The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

February 19, 2013

Man charged in toddler's death waives preliminary hearing

From Staff Reports

A Fairdale man charged with murder in the death of his 2-year-old stepson waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday in Raleigh County Magistrate Court.

The case of James Travis Green will now go before the next session of the grand jury in May.

When West Virginia State Police responded Feb. 8 to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive and bloody toddler at a trailer in Fairdale, they determined the child had sustained injuries congruent with physical abuse, including bruising.

The child, Graydon Morgan, was taken to Raleigh General Hospital and then to Women and Children’s Hospital in Charleston where he died.

The deceased toddler’s twin brother also showed signs of physical abuse and has been placed in the custody of Child Protective Services, police indicated.

Their mother, Brandy Smallwood, was charged with child neglect causing death for leaving the child in the hands of a known drug addict, according to State Police Sgt. D.W. Bennett.

Police said their investigation revealed evidence of recent drug use in the home.

Both Green and Smallwood remain lodged in Southern Regional Jail.

Text Only
Today's Front Page
  • Mulch for United Way Thank you very mulch

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo

  • Juvenile sexting soon to be illegal

    It soon will be illegal for minors to sext in West Virginia.
    Legislation signed May 6 by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin makes it a crime for youths to make, possess or distribute photos, videos or other media that show themselves or another minor in an inappropriate sexual manner.

    May 22, 2013

  • Kessler says stormwater runoff fee is a hardship

    A former West Virginia legislator Tuesday decried the stormwater runoff fee imposed on some residents as unfair and uneven, warning that it is hurting businesses and individuals alike.

    May 22, 2013

  • Search for Okla. tornado survivors nearly complete

    Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.

    May 22, 2013

  • An eye toward the future An Eye Toward the Future

    The community of Clifftop may be small, but it has meant big things to one of its most recent high school graduates.

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo

  • Power of Moore tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb

    Everything had to come together just perfectly to create the killer tornado in Moore, Okla.: wind speed, moisture in the air, temperature and timing. And when they did, the awesome energy released over that city dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima.

    May 21, 2013

  • Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma

    The search for survivors and the dead is nearly complete in the Oklahoma City suburb that was smashed by a mammoth tornado, the fire chief said Tuesday.

    May 21, 2013

  • Sexting will be illegal for minors in W.Va. starting July 12

    It soon will be illegal for minors to sext in West Virginia.

    May 21, 2013

  • Former legislator says stormwater runoff fee unfair

    A former West Virginia legislator Tuesday decried the stormwater runoff fee imposed on some residents as unfair and uneven, warning that it is hurting businesses and individuals alike.

    May 21, 2013

  • 052113 OK tornado 10.jpg Crews race to find survivors of Oklahoma twister

    Emergency crews searched the broken remnants of an Oklahoma City suburb Tuesday for survivors of a massive tornado that flattened homes and demolished an elementary school. At least 24 people were killed, including at least nine children, and those numbers were expected to climb.

    May 21, 2013 2 Photos 5 Stories