WINFIELD, W.Va. --A longtime Putnam County circuit judge will retire at the end of the year.
O.C. "Hobby" Spaulding, 66, who has served as a judge in Putnam County for 20 years, was diagnosed in August with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Spaulding was re-elected in 2008 to his third consecutive eight-year term as a circuit judge. He has four years remaining on that term.
He is known for funding his own campaigns, refusing to accept any campaign contributions to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest.
The judge first announced that he had ALS in August, when he told lawyers in a major case against Monsanto Co. that he would not be able to oversee that lengthy trial. Circuit Judge Derek Swope of Mercer County has been assigned to hear that case.
Before that, retired Putnam Circuit Judge James Holliday had already been assigned to handle other cases on Spaulding's docket so that Spaulding could focus on the Monsanto trial.
When he announced he was stepping down from the Monsanto trial, Spaulding told lawyers that he first noticed symptoms of slurred speech in February or March 2010 but had not been able to obtain a definitive diagnosis.
ALS leads to muscle weakening, twitching and an inability to move the arms, legs and body. The condition slowly gets worse. When the muscles in the chest area stop working, it becomes hard or impossible to breathe on one's own.
Spaulding has been receiving treatment at the Cleveland Clinic, where he was first diagnosed with ALS.
In 2006, Spaulding was off the bench for about six weeks following heart bypass surgery.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said in a media release that he received Spaulding's application for disability retirement on Wednesday.
"It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge receipt of Judge Spaulding's application and resignation. I, along with the citizens of Putnam County, sincerely appreciate his public service and contribution to our judiciary," Tomblin said in the statement.
According to state law, Tomblin will fill the vacancy by appointing someone or calling for a special election.
Last month, Spaulding married longtime girlfriend Jane Hustead, a circuit judge in Cabell County.
Dana Walters, who has been Spaulding's secretary for more than 30 years, said she started working for him right after he graduated from law school at WVU.
"I remember when he opened his law firm on Teays Valley Road in the '70s," Walters said.
Spaulding was named the Putnam County prosecuting attorney in 1987 by the county commission after serving as an assistant prosecutor in the county for 10 years.
"I compare everyone to him -- any other judge or attorney I see," Walters said. "Nobody else ever measures up. He just always knows the right thing to say, even if somebody needs to be told something they don't like he can be so polite about it, but direct."
Reach Kate White at kate.wh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1723.