Magistrate Scott Hicks is seeking re-election to the office of Hancock County magistrate in 2012.
Hicks has served as a Hancock County magistrate for the past 14 years since his appointment on Feb. 3, 1998. He was elected that year and is currently serving his third four-year term.
Hicks is the chief magistrate. He also presided over the adult treatment court since its inception in 2003.
He was recognized by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 2011 as one of the two longest-serving adult treatment court magistrates in the state of West Virginia. In years past, Hicks also has presided in juvenile proceedings as the juvenile referee.
Before becoming a magistrate, Hicks served the city of Weirton as a police officer for nearly 26 years, advancing through the ranks, holding positions in the patrol division, burglary prevention unit, tactical squad, juvenile investigations and the detective division.
He retired in 1998, after serving four and a half years as the chief of police.
Hicks and his wife, Jan, who is the co-owner of McCauslen Any Occasion Florist, have been married for 42 years and have lived in the same home in Weirton for all of those years. They attend St. Joseph the Worker Church in Weirton.
They have a son, Darrin, who, along with his wife, Jennifer, lives in Rocky Mount, N.C., where he is a college football coach.
Hicks is the son of the late Fred and June Hicks.
Hicks attended Hancock County schools and graduated from Weir High in 1964. He is a graduate of the West Virginia State Police Academy, and has completed numerous law enforcement classes and seminars - including the West Virginia Supreme Court yearly educational conferences and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals educational conferences.
Hicks serves on the Northern Panhandle Community Criminal Justice Board. He holds memberships with the Kiwanis Club, Knights of Columbus and Holy Name Society.
