Prosecutor

HAGERSTOWN - Washington County State's Attorney Charles P. Strong Jr. announced his bid for election Wednesday to keep his job as the county's head prosecutor, a position to which he was appointed in 2004. Strong, 59, made the public announcement Wednesday morning in front of family, friends and colleagues outside Washington County Courthouse. Supporters held large campaign bumper stickers that flapped in the wind as Strong spoke about his close ties to the community and how he plans to "make this a better, safer place to raise children.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A case involving the former director of the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management who is charged with receiving more than $3,600 in fraudulently obtained money might be resolved through a plea agreement, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Special prosecutor Dan James said he has been talking with Darrell Penwell's attorney and there could be a deal worked out where Penwell could enter a plea to a lesser misdemeanor charge. Under the possible deal, Penwell would pay back the full amount of money, James said.

In Washington, D.C., they had Teapot Dome. In Washington County, we have Teapot Duck. What passes for scandal has sunk to a new low, and excuse me for sounding depressed about it. Here's what happened. It seems the state assigns designated areas for hunters to set up their duck blinds every season and in theory awards those spaces on a first-come, first served basis. Since some choice spots, particularly on islands in the Potomac River, are highly prized by hunters, the line outside the courthouse doors forms in the wee hours of the morning.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County State's Attorney Charles P. Strong Jr. and his opponent, private attorney Jerry Joyce, have stood on opposite sides of the courtroom for years. And in their race for the same job, the lawyers agree on little. Strong, 59, a Republican incumbent, and Joyce, 58, a Democrat, will face off Nov. 7 in the general election. The state's attorney job pays $100,350 a year. Strong was appointed to the position in 2004 when M. Kenneth Long Jr. was appointed to a judgeship in Washington County District Court.

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.

charlestown@herald-mail.com SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Shepherdstown's prosecutor Wednesday night moved to dismiss charges against a woman whose arrest during an Aug. 30 traffic stop led to allegations of excessive force by town police officer Charles Lynch, lawyers in the case said. Town prosecutor Ralph Lorenzetti said Wednesday night he wants to dismiss charges of failure to obey a police officer, interfering with police and defective equipment against Nancy VanTol so they can be pursued in Jefferson County Magistrate Court.

pepperb@herald-mail.com Former Bronx, N.Y., prosecutor Christopher McCormack said he's not sure why some drug dealers from the New York area are drawn to Washington County, but now that he's here, he plans to help smoke them out. McCormack, 39, a Washington County assistant state's attorney assigned to the county's Narcotics Task Force since August, is still trying to get a feel for the most serious drug crime issues here. Related to drug cases, McCormack also is responsible for working as the county's nuisance abatement attorney.

M. Kenneth Long has filed for his fifth term as Washington County's state's attorney. As the county's chief prosecutor, Long, 51, presides over an office that has eight full-time attorneys and an 18-member support staff. Long said he believes drug crimes and domestic violence will continue to be problems faced by his office. He said he believes his experience and his activities with committees dealing with those societal ills make him uniquely qualified for the post. "We are continuing to focus on drug cases," Long said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Martinsburg attorney Norwood Bentley III is the Berkeley County Commission's choice to be the county's first Director of Legal Services, a position that could become the government's highest paid job. The unanimous vote to hire Bentley, 59, came with the condition that his salary, expected to range from $90,000 to $147,200, would be negotiated and standard pre-employment requirements, including background checks and drug...

By MARLO BARNHART Staff Writer James Fiddler Sr., his wife Teresa, and their remaining son, Jimmy, don't think of time as a great healer, only as an endless stretch of days without Jeffrey Fiddler. Dead nearly eight years now, Jeffrey Fiddler was stabbed to death somewhere in Washington County, and his body was dumped on a stretch of interstate highway in Pennsylvania. "I lost a brother but also a friend and confidante," said Jimmy Fiddler Jr. "Jeff was my sidekick.