Tell us a little bit about yourself and your experience/accomplishments.
I’ve lived and worked in Southern West Virginia for almost 25 years. My oldest daughter is going to college next year, my oldest son graduates next year, and my youngest son is 10 months old. I’m the son of a coal miner that has worked 48 years underground. I could not have made it to where I am today without the support of my parents and family. While studying Social Work at Concord University, I worked at Children’s Home Society with parents and kids involved in the court system. I went on to get my law degree and stood up for kids who were victims of unspeakable crimes as an Assistant Prosecutor. I prosecuted crimes committed against children and represented the DHHR in child abuse and neglect cases.
I’ve tried over a dozen serious felony cases in front of juries. I have represented children in every type of case there is and represented children as a guardian ad litem, an attorney who advocates for the best interest of children. I also practiced consumer law helping families retain their homes when faced with illegal debt collection practices and predatory lending practices. Because of the types of cases I prosecuted, I’ve had many of my cases go to the WV Supreme Court for review, none have been overturned to date. I know what fairness is because as an Assistant Prosecutor I had to decide what evidence and laws applied in a case and which cases to bring before a grand jury and take to trial.
What motivated you to run for Family Court Judge, or if you’re an incumbent, what made you seek reelection?
Members of my church, community leaders, and local lawyers approached me a couple years ago and asked me to consider running for Family Court Judge. I’ve spent my entire legal career in public service, and I look forward to continuing that service as a Family Court Judge in Southern WV. Having a case in Family Court can be a very stressful experience and my pledge is to treat the citizens appearing in my Court with dignity and respect.
I will strive to be fair in every ruling and run the docket as efficiently as possible.
What are some issues facing the Family Court system right now that you would like to see addressed? How would you attempt resolving those issues?
I know that oftentimes our court system is not known for resolving cases quickly. As an assistant prosecutor, I can count on one hand the number of times I asked for a continuance in a criminal case. Going to a family court hearing is a stressful experience, and having a Judge drag a case out unnecessarily results in additional stress on the families involved. Along with respect, I pledge to be fair to both sides and will rule on cases as efficiently as possible.
What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates, what do you bring to the table that they don’t?
I have served as a member of Concord University Alumni Association as a board member and president, a board member for the Planet X-treme Teen Center, and I am the President elect for 2025 for the Rotary Club of Princeton. I serve as an Assistant Scoutmaster in Boy Scout Troop 1 in Princeton as well as serving on the District Committee for the Mountain Dominion District for Buckskin Council. I have also earned the rank of Eagle Scout and spent two years working as a District Executive for the Boy Scouts. I have taken the Scout oath and law to heart and my life to this point has been about service to my family and community, with a deeply ingrained empathy and compassion for the wellbeing of children.
Is there anything else voters should know about you and your campaign?
I did not hold fundraisers to run for Judge, because I want my decisions to be independent and unbiased. Aside from some family and friends that donated money, I completely self-funded my campaign. Judicial elections in West Virginia will be decided during the primary on May 14th, 2024. Your vote for me for Family Court Judge on May 14th will help bring my trial experience and compassion to the bench.