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Williamson fire chief placed on administrative leave after his arrest
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Williamson Fire Chief Joey Michael Carey has been placed on administrative leave after his arrest Friday night for allegedly firing a handgun round into a neighboring apartment in the building where he lives. Carey, 49, was taken into custody at about 9 p.m. at the fire department
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Martin County court docket
INEZ — Judge John T. Chafin heard the following cases March 23 and March 24 in Martin District Court: Laura Victoria Giacomoni (arraignment) — Criminal trespassing, third degree: Pleaded guilty, defendant to pay $100 fine and cost, stay off the property of Maxwell Moore, show cause 9/8/26 at 10 a.m. Paul Hinkle (motion hour) —
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Martin County civil suits, deeds and marriages
INEZ — Martin Circuit Clerk Denise Gauze reported 10 the civil suits filed in her office through March 26. Meanwhile, Martin County Clerk Susie Skyles reported three deeds and one marriage recorded in her office through March 25. Civil Suits Charles Davis vs. Debbie Bowes et al. Charles Davis vs. Theodore Dalton Jr. et al.
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KY chief justice warns drug, mental health courts would be wiped out by budget proposals
by Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern March 26, 2026 FRANKFORT — Kentucky judges and advocates issued a warning Thursday that, without more funding in the judicial branch budget, the state’s specialty courts could be closed. Kentucky’s Administrative Office of the Courts said the General Assembly’s two-year budget, as it now stands, would underfund court system operations
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Williamson fire chief arrested on wanton endangerment charges
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Williamson Fire Chief Joey Michael Carey was arrested Friday night after a roughly three-month investigation into allegations that he fired two handgun rounds into a neighboring apartment in the downtown Williamson building where he lives. West Virginia State Police took Carey, 49, into custody at about 9
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Frontier Housing fails to deliver jobs, says EDA chair
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Nine months after Frontier Housing leased the speculative building at the Eastern Kentucky Business Park in Debord, Martin County Economic Development Authority Chairman James Ayers said the project has produced neither the jobs nor the activity the board was led to expect. Speaking at the EDA’s March 11
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Murder trial set May 4 in killing of West Virginia trooper
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — A Matewan man accused in the 2023 killing of a West Virginia State Police sergeant is scheduled to stand trial May 4 in Mingo County Circuit Court after a case marked by delays, a failed venue-change effort and a mistrial last year. Timothy Kennedy Jr., 32, has
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Tomahawk man gets two-year prison sentence in stolen ATV case
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A Tomahawk man was sentenced March 19 in Martin Circuit Court to two years in prison for his role in a stolen ATV case dating back to 2023. Rush Fraley, 49, pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to receiving stolen property valued at $1,000 to $10,000/complicity, a Class D felony.
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Lovely man draws six-year prison sentence in fentanyl case
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A Martin County man drew a six-year prison sentence March 19 in Martin Circuit Court after pleading guilty to a fentanyl trafficking charge. Henry Butcher, 27, of Lovely, received the sentence after pleading guilty Feb. 5, 2026, to first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (over 2 grams of
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Martin County arrest report
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT INEZ — Martin County Sheriff John Kirk’s Office reported the following arrests: Erin A. Kugel, 23, was arrested March 21 on Long Branch Road in Lovely on a bench warrant from Magoffin District Court. Deputy JC Kirk served the warrant at 6:50 p.m. Ashley R. Salmons, 34, of Tomahawk, was arrested March
