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Wetzel County Assessor Speaks Out Against Hundred State Police Detachment Closure

Wetzel County Assessor Scott Lemley is the latest public official expressing disapproval of the impending closure of Hundred’s West Virginia State Police detachment on Jan. 1.

In a letter to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Lemley said he was discouraged to hear the news that the detachment was on the list of three to be closed. He said he believes the county needs the detachment in Hundred.

“The State Police in Hundred, W.Va., covers a large area, not only within Wetzel County but the surrounding counties, and we need this police protection within our county,” Lemley said.

Lemley said, going forward, he hopes the governor’s office, as well as WVSP Col. C.R. “Jay” Smithers, would reach out to communities before such a drastic decision “is made that will have a negative impact on our county and the Hundred community.”

In his letter to Tomblin, Lemley requested authority figures reconsider the closure of the detachment. He is not alone in his disapproval of the lack of notification of the detachment closure.

Wetzel County Prosecutor Tim Haught was critical of the way the news was brought to the attention of stakeholders. Haught had noted that he learned of the closure through social media.

“I am very disappointed in the closure of what has been a very successful detachment. … Apparently, authorities in Charleston thought it more important to notify the landlord than to discuss the closure with the local prosecuting attorney or other local law enforcement prior to making a decision,” Haught said.

Haught said closing the Hundred detachment is “a mistake that negatively impacts the residents of the eastern part of Wetzel County and makes our job more difficult.”

Last week Delegate Dave Pethtel, D-Wetzel, also spoke out on the detachment’s closure. He criticized that employees of the detachment, along with local elected officials, were not notified in advance of the imminent closure.

“There is no one who feels worse about the closure of the Hundred state police detachment than me. I live there,” Pethtel said. “However, I have a clear conscience. I did everything possible to keep it open.”

In the Nov. 22 press release from the state police announcing the detachment’s closure, Smithers said the WVSP believes “it has a moral responsibility to strive continually to be a good steward of taxpayer money. The decisions were only made after much thought, careful deliberation and a thorough consideration of alternative courses of action.”

The release stated “it is not economically feasible in today’s climate to maintain a physical detachment in each community across our state.”

In July 2014, political pressure seemed to have saved the local detachment, which was in danger of closing then. At that time, Haught wrote a letter to Smithers, while then-Sen. Larry Edgell, D-Wetzel, and Sen. Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, wrote to Tomblin.

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