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Former Raleigh County prosecuting attorney has law license annulled

Beckley, WV (WOAY) – A former Raleigh County prosecuting attorney who resigned last October has had his law license annulled, according to court records.

The court order filed by the West Virginia Supreme Court on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, granted a petition to annul Benjamin Hatfield’s license to practice law by voluntary consent.

Hatfield resigned as Raleigh County’s prosecuting attorney after the Raleigh County Commision began the process of removing him due to allegations of misconduct and neglect of his duties.

Last August, a woman who identified herself as a “sexual partner” came forward making allegations and attempted to get a Domestic Violence Protective order against him. Family Court Judge Harley Stollings later denied the petition. She then appealed to a Greenbrier County Circuit Court judge who reversed the order and sent it back to family court for a full hearing.

After a new hearing with more than five hours of testimony on Sept. 23, 2024, Stollings granted a 180-day protective order against Hatfield. The judge found Hatfield’s actions were intended to intimidate or threaten the woman and were in contempt of court.

The petition also contained more than 120 motions to disqualify Hatfield and the prosecutor’s office had been filed on behalf of various criminal cases due to the Domestic Violence Protective Order against Hatfield.

The court filings requested a special prosecutor be appointed and said the prosecutor’s office could not legally or ethically proceed with prosecution because of Hatfield’s “inappropriate conduct,” which includes Stollings’ finding that Hatfield was “not credible” in his testimony in family court.

Commissioners stated they were also contacted by several law enforcement officers who said they would not appear for any grand jury where Hatfield sought an indictment.

Hatfield resigned from the office shortly afterwards. Tom Truman will serve as prosecuting attorney for the remainder of Hatfield’s term.

Beckley’s first City Manager resigns from the position

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY)- On January 9th, 2024, Beckley’s City Council voted to become a city manager style of government.

Just over a year after that, the first City Manager, Michael Resare, officially resigned shy of two months into the job. Resare became the City Manager on December 9th, 2024.

The executive session meeting before the official announcement took less than 30 minutes for the council. The City Council announced Resare’s resignation and said it was a mutual decision for both parties.

“I mean, just it’s unfortunate. It’s not something we saw a couple of months ago,” said Ryan Neal, Beckley Mayor. “We’ve been waiting for months to finally get a City Manager here in Beckley. So it was the last thing that we wanted to see, but it was just a mutually agreed decision to part ways.”

With Beckley not having a city manager now, the next step for the city would be to find an interim City Manager. However, that won’t be the final outcome.

“From there they, they being City Council, will determine the procedure they want to follow in recruiting the best possible city manager for a long term,” explained William File, Beckley Attorney. “It’s a process that we may go back through. The recruit recruitment firm Baker Tilly helped us initially.”

Now, the question many may have is, due to this, will Beckley go back to a strong mayor style of government?

“No, there’s there is no way the city can go back to a strong mayor form a government without amending its charter, which would most likely require an election by the people,” said File. “So we’re very new into the city manager form of government. I think the City Council is certainly determined to see if this isn’t the best course in the long term. We’ll just proceed to find a very good candidate to be the permanent City Manager.”

Verdict reached in Natalie Cochran trial

Beckley, WV (WOAY) – A verdict has been reached in a high-profile case.

After deliberating for less than 2 hours a jury in a Raleigh County courtroom found Natalie Cochran guilty of first-degree murder in the death of her husband Michael Cochran. The couple had been married for nearly 19 years, when he died on Feb. 11, 2019.

At the time of Michael’s death, Natalie was running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of millions of dollars. She pleaded guilty in 2021 to federal wire fraud and other charges and is currently serving a sentence of 135 months in prison.

Following the jury’s verdict, Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick announced the jury would be asked to weigh whether Natalie should receive “mercy” in the form of the possibility of parole when the jury returns Thursday morning for at 9 am sentencing.

Stay with WOAY online and over the air for more on this story.

 

 

 

Former President Jimmy Carter has passed away and reactions from our local leaders

PLAINS, GA (WOAY)- Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He celebrated his 100th birthday back in October and was the oldest living president of all time.

We have all the details and reactions from our local leaders.

Suspects charged in the Vandalism of Memorial Park in Beckley

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY)- We have an update on the act of vandalism made at Sunset Memorial Park in Beckley back in October.

The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office have arrested George Michael Todorovich and Larry Phillip Bradley. They have both been charged with felony destruction of property and conspiracy to commit a felony.

Timothy Joe Beckner is the third suspect and is at large. Warrants are out for his arrest.

Newswatch will continue to update you as this develops.

Officer involved shooting leaves suspect dead

RALEIGH COUNTY (WOAY) – Around 9 am on Friday, November 29th the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office was sent to a residence in Breckenridge Village, Bolt, after a 911 call.

The call reported a mentally disturbed person with a gun.

When police arrived the first deputy was immediately shot at and hit. The deputy returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect.

The deputy was transported to a local hospital and is being treated for a non life-threating gunshot wound.

The accident is being investigated by both the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau and the West Virginia State Police.

The names of those involved have not been shared yet, and Newswatch will continue to track this story.

Trump marked safe in the second attempt on his life

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (WOAY)- We reported what the FBI is now calling an attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump.

We have statements from local leaders and background on what we know now.

All Nicholas County schools closed on Sept. 12 due to threats

NICHOLAS COUNTY (WOAY) – All schools in Nicholas County will be closed on Thursday, September 12th due to the recent threats schools are seeing.

The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office responded to these threats and stated that their investigations state the threats are a part of the trend schools in other counties and states are seeing, and are not credible.

However, they will still increase security at Raleigh County Schools over the next few days.

Stick with Newswatch as we are carefully tracking this story and will keep you updated as we learn more.

Missing Man From Virginia

Update: The Virginia State Police report Skeates has been found safely.

VIRGINIA (WOAY) – The Virginia State Police are looking for a missing man.

The Chesapeake Police Department is looking for Jacob Donald Skeates, a 20-year-old white man. He is 6-feet tall and weighs 140-pounds. Jacob has green eyes and brown hair.

Police state he was last seen at his house on Chesapeake Avenue in Virginia at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

He was last seen in khaki pants, a maroon shirt, a white long-sleeved undershirt, and black high-top Nike shoes. Police state they assume he is on foot.

Being missing is a danger to his safety.

If you know anything, call the Chesapeake Police Department at 757-382-6161.

Missing Virginia Man

RICHMOND, VA (WOAY) – The Virginia State Police need your help in finding a missing man.

The Richmond City Police Department are looking for Hunter Blake Cook, a 27-year-old white man. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 155 pounds. Cook has blue eyes and brown hair. He also has a small tattoo on his right cheekbone.

Cook was last seen on August 30th, at 10 p.m. on 1600 Robin Hood Road in Richmond Virginia.

Police do not have a clothing description and state that he is assumed to be traveling on foot, due to the fact that he does not drive.

His being missing is a threat to his safety, so if you know anything contact the Richmond City Police Department at 804-646-4105.

Landfill Fire Mostly Contained; Commision Clears Rumors

MONROE COUNTY (WOAY) – A fire at the H.A.M. Sanitary landfill in Monroe County has been mostly contained after igniting on Friday night.

Around 8 p.m. on August 2, a blaze erupted in a shredded tire pile at the landfill.

Local fire departments from Monroe, Mercer, Summers and Giles counties worked tirelessly to control the fire, which has now been 95% extinguished.

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency and Homeland Security were quickly notified, with the EPA’s mobile command center monitoring air quality throughout the incident.

In response to the intense firefighting demands, Governor Jim Justice authorized the use of tankers from the West Virginia Department of Transportation to aid in the efforts.

A contracted company from the landfill’s owners is currently leading the firefighting operations.

The Monroe County Commission has assured residents that no taxpayer dollars are being used for this situation; costs are covered by the landfill’s insurance.

They also clarified that the landfill’s revenue, primarily from minimal taxes and recycling fees, does not impact the county budget.

The commission wants to assure the public that it has been actively working with the WV Division of Environmental Protection, including pushing for public meetings on landfill permits.

They expresssed gratitude to local firefighters and emergency personnel for their dedication and ongoing support.

Robbery leads to pursuit – one suspect still at large

RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – On July 31, a robbery suspect took deputies on a morning pursuit.

It started at around 9:45 am when Raleigh County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a robbery in progress at the 1900 block of Ritter Drive in Daniels.

Police were notified that a female suspect, now identified as Alycia Cook, left in a brown van, and two males were still on the scene.

Lieutenant Redden found the van and tried to stop it – which started a pursuit as the van drove through Raleigh County.

The pursuit ended in the 1000 block of Sullivan Road – where Cook was then taken into custody.

Deputies then followed up back to the original crime scene and found one of the two male suspects, Jesse Blake on the scene.

Both Blake and Cook have been arrested and are at the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office for processing and then they will go to the magistrate court for arraignment.

There is still one male suspect at large.

Cook faces a slew of charges including fleeing while impaired, fleeing with reckless indifference, 1st offense DUI of a controlled substance, and 12 other charges.

Blake has been charged with 2 counts of breaking and entering, conspiracy, and petit larceny.

Newswatch will keep you updated as more information comes forward.

 

Biden drops out of the 2024 Presidential Race

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Thursday March 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON DC (WOAY)- President Joe Biden announced that he will not be seeking re-election for president. He will focus on his duties as president for the remaining few months. Looking forward, He’s endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s nominee.

WOAY gives you all the details and reactions from leaders throughout West Virginia.

Have you seen Thomas Lester Jr?

VIRGINIA (WOAY) – The Virginia State Police need your help finding a missing adult.

They are searching for Thomas Lester Jr., a black 66-year-old man. Lester Jr. is 5’11 and weighs 350 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair.

Lester Jr. was last seen July 6th at the Holiday Inn in Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia. Police say he may be driving an enterprise rental SUV. They don’t know the description of the car or the license plates.

His disappearance is a danger to his safety.

If you know anything about his whereabouts contact the Virginia State Police Fairfax division at 804-750-8798 or call 911.

New details in the attempted assassination of Former President Donald Trump

BUTLER COUNTY, PA (WOAY)- The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspected shooter. They are still investigating for a potential motive for this attempted assassination.

He allegedly used an AR15 style weapon that was legally purchased by his father in 2013, according to law enforcement. Crooks was on top of roof of a nearby building, less than 400 feet away from the podium. Moments before shots were made, a local police officer had confronted him. Crooks aimed the gun at him, forcing the officer to retreat and fall down, police officials stated.

The FBI currently investigating the attempted assassination plot, while the Pennsylvania State Police investigate the murder of the rally goer who died at this event.

Pennsylvania Govenor Josh Shapiro identifies the attendee that lost their life at the rally and named a hero. Corey Comperatore “dove on his family to protect them,” as Govenor Shapiro said in a press briefing this morning. Biden, Trump, and many other political figures sending their condolences to his family.

There were two other men that were injured at this event but have not been identified. Former President Trump started a GoFundMe to support the victims of the shooting. That GoFundMe has raised over $3 million.

This all before the Republican National Convention that’ll start tomorrow in Milwaukee, WI. Trump has arrived today for the convention, though he stated he considered delaying it after this. He then said he wouldn’t allow a potential assassin to force a change of schedule.

Locally our U.S Senator Joe Manchin release a statement of yesterday’s event today saying quote…

“Our nation stands at a critical moment in our history. I love my country and I cannot stand by and watch these events unfold without trying to use my voice. The horrible actions of yesterday are the actions of one man, but they should surprise no one in the toxic political environment we find ourselves in today. But nothing good has ever come from hate. Sadly, one innocent rallygoer is dead and others injured because we have allowed hate speech to become a rallying cry for political violence.  We are fortunate that former President Donald Trump was only wounded and will recover.”

This investigation is ongoing and Newswatch will continue to update you as we learn more.

Trump rally shooting live updates: New details emerge about suspected shooter | AP News

Trump injured, an attendee and shooter dead after a shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surround by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

BUTLER COUNTY, PA (WOAY)-

UPDATE 7/13/24 11:45 PM:

There is an ongoing investigation into the potential attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump.

Here’s what we know… In this attempt, the shooter and at least one attendee are dead. There are two other attendees that are critically injured.

Trump was speaking at a rally in butler when multiple shots were fired. Secret Service members then whisked him off the stage, his right ear grazed by a bullet. A spokesperson stating trump is fine and is currently being checked out.

The shooter has not been identified as of now. Secret Service agents saying that the shooter was not an attendee at the rally.

Multiple national and state officials have released statements about the shooting. President Biden saying, “there’s no place in America for this type of violence.”

“The bottom line is that the Trump rally is a rally that he should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem. But the idea, the idea that there’s political violence or violence in America, like this is just unheard of. It’s just not appropriate. I mean, everybody, everybody must condemn it.”

Former president trump posting a statement on Truth Social saying he thanks the Secret Service and law enforcement for their rapid response in this. He extended his condolences to the family of the attendee who were killed and to the others who were also injured.

In a joint statement with the Republican National Convention, they stated that we will proceed with our convention and that Trump will be there. That convention is set to open on Monday July 15th in Milwaukee, WI.

Local leaders also speaking out. Senator Shelley Moore Capito posted to X shortly after the incident saying in part quote…

“Praying for President Trump, everyone at the rally, and our country.”

Attorney General Partick Morrisey also releasing a statement on X, that says in part quote…

“The whole state of West Virginia is praying for you, President Trump! We are rooting for a quick recovery after this heinous act. We stand by you!”

Govenor Jim Justice said in a press release in part quote…

“All of my prayers go out to President Trump and his family. We should draw strength from his courage. I refuse to let these actions make me feel afraid.”

The WV Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin said in a press release in part quote….

“Such acts of violence are not only an assault on an individual but an act of violence against our entire country and our democratic system of government. In the United States, we decide our elections with ballots, not with bullets. I encourage all West Virginians and all Americans to recommit ourselves to democratic principles and to the noble ideals that have made our country a beacon of hope around the world.”

This is an ongoing investigation. Newswatch will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated as we learn more.

UPDATE:
The prosecutor states that the shooter and one attendee are dead, as per the District Attorney of Bulter County.

Former President Donald Trump rushed off the stage at his rally in Pennsylvania after gunfire. Trump is reported to be ‘fine’ and is currently being evaluated.

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.” -Trump spokesperson, @TheStevenCheung

This is a developing story, and Newswatch will keep you updated.
https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024#

Missing Senior Needs to be Found

VIRGINIA (WOAY) -The Virginia State Police need help in finding a missing man.

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office started the search for Rudy Cantu Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is an 83-year-old white male. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has brown eyes and white hair.

Rodriguez was last seen driving a dark blue 2011 Mercedez-Benz E200 with a Nevada plate reading 533WMV in the 3800 block of Summit Crossing Road, Fredericksburg, Va.

He may be wearing a grey long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and brown “hey dude” shoes.

If you see him, contact the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office at 540-582-7115.

13 year-old girl is missing, police need your help finding her

MONROE COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office needs your help finding a missing teen girl.

13-year-old Jasmine, ‘Jazzy’ Amos, was last seen at her home on Ballard Ave in Peterstown. She was last seen at 1 a.m. on July 5.

Jasmine was last seen in button-up jean shorts, a 4th of July shirt, and white Crocs with low-cut purple socks. She may have a short black zip-up hoodie on or with her.

If you know anything about her whereabouts, call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 304-772-3911.

Dead body found, autopsy says victim died by gunshot

LINCOLN, WV (WOAY) – West Virginia State Police are telling Newswatch the details behind a death investigation.

On Monday, June 24 Tropper Clagg and Trooper Daniels found a dead female body in a wooden area by Taunton Drive in Harts.

The West Virginia State Police Crime Scene processed the crime scene and the victim was sent to the medical examiner’s office in Charleston for an autopsy and identification.

On June 26th the autopsy states that the victim died from a single gunshot wound. Her identity is still unknown so the investigation is still ongoing.

Newswatch will keep you updated.

Two men found dead with gunshot wounds after a truck crash in a Raleigh County church

BEAVER, WV (WOAY) – Raleigh County deputies responded to a reported shooting on Oxley Circle in Beaver at around 2 a.m. Friday night.

When they arrived on the scene, they found a truck crashed into the side of the Beaver First Baptist Church. Inside of the truck were two deceased males, both suffering gunshot wounds. Their identities have not been released as of now.

This investigation is currently ongoing.

If anyone has any information about this incident, please contact the Raleigh Sheriff’s Office Detectives Bureau at 304-255-9300, your local 911 center, or Crimestoppers if you’d like to remain anonymous.

Newswatch will provide more information as it becomes available.

Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes

Former President Donald Trump leaves the courthouse after a jury found him guilty of all 34 felony counts in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.

Jurors deliberated for 9.5 hours over two days before convicting Trump of all 34 counts he faced. Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below — where supporters and detractors of the former president were gathered — could be heard in the hallway on courthouse’s 15th floor where the decision was revealed.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”

The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. As he seeks to reclaim the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.

Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he returns to the campaign trail as a convicted felon. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week. Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Republican leaders who remained resolute in their support in the immediate aftermath of the verdict are expected to formally make him their nominee.

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge — who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations — would impose that punishment even if asked. The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.

Trump faces three other felony indictments, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome. Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already-hardened opinions about Trump.

For another candidate in another time, a criminal conviction might doom a presidential run, but Trump’s political career has endured through two impeachmentsallegations of sexual abuse, investigations into everything from potential ties to Russia to plotting to overturn an election, and personally salacious storylines including the emergence of a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women’s genitals.

In addition, the general allegations of the case have been known to voters for years and, while tawdry, are widely seen as less grievous than the allegations he faces in three other cases that charge him with subverting American democracy and mishandling national security secrets.

Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, even as it provides fodder for the presumptive Republican nominee to advance his unsupported claims that he is victimized by a criminal justice system he insists is politically motivated against him.

Trump maintained throughout the trial that he had done nothing wrong and that the case should never have been brought, railing against the proceedings from inside the courthouse — where he was joined by a parade of high-profile Republican allies — and racking up fines for violating a gag order with inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses.

Republicans showed no sign of loosening their embrace of the party leader, with House Speaker Mike Johnson releasing a statement lamenting what he called “a shameful day in American history.” He called the case “a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”

The first criminal trial of a former American president always presented a unique test of the court system, not only because of Trump’s prominence but also because of his relentless verbal attacks on the foundation of the case and its participants. But the verdict from the 12-person jury marked a repudiation of Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in the proceedings or to potentially impress the panel with a show of GOP support.

The trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.

The $130,000 payment was made by Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election. When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction. Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services.

Trump has denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued during the trial that his celebrity status, particularly during the 2016 campaign, made him a target for extortion. They’ve said hush money deals to bury negative stories about Trump were motivated by personal considerations such as the impact on his family and brand as a businessman, not political ones. They also sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen, the star prosecution witness who pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to the payments, as driven by personal animus toward Trump as well as fame and money.

The trial featured more than four weeks of occasionally riveting testimony that revisited an already well-documented chapter from Trump’s past, when his 2016 campaign was threatened by the disclosure of an “Access Hollywood” recording that captured him talking about grabbing women sexually without their permission and the prospect of other stories about Trump and sex surfacing that would be harmful to his candidacy.

Trump himself did not testify, but jurors heard his voice through a secret recording of a conversation with Cohen in which he and the lawyer discussed a $150,000 hush money deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who has said she had an affair with Trump: “What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump was heard saying on the recording made by Cohen.

Daniels herself testified, offering at times a graphic recounting of the sexual encounter she says they had in a hotel suite during a Lake Tahoe golf tournament. The former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, testified about how he worked to keep stories harmful to the Trump campaign from becoming public at all, including by having his company buy McDougal’s story.

Jurors also heard from Keith Davidson, the lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and McDougal.

He detailed the tense negotiations to get both women compensated for their silence but also faced an aggressive round of questioning from a Trump attorney who noted that Davidson had helped broker similar hush money deals in cases involving other prominent figures.

But the most pivotal witness, by far, was Cohen, who spent days on the stand and gave jurors an insider’s view of the hush money scheme and what he said was Trump’s detailed knowledge of it.

“Just take care of it,” he quoted Trump as saying at one point.

He offered jurors the most direct link between Trump and the heart of the charges, recounting a meeting in which they and the then-chief financial officer of Trump Organization described a plan to have Cohen reimbursed in monthly installments for legal services.

And he emotionally described his dramatic break with Trump in 2018, when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors after a decade-long career as the then-president’s personal fixer.

“To keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family,” Cohen told the jury.

The outcome provides a degree of vindication for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who had characterized the case as being about election interference rather than hush money and defended it against criticism from legal experts who called it the weakest of the four prosecutions against Trump.

But it took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only one of the cases to reach a jury before the election.

The other three cases — local and federal charges in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

Shooting in Beckley leaves one dead – shooter isn’t charged

STANAFORD WV (WOAY) – On May 24, at around 7:20 p.m. the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office responded to the shooting on Hoist Road in Stanford.

They found a man inside the building that had been shot.

The victim, 46-year-old Chad Minor, was transported to a hospital but later died.

The resident of the building was identified as the shooter and is cooperating with police. At this time, he is not facing charges.

Police are still investigating the details behind this shooting, and Newswatch will update you when we learn more information.

Missing Glen Jean Teen Could Be Around Oak Hill Area, Police Urge For Help

UPDATE: Gabriel Green has been safely located by Oak Hill Police. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Department thanks the public for its help.

FAYETTE COUNTY (WOAY) – The Fayette County Sheriff’s Department needs your help in locating a runaway teenager.

15-year-old Gabriel Green is 5’8″, weighs around 130-pounds with dark hair and brown eyes.

Green was last seen leaving a residence in Mountainair Mobil Home Park in Glen Jean today, around 3:30 p. m on a small blue bike.

He was last seen wearing a grey and blue camo print shirt, blue jeans and a hat.

According to Sheriff Mike Fridley, he allegedly made comments about going to a friend’s house in Oak Hill or to a residence in Richwood, Nicholas County.

Police ask that if you see or know something, contact them at the Fayette County E911 center at 304-574-3590.

Shooting in Beckley leaves one injured and man charged with attempted murder

RALEIGH COUNTY (WOAY) – The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, states that just before 9 a.m. earlier today, April 17th, the sheriff’s office was called to a shooting on Arbor Lane in Lanark.

Shortly after the call, police arrived and were able to apprehend the suspect, Myles Williams of the shooting and provide first aid to the victim of the shooting.

The victim is at a local hospital and police believe they did not receive any life-threatening injuries.

Williams has been charged with one count of attempted murder, two counts of wanton endangerment, one count of felon in possession of a firearm, and a felony capias.

A Raleigh county magistrate arraigned him and is on a 135,000 dollar bond in Southern Regional Jail.

Newswatch Anchor Serena Davanzo live outside of Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association

CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY)-  Workers have been scrambling to put animals into foster homes today after a U-haul truck plowed into the side of the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association.

Newswatch anchor Serena Davanzo was live on the scene with coverage tonight.

View the Original Story here.

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