Pineville, WV (WOAY) The sheriffs of Wyoming and McDowell counties gathered with their deputies at the Wyoming County Courthouse to deputize a new task force to combat crimes against children. Deputy sheriffs Brent Cline (McDowell County) and Tyler Sizemore (Wyoming County) have undergone special training to investigate crimes against children, and were sworn in to the cross-county effort midday Thursday.
Wyoming County Sheriff Bradley Ellison says the task force’s special skills will allow both counties to pursue the perpetrators of crimes involving children more effectively without the need to outsource interviews with alleged victims:
“We don’t have to send it, you know, to Charleston; we don’t have to go to Beckley; we don’t have to go to Mingo. We’re going to have it right here… These guys will be devoting their time to solving these cases, trying to deter these cases… gather the evidence.
They can interview kids now. They can talk to them, sit them down, and talk to them. They’ve been trained… All the years I have, I do not have the skills to do that… Some of the cases are heart-wrenching with what, you know, they see and have to do. They tug at you.”
Wyoming County Prosecuting Attorney Derek Laxton says the new task force’s specialized training will help both counties pursue complex cases that may be harder to prove otherwise:
“These cases are sometimes very difficult to prove, even with a very solid investigation… I’ve worked with Sergeant Sizemore now, since he’s taken over the crimes against children role in the sheriff’s office, and he’s done a great job. We’ve already seen success and at least one conviction on a sex crime against a child. So he’s done a great job, and I’m sure that that’s going to continue.”
McDowell County Sheriff James Muncy says both counties are gaining a valuable asset:
“We have task forces for drugs, violent crimes: This is a no-brainer. Why would you not have a task force for victims of sex abuse, especially with children? By having somebody that has the heart—the ability to look at these crimes. And I can tell you right now, these two deputies, I think, are going to do tremendous jobs. I mean, Brent has worked for my office, and he’s took these crimes, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Deputy Sizemore as well. So I think this is going to be a tremendous asset for our agencies.”
