The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

October 9, 2012

Jail officer’s arrest prompts outside probe

By Lawrence Messina Associated Press

West Virginia’s regional jails chief told legislators Monday that he’s requested an independent, outside investigator to review agency policy following last month’s arrest of a correctional officer accused of having sex with inmates in exchange for cigarettes.

Agency Executive Director Joe DeLong responded to several questions from a House-Senate oversight committee prompted by the criminal charges filed against officer William Roy Wilson.

State Police arrested Wilson, 29, of Beckley and accused him of forcing sexual acts with three women at Southern Regional Jail starting in May. The Legislature passed a law earlier this year that makes sexual contact between people under supervision and officers, contractors or other staff a felony. The new law, crafted by the interim study committee, makes clear that consent cannot be a defense.

DeLong also noted that Wilson faces multiple civil claims alleging sexual misconduct at the jail. At least 11 lawsuits have targeted Wilson, including two that have been settled out-of-court.

Besides reviewing what led up to Wilson’s arrest, DeLong said the investigator would examine the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority’s relevant policies, both current and prior. DeLong said he also wants this probe to “look at any inappropriate steps or inaction” that may have delayed the discovery of Wilson’s alleged conduct.

A former legislator and House Majority leader, DeLong became the agency’s executive director in August after holding the post in an acting capacity.

DeLong took time during Monday’s meeting to defend his staff, which suffer low pay and long hours amid high turnover and vacancies. West Virginia is wrestling with a growing inmate crisis, with at-capacity prisons forcing thousands of convicted felons to serve parts of their sentences in the network of 10 regional jails. Each jail has more inmates than it was designed to hold, officials have said.

“We have a lot of employees who are accused of a lot of things that they don’t do,” DeLong said. “When you cast a broad enough net, to say that everybody is doing something wrong, and then you find someone who is doing something wrong, you use that as backup and say, ‘See, I told you so,”’ DeLong told lawmakers.

DeLong said Wilson was arrested after an inmate complained about “inappropriate activities” in Southern Regional Jail’s kitchen, which inmates help staff. DeLong did not detail those allegations, but said they did not involve Wilson and the resulting investigation failed to support some of them. But that inquiry found evidence of some misconduct, and the agency brought in the State Police, DeLong said.

Text Only
Today's Front Page
  • flag Honoring the red, white and blue

    Rainelle Mayor Andrea Pendleton proudly waves the red, white and blue  Saturday during the Rainelle Veterans Reunion parade.

    May 26, 2013 1 Photo

  • East Beckley By-Pass construction put off until at least 2014

    Further work on the East Beckley By-Pass project, originally on the Department of Transportation’s calendar for construction this spring, has been put off, and nothing more will occur until 2014, the agency confirmed Friday.

    May 26, 2013

  • wvsom WVSOM celebrates commencement

    An exuberant group of 184 newly minted doctors cheered, applauded and shed the occasional tear as the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine celebrated its 36th commencement ceremony on a sunny Saturday morning.

    May 26, 2013 1 Photo

  • CHEF An Eye Toward the future

    A love of cooking and the classes to further and foster basic skills has led Beckley 18-year-old Charles Hill to become a class of 2013 graduate of Raleigh County’s Academy of Careers and Technical School with plans to become a personal chef and open a restaurant.

    May 26, 2013 1 Photo

  • Record low temperatures set, but summer is coming

    A new record low temperature was set Friday night in Beckley, but that didn’t stop a few brave souls from venturing to New River Park Saturday to make the most of their Memorial Day weekend.

    May 25, 2013

  • VET An honor

    Patricia Hamons, left, and Jeanette Daniel, right, put a cross on the grave of their grandfather and father, Pvt. Charles J. Holliday, Friday morning at The American Legion cemetery on South Kanawha Street in Beckley.

    May 25, 2013 1 Photo

  • Moderate bloc eyeing speaker’s position

     Rick Thompson’s sudden departure as speaker of the House of Delegates triggered a flurry of politicking by a handful of fellow lawmakers, all eager to take the gavel from him next month in a special session.

    May 25, 2013

  • W.Va. joins greenhouse gas rules fight

     Once again, political leaders in West Virginia are taking on the Environmental Protection Agency in what they perceive as a crucial court test with coal production hanging in the balance.

    May 25, 2013

  • Ewart Avenue stormwater project continues

    A familiar scene was found Wednesday afternoon on Robert C. Byrd Drive near the Ewart Avenue intersection, as heavy rains once again flooded the area and created troublesome driving conditions.

    May 25, 2013

  • GRAD An Eye Toward the future

    Shady Spring High School senior Sierra Neubert is paying it forward, encouraging students to think about their college choices early on in their high school careers.

    May 25, 2013 1 Photo