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NEWS
Legion is out
of lawsuit
The Grant County Cir-
cuit Court, recently, dis-
missed the Petersburg
American Legion, Post 78,
as a party in lawsuit against
the county Board of Health.
The lawsuit was filed by
several fraternal organiza-
tions and businesses op-
posed to the county's anti-
smoking regulations.
Little League
safety meeting
Grant County Little
League will have a manda-
tory safety meeting, March
20, 6 p.m., at the Peters-
burg Elementary School
cafeteria.
Any volunteers planning
to be "on the field" to as-
sist with either baseball, or
softball, must attend the
session. Failure to do so
will prevent those volun-
teers from assisting with
teams.
Additional information
is available from J.R. Van-
Meter and John Paul Hott.
"Wizard of Oz"
photographs,
page 8
Tue 52/44
3/15 "
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rain later m the day; High 2F
Wed 58/41
3/16 '
uDP" 50 ad lar tte k, 4
Thu 88/46 ! ,.
3/17 ,-
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60i end tows lhe m 40t
Fri 78t47 '
3/18
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Sat
3/19
Mi ofaun ad ¢tOd, Htgh tn tft
,Keep in
touch
Have an idea for a story you
would like to share, a
complaint to report or to place
an ad, contact us at:
• News ............ (304) 257.1844
• Advertising...(304) 257-4833
• FAX ....... r.....(304) 257.1691
• E.mall ...
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Or wrlte us at: R O. Box 39
Petersburg, WV 26847
Stir Crazy .................................. 2
Editorials ................................... .4
Obits ......................................... 6
Sports ................................ 1B-3B
Classifieds ......................... 4B-5B
Student page .......................... 6B
Zoned advertising
supplements
this week
* American Profile
* Food Lion
01111!!
!l!lJIl!lJl!lJi!tlll,
Tuesday
March 15, 2011
Two ,sections
16 pages
USPS 226480
Issue 11 Petersburg, WV • Our 115th Year $1 (94¢ plus 6€ tax)
Not guilty of murder
Ketterman retrial ends with a quick verdict
It took a Grant County jury
less than one hour to find Virgil
"Steve" Ketterman not guilty,
Friday, of the 2009 shooting
death of Daniel Sherman.
Jurors deliberated after a 3-
day trail, the second in a year
Ketterman faced on the murder
charge. A 2010 trial ended in a
"hung" jury.
The retrial featured the same
witnesses and testimony as the
previous proceedings, although
slightly reworded at times.
Jurors retired to their confer-
ence room at about 9 a.m., re-
turning a verdict by 9:45 a.m.
Although the trial featured
testimony from a parade of wit-
nesses, including experts from
the West Virginia State Police
Laboratory, medical personnel
and investigating officers, the
outcome largely hung on state-
ments given by the only two liv-
ing witnesses of the shooting.
Testifying for the prosecution
against Ketterman was Joyce
Sherman, mother of the shooting
victim and Ketterman's then-,
but now former, girlfriend.
Her testimony tended to im-
plicate Ketterman as the aggres-
sor.
As he did in the previous trial,
Ketterman did not take the stand.
However, his statements to po-
lice officers were read into the
record by his defense team, attor-
neys Jay Geary and Charles Carl.
In his statements to investiga-
tors, Ketterman claimed he shot
D. Sherman in self-defense. The
traditional "a man's home is his
castle" concept was frequently
mentioned by the defense attor-
neys.
Ketterman suffered a .25 cal-
iber gunshot wound to the face
during the incident, requiring
treatment at both Grant Memori-
al Hospital and Ruby Memorial
Hospital (Morgantown).
In a bit a courtroom theatrics,
the defense left a projected
image of Ketterman's bloodied
face on a viewing screen
throughout presentation of their
case.
Grant County prosecutor
Dennis DiBenedetto handled the
case for the state.
The state's argument hinged
primarily on the theory that,
based upon the sound of gun-
shots heard by J. Sherman, Ket-
terman fired first. DiBenedetto
told jurors a run sheet written by
the ambulance personnel who
transported Ketterman, included
a notation about a possible sui-
cide attempt.
J. Sherman didn't see the
shooting because she was in an-
other room. However, she told of
hearing a loud "boom," followed
shortly thereafter by a "pop."
D. Sherman died at the scene
of a .270 caliber bullet wound to
the chest. There was never any
dispute by either side that Ketter-
man fired the fatal shot. It was
noted alcohol may have played a
factor in the situation.
LOSING THE BATrLig- They haven't been up for long,
but Grant County's Civil War Trail kiosks have suffered
their first casualty. Last week, someone ran into the kiosk
located just south of Petersburg on U.S. Route 220
(Franklin Pike). This'kiosk marks the general location of a
June 19, 1864 Johnson Run skirmish between the pro-
Union Home Guard and a detachment of pro-Confederate
McNeill's Rangers. The Confederates were trying to cap-
ture a supply wagon trail.
Grand jury returns indictments
Most charges involve drug-related offenses; accusations include fatal vehicle mishap near M'Ville
Drug-related charges domi-
nated the docket of the Grant
County Circuit Court's recent
grand jury session.
• But grand jurors also heard a
case which• involved a traffic fa-
tality.
Indicted in connection with
an Aug. 7 traffic fatality on state
Route 42 was Andrew Ray Har-
vey, 21, HC 80 Box 114,
Maysville.
Harvey faces prosecution for
driving under the influence of a
controlled substance (morphine -
hydrocodone) in a reckless dis-
regard resulting in death, plus
driving under the influence of a
controlled substance (marijuana)
resulting in death.
According to the complaint,
Harvey was driving a 1996 Ford
Mustang on Route 42, near
Maysville, at the time of the ac-
cident. While trying to pass an-
other vehicle in a no passing
zone, Harvey allegedly lost con-
trol, skidded 239 feet and struck
a Buick operated by Dennis
Melvin Stewart Jr.
Killed in the wreck was a 14-
year-old, identified as "D.M.S."
In a statement to investiga-
tors, Harvey said the vehicle he
was attempting to pass kept
speeding up and slowing down.
Bond was set at $22,500. If
convicted, Harvey could be senJ
tenced to 20 years in prison and
fined a maximum of $3,000.
Juan Arnaldo Gomez-Garcia,
29, 12 Central Ave., Petersburg,
was indicted for possession with
intent to deliver a controlled
substance. The substance cited
in the allegation is cocaine.
According to the complaint,
officers discovered drugs and re-
lated equipment at the home, as
well as $1,500 in cash. It was
noted Gomez-Garcia is unem-
ployed.
Bond was set at $75,000. A
conviction on this charge could
bring a maximum sentence of 15
years in prison.
Mark Wayne VanMeter, 26,
105 Grant Street, Petersburg,
and Tara Made Berg, 26, P.O.
Box 207, Keyser, were indicted
on 10 counts apiece for operat-
ing a clandestine • drug lab, pos-
session of pseudoephedrine with
intent to manufacture meth and
conspiracy.
Convictions on •these charges
could bring a 15-year prison
tenr, plus up, to a $25,000 fine.
VanMeter's bond was set at
$85,000. Berg's was set at
$20,000.
According to the complaint,
the pair hired a third party to
teach them how to make meth.
The illicit class cost $100. After-
wards, they produced meth two
or three times a week, primarily
for their own consumption, or
for trade with others for proper-
ty.
In a statement to investiga-
tors, Berg told of blowing up a
toilet when meth chemicals re-
acted with water. VanMeter,
meanwhile, largely blamed the
enterprise on Berg and others.
This investigation revealed a
list of names of meth ingredient
buyers.
Robert Adolph VanMeter Jr.,
38, HC 32 Box 1099, Peters-
burg, was indicted on seven
counts for operating a clandes-
tine meth lab and possession of
pseudoephedrine with the intent
to manufacture meth.
The alleged offenses were
said to have taken place in July,
August and November. Bond
was set at $35,000.
Trampas Quint Wolford, 47,
HC 59 Box 1399, Cabins, and
Melissa Catherine Judy, 39, HC
33 Box 376, Petersburg, were
jointly indicted for four drug-re-
lated offenses.
Those charges are manufac-
turing a controlled substance,
possession of a controlled sub-
stance with intetnt to deliver, op-
erating a clandestine drag lab
and possession of pseu-
doephedrine with intent to man-
ufacture meth.
According to the complaint,
charges against the pair
stemmed from an investigation
into the cultivation of marijuana.
Reportedly, a madjuana-spotting
helicopter crew saw pot plants
growing near poultry houses
owned by one of Wolford's rela-
tives.
While visiting the farm, offi-
cers met Wolford and discovered
seven marijuana plants which
had been pulled out of the
ground. A subsequent search dis-
covered 19 firearms, equipment
commonly found in connection
with drag sales and a "gas gener-
ator" used to produce meth.
Judy was indicted because of
her alleged knowledge of the op-
eration.
A conviction on these charges
could bring up to a 10-year
prison term.
William Brian Kile, 29, 226
Judy Street, Petersburg, was in-
dicted for driving while revoked
for DUI (third or subsequent of-
fense) and unlawful taking of a
vehicle.
Kile is accused of taking a
flatbed trailer from V.R. Mowry
Trucking without permission.
The trailer was then hauled be-
hind a truck to Georgia, where
See Indictments, page 8
MEET MISS SPRING MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL FOR 2011 -
The Spring Mountain Festival may not be until April 29-May 1,
but the event already has its queen. Selected as Miss Spring
Mountain Festival, Saturday, during a pageant at the Landes
Arts Center, was Jordan Robinson (center), a 15-year-ol(! East
Hardy High School student. Her court consists of Marissa Biller
(left), the first runner-up, and Chelsy Nazelrodt (right), the sec-
ond runner-up, to.t,q to o.d 9 d o & plolapl
Limon's "Buddy
Holly Show" is
coming back
Back by popular demand, Robbie
Limon will appear at the Landes Arts
Center with his Buddy Holly Tribute
Show, Saturday, April 9.
Limon, of Middletown, Va., is an
award-winning entertainer who mixes
solo and band appearances with act-
ing/singing roles at professional theaters.
He has been performing for 20 years
and brings his love of '70s-era songwrit-
ers to each performance.
The Buddy Holly show is set in De-
cember 1958 in Greenwich Village, N.Y.,
as Holly and his bride await the new year
start for the Winter Dance Party Tour of
the midwest. Holly rehearses the tour
band with over 20 songs he recorded dur-
ing 1956-1958 and responds to audience
questions about his career, his music and
his future. This unique format for a stage
play is certain to give an inside look at a
life which has been described as "18
months of fame and generations of influ-
ence."
Limon impresses with his recreation
of the physical appearance and perfor-
mance style of this innovative song-
writer.
The performance will begin at 7 p.m., at the" art
center, located on Mt. View Street, Petersburg.
Advance tickets are available at Judy's Drug Store
and Grant County Parks and Recreation office. For in-
formation, call 304-257-1725.
IlCO II ntyp ress. COIII