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I realize I haven’t really been blogging that much here, and most of it is because I’ve been busy and/or having massive writer’s block or…just don’t have it in me to be passionate about some of the crazy stuff going on in our world, but something was brought to my attention the other day on Facebook and I wanted to share this story for a few reasons. One, because I really don’t talk much about my past and two because I am proud of my hometown and the drive and determination of what amounts to a little mountain town in the hills of Southern West Virginia.
In 2010, the population was 379. It’s very small but very laid out geographically because it’s country. And when I say country I mean one gas station and the nearest grocery store is almost an hours drive or more. It’s rugged but beautiful, and it was home for most of my teen life.
My life there was rough, and we were very poor. This pic is a current satellite view of the area. We literally lived out in the hills. Men worked in the coal mines and women mostly stayed home and cared for their families. I don’t think I ever realized how poor I was until I grew up. Back then we were thrilled when we got a brick of government cheese. YEP! I admit it. I loved that stuff, and going to the Hardee’s in Rainelle or the Dairy Queen was a special treat. It didn’t happen often so when we got to go we were appreciative.
Continue reading Meadow Bridge High School
Beckley, West Virginia police had been trying to identify the person who recorded a vicious fight and posted it to Facebook. After identifying him as Timothy Gibbs, local news WVNS spoke with him to ask why he would record the fight and not intervene.
” I mean, what do they expect me to do? I was just sitting there waiting on the bus, I seen the fight, I thought it was funny. There’s a lot of fight videos on Facebook, I don’t see why everybody is on my case now.”
Beckley, Bluefield
Anyone who stands by and watches someone get his head stomped into the pavement is an asshole. So, there’s your answer Timothy Gibbs. You are an asshole and a coward.
CAMERON -The Cameron High School community is questioning a controversial call made at a Friday night game that resulted in a senior football player being ejected from the game and suspended for two games, with one of those games being “Senior Night.”Senior Dalton Wood was ejected from the Cameron-Beallsville game after a referee accused him of kicking an opposing player who was laying on the ground. However, due to a video of the alleged incident circulating on social media, many say they fail to see the supposed kick.
Making some residents even more upset is that there is no appeals process for ejections from games in West Virginia and Ohio.
For starters, I’m not an avid football watcher but to me - it doesn’t look like a kick. What it looks like is that he was trying to push himself up by pushing his leg out for thrust. But …that’s not the purpose of this particular blog entry. The purpose is the outrage from the local community over an alleged KICK as opposed to let’s say…CONVICTED RAPE. I don’t think it’s a stretch for me to feel a wee bit aggravated at the number of commenters who are voicing their opinion about this suspension when just a short 50 miles up the river, there is a school that has a registered sex offender being applauded and glorified as he runs across the field every Friday night.
Continue reading Alleged Kicking Grounds for Suspension…but RAPE? PLAY BALL #STEUBENVILLE!!
After all of the publicity surrounding the Steubenville case, it is hard to comprehend that ANYONE in their right mind would attempt to protect their own when it comes to sexual abuse allegations within a school system. That is exactly what is happening in Delbarton, WV by school administration at Burch Middle School.
On Thursday West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey filed an injunction against several employees at Burch Middle School and the Mingo County Board of Education seeking injunctive relief based on allegations of sexual abuse by two juvenile boys who are alleged to be related to school administrators, as well as civil rights violations against the victims. The complaint seeks to prevent the school administration and teachers from preventing or interfering with the criminal investigation and Human Rights Commission investigation into the sexual assault allegations.
On Friday a statement was issued by school administrators which read:
“We are aware of the complaint that has been filed in the Circuit Court of Mingo County. Once the county has been formally served, we will respond accordingly. Mingo County Schools takes student safety seriously and remains committed to providing a secure environmental for all students.”
Continue reading Burch Middle School: Mandatory Reporting Failure
Justice is a two way street. Sometimes getting there is not an easy endeavor. When any victim has to testify against their accuser it can be brutal and oftentimes the victim is re-victimized as a result. That being said, defendants in this country are guaranteed certain legal procedural rights, and one of them is the right to face their accuser. It says so in the Constitution so I’m not just making this up. In the Steubenville case, subpoenas were issued to juveniles living across the river in West Virginia. One of the subpoenas was issued for Jane Doe. I think my confusion here is — shouldn’t the state have issued a subpoena to her? And if not, perhaps this is why Mr. Madison was compelled to do so. I’m not an attorney, but I would think that her testimony is essential for BOTH sides of this case.
On Friday Hancock County Judge Ronald Wilson rejected the subpoena requests and cited no legal case from anywhere in the country to support the argument that the three West Virginia juveniles could be compelled to testify but stated in his 4-page ruling that Ohio and West Virginia law differ in their comparisons of a juvenile delinquency proceeding and a criminal trial.
“The proceeding in Ohio is not a criminal action — it is not a criminal prosecution — and it is not a criminal proceeding.”
Wilson added that there is no law his court follows which gives him the right to honor the Ohio request for the subpoenas. How does this not create a legal conundrum because Mr. Madison’s client has a constitutional right that is being denied him?
Madison said that the victim’s testimony was central to his client’s case and would involve her recollection of her actions before and after the incident, including what she told hospital staff, her friends and a text messages she sent to one of the accused boys after the incident.
“My client has a constitutional right to confront his accuser,” Madison said. “He has to have the right to call witnesses on his behalf.”
With regard to the text messages that Jane Doe allegedly sent - it has been discovered through social media that her phone went missing for a few days. Translation: She did not have possession of her cell phone. I have many questions. Questions that started me on this journey for the truth back in August. Here are a few that come to mind with the news of denying the subpoenas.
- What date did the text message allegedly sent from Jane Doe take place?
- Is it possible that Trent Mays may have sent the text himself?
- How would anyone be able to prove that this occurred since it is rumored that no phone records/ping info or social media was subpoenaed?
- What is it that was told to hospital staff and could this information implicate others?
I agree with Mr. Madison. Both defendants have the right to confront their accuser as well as call witnesses on their behalf and if it is true that other witnesses are going to invoke their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves to avoid prosecution - how will this affect the entire trial?
Last night a gentleman contacted me about two Weirton, WV families who were in dire need of supplies for their children. The families needed baby diapers (sizes 1, 5 and 6) and Similac with iron formula. The children range in ages from 2 to 10 years old. Through the use of social media we were able to get donations of food cards, gift cards and many people are sending the children much needed clothing.
While waiting for the mail to make its way to West Virginia, the kids are going to need to eat. I spoke with Rob at Fox’s Den Pizza in Weirton and he has agreed to take phone donations towards a gift card for pizza for the weekend. You can call (304) 723-3697 and ask for him. He will take your cc info towards gift certificate donation.
A very special thank you to everyone who has helped and to Kathi Eastham, owner of Fox’s Den for helping these families out!!
On Thursday, Wheeling Park High School senior, Cody Brautigam was arrested at the school’s campus for allegations that he sexually assaulted two girls younger than 10 years old. He was booked into the Northern Regional Jail in Moundsville on two counts of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. He is being held on $100,000 bond.
The Wheeling Intelligencer reported:
According to a police report, a 9-year-old girl told a sexual assault counselor earlier this month that Brautigam engaged in sexual behavior with her at the girl’s home in July. The girl said Brautigam illegally touched and kissed her, sometimes while both were undressed, according to the report.
The following day, an 8-year-old girl told the counselor that Brautigam on multiple occasions pulled her by her hair into a room, where he sexually assaulted her. Those alleged crimes occurred around the same time as those involving Brautigam’s other accuser, the police report states.
Continue reading Wheeling Park Student Arrested
Autumn is my MOST favorite season of all time, but sadly the one that follows is not. Since I have had spinal fusion surgery the cold weather is really a bummer and causes me much grief because of the arthritis and pain. However, it is just as beautiful as autumn is - just a wee bit colder.
This photo was taken at Babcock State Park in West Virginia. There are so many photo opportunities in the park. This particular grist mill is highly photographed and seen all over the world because of its picturesque beauty. They make murals out of photos of this spot. It is tucked back into the woods behind the rhododendrons and crab trees and you
can hike for miles. However, being there in person is just as breathtaking as the photo. Just below the grist mill is where the creek runs off into a natural pond. I actually found a photo here on wordpress of the pond.
It is absolutely beautiful country and no amount of describing it does it justice. You just have to go there to see it! It truly is God’s country and so much land down there is untouched. This photo was taken last year during the floods at Babcock. Even during nature’s fury, it is still inspiring. I am looking forward to Bridge Day this year.
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