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MOUNDSVILLE -- Marshall County Magistrate Zach Allman has seen and done much over his career, from Operation Iraqui Freedom to bringing some of the worst criminals in Marshall County to justice.
Allman was recognized for all that and more last week, with his accomplishments in the Army and as a detective listed alongside being a Little League coach, and being declared Champion of Ohio Valley Dancing with the Stars, when he was recognized as a Distinguished Mountaineer by Gov. Jim Justice.
Allman said the award caught him by surprise when he checked his mail earlier this month, but that in everything he does, he strives to succeed.
"That took a tremendous amount of my evenings. Everything I do, I do to win," Allman said. "I don't want to come in second place in anything, and we put in hours and hours and hours of work every single week."
The six-week event wrapped up Nov. 2, when Allman and Ashley Martinez, from Salsa Heat Dance Studio, took home the mirror ball trophies at the ninth annual event.
"Now I have my evenings back, I can spend time with my kids again, and get back to playing ball with them," he said. "I now have an obnoxiously large trophy that I didn't have any place for, since it has a giant disco ball hanging from it."
Allman spent 11 years as a detective with the Marshall County Sheriff's Office and two with the county prosecutor's office, where he worked on numerous sexual assault and abuse cases, including numerous cases where the victims were children. Allman was appointed magistrate in February at the recommendation of circuit judge Jeffrey Cramer.
"Most importantly, Zachary B. Allman possesses the honor, integrity, work ethic and demeanor to serve as magistrate," Cramer stated in the order. "His honor and integrity are unassailable; his conscientious work ethic and desire to forward the cause of justice unquestionable and his demeanor to all parties is always calm and respectful."
As magistrate, Allman said each day is a learning experience, as even with his considerable background in law enforcement, he's constantly double-checking himself and taking in new information.
"I'm constantly calling one of the judges, one of the other magistrates," he said. "It seems like every single day I'm down here, presented with a new challenge or something I've never seen before, which keeps the job super interesting."