Nettie man charged with murder

Sheriff’s deputies on the evening of Monday, June 10 arrested Trevor Antonio Bateman on a charge of murder. The charge against Bateman, 18, is the result of his alleged involvement in a physical altercation on June 7 with his stepfather, Brian C. Hartley, age 37. The incident occurred in the mobile home in Nettie the two shared with other family members.

Victim Brian Hartley was reportedly struck several times in the face, according to information provided by the Nicholas County Sheriffs Department. Apparently feeling that the injuries sustained were not serious enough to warrant immediate medical attention, family members helped Mr. Hartley to bed, where he was later found deceased.

 

 

 

 

Fire heavily damages Summersville business

Fire heavily damaged Wholesale Auto Parts at 2015 Webster Road in Summersville near United National Bank on Thursday evening, June 5.

The front inside area of the parts store was destroyed by fire.

A spokesman for the Summersville Volunteer Fire Department said the fire broke out at 10:29 p.m. in the back area of the front portion of the building where an office is located, paint is mixed and some auto parts are sold.

The fire spread quickly throughout the front of the building where auto parts are sold and destroyed its contents. The flames burned out part of wall on the front side of the building.

The back portion of the building where several garage bays are located and vehicles are worked on suffered some smoke and water damage.

The cause of the blaze is undetermined but there was no sign of forced entry. The State Fire Marshal’s was called in to investigate the fire later this week.

To make matters worse, the fire gutted front of the building was broken into sometime Saturday evening, June 8. A number of auto parts believed to be burned or fire damaged were stolen.

Wholesale Auto Parts owner Mark Smith of Canvas said he plans to rebuild the business.

Smith has temporarily moved the business office to the vacant doublewide trailer owned by Rodney LeRose across the lot from Wholesale Auto Parts.

 

 

 

 

Summersville buys Rich property

The regularly scheduled meeting of Summersville City Council convened at its usual 7:00 pm time on Mon. June 10, 2013 and after approving the minutes of the meeting held May 13, moved on to the Public Comments segment, in which Executive Director of the Summersville Arena and Conference Center, Ms. Marianne Taylor addressed Council with the Center’s annual report. Ms. Taylor said that the 2012-2013 fiscal year for the Summersville Convention & Visitors Bureau has been an exiting one, and she took the occasion of her speaking before Council as an opportunity to say “thank you” for their support. Ms. Taylor said that in 2010 the CVB went through an accreditation process, which was approved by the West Virginia Association of CVBs and the West Virginia Tourism Commission for a three-year-term. The Summersville CVB is currently in that process again, and will apply for accreditation on June 30 for another three-year-term. This accreditation is only awarded to those CVBs that have exemplified high standard of operation and outstanding services. Being a member of this association has allowed the CVB the opportunity to work with other CVBs across the state to promote West Virginia as a tourist destination.

Ms. Taylor explained that during the past year, the Center has spent 40% of its advertising dollars outside a 50-mile radius to market Summersville as ‘always being in season’, with something to do in spring, summer, winter and fall. The Center has erected billboards on Rt. 19 south and on interstate 77 north, near Princeton, and have likewise invested in print-marketing, using the West Virginia Executive to feature Summersville and the CVB, while Blue Ridge Outdoors and Blue Ridge Country were utilized to attract visitors interested in outdoor adventure. Because the area is an ideal long-weekend destination, advertising was placed in the magazine Long Weekends to bring in those looking for a weekend adventure or to just simply relax. Women’s magazines, like Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens, More, Redbook and Ladies Home Journal were used too, since statistically, women have been shown to be the actual planners when it comes to family vacations. These were distributed in all the surrounding states, as well as North and South Carolina and Maryland. With the opening of the Summit Bechtel Family Scout Reserve, the CVB also advertised in Scouting Magazine’s spring and summer editions, as well as the West Virginia Travel Guide. All this print advertising has allowed the CVB to reach a circulation of over two million people.

Additionally, as an accredited CVB, Ms. Taylor said that Summersville has been represented in trade shows from Chicago to Florida and several states in the east. She said that she and her assistant, Linda Sproles had actually worked the Pittsburgh show.

 

 

 

 

Tioga woman pleads guilty in theft of safe from residence

By Pat Hanna
The Nicholas Chronicle
A Tioga woman admitted in Nicholas County Circuit Court last week that she stole a safe containing more than $20,000 from a next-door neighbor’s home.

Courtney Hamon’s guilty plea to a grand larceny charge on June 5 came nearly a year to the day after the June 6, 2012, incident.

Hamon, 23, faces 1 to 10 years in prison when she’s sentenced next month.

Hamon, her husband, Justin, and Tamera Holmes were indicted in January on charges of daytime burglary, grand larceny and conspiracy to commit grand larceny.

But at a hearing in May, the charges against Holmes were dismissed after Nicholas Prosecutor P.K. Milam told the court that Courtney Hamon had recanted an earlier statement implicating Holmes.

Justin Hamon agreed to plead guilty in Nicholas Magistrate Court to an accessory after the fact charge after Courtney Hamon told authorities her husband was not involved in the actual theft. Justin Hamon told the court he came home from work on June 6, 2012, and found an empty safe. He said he put the safe in his truck and threw it over a hill.

Milam said most of the contents of the safe, including the money, which had been buried, were recovered. Courtney Hamon will be required to pay restitution of less than $2,000.

Milam told the court that authorities were notified on June 6, 2012, of a residential break-in and the theft of a safe containing more than $20,000 and other items.

Later that day, the prosecutor said, State Police stopped the defendant and her husband in their vehicle for driving left of center. At that time, he added, some of the stolen items were found in the vehicle.

Courtney Hamon initially indicated that Holmes came to her house with the safe.

But during her plea hearing last week, Courtney Hamon said she alone was responsible for the theft.

 

 

 

 

Commission hears of wild dogs on the loose

in Irish Corner; adopts Hunger Awareness Proclamation

The need for a countywide dog leash law was once again heard by the Nicholas County Commission at their meeting on Tuesday, June 4.

The Commission also contributed matching funds to Nicholas County Veterans Memorial Park, and adopted a proclamation in support of hunger awareness.

Present for the meeting were Commission President Yancy Short M.D., Commissioner John Miller and Commissioner Ken Altizer.

Countywide leash law
Roger Kiser of the Irish Corner area near Summersville came before the Commission to express concern about what he termed a dog nuisance problem in his neighborhood.

He explained that there is a pack of dogs that roam the area overnight who fight and cause a disturbance waking him and others up. He said the pack also frightens and tries to harm his dog which he keeps in his yard behind a fence.

Kiser asked if the county has a leash law and if not, why not?

The Commission said the municipalities of Summersville and Richwood have leash laws but the county doesn’t.

They noted that many hunters with dogs would object to a leash law in the county and it would be difficult to enforce. They added that others feel keeping animals tied up all the time is inhumane.

The Commission was aware of a situation where all of the residents in a subdivision in the county agreed to purchase fences to keep their dogs from roaming the neighborhood.

Kiser asked if people whose dogs are picked up by the dog catcher for running loose have to pay a fee to get them back from the animal shelter. He felt that if a dog owner had to pay a fee to get their animal back, it would cause them to think twice about letting their dog run loose after so many times.

“If its costing us to go and pick their animal up, then they should have to pay to get their animal back,” said President Short.

The Commission will consult the prosecuting attorney to see if they could legally impose a fee on residents who have to get their dog back after it was picked up for running loose.

 

 

 

Click here to read more!