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Belmont County Judge Reinstates Broome’s Bond

Photo by Robert A. DeFrank Meredith Broome appears Monday for a hearing in Belmont County Common Pleas Court.

A Belmont County judge has decided to give Meredith Broome her bond back.

Common Pleas Judge John Vavra restored Broome’s $20,000 bond when she appeared before him Monday. Broome had lost her bond in May after she tested positive for marijuana, which was in violation of her supervised release.

Broome, 35, who has a Georgia address, said she will reside in Barnesville. An official with the Belmont County Jail said Monday evening that she had not posted bond by then.

Broome was arrested in West Virginia in March and extradited to Belmont County on suspicion of planning the 2013 murder of former Powhatan Point Mayor Marvin Brown and paying $12,000 for his killing.

Authorities arrested her as a result of new information that came to light when an alleged accomplice implicated himself as the trigger-man and related information about the crime scene, according to the prosecutor’s office. The accomplice also gave authorities information about a gun Broome allegedly provided for the murder, which matches the description of one Brown owned that has never been found.

The grand jury called in the case returned indictments of tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice in aiding felony theft. Broome has not been charged with murder.

Also known as Meredith McLeod, Broome was arraigned on those charges last week and pleaded innocent to them. She is set to appear June 25 in court for an upcoming plea agreement hearing. Her trial is set for July 5, but the prosecutor’s office expects that the trial date will be continued to allow for the discovery process.

Prosecution and defense attorneys are still in the process of evidence sharing.

“It is our hope that we get more specific information,” said Dennis McNamara, who is representing Broome. “The charge of tampering with evidence requires that some proceeding investigation in progress or about to be in progress, and we don’t know what that investigation was, and also that some record, document or thing be falsified, altered, changed or destroyed, and we don’t know what that thing is.”

Belmont County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan said the process would be complete soon, and more information could then be released regarding the circumstances of the alleged crimes.

McNamara asked for the restoration of Broome’s bond on the grounds that the murder charge had been dismissed while the grand jury continues to investigate. He also pointed out Broome’s prior cooperation with the courts in making her appointments and her intention of remaining in the area with family. Broome had originally been granted a bond at the county court level.

Flanagan opposed the bond restoration on the grounds of the violation. Vavra granted McNamara’s request.

The tampering and obstruction charges stem from Broome allegedly attempting to cover up a theft offense of which her mother, Deborah Doty Brown, who is also Marvin Brown’s widow, was convicted.

Deborah Doty Brown has served her three-year sentence and has since been released from prison.

Court documents allege that Deborah Doty Brown withdrew money from accounts owned by her husband and/or his business. Authorities believe the gunman was paid with those funds. Deborah Brown was sentenced in May 2015.

Marvin Brown, who died in 2013 after being shot from behind, served as the Powhatan mayor from 1984-85. He also owned and operated Powhatan Construction Co. and was a subcontractor for other local businesses.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Marvin Brown’s alleged killer, Steven Andrew Moore, implicated himself while in jail and is facing unrelated charges of drug trafficking. Moore, 38, of 5495 Cove Road, Powhatan Point, was arraigned June 4 and faces charges of aggravated murder and aggravated burglary with a firearm specification.

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