ROBERT MEADE II

MOUNDSVILLE — The car dealer who is an alleged co-conspirator in a fraudulent schemes case in Marshall County has been arrested.

James Robert Meade II, 51, of Moundsville was arrested Aug. 19 on a capias warrant by the Moundsville Police Department

Meade on Friday pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraudulent schemes and one count of conspiracy against the state in Marshall County Magistrate Court.

Marshall County Magistrate Court Judge Thomas Wood set a 10% cash bond of $40,000 on Meade, who was in the Northern Regional Jail at press time. A preliminary hearing for Meade is set for 10:15 a.m. Sept. 2 before Wood.

The fraud charges stem from an alleged conspiracy between Meade and Marshall County Assessor Eric Buzzard to both receive kickbacks on car sales from Meade’s dealership, JB’s Preowned Auto Sales, to Marshall County.

Buzzard, 41, of Moundsville was arrested in June for allegedly partnering with Meade to purchase cars for the Marshall County Commission, resulting in him allegedly receiving more than $30,000 in kickbacks from padded prices.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the West Virginia State Police with the Marshall County Magistrate’s Office, since the time Buzzard took office in January 2021, he and Meade allegedly split a collective profit of $63,157 following the county’s purchase of automobiles, resulting in a $31,578 kickback for each.

Ohio County Prosecutor Shawn Turak, who is assigned as special prosecutor in the Buzzard case, said Friday that she had not yet been assigned as special prosecutor for the Meade case. Marshall County Prosecutor Joe Canestraro would first have to recuse himself of the case before she would be assigned.

She noted it is important to remember that the accused have the presumption of innocence in a case.