On Monday, August 3, 2026, during the early morning hours, deputies responded to the Macfarlan area of Ritchie County, West Virginia, regarding a suspicious death, according to a press release from the department.

Deputies from the Ritchie County Sheriff’s Office, along with members of the West Virginia State Police, arrived on scene and immediately began an investigation.

“At this time, the cause of death remains undetermined, and the investigation is ongoing,” the press release said.

The identity of the deceased has not been released.

The sheriff’s department said further updates will be made when the information becomes available, according to the press release.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact the Ritchie County Sheriff’s Office at 304-643-2262.

Those indicted include:

* Chad K. Perkins, 52, 201 Main St., Lower Salem; joint with Randall D. Ash, 64, 14460 Browns Road, Marietta; both were indicted on aggravated possession of drugs, both third-degree felonies, from, July 2024 and June 6.

* Ethan Adam Ross, 25, 211 1/2 Maple St., Marietta; one count aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, from May 20.

* Chloe Marie Ellison, 19, 1121 Staunton Ave., Parkersburg; one count aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, from May 20

* Maurice James Franklin, 43, 2 East 223rd St., Euclid, OH, 44123; one count unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, a fifth-degree felony, from June 8.

* Brenda Leann Miller, 58, 1609 Hampton Rd., Parkersburg; joint with Mary Elizabeth Wolfe, 48, 731 Glendale Rd, Apartment 18, Marietta; Miller was charged with one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a second-degree felony; one count aggravated trafficking in drugs, a first-degree felony. Wolfe was indicted on one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony; one count of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony, from April 29. Wolfe was charged in a separate indictment on one count of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony; one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, from April 27.

* Bobbie Jane Walker, 47, 1613 Washington Blvd., Belpre and Chad Douglas Walker, 51, 1613 Washington Blvd. Belpre; Monica Ann Starcher, 50, 816 Williams St., Parkersburg; Patrick Corey Jackson, 46, 1613 Washington Blvd., Belpre; were all named as codefendants in an indictment. Bobbie Jane Walker was indicted on one count of trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony; two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, both fifth-degree felonies; one count of permitting drug abuse, a fifth-degree felony; one count trafficking in marijuana, a fifth-degree felony; one count endangering children, a first-degree misdemeanor. Chad Douglas Walker was indicted on one charge of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony; two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, both fifth-degree felonies; one count of permitting drug abuse, a fifth-degree felony; one count of endangering children, a first-degree misdemeanor. Starcher was indicted on one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; one count aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony; one count trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and one county possession of a fentanyl-related compound, both fourth-degree felonies. Jackson was indicted on one count of trafficking in a fentanyl related-compound and one count of possession of a fentanyl-related compound, both fourth-degree felonies, from Jan. 1 to May 12.

* David Ray Johns, 42, 1485 Robert C. Byrd Drive, Crab Orchard, W.Va., 25827; one count of failure to appear as required by recognizance, a fourth-degree felony, from July 15.

* David Anthony Snyder, 40, 1260 Greenbrier St., Charleston; one count of failure to appear as require by recognizance, a fourth-degree felony,July 22.

* Jared Asa Davis, 36, no known address; joint with Andrew Frederick Mont Hinton, 48, 1880 Briggs Hill Rd., Belpre; both were indicted the same charges of one count theft, a fifth-degree felony; breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony; tampering with evidence, a fifth-degree third-degree felony, from June 26.

* Timothy Paul Satterfield, 45, 408 Elm St., Belpre; one count of domestic violence, a fourth-degree felony; one count of theft, a fifth-degree felony, from July 9.

* David Michael Tittle, 57, 803 Coumbus Ave. Martins Ferry, OH, 43945; one count of escape, a third-degree felony, from July 19.

* Melissa Brigitt Iamadita, 19, no known address; joint with Anna Maria Chiciu, 23, 3801 Edmond Ave. Baltimore, Md., 21229; both were indicted on three counts of theft, all fifth-degree felonies; one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a fifth-degree felony, from May 10.

According to a release from Vienna Police Chief Josh Cole, Ashton Elschlager, 20, of Walker is in custody at the Wood County Holding Center and Jacob Thomas, 19, of Waverly is being held at the Washington County Jail.

Elschlager is being held on a $300,000 cash bond, according to magistrate records. Thomas is being held without bond on a fugitive from justice warrant, according to the Washington County Jail website.

Officers responded around 8:14 p.m. Sunday to the 100 block of Grand Central Avenue for a report of shots fired involving two northbound vehicles, the release said. The preliminary investigation determined occupants of both vehicles exchanged gunfire.

Cole said the individuals were known to each other and the incident arose out of an ongoing dispute.

“It’s definitely not a random road rage incident,” he said.

Elschlager was charged last week with brandishing a deadly weapon, an incident Cole said involved a relative of Thomas. Magistrate records show Elschlager was also charged with obstruction and persons prohibited from possessing firearms counts in that instance and was released on a $5,000 bond.

Elschlager and a woman in his car “sustained serious life-threatening injuries,” the release said. Both were taken to WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. While Elschlager has since been released and is at the holding center, the woman was taken to WVU Medicine Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown for additional treatment, Cole said.

Her name was not included in the release.

The release said Elschlager was identified as one of the individuals involved in the exchange of gunfire, while witness information identified the second shooter as Thomas.

Thomas fled the scene while continuing north on Grand Central, the release said. With assistance from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, his vehicle was observed crossing the Williamstown Bridge. That information was relayed to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies stopped the vehicle on Third Street in Marietta, Sheriff Mark Warden said.

“We held them until the Vienna Police Department could come over and do their interviews,” he said.

After interviewing both suspects and other witnesses, officers determined Elschlager and Thomas “recklessly exchanged gunfire while traveling on a public roadway, placing numerous motorists and bystanders at risk of serious injury or death,” the release said.

There were two other people in the vehicle with Elschlager, a driver and a juvenile, neither of whom has been charged in relation to the incident, Cole said.

The investigation is ongoing, and the Vienna Police Department asked anyone with additional information to contact its office.

Vienna Police thanked the Wood and Washington County sheriff’s offices, Parkersburg and Williamstown police departments and West Virginia State Police for their assistance.

“This case highlights the value of strong communication and cooperation between our law enforcement agencies,” the release said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

Wood County Circuit Court Judge J.D. Beane issued a declaratory judgment on Thursday that the city’s new method of picking up recyclables does not follow established state law and the city remains obligated to establish and implement a curbside-collection program for recyclable materials that satisfies the minimum requirements of the statute.

Parkersburg resident and attorney Walt Auvil said, in motions in his original suit, the city violated state code requiring cities with a population of 10,000 or more to establish and implement a mandatory recycling program offering pickup of at least three materials at least once a month.

The court’s ruling says the city’s subscription-based program with Rumpke of Ohio Inc., which charges those participating an additional $3 a month and went into effect in May year, is deficient.

On Friday, Auvil said the ruling was to determine if the contract was compliant with the law.

“What the court clearly established is the Rumpke contract does not fulfill the city’s obligation to the citizens of the city by the law,” he said. “The only recycling offered is through that Rumpke contract. No other recycling is offered.”

Auvil said he had made Parkersburg City Council aware of this in the past.

City officials said the contract was still in place and recyclables were still being picked up as of Friday.

Council’s Public Works and Finance committees will hold a joint meeting to discuss the ruling at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Executive Conference Room on the second floor of the Municipal Building. Items on the agenda to be discussed are options for complying with the recent court order to mandate all residents be charged the same for recycling regardless of participation or desire to recycle; what the penalty should be for not recycling three items each month; and what additional personnel are needed for enforcement and associated cost.

“The question is what do we do from here, what does the city do from here,” Auvil said. “I am hopeful that we will be able to reach some agreement with the city that will get them to do what the law requires, which is to provide the recycling service that they are required to provide to all citizens of the city.”

He has not ruled out further legal action if an agreement is not made.

“I am hopeful we can reach an agreement and get everyone the recycling the law says they are supposed to be offered,” Auvil said. “I just wish we did not have to go down this road.”

Parkersburg City Attorney Blaine Myers said they were pleased the court did not invalidate the contract with Rumpke and the city is able to keep providing that service.

Myers said the city has been looking at modifying the ordinance to conform to the language of the state statute and addressing the obligation of non-residential customers to recycle.

“The major issue that still needs to be resolved is … whether the city can charge a separate subscription fee of $3 a month, we provided in the ordinance, to those who voluntarily desire to recycle,” Myers said. “The argument opposed to that is the cost of recycling should be born by everyone whether they recycle or not.”

Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said the original law that all of this falls under was passed in the 1990s and there are a number of cities across the state that are not being required to adhere to it. They mayor said he would find that “disappointing and impractical” if Parkersburg was required ro do so.

“The good thing is the contract was not voided,” Joyce said. “We can continue with the contract with Rumpke for what has been fantastic service from a recycling standpoint for around 1,300 residents of Parkersburg who had a fantastic recycling program at a very reasonable price compared to what it could have been.”

Council will have to determine how the city can comply, he said.

Joyce said he feels that if everyone is required to have the service then it will end up costing people more money to be in compliance.

“That is not going to come without a cost,” he said. “The reality of it is, if this order stands then the cost of curbside recycling is going to go up, not just for the people who use it, but the people who don’t use it or choose not to use it. That is unfortunate.

“At that point it is not a fee anymore; it is a tax, in my opinion.”

As it is, everyone is paying $1.50 a month and those people who actually receive a service of curbside recycling are paying an additional $3 a month, Joyce said.

“It was fundamentally fair in its pricing structure, certainly more fair than anything I have seen anywhere in West Virginia and way better than what we had before,” he said. “Because of this suit, we are going to have to force everyone to pay more, whether they use the service or not. I find that impractical. It is another version of wealth extraction and charging people money for something they don’t do or don’t use and pass it on to a third-party contractor.”

The training involved Wood County Schools, the Parkersburg Police Department and WVU Medicine Camden Clark Emergency Medical Services, along with other local law enforcement and first responders.

Jeremy Bell, director of safety and security for Wood County Schools, said the district conducts the training annually.

“We do this every year to practice the worst-case scenario in our schools,” Bell said. “I don’t think a lot of people know that we do this, but it is live training for them.”

The exercises allowed police officers and EMS personnel to practice entering a school, locate simulated victims, provide medical care and coordinate their response. Police officers and EMS personnel also volunteered to portray victims during the scenarios.

Bell said the realistic exercises can help responders identify issues that may not become apparent during classroom instruction or tabletop discussions.

“It opens up a lot of our first responders’ eyes in an event like this,” Bell said. “If something does happen, we’re prepared for it.”

Personnel from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, Parkersburg Police Department and Vienna Police Department were involved in or scheduled to participate in the training during the week, Bell said.

He thanked the agencies and WVU Medicine Camden Clark EMS for committing personnel and resources to the exercises.

“This is good training for literally everybody,” Bell said.

Sean Marshall, director of EMS for WVU Medicine Camden Clark, said the exercise was designed as an active shooter and mass casualty incident drill involving EMS and the Parkersburg Police Department’s task force.

Marshall said the agencies had wanted to conduct integrated training for some time and organizers hope to include area fire departments in future exercises.

“The whole purpose behind this is for us to run through these drills, build up our staff’s confidence and make sure they know what they need to do in these types of situations,” he said.

The exercise also provided hands-on experience for students who recently completed testing through the Camden Clark EMS training center. Marshall said they were the first class in the center’s history to participate in a drill of that scale.

“They learn this stuff in a classroom setting, but they don’t physically get to actually do it,” Marshall said. “They got both worlds on this one.”

Marshall said he hopes students in future classes will have similar opportunities.

The training focused not only on the responsibilities of each agency but also on communication and coordination between responders. During a real emergency, Marshall said, police, EMS and other agencies would have to operate together in a fast-moving and potentially dangerous environment.

“This was a great opportunity for all of our services to get together and train together, because if this ever did happen, we’re all going to be working together,” Marshall said. “If we train together, then during these situations, we’re going to be more effective, we’re going to work better, and it’s going to come with better outcomes for everybody.”

Marshall also said for those interested in training through WVU Medicine Camden Clark EMS to keep an eye on their social media accounts for applications for the next rotation of training.

Staff Reporter Sophie Wheeler contributed to this article.

* Raymond William Perry, Parkersburg, pleaded guilty to battery and was assessed $176.48 and sentenced to four days in jail, already served).

* Charges of domestic battery and domestic assault were dismissed, without prejudice, against Devin Michael Allen, Washington, W.Va. The alleged victim does not wish to press charges.

* A charge for third-offense driving while suspended was dismissed against David Michael Mullins, 910 Pike St., Parkersburg, upon completion of a deferred sentence agreement.

* A charge of refusal to submit fingerprints or required information was dismissed against Steven Verl Gaston, Parkersburg, upon completion of a deferred sentence. Earlier, a charge for domestic assault was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

* Charges of speeding and reckless driving were dismissed against Xavier Christian Leeson, 25 Benson Drive, Parkersburg, upon completion of a deferred sentence.

* A battery charge was dismissed against Ashante Still, 1900 27th St., Apt. F, Parkersburg, upon completion of a deferred sentence.

* A charge of third-offense driving under the influence was dismissed against Steven Alan Mckinney, 407 Fream St., Pennsboro after he was indicted in another case.

* Amber Nicole Lockhart, 1400 23rd St., Vienna, pleaded guilty to driving while suspended or revoked and was assessed $276.48.

* Charges of third-offense driving while suspended and no seatbelt were dismissed against Jacob Ray Jewell, 1618 Covert St. Apt. B, Parkersburg, after a valid driver’s license was obtained.

* Charles Mathew Dillon, 240 Francis Road, Lowell, pleaded guilty to improper use of registration and was assessed $181.48. As part of a plea agreement, charges of driving while suspended or revoked and no insurance were dismissed.

* Charges of possession of a controlled substance and shoplifting were dismissed by the magistrate against Samantha Joann Leep, 1444 Jesterville Road, Parkersburg. The officer was not available, and there was no objection from the state.

* Connie Rae Smith, 977 Sun Valley Road, Washington, W.Va., pleaded guilty to obstruction with threats of harm and was assessed $176.48 with a sentence to jail for 20 days, suspended for one year of unsupervised probation. As part of a plea agreement, charges for assault and battery on government representatives were dismissed.

* A domestic battery charge was dismissed, without prejudice, against D’andre Lamore Price, Parkersburg, because the victim refuses to prosecute.

* Daniel Baine West, 2704 Fairview Ave., Parkersburg, pleaded guilty to first offense failure to register on the child abuse and neglect registry and was assessed $426.28.

* A charge of wanton endangerment involving a firearm was dismissed against William Ray Adkins, 2403 Williamstown Pike, Williamstown. He was indicted in another case.

* Corey Wayne Ashbrook, Creston, pleaded guilty to domestic battery, from an original charge of domestic assault or second-offense domestic battery, and was assessed $176.48 with a jail sentence of 30 days, suspended for one year of unsupervised probation. In another case, he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and was assessed $181.48.

* Lonnie Nichole Smith, 6757 W. Little Kanawha Highway, Big Bend, pleaded guilty to second-offense shoplifting, was assessed $276.48 and was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $184.00 to Ulta Beauty of Vienna.

* Hannah Faye Moore, 116 Rhinestone Ridge Road, New Martinsville, pleaded guilty to speeding (71 mph in a 55 mph zone) and was assessed $186.48.

* Samuel Alexander Iniguez, 2015 Washington Blvd. Apt. 4D, Belpre, pleaded guilty to having no insurance and no operator’s license and was assessed $557.96.

* Austin Dailey Stewart, 1045 Sandhill Road, Lot 20, Marietta, pleaded guilty to speeding in a traffic restriction or construction zone (69 mph in a 55 mph zone) and was assessed $226.48.

U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Donald Robert Wilt Edwards, Sr., 30, of Elkins, to 25 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexually exploiting a minor, the United States Attorney’s Office of Maryland announced in a press release Wednesday.

According to the press release, U.S Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office, Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department and Col. Jack Chambers, superintendent of the West Virginia State Police.

According to court documents, in June 2024, Edwards captured himself sexually abusing and exploiting a three-year-old minor victim, the release state. Edwards produced two images and one video of the abuse and distributed the files online using the Kik messaging application. He also possessed other child sexual abuse material on his cell phone and within his social media accounts.

In December 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Edwards’ Elkins residence, seizing multiple electronic devices, the release states. Throughout the course of the investigation, law enforcement uncovered additional CSAM on Edwards’ devices and in his social media accounts.

Hayes commended the FBI, BPD, West Virginia State Police and West Virginia Parole and Probation Office for their work in the investigation, the release states. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reema Sood and Paul E. Budlow who prosecuted the federal case.

According to the release, this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.