A former county commissioner was arrested last Wednesday on Marlinton's Main Street. Because he fell from the deputy's vehicle, Norman Alderman was also transported to Pocahontas Memorial Hospital. Alderman was on the pavement between the deputy's SUV and the curb for about 10 minutes.

Greenbrier County Magistrate Doug Beard issued a warrant for Alderman's arrest last Tuesday. Chief Judge Joseph Pomponio said this week that he had signed an order for a special magistrate at the request of the Pocahontas County Sheriff's Department.

Pocahontas Magistrate Kathy Beverage has recused herself from cases involving Alderman. Pocahontas County's other magistrate, Janet Kershner-Vanover, had previously dismissed the speeding charge against Alderman.

Arresting officer Chris Cole said that Kershner-Vanover dismissed those charges on a day when he could not attend the hearing because of his grandmother's death.

Cole said he asked the prosecuting attorney's office to continue the hearing and believed that had happened.

Alderman, 61, said he fell because he was simply too big to get into the backseat of the SUV. Alderman denied purposefully going limp in passive resistance to the arrest. He also accused Cole of staging the arrest in front of this newspaper's office.

Cole said he parked in the first available space.

According to Alderman, he never received a summons from the Pocahontas County court system. Alderman was treated and released from PMH Wednesday afternoon. The arrest report said Alderman was traveling 50 miles per hour in a 40 MPH zone on Rt. 219, north of Marlinton on May 22.

Alderman recently filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of West Virginia, Northern District for unlawful arrest against Sheriff David Jonese, prosecuting attorney Donna Meadows-Price, County Commissioners David Fleming, Martin Saffer, and Jamie Walker, and Magistrate Kathy Beverage.