Prosecutor

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Longtime Jefferson County prosecutor Larry Crofford was leading his opponent in Tuesday's Democratic primary race for Berkeley County prosecutor.The winner will advance to the Nov. 2 general election. With 46 of the county's 59 precincts reporting, Crofford was leading Thomas Stanley 2,002 votes to 1,268. If he holds his lead, in November Crofford will face incumbent prosecutor Pamela Games-Neely, who was the only Republican seeking the seat. Crofford, 55, of Martinsburg, has worked as an assistant prosecutor in Jefferson County for the last 14 years.

A Hagerstown Police Department detective and a Frederick County domestic violence prosecutor were recognized by the county Office of the State's Attorney's Victim Witness Unit for their help with a victim of domestic violence, unit director Jill Ritter said Thursday. Detective Patricia Moulton and Teresa Bean, a Frederick County domestic violence prosecutor, were honored for their assistance to an unnamed domestic violence victim as part of the unit's recognition of national Crime Victims' Rights Week.

Attorneys want prosecutor disqualified By BOB PARTLOW / Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Saying Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely is "placing her personal interest above the interests of justice by attempting to prosecute Sara Howard" in the deaths of her three children, two defense attorneys asked a judge to disqualify the prosecutor Thursday. continued In court documents, defense attorneys alleged that Games-Neely has made Howard "a pawn in a game being played out between the prosecutor" and the state Department of Health and Human Resources.

Berkeley prosecutor retained By BOB PARTLOW / Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely was returned to office for another four-year term by voters Tuesday, according to unofficial final returns Wednesday. With all 46 precincts counted, Games-Neely defeated attorney Scott Ollar 12,981 to 8,614. Games-Neely, 42, of Shepherdstown, W.Va., was appointed prosecutor in 1993, elected in 1994 and 1996 and again Wednesday.

By MARLO BARNHART Staff Writer To some, Andrew Kramer is a lawyer becoming a teacher. But actually, he is returning to his roots, having started his professional career as a teacher many years ago. Recently Kramer was named the executive director of the Malaysian American Commission of Educational Exchange. As such, he and his Malaysian-born wife, Fazidah, and their two children will be moving to Kuala Lumpur later this summer. "This post is part of the bi-national Fulbright Commission which has administered Fulbright grants between the two nations since 1946," Kramer said.

Frederick County's top prosecutor is promising a thorough investigation into the death in police custody of a man with Down syndrome. State's Attorney Charlie Smith said Wednesday he hadn't yet seen the investigative file sent by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office on the death of 26-year-old Robert Ethan Saylor. Saylor died of asphyxiation Jan. 12 after three sheriff's deputies tried to forcibly remove him from a Frederick movie theater at the manager's request. The state medical examiner's office has ruled the death a homicide.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Pamela Games-Neely, the incumbent Republican Berkeley County prosecutor, was holding a comfortable lead over Larry Crofford, her Democratic challenger, as of presstime Tuesday. According to unofficial returns with 37 of the county's 59 voting precincts reporting at presstime, Games-Neely was leading Crofford 9,806 to 6,999 votes. Games-Neely, who lives in Jefferson County near Shepherdstown, W.Va., was appointed prosecutor in 1993 and has won re-election to consecutive four-year terms since.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Commission Thursday hired Gregory E. Behan as a new assistant prosecuting attorney, filling an open position in the office. Behan, who earned his law degree at West Virginia University, said he previously was an assistant prosecuting attorney in Taylor County, where he was also the city attorney for Grafton, W.Va. Prior to that, Behan said he worked as a public defender in Cabell County. Behan was hired at a salary of $39,000. Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely said her office has seven full-time assistant prosecutors.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Pamela Games-Neely, the incumbent Republican Berkeley County prosecutor, handily beat Larry Crofford, her Democratic challenger, in Tuesday's election. According to complete but unofficial results, Games-Neely defeated Crofford 19,194 votes to 12,363 votes. Games-Neely, who lives in Jefferson County near Shepherdstown, was appointed prosecutor in 1993 and has won re-election to consecutive four-year terms since. Crofford, 56, lives in Martinsburg.

HAGERSTOWN A defense attorney who is representing a man charged with raping a teenage girl alleged Monday that a prosecutor hid for two months information that his client's accuser changed her story. Wiley Rutledge, who is representing Daniel Harris Coe Jr. on sex offense, rape and assault charges, said he discovered last week that evidence was withheld that would call into question the credibility of the girl, now 14, who alleges Coe had sex with her in January and February 2006.

Citing a recent state Supreme Court decision, Berkeley County Circuit Court Judge Gray Silver III on Monday dismissed felony murder charges against two men in the 2008 shooting death of a man at the former Orioles Club on Mid Atlantic Parkway. Dale E. Knight, 26, and Donzell W. White, 27, also were indicted on charges of first-degree robbery and conspiracy in connection with the death of Kenneth E. Waybright. Those charges are pending. Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely told Silver she intended to appeal his decision to the state Supreme Court of Appeals.

Frederick County's top prosecutor is promising a thorough investigation into the death in police custody of a man with Down syndrome. State's Attorney Charlie Smith said Wednesday he hadn't yet seen the investigative file sent by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office on the death of 26-year-old Robert Ethan Saylor. Saylor died of asphyxiation Jan. 12 after three sheriff's deputies tried to forcibly remove him from a Frederick movie theater at the manager's request. The state medical examiner's office has ruled the death a homicide.

Prosecutors in the government's civil rights case against the sheriff of Jefferson County want to present evidence that while on duty years ago, he once shot at a man who was being intimate with his now ex-wife. Sheriff Robert E. “Bobby” Shirley was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2012 on one count of violating the civil rights of suspect Mark Daniel Haines on Dec. 27, 2010. Shirley is also charged with falsifying records during an investigation of the incident. Shirley has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A psychiatrist will be appointed to analyze a man awaiting trial in the 2009 fatal attack on his 70-year-old mother. Marcus Wallace, 41, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, attempted criminal homicide and aggravated assault. Prosecutors, who are seeking the death penalty, say Wallace attacked his mother, Consuella Wallace, in her Hamilton Township, Pa., home Dec. 10, 2009. She died from her injuries in February 2010.

A West Virginia man was drunk when he was arrested Monday near two schools while running in desert camouflage with an AR-15 training rifle, Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely said Thursday. William Everett Alemar's blood-alcohol content was 0.213 percent, Games-Neely said. The state legal limit for motorists is 0.08 percent. Alemar, 23, of Martinsburg, was charged with committing a terroristic act and wearing body armor while committing a felony offense, according to police and court records.

A delayed autopsy report prompted a Washington County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday to postpone the trial of a Hagerstown man who is charged in the October 2011 death of a 2-year-old boy. Washington County Circuit Judge M. Kenneth Long set Brian Michael Miller's trial date for Sept. 11. Miller, 33, of 360 Buena Vista Ave., is charged with 16 counts, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Logan Sellers, according to court documents.

Editor's note: This is another in a series of Eastern Panhandle candidate previews that The Herald-Mail has run over the last several months. The announcements also will be posted on our website, www.herald-mail.com, through the West Virginia primary on May 8. Four years ago, attorney Ruth McQuade lost her bid to become Jefferson County's prosecutor when she ran unsuccessfully against Ralph Lorenzetti in the 2008 Democratic primary in a closely fought contest. Lorenzetti went on to win the general election that November.

Editor's note: This is another in a series of Eastern Panhandle candidate previews that The Herald-Mail will be running over the next several months. The announcements also will be posted on our website, www.herald-mail.com, through the West Virginia primary on May 8. To submit announcements, email them and a color photo (preferably a jpeg) to billk@herald-mail.com or matthew.umstead@herald-mail.com. Any questions? Call 301-791-7281. Jefferson County Prosecutor Ralph Lorenzetti has announced his candidacy for a second four-year term.

Kimberley D. Crockett, a former assistant prosecuting attorney in Berkeley and Jefferson counties, has been tapped by U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfield II to serve as a special assistant U.S. attorney in Martinsburg, according to a news release. Crockett, who took the oath of office Oct. 18 in Martinsburg, will handle Eastern Panhandle cases, with a "priority" on those involving heroin trafficking and possession of firearms by individuals prohibited from having them, according to the announcement from Ihlenfeld's office in Wheeling, W.Va.

Prosecutors will not seek a prison sentence or restitution from a Pennsylvania woman who entered an Alford plea to charges of stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly couple. But the victims' relatives will be free to argue for both when she is sentenced. Jackie Sue Carter, 52, of Lancaster, Pa., entered the plea Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court to one felony count of obtaining property of a vulnerable adult of more than $500, according to court records. Judge M. Kenneth Long Jr. delayed sentencing and ordered a presentence investigation.