Dear Editor:   

A year ago, being concerned for my own physical safety, I showed our prosecutor, Donna Price, posts on  an internet website based here in the county, where the poster, who lives in Green Bank, on several occasions threatened to beat me up. At first I simply sought a Protection Order, but was told that could not be issued.

Ms. Price then told Sheriff David Jonese that she wanted this person arrested since he violated a West Virginia criminal statute.  The sheriff then told me that he would go to this person’s residence.  When I later inquired as to what happened the sheriff told me he knew this man and that he, the sheriff, was not going to do anything.

I later filed a Peace Bond against the perpetrator and after a year the State Police finally filed criminal charges against him.  In so doing they simply gave him a citation and allowed him to come in on his own for arraignment.

Now, if we fast forward to this month, Norman Alderman has been posting on his website many questions about the residence of David Fleming, one of our county commissioners.

I should say at this point that I disagree with about 90% of what Mr. Alderman posts and I routinely counter his ramblings, but I support his right to put what he wants on this website.

Well, Mr. Fleming has taken not only to task what Mr. Alderman has said, but filed a criminal complaint against Mr. Alderman.  To the best of my knowledge Mr. Alderman has never threatened or even alluded to wanting to cause any bodily harm to Mr. Fleming.  In addition Mr. Fleming is a politician, a public official and therefore subject to much more scrutiny than the rest of us.

But, instead of simply giving Mr. Alderman a citation, the sheriff put together an army of deputies and others, arrived at Mr. Alderman’s house at night, confiscated equipment, arrested Mr. Alderman and put him in jail.

All of this for a simple misdemeanor.

As a citizen of Pocahontas County I am startled and worried about this kind of selective power, favoritism toward a commissioner and what seems to me to be an abuse of office by the sheriff.

While Mr. Alderman is at best a polarizing figure in our community, he has lived here all his life, had a stroke in recent years and is absolutely no threat to flee. Treating him so much differently than anyone else brings into question the ability of David Jonese to live up to his duties in a fair and equal manner and to be honest to all of us.


Joel Rosenthal
Hillsboro

Dear Editor:

I moved to Marlinton from Charleston.
I am very concerned about the lack of Veteran outpatient services in the Pocahontas County area. The travel distance to the nearest clinic is Sutton/Flatwoods area, followed by Beckley.

Living in Charleston, I had reasonable access to veteran services. Free transportation is provided to Veterans to and from the Outpatient Clinic and the Huntington VA Hospital. I do not see transporting Veterans in Pocahontas County or Randolph County as cost effective.

Access to preventive care, such as flu shots is essential. While access to Veteran Benefits is important to all Veterans, my primary concern is for our senior Veterans who find the distances difficult to travel. Many Veterans are entitled to low cost or no cost care and testing at Veteran Hospitals. In an emergency situation, it would be impractical to transport a Veteran who lives in Randolph or Pocahontas County.

Lewisburg fares a little better, being close to Beckley.

The short and skinny is that no one likes to pay for something that they would have otherwise been entitled to get for free, or for less.

According to U.S. Census estimates, within the general population of West Virginia, between 11 and 14 percent of the population are Veterans.

I could not find any statistics on the number of Veterans per county.

I do believe that Pocahontas, Randolph and Greenbrier counties are being underserved. The combined population of these three counties is estimated at more than 71,335. This makes this area larger than the population of Charleston, although far short of the 191,633 estimate for all of Kanawha County.

I urge all area Veterans to contact their congressman and state senator about this issue.

I hope that you will also e-mail me your thoughts at louiscervone@aol.com.

Louis Cervone
Marlinton