Marshall County Assessor Eric Buzzard

MOUNDSVILLE — Marshall County Assessor Eric Buzzard, who is accused of seven felony counts of fraudulent schemes, wants to go back to work in his elected office, but Marshall County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Cramer said no, for now.

Buzzard and his attorney, William Ihlenfeld, appeared Thursday for a bond modification hearing. Ihlenfeld said Buzzard, who currently is not allowed to be on county property or to have contact with county employees, wants to return to his duties as assessor as he awaits trial.

Ihlenfeld argued that it was unconstitutional to keep Buzzard from fulfilling his duties as an elected official. Special prosecutors Jerry Sklavounakis and Ohio County Prosecutor Shawn Turak argued that allowing Buzzard to go back to work would be like allowing a suspect to return to the crime scene after being arrested.

Sklavounakis pointed out that Buzzard is still employed and still collecting a paycheck from the county.

Cramer agreed that allowing Buzzard to go back to his office would be like letting a suspect revisit a crime scene. However, he pointed out that Buzzard was arrested in June and he still has not been formally indicted. Cramer ordered that the matter be revisited in 45 days during another hearing. The exact date would be determined later.

“If there is no petition or indictment in 45 days, I will consider removing the bond terms altogether,” Cramer said.

Buzzard, 41, of Moundsville was arrested in June for allegedly partnering with a local car dealer 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 the car dealer allegedly collectively split a profit of $63,157 following the county’s purchase of automobiles, resulting in a $31,578 kickback for each.

The car dealer was not named in the complaint, but the business was listed as being in Marshall County.

Back in June, Buzzard pleaded not guilty to the charges and was freed after posting a $50,000 personal recognizance bond.

Staff Writer Joselyn King contributed to this report.