July 29, 2007
Conduct claims hound troopers
Page 2 of 2
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State troopers are not given routine mental-health evaluations but do have access to counselors statewide on a voluntary basis, Spears said.

Meanwhile, Charleston attorney Roger Wolfe claims he was arrested by a State Police trooper on June 17 and then beaten so much that cranial fluid leaked from his nose, according to his lawyer Benjamin Bailey.

Wolfe, senior labor and employment lawyer with the Jackson Kelly firm, was in CAMC General Hospital for six days because of the injuries he suffered at the hands of State Police on June 17, Bailey said.

Wolfe was arrested shortly after midnight near the Kanawha County Courthouse by State Police Trooper Paul A. Green. He was charged with driving under the influence, obstructing an officer, making an improper lane change and running a traffic signal.

There is an ongoing investigation into the incident, said Lt. G.A. Ingold, operations director of the State Police Professional Standards Section, which handles internal investigations. Ingold declined to say when the investigation would be complete, saying they vary in complexity.

The third incident took place on July 13, when Charleston attorney Lyne Ranson held her lavish wedding reception at Berry Hills Country Club for hundreds of guests, including the governor.

A State Police trooper and two Kanawha County sheriff's deputies were patrolling in the Davis Creek area that evening, according to police.

Ranson is the divorce attorney for a woman who filed for divorce from one of the two sheriff's deputies.

Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford has said that on the night of the wedding, he got a phone call at home from the governor asking about the law enforcement presence near the country club.

Rutherford said the investigation is complete and that the appropriate actions were taken. No one was fired or put on leave, he said.

A State Police administrator said recently that no official complaints had been filed about the trooper's patrol and that there was no investigation into the matter.

Staff writers Dave Gustafson and Andrew Clevenger contributed to this story. To contact staff writer Gary Harki, use e-mail or call 348-5163.

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