Grandfather faces incest charges

April 12, 2007|by MATTHEW UMSTEAD

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A 79-year-old man was arraigned on 10 felony counts of incest on Wednesday after police said he admitted to several sexual encounters with his 27-year-old granddaughter, who he claimed was blackmailing him, Berkeley County Magistrate Court records show.

The Herald-Mail does not identify those accused of such crimes in the interest of protecting the victim.

West Virginia State Police Trooper J.M. Walker said in his complaint that the allegations surfaced Tuesday. The alleged encounters happened between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2007, Walker said.

On Tuesday morning, the grandfather went to the state police's Martinsburg Detachment off Edwin Miller Boulevard to file a credit card fraud complaint and told Walker that he suspected his granddaughter had initiated several transactions.

When questioned about the allegations, the granddaughter told Walker she was given authority to use the card to purchase crack cocaine for the two of them, Walker wrote in the complaint.

During the interview, Walker said the woman suggested he question her grandfather about him "video recording her, without her permission, while she was in the bathroom."

Later, Walker said he again spoke with the accused and that he admitted to smoking crack with the woman.

While Walker said the man admitted to video recording his granddaughter without her knowledge, he also claimed she was blackmailing him.

Walker said the accused provided him with a VHS tape when he asked to see the video recording "and upon viewing the VHS tape, this officer observed (the accused) engaging in sexual intrusion with his granddaughter ..."

Walker said the accused admitted to having sexual relations with the woman between 10 and 15 times. The accused was arraigned by Berkeley County Magistrate Jim Humphrey, who set a bond of $10,000, records show.

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