Miller Jr. sentenced Sisler to 2 to 10 years in prison with credit for time served, but denied the request for probation and ordered him to prison.

State Police said Sisler initially denied he was driving the truck. His blood alcohol level was .276 when it was measured, according to police. The legal driving limit is .08.

Jim Humphreys, a Charleston area lawyer who has been sued by his former clients, has announced that his law firm has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

As of Wednesday, James F. Humphreys & Associates stated that it was entering bankruptcy in order to "resolve all pending and potential claims against the firm in one forum and in a timely and equitable manner."

Humphreys, a former Democratic state senator who ran for a state Congressional seat in 1999, has been sued for allegedly causing hundreds of his former clients to miss a deadline to collect damages under asbestos-exposure lawsuits and trying to cover up those mistakes.

"Our first and foremost obligation is to our clients," Humphreys said in a news release. "As painful and as difficult as it is to take this step, this action will allow us to move quickly and transparently to identify and pay these obligations, and settle any legitimate claims against the firm."

According to the release, Humphreys' hope is that the law firm's "issues can be sorted out quickly and effectively in bankruptcy court, ultimately enabling the firm to continue offering effective legal representation."

The action, according to the release, should not affect the day-to-day operations of the firm and current cases it is handling.

"I profoundly regret any inconvenience this situation has caused and I am determined to make sure each and every one of these clients is made whole," Humphreys said.

One of the five defendants who admitted taking part in the violent robbery of Foodland on MacCorkle Avenue in 2014 failed out of a program designed for youthful offenders that he was sentenced to attend.

Ricky Patterson, 19, was sentenced to spend time in the Anthony Center in June after he admitted being paid $30 to enter the Kanawha City store and serve as a lookout while others robbed the store. A store clerk was shot during the robbery.

On Wednesday, Patterson, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, appeared again before Kanawha Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit. Prosecutors said he was "deemed unfit" for the Anthony Center program, which lasts between six months and two years.

Tabit said she was concerned Patterson was trying to manipulate the court system. If she were to sentence him to prison Wednesday, he would immediately be eligible for parole.

Instead, the judge handed down a sentence of five years home confinement. She also ordered he take part in Kanawha County's Day Report program.

The charge Patterson pleaded guilty to carried a possible one to five year jail sentence.

Alisyn Proctor, 20, who pleaded guilty to assault during the commission of a felony, was also sentenced to the Anthony Center.

Her brother, John Proctor II, asked Tabit to sentence him to the youthful offender program, but he was sentenced to 80 years in jail.

Levi Lanham, 18, was sentenced to 20 years for first-degree robbery, and Telisa McCauley, 23, was given a 25-year sentence for the same charge.

Shawna Sampson was shot in the chest while opening the door to the store's office. She said during the June sentencing hearing that she had recently returned to work on light duty and still had problems breathing.

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

Last fall, federal agents searched the home of a former University of Charleston student who was expelled over allegations that he stole thousands of dollars worth of textbooks and computer equipment from the school and sold them online under the name Robin Hood Literature.

A federal search warrant unsealed last week details why agents searched the home of Adam St. Clair, of Sherwood Road in Charleston, in November.

In an affidavit, FBI Special Agent James Harrison II wrote that he was investigating "criminal wrongdoing that took place at the University of Charleston" between September 2014 and September 2015. Several UC teachers reported textbooks, Apple TVs and computers being stolen from locked offices in university buildings, according to the affidavit.

There is no record of any criminal charges filed against St. Clair. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clint Carte said Wednesday he couldn't comment on the status of the case.

Harrison wrote that on one Saturday in September 2014, St. Clair was seen coming out of the office belonging to Karen Hoschar, a UC assistant professor. When Hoschar returned on Monday, she found that someone had accessed her computer in her locked office, using the log-in for another UC assistant professor, Hannah Johnson, who denied ever using the computer.

In May 2015, school employees discovered a "keystroke logger" - a device that, when plugged into a computer, records what people type - inside a computer cabinet in UC's Clay Tower, according to the affidavit. UC's information technology department allegedly restored some deleted data on the device and found it had recorded log-in information for several UC students and professors.

In August 2015, "two UC employees, who had learned of the multiple thefts of textbooks from offices on the UC campus, undertook a broad search of internet vendors that were offering for sale textbooks like those that had been stolen on the UC campus," Harrison wrote in the affidavit.

The employees found a store on Amazon.com named "Robin Hood Literature," where they found many of the same textbook titles that had recently been stolen from UC's campus, according to the filing.

"The site also offered for sale several pieces of electronic equipment of descriptions similar to electronic equipment that had recently been stolen from offices and rooms inside buildings on the UC campus," Harrison wrote. The email address associated with the online store was "amsaintclai@gmail.com."

A UC professor learned of the site and ordered a textbook like one that had been stolen from her office. When the package containing the textbook was delivered, the return address was St. Clair's Sherwood Road home, according to the affidavit.

UC security personnel confronted St. Clair on Sept. 24. According to the affidavit, St. Clair had a keystroke logger identical to the one found in the cabinet; two thumb drives; a "swipe card" used to gain entrance around the campus; and four metal door keys to UC buildings, the affidavit states.

The next day, St. Clair allegedly returned college textbooks, electronic equipment and other items which were later determined to have been stolen from buildings on campus, according to the federal filing. UC officials estimate St. Clair returned about $30,000 worth of items. St. Clair made two trips to the school to bring back the property, UC officials told Harrison.

"On the first trip, St. Clair stated ... 'There was more than I thought. I guess I got carried away,'" the affidavit states. "After making the first delivery, Adam St. Clair telephoned [security officials] and said 'I found more stuff at home. Can I bring it by after work?'"

That day, St. Clair - who could not be reached for comment this week - was expelled from UC and banned from the campus, according to the affidavit.

UC spokesman David Traube said Wednesday that he could confirm only that St. Clair is no longer a student at the school "and there is an ongoing legal situation surrounding it."

"Any further information on him or with his situation would have to be handled or commented on by law enforcement officials," Traube said.

Someone using St. Clair's log-in accessed or tried to access the UC network more than 20 times after he was expelled, the filing states.

In November, U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Eifert granted Harrison's request for a warrant to search St. Clair's home.

Federal agents found about 100 textbooks there, according to federal court documents. Agents also confiscated computer equipment and other items from the Sherwood Road home.

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

A Nitro woman was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to probation for defrauding Social Security after she didn't report she got remarried.

Linda Alford, 65, pleaded guilty in September to theft of government property. In addition to spending five years on probation, she was ordered to pay $131,581 in restitution.

Alford received benefits from the Social Security Administration after her husband died in 1990, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Carol Casto's office. In 1997, Alford remarried, which should have ended her right to collect survivor benefits. However, she didn't report her change in marital status to the Social Security Administration, the release states.

She received benefits until 2014 and spent the money, knowing she wasn't entitled to the payments, according to the release. She collected more than $130,000.

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Johnston handed down the sentence.

VALLEY HEAD, W.Va. (AP) - Officials say a 70-year-old man was injured after a pack of dogs attacked him near his Randolph County home.

Diane Ware, tells The Inter-Mountain that her husband, Don Ware, was walking Tuesday morning in Valley Head when three dogs attacked him, injuring his legs before their unidentified owner called the animals off.

Don Ware was transported to a hospital, where he had surgery and was released.

Officials said Wednesday that the Randolph County Sheriff's Office and county dog warden are actively seeking the dogs so they can be taken into custody during the investigation.

Randolph County Sheriff Mark Brady says authorities are conducting a full investigation into the incident. He says the dog warden has also made him aware of prior incidents involving the animals.

WELCH, W.Va. (AP) - A new drug court is opening in West Virginia.

According to the West Virginia Supreme Court, the McDowell County Adult Drug Court will hold its opening ceremony at noon Friday. The event will be held in McDowell County Circuit Judge Booker T. Stephens' courtroom.

Stephens will speak, along with state Supreme Court Justice Brent D. Benjamin and Mike B. Lacy, director of West Virginia Probation Services.

Drug courts strive to reduce substance abuse and improve rehabilitation through treatment, periodic drug testing, community supervision and other services. The first adult drug court in West Virginia was established in 2005 in the Northern Panhandle.

A man was shot and killed this afternoon on Charleston's West Side.

A caller told Kanawha County Metro 911 dispatchers that the man was shot in the parking lot at the Littlepage Terrace apartments on Washington Street West.

The man was shot in the head. After police removed him from the parking lot, a pair of boots and some bloody clothing were left behind.

Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, said just before 2 p.m. that the victim died.

Melonee Price, who lives in the apartment complex where the shooting took place, said she was in her apartment with her two sons when she heard one gunshot at first.

"When I heard the first gunshot I got my kids against the wall," she said. She said she heard four or five more shots and came out to find a black man lying on the ground and a crowd of about 10 people surrounding him.

"It was horrible," she said. "There was blood everywhere."

Price said she doesn't feel safe in the apartment complex. She doesn't allow her children, ages 11 and 14, to play outside.

She said she wished the police would establish more of a presence at and around the apartment complex.

"Low income doesn't make you less," she said. "My kids deserve to play outside."

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - Huntington Mayor Steve Williams won't face charges over a payout issued to a former police chief, a special prosecutor said Thursday.

Special prosecutor Craig Tatterson told The Herald-Dispatch that he does not plan to pursue the case further after the Cabell County grand jury declined to bring charges against Williams.

The legality of the 2015 payout to former police chief Skip Holbrook by Williams was investigated by the West Virginia State Police at the request of the Cabell County prosecutor's office.

Prosecutor Sean Hammers requested that his office be recused from the case, and Tatterson was named special prosecutor.

Former city councilman Scott Caserta had complained to Hammers that a $35,000 payout to Holbrook was for unused sick leave and in violation of a city ordinance. The payout was issued after Holbrook resigned in 2014.

Under the city's personnel guidelines, an employee receiving such a payout must have either worked for the city for more than 20 years, retired at age 60 or retired on disability. Holbrook, 50, served as police chief for nearly seven years.

Caserta alleged that Williams' authorization of the payout demonstrated malfeasance in office.

Williams did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment Thursday.

The mayor had previously denied wrongdoing, saying he had the legal authority to issue the payout.

City Council's finance committee investigated the payout and concluded that Williams did not do anything wrong.

Caserta was chairman of the council when he submitted documents to the prosecutor's office last May. The council voted 8-1 to remove Caserta as chairman during a special meeting that month. Other council members accused Caserta of not following proper investigative procedure and overstepping his authority.

The newspaper had reported documents it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request showed 50 employees had separation payout forms generated between Jan. 1, 2013, when Williams took office, and mid-June of last year.

Seven firefighters' eligibility couldn't be determined because of insufficient data. Of the remaining employees, Holbrook was the only one who received a payout for accrued sick leave who did not meet one of the three requirements.

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. -- A former Christian youth minister faces numerous charges for allegedly sexually abusing a family member.

James Lilly, 24, of Bluefield, is charged with 31 counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, one count of sexual assault in the second degree and one count of incest, according to a criminal complaint filed in Mercer County Magistrate Court.

The victim was allegedly abused for several years, beginning when she was 9 or 10 and continuing into her teens. She came forward after learning Lilly was student-teaching, the complaint says.

Lilly has been let go from youth minister positions at several churches, including the Christ Episcopal Church on Duhring Street in Bluefield. Father Chad Slater of the Christ Episcopal Church told police Lilly was let go for attempting to get small children alone.

Lilly also previously worked at the Creator Episcopal Church in Mechanicsville, Virginia, where a 16-year-old girl told Rev. William Burk she and another girl had been pressured to send nude photos to Lilly.

Noel York-Simmons of the All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta told police Lilly was let go for lying.

The principal of the Bluefield Intermediate School told police Lilly was a student observer there during the 2015 school year, but had little interaction with students.

Detective K.L. Adams, who wrote the criminal complaint, did not immediately return a call.

Jefferson County has been designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area by the federal government, becoming the 19th West Virginia county to receive the status, which lets the county receive federal resources to develop drug control efforts among federal, state and local law enforcement officials.

"For those working to fight this epidemic on the ground, this program will increase coordination of efforts across West Virginia. Most importantly, these new tools and resources will protect communities and residents in Jefferson County from the influx of drugs in that area," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who helped secure Jefferson County's designation.

Congress created the HIDTA program in 1988 to provide assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. The HIDTA designation will also allow local agencies in Jefferson to benefit from ongoing HIDTA-coordinated initiatives working to reduce drug use and its consequences across the United States.

"As heroin trafficking and abuse rates continue to climb, it is absolutely critical that our local law enforcement officials and drug task forces have the resources they need to combat the influx of drugs coming into our state," said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.. "This important designation will ensure that HIDTA resources will be available for those who are on the frontlines of this fight in Jefferson County, where the growing number of heroin trafficking cases is particularly alarming."

Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Cabell, Hancock, Harrison, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Ohio, Putnam, Raleigh, Wayne and Wyoming are also HIDTA-designated counties. Last year, Mason County, where growing marijuana is prevalent, was removed from the state's HIDTA list in an effort to focus on areas hit by opioids and heroin.

A Clendenin woman who allegedly robbed a video lottery parlor with a gun last weekend was arrested on Thursday.

Kayla Marie Woods, 31, was arrested on a charge of armed robbery, then booked into South Central Regional Jail at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, according to a jail official.

Woods pointed a gun at a clerk and robbed the Hot Spot, at 8475 Elk River Road North near Clendenin, of about $2,000, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

A police officer wrote in the complaint that he viewed surveillance video showing Woods robbing the business. A clerk also told police she recognized Woods, as she is a regular customer.

Woods was in the business earlier in the night playing the lottery machines, the complaint says.

Police said they're looking for a Charleston man they believe killed another man on Thursday.

Dimitrius Malone, 23, is wanted on a charge of first-degree murder, Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, said Friday morning.

"We are involved in what I would call a manhunt at this point," Cooper said. "At this point we're asking anyone who may know the whereabouts of Mr. Malone to please notify the Charleston Police Department. Anonymously is fine. We just want to get him in custody."

Police believe Malone shot Nate Chaney, 22, several times in the head in the parking lot outside Littlepage Terrace apartments about noon Thursday. Chaney died shortly afterward at CAMC General Hospital.

Cooper said they know what led to the incident but wouldn't get into detail.

"I can say that this incident was related to a drug debt," he said. "That's about all I can say as far as specifics go."

Cooper said police are not sure if Malone is still in Charleston but that's where they are currently searching. Malone originally is from New York City.

"Right now we have members of the Charleston Police Department actively searching for Mr. Malone," he said. "We have other technological strategies in place that I can't get into specifics on but we are searching for him."

Malone has no criminal record in Kanawha County.

Police don't believe anyone else was involved in the shooting. They also don't believe the shooting is connected to the other three recent shooting deaths in Charleston.

"In the past we've seen similar sprees," Cooper said. "The way I can describe that is every so often they just happen to occur in bunches."

Police have filed charges in the previous three shootings.

"We've developed a lot of contacts in the community," Cooper said. "People are willing to talk and cooperate with detectives."

He said anyone with information should call 304-348-8111.

Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.

Members of a group that has long combated attempts to move the West Virginia University Institute of Technology out of Montgomery are seeking a restraining order that would stall the college's relocation to Beckley.

Filed by Dorothy Phillips and William Willis in Kanawha County Circuit Court, the motion was accompanied by a separate lawsuit that alleges West Virginia University failed to follow laws requiring its Board of Governors to implement a revitalization plan for WVU Tech created by the Legislature. They ask the court to force the board to carry out that mandate to continue offering an engineering program in Montgomery, attract new faculty and increase salaries.

The lawsuit claims moving the school from Montgomery, its statutorily mandated headquarters, is unlawful and that it was orchestrated unilaterally. Phillips and Willis say WVU did not follow through with revitalization efforts because WVU Tech's engineering program, which is highly regarded nationally, competes with the program in Morgantown. They seek an immediate hearing before the court.

Unless the move is stopped, WVU Tech will relocate in 2017. Starting this fall, first-year students will be admitted to the Beckley campus, which was purchased by WVU last year for $8 million. Sophomores, juniors and seniors, however, can choose to complete their degrees in Montgomery.

The lawsuit asks the court to stop that process and prohibit WVU from advertising its new campus in Beckley until the matter is settled.

The lawsuit alleges WVU's board refused to follow legislative mandates to revitalize the campus and ignored similar recommendations from Higher Education Policy chancellors. Because of this, efforts to relocate WVU Tech to Beckley are unlawful.

Portions of state code cited in the lawsuit could complicate the move, but Senate President Bill Cole told the Gazette-Mail in September lawmakers would be willing to clarify statute, should it become necessary.

Potentially foreseeing a legal battle over its decision to move the school, WVU officials in recent months have brokered agreements with local governments, which have agreed not to file or support relocation lawsuits in exchanged for economic trade-offs.

The Kanawha County Commission voted on Jan. 7 to sign the agreement with WVU. Fayette County commissioners signed the same agreement Wednesday.

As part of that agreement, the university has vowed to maintain WVU Tech facilities until 2025 and help fund development plans for local governments that stand to suffer economic loss from the relocation.

The lawsuit has been assigned to Kanawha Circuit Judge Duke Bloom.

Reach Samuel Speciale at sam.speciale@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-7939 or follow @samueljspeciale on Twitter.

After hearing about a man's death in a Jefferson strip club last month, a judge on Friday ruled that the man charged with the killing must remain in jail.

Scott Meador, 39, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Glen Alfred Carpenter Jr., 50. On Friday, Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman refused to let Meador out of jail to await trial.

Assistant Kanawha County prosecutor Maryclaire Akers told the judge that Carpenter's body was found with 11 stab wounds to his back and additional stab wounds to his face. He was also shot in the head, Akers said, but police didn't realize that until later because there was so much blood.

"It takes thought or some sort of thought process to inflict that kind of damage over and over and over and over again and then to shoot the victim," Akers said, after handing the judge a stack of autopsy photographs.

Meador's attorney, James Cagle, pleaded with the judge on Friday to set a bond amount - even a high one, as Meador's parents, Nancy and Eddie Meador, were willing to use their house as collateral to ensure their son showed up for court.

Cagle called the killing a clear act of self-defense. He called several character witnesses, who told the judge that Meador was a peaceful person.

Meador was at the Foxy Lady club, which was closed at the time, installing a security system. Carpenter was also working at the club at 6907 MacCorkle Ave., his family said Friday.

"It was the Friday before Christmas," Cagle told the judge. "That nasty night when there was ice on the bridge ... snow on the ground. After the incident, this man walked to a place called Grumpy's ... we measured the distance he would've walked, it's right at two miles.

"He walked with one shoe on and one sock, in the snow to report to someone, 'I've been in a fight and I think I've killed a person and you need to call the cops,'" Cagle said. About an hour before police found Carpenter's body, someone called Kanawha Metro 911 dispatchers and said they had seen a man wearing one shoe and covered in blood muttering that he had just killed someone. Those people didn't believe Meador and didn't immediately call 911, Akers said.

"He told them to 'get out of the way of the bus.' They didn't take him serious because there was no bus," Akers said.

Meador was high, possibly from smoking synthetic marijuana, according to Akers.

Cagle told the judge that he believed Carpenter had planned to rob Meador, and he gave Meador "something to smoke." The attorney said Carpenter was "part of a conspiracy to rob my client" and added, "If attacked, he would obviously have a right to self-defense."

Cagle said Carpenter had three felony convictions that involved violence; Akers said she saw two prior felony offenses for Carpenter: harboring a sex offender and fleeing with reckless indifference. She said Meador had been convicted of DUI three times and was charged with malicious wounding in 1998. He ended up pleading guilty to battery.

Meador has worked as a computer programmer, and often worked on computer systems in Putnam Circuit Court, said his former employer, Butch Evans. A friend of Meador's, Lee Lewis, said, "I've never seen him show any anger or aggression toward anyone."

Kaufman denied the request to set bond. He agreed with prosecutors and said the investigation is still at an early stage.

"In these cases, death cases, equal protection principles apply and it's not fair that somebody that has a lot of money is able to meet bond and get out and someone that is poor who doesn't have any money can't get out," the judge said. "Thirty days, sixty days, is not a long time. It's a long time if you're in jail and you're presumed innocent but in the scheme of having a case dismissed or spending life without mercy in prison, thirty days is a reasonably short amount of time to bring a case."

A gasp could be heard from the family and friends of Meador, who filled one side of the courtroom. Carpenter's family members breathed a sigh of relief. One woman began clapping after the judge's ruling, until a relative quickly stopped her.

Carpenter's wife, Mary, stood outside the courtroom and cried. She said that it had bothered her when Cagle brought up her husband's criminal record - even though he apologized before he said it.

"That didn't give him the right to kill him," she said.

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

ELKINS, W.Va. -- Troopers with the Elkins detachment of the West Virginia State Police shot and killed a man they say pointed a shotgun at them when they tried to serve a warrant late Friday. The incident happened around 11:45 p.m. at a house on Ward Avenue in Elkins, according to a news release from State Police.

When troopers entered the house, they say they found William Keith Waldron, 26, with the weapon. Police say the man immediately pointed the shotgun at troopers, who fired their weapons at him.

Waldron was taken to Davis Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Troopers and the Randolph County Sheriff's Department were assisting the Elkins Police Department with the warrant.

The following crimes were reported to the Charleston Police Dept. between Jan. 7 and 13:

East District:

Lee Street East 400 block, shoplifting, Jan. 7, 11 a.m.

Lee Street East 400 block, shoplifting, Jan. 7, noon.

Quarrier Street 1100 block, petit larceny, Jan. 7, 4:14 p.m.

Charleston Town Center, shoplifting, Jan. 7, 7 p.m.

Banks Street 100 block, petit larceny, Jan. 7, 8 p.m.

Lee Street East 200 block, shoplifting, Jan. 8, 6:25 p.m.

Smith and Capitol Street, domestic assault, Jan. 9, 5:23 a.m.

Washington Street East 1000 block, grand larceny, Jan. 9, 10 a.m.

Lee Street East 200 block, shoplifting, Jan. 9, 12:30 p.m.

Lee Street East 400 block, shoplifting, Jan. 9, 3:15 p.m.

Lee Street East 200 block, shoplifting, Jan. 9, 4 p.m.

Quarrier Street East 200 block, shoplifting, Jan. 10, 4 p.m.

Charleston Town Center, shoplifting, Jan. 11, 6:15 p.m.

Lee Street East 400 block, shoplifting, Jan. 12, 1 p.m.

Quarrier Street 200 block, shoplifting, Jan. 12, 3:40 p.m.

Washington Street East 1600 block, petit larceny, Jan. 13, 7:25 p.m.

South District:

58th Street 400 block, breaking and entering, Jan. 7, 8 a.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 5700 block, shoplifting, Jan. 7, 4:07 p.m.

Bridge Road 1000 block, shoplifting, Jan. 7, 8:03 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 6400 block, breaking and entering auto, Jan. 8, 3 a.m.

MacCorkle Avenue Southeast 5700 block, shoplifting, Jan. 8, 11:20 a.m.

Alex Lane 100 block, shoplifting, Jan. 8, 1:30 p.m.

Westminster Way 800 block, petit larceny, Jan. 8, 4:54 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 3800 block, shoplifting, Jan. 8, 8:35 p.m.

MacCorkle Avenue 3800 block, shoplifting, Jan. 8, 8:56 p.m.

Fort Hill Drive 400 block, breaking and entering auto, Jan. 9, midnight.

34th Street 100 block, grand larceny auto, Jan. 10, noon.

Noyes Avenue 2900 block, burglary, Jan. 10, 1 p.m.

Fort Hill Drive 600 block, breaking and entering auto, Jan. 10, 8 p.m.

Gordon Drive 700 block, petit larceny, Jan. 11, 9 p.m.

Alex Lane 100 block, grand larceny, Jan. 12, 12:30 a.m.

Alex Lane 100 block, grand larceny auto, Jan. 12, 9:35 a.m.

Hawks Yard Lane 20 block, breaking and entering auto, Jan. 12, 9:55 a.m.

RHL Boulevard 200 block, shoplifting, Jan. 13, 2 p.m.

West District:

Woodland Drive 1500 block, grand larceny, Jan. 7, 9 a.m.

Elm Street 400 block, petit larceny, Jan. 7, 12:36 p.m.

Virginia Street West 600 block, grand larceny, Jan. 7, 5:20 p.m.

4th Avenue 1700 block, shoplifting, Jan. 7, 7:35 p.m.

York Avenue 700 block, burglary, Jan. 8, 4 a.m.

Fairview Drive 400 block, breaking and entering, Jan. 8, noon.

Monongalia Street 300 block, burglary, Jan. 8, 5 p.m.

Dunbar Avenue first block, petit larceny, Jan. 9, 1:30 p.m.

26th Street West 400 block, burglary, Jan. 9, 10:30 p.m.

33rd Street West 400 block, petit larceny, Jan. 10, 2 p.m.

Pennsylvania Avenue 800 block, petit larceny, Jan. 10, 5 p.m.

Hanna Drive 800 block, grand larceny auto, Jan. 10, 9:12 p.m.

4th Avenue 1700 block, shoplifting, Jan. 11, 4:17 p.m.

1st Avenue 900 block, petit larceny, Jan. 11, 5 p.m.

York Avenue 700 block, grand larceny auto, Jan. 11, 9:03 p.m.

Grant Street 800 block, wanton endangerment, Jan. 12, 12:24 a.m.

3rd Avenue 1500 block, brandishing, Jan. 12, 12:49 a.m.

7th Avenue 1300 block, burglary, Jan. 12, 4:25 a.m.

7th Avenue 1900 block, petit larceny, Jan. 12, 5 a.m.

Greendale Drive 800 block, grand larceny auto, Jan. 12, 10:33 a.m.

Wilmore Lane 1100 block, breaking and entering, Jan. 12, 3:15 p.m.

Cora Street 200 block, burglary, Jan. 12, 3:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania Avenue 1900 block, burglary, Jan. 12, 6:30 p.m.

Beech Avenue 1000 block, burglary, Jan. 12, 8:05 p.m.

Beech Avenue 1000 block, robbery, Jan. 12, 8:05 p.m.

Hanna Drive and York Avenue, petit larceny, Jan. 13, 6:30 a.m.

Beuhring Avenue 300 block, grand larceny auto, Jan. 13, 6:42 a.m.

Red Oak Street 1300 block, child neglect, Jan. 13, noon.

Delaware Avenue 500 block, shoplifting, Jan. 13, 9:25 p.m.

Bigley Avenue 1300 block, shoplifting, Jan. 13, 9:36 p.m.

Marriages

The following people applied for marriage licenses in Kanawha County between Jan. 8-15:

Charleston Ernest Reece III, 43, and Angela Dawn Hamrick, 34, both of Charleston.

Harry Adrian Mullins, 66, and Sherri Denise Lang, 51, both of Belle.

Christian James Morrow, 45, and Tamara Lynn Jett, 46, both of Elkview.

Jeffery Bruce Dunlap, 44, and Amy Louise Witthohn,40, both of Dunbar.

Dennis Odell Harris II, 42, and Cynthia Gail Merrill, 41, both of Dunbar.

Steven Adam Young, 22, of St. Albans and Brandie Jean Martin, 22, of Charleston.

Robert Dwight Mollohan, 43, and Michelle Leigh Stickler, 34, both of Charleston.

Clifford Michael Jones, 73, and Carolyn Joyce Davis, 70, both of St. Albans.

Alfred James Martin, 60, and Glenetta Geraldine Rush, 54, both of Charleston.

Christopher David Hunt, 29, of South Charleston and Kaylyn Marie Crosier, 26, of Charleston.

Robert Wayne Stringer Jr., 28, of Charleston and Heather Nichole Holschuh,20, of Willowwood, Ohio.

Michael Owen Webster Jr., 46, and Dawn Lynn Webster, 43, both of St. Albans.

Jeremy Seth Carr, 27, and Lindsay Gale Hawkins, 27, both of Charleston.

Walter Lynn Dawkins Jr., 43, of Charleston and Kristina Ann Brooks, 38, of South Charleston.

Divorces

The following people filed for divorce in Kanawha County between Jan. 7 and 14:

Christine M. Carte from Michael W. Carte

Nathaniel Smith from Latasha L. Smith

Karin Elizabeth Rhodes from Michael Jason Rhodes

Denisha Michels from Barry Joe Michels

Stacey Charlene Crawford from Floyd Thompson Crawford

Brenda Sue Hancock from Michael Cledith Hancock

James Brandon Gibson from Meleah Dawn Gibson

Leslie Ann Armour from Shane Allen Armour

Rodney David Lucas from Deanna Lynn Lucas

Angela Dawn Jarrell from Cuvey R. Jarrell

Courtney Dawn Dawkins from Marcus E. Dawkins

Sara Elizabeth Darnold from David Brent Darnold

Sarah Michelle Payne from Travis Lee Payne

John W. Adkins from Sandra S. Adkins

Sierra Dawn Counts from Brett Wayne Counts

Property Transfers

The following property transfers of $50,000 or more were recorded in Kanawha County between Jan. 8 and 15:

Christopher R. Atha to Leah S. Basford. Lot, Charleston South Annex District, $97,000.

Richard A. Pill, David D. Pill and Amanda E. Steiner to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Lot, Union District, $62,790.

Mastercraft Contracting and Design LLC to Niki D. Randolph and Deborah K. Miller. Lot, Charleston South Annex District, $142,000.

Ronnie Derrick to Sally J. and Timothy E. Stewart. Lot, St. Albans, $79,000.

Bradford Conaway Clark to Robert Bryan Cummings. Lot, Charleston, $139,900.

Bailey Contracting and Property LLC to 1638 Sixth Avenue LLC. Lot, Charleston, $90,000.

David M. Bracken, Diana Bracken Bossie, Earnest James Bracken and Vanesse E. Bracken Myers to Hilary C. Hackney, Karen J. Wilkinson, and Charles E. Wilkinson. Lot, Malden District, $122,400.

Frederick H. and Mary Jo Armbrust to Adam T. Frame. Lot, Charleston, $294,500.

Ruth A. Clark to Randall E. Strickland. Lot, Charleston, $57,500.

Matthew K. Armstrong to Joshua Brian and Olivia Legg. Lot, St. Albans, $175,000.

Kenneth L. and Deborah J. George to Charlotte A. Hevener and Sherry J. Perdew. Lot, St. Albans, $96,500.

Bobby R. Pauley II and Douglas K. Stacy to Tonya A. and Travis M. Engle. Lot, Union District, $149,000.

Robert C. and Carol G. Wilkinson to David A. Wehrle. Lot, Union District, $125,000.

Severino Z. Pontiveros to Ashlie M. and Randall L. Noble. Lot, St. Albans, $90,000.

Nancy McClure Bennett to Cecil C. and Neva R. Horne. Lot, St. Albans, $70,000.

Carmell Lyvonne McNeal, Roy Edward McNeal Jr. and Amanda L. McNeal to Nathan A. King. Lot, Loudon District, $82,000.

Timothy L. and Tamara C. Archer to Courtney L. and Ryan C. Dejohn. Lot, Big Sandy District, $125,000.

Laura Elizabeth Jordan to David Alan Price and Richard Marshall Tench. Lot, Charleston, $155,145.

John D. IV and Connie L. Caudill to Benton J. and Cheryl Lynn Petry. Lot, Jefferson District, $63,000.

Ida Smith Marshall Price to Roberta H. Burnam. Lots, St. Albans, $178,900.

Patrick A. Jr. and Clare E. Pelley to Kathleen G. Lynch. Lot, Charleston, $185,000.

Steven L. Young to James Clay and Pamela Jill Riggleman. Lot, Union District, $67,500.

Judy C. Carpenter to Danielle E. Holden. Lot, St. Albans, $61,000.

Robert D. Brown Jr. to Dennis J. and Sara S. Allen. Lots, Dunbar, $225,000.

Tonna Lynn Smith Jarrell, William Allen Smith and Stacy McMillion to James J.M. Moore. Lot, Cabin Creek District, $55,000.

Guy A. and Kathleen G. Lynch to Aaron M. Holten. Lot, Charleston, $345,000.

James and Victoria McDaniel to Michelle R. Wittekind and Daniel W. Forinash II. Lot, Charleston, $290,000.

Charles W. III and Beverly Easter to Erik Roy and Beverly Boothe. Lot, Nitro, $250,000.

First Bank of Charleston Inc. to William A. Burford. Lot, South Charleston, $55,000.

Hereford & Riccardi PLLC, Trustee to The Huntington National Bank. Lot, Charleston, $68,000.

Michael R. Frank to William I. Clayton. Condominium, Charleston, $96,000.

Barry and Renaya Cantrell to Katherine Ann Kruk and Kerri E. Jones. Lot, Elk District, $127,000.

Weber Properties LLC to Shirley M. Gallo. Condominium, Charleston, $95,000.

Deborah Pack, Mark Withrow, Harold Wayne Withrow, Carma L. Littleford and Kevin Withrow to Danielle M. Carte. Lot, Dunbar, $74,900.

Vivian L. French to Kashmir Valley Properties Inc. Lot, South Charleston, $450,000.

Sidney Michael Lucas to Wayne P. and Robin A. Holstein. Lots, Cabin Creek District, $60,000.

Barbara J. Keefer, David R. Keefer and Jo Ann Keefer to Joseph D. Coffman. Lot, St. Albans, $155,000.

Pill & Pill PLLC to Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC. Lot, South Charleston, $107,950.

Marian G. Byrd to Matthew and Ashlee Walters. Lot, Jefferson District, $114,000.

Matthew B. Walters to Thomas A. Jr. and Emily D. Davis. Lot, Loudon District, $95,000.

Jon E. Tate and Betsi Tate Long to John Robert Gaines. Lot, St. Albans, $81,500.

Pill & Pill PLLC to CitiFinancial Inc. Lot, Jefferson District, $61,500.

D Street LLC to Pioneer Ventures LLC. Lot, South Charleston, $275,000.

Daniel D. Fassio to Gregory D. Silverman and Sigal L. Kuhl. Lot, Charleston, $270,000.

Patrick S. Bowyer to Darrell E. and Rebecca L. Lesher. Lot, St. Albans, $87,000.

Marty and Natalie J. Cloer to Paul Walker, Shley Meek, Brian Miller, Keith Hare, Don Paley, Charles Baker and Cesli Guerrant, Trustees of South Charleston First Church of the Nazarene. Lot, South Charleston, $100,000.

Karl O. Hawley, Anne Hawley Morris and Susan Hawley Conley to James Edward Deitzler. Lot, St. Albans, $142,500.

Thomas H. Ewing to Cameron Thompson. Lot, Charleston, $50,000.

Donny R. and Jennifer R. Wehrle to Mark A. and Regina L. Crites. Lot, Charleston, $155,000.

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 Jan. 8 and 15:

Danita Renae Allen, Charleston, Chapter 7. Assets: $0, Liabilities: $84,586.

Joseph Thomas Maynard, Sandyville, Chapter 7. Assets: $49,710, Liabilities: $106,190.

Terrence Lee and Marsha Kaye Adams, Rainelle, Chapter 7. Assets: $142,643, Liabilities: $90,254.

Denise Green Cooper, Deep Water, Chapter 7. Assets: $37,225, Liabilities: $46,092.

Raymond Paul Jr. and Sandra Gay Rader, Marlinton, Chapter 7. Assets: $0, Liabilities: $153,297.

Johnny Chando Blair, Logan, Chapter 7. Assets: $145,592, Liabilities: $374,231.

Glen Harry and Wanda Levern Sydnor, Victor, Chapter 7. Assets: $55,744, Liabilities: $69,884.

Ashley Earline Surprise, Spencer, Chapter 7. Assets: $2,255, Liabilities: $55,071.

Jerry Bond Williams, Dorothy, Chapter 7. Assets: $34,400, Liabilities: $43,877.

Basil Anthony and Martha Ann Hughes, Coal City, Chapter 7. Assets: $84,125, Liabilities: $100,801.

James F. Humphreys & Associates, L.C, Charleston, Chapter 11. Assets: $4,000,000, Liabilities: $4,000,000.

HARRISVILLE, W.Va. - For the second time since Friday, a West Virginia State Police trooper has used deadly force against a suspect.

The latest occurred early Sunday when state police say a trooper fatally shot the driver of a vehicle who apparently attempted to run down the officer after a vehicle chase.

State police said Sunday that a trooper fatally shot a suspected drunken driver shortly after midnight.

Lt. Michael Baylous said the trooper was trying to pull the vehicle over, but it failed to stop. A chase ensued. The trooper pursued the vehicle and then approached it on foot. The vehicle then headed directly toward the trooper, and he fired.

The shooting in Ritchie County resulted in the death of Clarence Layfield Jr. A passenger in his vehicle was uninjured.

In Elkins on Friday, a 26-year-old man was fatally shot after troopers said he pointed a shotgun at them. The two troopers were assisting local officials serve a warrant.

- The Associated Press

The head of West Virginia's Public Defender Services last week rescinded the "emergency guidelines" set to take effect today, which would have cut the amount attorneys taking court-appointed cases are reimbursed for their time.

A formal notice was filed alerting Dana Eddy and other state officials that a handful of lawyers that take court-appointed cases would sue over the guidelines. The notice also said that the lawsuit will ask the state Supreme Court to raise the current rate of pay, which attorneys argue is unconstitutionally low.

Charleston attorney Anthony Majestro said last week that despite withdrawing the emergency guidelines, he will go forward with the petition for a writ of mandamus asking for the pay rates to be increased.

In an email Thursday, Eddy wrote that, "Due to the amount of the request for a supplemental appropriation that has been submitted to the Legislature, Public Defender Services is withdrawing the Emergency Guidelines that were issued on the date of December 18, 2015."

Eddy, executive director of PDS, had said the guidelines were necessary after realizing there isn't enough money to reimburse lawyers who submitted vouchers after Sept. 16.

If the new guidelines would have taken effect, attorneys no longer would have been reimbursed for mileage and would have been compensated $20 an hour for travel time. Lawyers receive $45 an hour for travel time, and 57 cents a mile in mileage reimbursement. Time spent "waiting in court" also would have been more narrowly defined, among other cuts.

In addition to people charged with crimes, court-appointed lawyers often also represent children involved in abuse and neglect cases in circuit court. Rates for lawyers in family court are set by the West Virginia Supreme Court. County public defender offices also are separate.

The move by Eddy infuriated many lawyers across the state who take court-appointed cases. The attorneys are often required to drive long distances to court, jails and to the homes of their clients.

Majestro will still ask the state Supreme Court to do what it did in a 1989 case, Jewell v Maynard, in which an attorney filed a lawsuit arguing that he had a conflict of interest in representing his client because he wasn't being adequately compensated for his time. In that case, the rates for court-appointed attorneys hadn't been increased in 12 years.

The Supreme Court ruled in the attorneys' favor and raised the rates in 1990. The pay has remained the same ever since: $45 per hour for out-of-court work and $65 an hour for in-court work.

Justices at the time determined the rate of pay based on the federal court system, which currently pays court appointed attorneys $127 an hour for both in and out of court work, according to the notice.

Meanwhile, attorneys in West Virginia who handle family court case appointments are paid $80 an hour for out of court work and $100 an hour for work done in a courtroom. The Supreme Court sets the rates for those cases.

The notice also points out how often Public Defender Services is months behind in paying attorneys for their work.

The delay often results in attorneys selling their reimbursement request vouchers to companies who take a percentage of their money so that they can get paid sooner.

Those who cover family court appointments get paid within 30 days, Majestro noted.

Reach Kate White at

kate.white@wvgazettemail.com,

304-348-1723 or follow

@KateLWhite on Twitter.