DELBARTON, W.Va. — A Delbarton man has been charged with murdering his wife.

Deputies with the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office were called Friday morning to conduct a welfare check at the home of Leroy Hunt, 35, and Christina Hunt, 26. When they arrived, they found Christina Hunt’s body on the front porch, covered with a blanket.

After a brief standoff, Leroy Hunt was arrested.

Police say Leroy Hunt shot his wife as she was walking into the home. The couple’s 2-year-old child was inside the home when the shooting occurred.

Leroy Hunt has been charged with first-degree murder and child neglect creating risk of serious injury or death. He is being held without bond in the Southwestern Regional Jail at Holden.

A crowdfunding campaign has been established by Christina Hunt’s mother to help the family pay for funeral expenses. You can find it at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-honor-my-daughters-memory-crgrb.

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WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Sheriff’s deputies raided a Mingo County business and arrested two people, following a months-long investigating into cable theft.

The Mingo County Sheriff’s Office and West Virginia State Police served a search warrant at Big Frank’s Salvage Yard in Williamson. The raid was the result of an investigation into telecommunications cable theft that produced multiple reports that the business was purchasing stolen cable for cash.

The investigation also used an undercover operative to sell cable at the business on numerous occasions without any problem.

During the raid, officers seized about 3,500 lbs. of illegally obtained cable, more than $10,000 in cash, and surveillance equipment from the property.

While officers were still on the scene, two people showed up bringing a load of copper wire. Joseph Taylor Maynard, 41, and Tara Danielle Dempsey, 37, were arrested for attempting to deliver stolen property. They are being held on $30,000 bonds in the Southwestern Regional Jail at Holden.

The investigation is continuing.

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WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Police have made an arrest in a pair of shootings this week in Williamson.

James Victor Hash Jr., 20, of Oceana, W.Va., was arrested Friday for attempted murder, destruction of property, prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and brandishing a firearm.

Police believe him to be the person responsible for a drive-by shooting into a car on Tuesday, as well as a shooting into an apartment building the following night. No one was hurt in either incident. He was identified as a suspect based on information from the public, as well as a review of security camera video from the vicinity of the shootings.

Hash is now being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail in Holden. The case was investigated by the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office and Williamson Police, with assistance from West Virginia State Police and Williamson Fire Department.

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WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Two people were arrested Wednesday after police seized a significant amount of drugs and cash on Wednesday.

The Mingo County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. 119 Drug Task Force seized more than 100 grams of meth, fentanyl and heroin, along with more than $21,000 in cash.

Arrested were Shawnda Lynn Varney, 34, and Donald Scott Kidwell, 22. They are each charged with three counts of possession with intent to deliver and three counts of drug conspiracy.

Both are being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail at Holden on $100,000 cash bonds.

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WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Deputies in Mingo County have arrested three people on drug charges.

Ricky Elia, 64; Ian Elia, 35; and Danika Pruitt, 41, are each charged with possession of meth and fentanyl with the intent to deliver, conspiracy to deliver meth and fentanyl, and maintaining a drug house.

All three are being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail on $50,000 cash bonds.

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WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The Mingo County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding those responsible for a theft from the state road garage at Millers Creek.

The theft took place just after 3 a.m. Monday.

The sheriff’s office says the thieves got away with a 2019 Ford F-250 crew cab truck wtih Department of Highways decals, a 48-inch Cub Cadet zero-turn mower, a 54-inch John Deere zero-turn mower and various tools.

Anyone with information about the theft can contact the sheriff’s office at 304-235-0300.

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FREEBURN, Ky. — A Pike County man is in jail on felony charges, after allegedly trying to flee from police in two states while operating a side-by-side.

Kentucky State Police was notified by the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday night that they were chasing some people on side-by-sides, and they appeared to be heading toward Kentucky.

State troopers posted up at the Vulcan Bridge at Freeburn with their lights off and waited for the suspects to come to them. Once the suspects got halfway across the bridge, the troopers turned on their lights and blocked the exit.

That apparently didn’t deter Lucas Hunt, 24, of Stopover, because he allegedly rammed one of the state police cruisers. Police say he then backed up and tried to go around the state car, when he ran into the open door of a Mingo County sheriff’s cruiser and tried to go through it.

He gave up after police used a taser on him.

Hunt was arrested and charged with fleeing police, five counts of wanton endangerment of a police officer, one count of wanton endangerment, and several other charges.

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WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Police in Mingo County are searching for two men who broke into an elementary school.

It happened at 2:30 on the morning of Feb. 28. The Mingo County Sheriff’s Office says the men broke into the school and remained there for about 30 minutes, before stealing money that had been collected at a basketball game and leaving.

Anyone with information about the break-in can call the sheriff’s office at (304) 235-0300.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Mingo County man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of distributing meth.

Paul Thomasson, 57, of Delbarton, admitted to to selling meth to an undercover informant back in October of 2021.

When he was arrested, authorities seized more than a pound and a half of meth, $12,000 in cash, and several guns, along with 30 grams of a meth and fentanyl mixture known as “Gray Death.”

Thomasson will be sentenced April 26, when he faces up to 20 years in prison.

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WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The Mingo County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men after seizing more than a half-pound of various types of drugs.

Elijah Eugene Hall, 32, of Williamson, and Kyree Diangilo Prather, 24, of Cincinnati, were arrested on Friday, after they were allegedly found in possession of meth, fentanyl, adderall and xanax, along with guns and a large amount of cash.

Both men are charged with conspiracy to deliver, possession of meth, fentanyl, adderall and xanax with the intent to deliver, and prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

They are being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail on $100,000 full cash bonds.

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