Martinsburg

A woman accused of prostitution in Martinsburg Tuesday night allegedly agreed to accept $20 from a police officer who was patrolling on a motorcycle in downtown Martinsburg, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. Michelle Kimberly Wolfe, 31, of 487 Porter Ave. in Martinsburg, was arraigned Wednesday by Berkeley County Magistrate Joan V. Bragg on one misdemeanor count of prostitution, according to court documents. While patrolling in the 100 block of North Queen Street Tuesday night, Martinsburg Police Sgt. J.E. Darby said Wolfe approached him at about 9:40 p.m. and asked for a cigarette, according to court documents.

The Eastern Panhandle's second ALDI grocery store is expected to open near Martinsburg in the summer of 2012, according to the privately held grocer. Plans for a 17,886-square-foot store along Edwin Miller Boulevard are pending final review and approval by Berkeley County officials, according to county records and the company.There are six other ALDI stores in West Virginia, including the Charles Town, W.Va. store, according to the company.ALDI also has locations on Dual Highway in Hagerstown, in Frederick, Md., and Chambersburg, Pa. "ALDI is experiencing significant growth, and we've added approximately 80 new stores each year, expanding our ability to bring grocery savings to more people every day," Jeff Baehr, ALDI Frederick division vice president, said in an emailed statement.ALDI operates more than 1,000 stores in 31 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast, and claims more than 20 million customers each month.

Police have arrested at least one of two men identified as being involved in an armed robbery late Tuesday, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. Devon Lee Wallace of 425 Eagle School Road, Martinsburg was arraigned Wednesday by Magistrate JoAnn Overington on single counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and accessory to the crime, according to court documents. Police were told that one of the men struck a female in the face with a pistol and took $350 in cash from her at an apartment at 274 Joshua Drive, documents state.

A house fire Thursday morning in the 500 block of Douglas Grove Road near Martinsburg appears to have been caused by lightning, according to Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department Chief Marty Roberts. Fire was found in the attic of the two-story home at 542 Douglas Grove Road when firefighters responded, according to Roberts and a Berkeley County 911 Central Dispatch supervisor. The fire was reported at 9:10 a.m. Members of the Chaffins family who lived there were not home, Roberts said.

Several parking spaces along Race and Raleigh streets in Martinsburg are being eliminated to make way for the addition of turn lanes and traffic lane changes that are part of the Raleigh Street Extension project. Martinsburg City Council Thursday night approved four modifications that state Division of Highways traffic engineer Kenneth L. Clohan said after the meeting would result in the loss of six or seven parking spaces. Paul Turner of 222 N. Raleigh St., who was the only resident to air concerns about the proposed parking reduction at the meeting, was able to convince city council to preserve one of three spaces slated for elimination near his home.

Traffic through downtown Martinsburg today is being reduced to one lane and directed through the intersection of Queen Street and West King Street at the town square by flaggers while paving work is under way. Martinsburg City Manager Mark Baldwin said he hoped the paving work, which is part of town square aesthetic and pedestrian safety improvements, would be completed later today.

Thirteen people were sentenced recently in U.S. District Court in Martinsburg by Chief Judge John Preston Bailey. U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced that: • Tiffany Nicole Jones, 33, of Martinsburg, was sentenced Oct. 17 to 5 years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. Jones was convicted in April on one count of an Indictment charging her with the distribution of 13.5 grams of crack cocaine on April 10, 2008, in Martinsburg. • Rashid Dayshawn Robinson, aka “Day Day,” 33, of Martinsburg, was sentenced Oct. 18 to 12 years and 7 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release.

The West Virginia State Police will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint Friday night along Edwin Miller Boulevard beginning at 6 p.m., State Police First Sgt. E.D. Widmeyer announced Monday. The Martinsburg Police Department is expected to assist with the checkpoint, which is set to be staged near Williamsport Pike until midnight, Widmeyer said in a news release. A secondary checkpoint location along U.S. 11 near Musselman Drive in Inwood, W.Va., also was identified in the news release.

A vehicle crashed into a house early Saturday in the 2800 block of Winchester Avenue near Martinsburg, a Berkeley County Emergency Services supervisor said. The supervisor said the incident was reported at 5:53 a.m. A medevac helicopter was called, but the supervisor said she didn't have information about injuries. The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office said Saturday morning that details were unavailable.

A peaceful protest is planned for noon Saturday in front of the Martinsburg public library at town square in a show of solidarity with Occupy Wall Street protesters. The Occupy Martinsburg rally is meant to demonstrate that even people in small communities across the nation are aware of the corruption in government and are fed up, organizer Jacob Allen said Tuesday. The Occupy Wall Street protests began in New York on Sept. 17 and have since spread across the nation. Protesters have laid out a series of demands and proposals for the federal government, with a focus on ending the influence corporate money and lobbyists have over politicians.