Arson charges

A Cabins man has been arrested for allegedly having a connection to the blazes on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 that left the Smoke Hole Caverns gift shop and restaurant in a pile of ashes.

Brent Michael Combs, 25, has been charged with one count of first-degree arson, one count of second-degree arson and three separate counts of injury caused by arson. He is being housed in the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail on a $285,000 bond.

According to Grant County Sheriff Deputy S.L. Wrachford, Combs has obtained legal counsel. Authorities do not know what motives Combs may have had for allegedly setting the fires.

The fires are still under investigation by the Grant County Sheriff's Department and state fire marshal's office. The state fire marshal's office is offering up to a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person or persons connected with the crime. Anyone with information about the fires is asked to call the Grant County Sheriff's Department at 304-257-1818 or Assistant Fire Marshal Patrick Barker at 1-800-233-FIRE.

Read more...

Firefighter charged with arson

PARKERSBURG - A 19-year-old volunteer firefighter with Pond Creek Volunteer Fire Department was charged with arson Thursday after allegedly setting a brush fire in a field off California Ridge Road, near Belleville, early Tuesday afternoon.

David Keith Richards, 402 Toppins Grove, Murraysville, lit a pile of trash on fire with motor oil in a field near California Ridge Road and the fire spread several feet into the grass, said Lt. Shawn Graham with Wood County Sheriff's Office.

Richards called 911 after setting the fire, officials said.

When questioned by Graham and Assistant State Fire Marshal Brad Hartley, Richards confessed to setting the fire deliberately to give his fire department something to do, said Graham.

Pond Creek Volunteer Fire Chief Kevin Rhodes said he believed the brush fire burned about three square feet. Pond Creek Volunteer Fire Department officials did not respond to the brush fire Tuesday and did not know many details about the incident, he said.

Richards was arraigned before Wood County Magistrate Donna Jackson at 10 p.m. Thursday and released on $25,000 bond.

Read more...

4 cars stolen and burned

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Berkeley County police say they had their hands full chasing down reports of cars being stolen and burned over the course of a single day.

The sheriff's department says David Lee Gregory stole four vehicles Saturday morning and burned three. A fourth vehicle was stolen and one of its seats set on fire, but the blaze quickly went out.

The 20-year-old Martinsburg man is being held on a $130,000 cash bond at the Eastern Regional Jail, facing multiple felony charges. It could not be immediately determined if he has a lawyer.

Police didn't suggest a possible motive for the incidents.

Read more...

Ex-fireman pleads not guilty to arson

MARTINSBURG - A former Bedington volunteer firefighter indicted late last month on arson-related charges in connection to an April fire that critically injured another firefighter entered a plea of not guilty to all charges Monday at his arraignment in Berkeley County Circuit Court.

James L. Blackford III, 30, of Laing Drive, Martinsburg, was indicted by the grand jury Oct. 20 on one count of first-degree arson, setting fire to lands and causing serious injury during an arson-related crime.

Public defender John H. Lehman, who appeared on Blackford's behalf, said Blackford did not wish the indictment to be read in open court and the former firefighter agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial.

West Virginia 23rd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Gray Silver III subsequently scheduled a trial date in the case for March 9. A pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Feb. 22 and a status hearing was set for Jan. 11.

Silver also agreed to allow Blackford to remain free on the $200,000 property bond he previously posted while he awaits future court proceedings.

However, the court granted a request made by Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely to add a new condition to Blackford's bond.

Under the new condition of Blackford's bond, he must report to Berkeley County's new Day Reporting Center for random drug testing as requested.

The April 7 fire, which destroyed a barn and injured Bakers Heights volunteer firefighter Kenneth Ayers, was allegedly caused by a smoking device made out of a plastic bottle and rubbing alcohol that was used for smoking crack cocaine.

Blackford, who was a three-year member of the Bedington Volunteer Fire Department, admitted to officials that he had a part in causing the fire by accidentally knocking over the smoking device and failing to report the fire when it began. He told investigators that he tried to stamp out fire, but when he couldn't get to it, he went back to Bedington's fire station to report it.

Ayers was injured while attempting to put out the fire, which was at 1495 Williamsport Pike. He was treated at the hospital and later released.

Blackford suffered minor ankle injuries.

If convicted, Blackford could face two to 20 years in prison for the charge of first-degree arson; one to five years in prison and fines on the charge of setting fire on lands; and three to 15 years in prison and fines for the charge of causing injuries during arson.

Read more...