Story and Video: U.S. Attorney Honors Local Law Enforcement, Community Partners

WHEELING — United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia Matthew Harvey presented awards to law enforcement and community partners during a ceremony Thursday at the Federal Building in Wheeling.

The recipients included:

— Ohio County Prosecutor Shawn Turak, who received the Department of Justice Partnership Award;

— Heather Lapp, operations director at Wheeling YWCA, and Lori Jones, director of the Wheeling YWCA, who accepted the Community Impact Partnership Award on behalf of the YWCA of Wheeling;

— ATF Special Agent Heather Kozik, who received the Distinguished Service Award for her 25 years of service;

— FBI Special Agent Michael Torbic, who received the Exceptional White-Collar Investigator Award for his investigative work on the U.S. vs. Jeffery Morris case and U.S. vs. Paul Harris case;

— DEA Diversion Investigators Christopher Skaggs and Jeffrey Hamilton, who both received the Special Achievement In Controlled Substances Investigation Award regarding the West Virginia United Health System investigation;

— Andy Osborne, assistant director of the integrity section at WorkForce West Virginia, who received the Meritorious Assistance in Federal Justice Award; and

— Tim Metz of NASA on behalf of NASA-OIA Special Agent Thomas Atherton, who received the Exceptional Contribution to the Northern District of West Virginia Award.

Harvey said it was important to honor those officers and community partners because, without them, the U.S. Attorney’s office could not do its job.

“Each of you went above and beyond,” he said. “You stepped up when your community needed you most.” 

Harvey said he was also happy to see many recipients’ families in attendance as well. He said family members also endure what comes with the recipients’ jobs. 

“They deserve the awards as much as you do,” he said.

Harvey said his office aims to match their “intensity and professionalism.”

“We are all in this together and we’ve got to stay together,” he said. 

Following the ceremony, Turak said it was honor to receive the award.

“The award itself is significant because my office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we really do partner with each other,” she said. “A lot of the cases they handle start with us. And at the appropriate time we make the hand-off knowing that it’s in good hands, that the U.S. Attorney will take it to its ultimate conclusion.” 

Turak said she meets quarterly with local drug task force officers, DEA agents, and U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding major investigations under way.

“I work with these guys all the time. It’s an honor to be honored by them,” she said.

After the ceremony, Jones said the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been a good partner for the YWCA. She said the Y works with the Project Safe Neighborhoods. The office has helped women with domestic violence and human trafficking investigations. The Y also participates in the drug court program. 

“We are victim-centered organization. Protecting and assisting victims is what we do. Partnering with the U.S. Attorney makes sense. … The Project Safe Neighborhoods is to work against gun violence in the area and that is also very instrumental in domestic violence cases,” Jones said.