Coe indicted in grand jury special session
By JEFFREY SAULTON jsaulton@newsandsentinel.comPARKERSBURG - John Robert Coe, director of attendance and home services for Wood County Schools, was indicted Thursday on four charges stemming from a June incident.
Coe, 50, 43 Willowbrook Drive, Parkersburg, was among those indicted by a special session of the grand jury, said Wood County Prosecutor Jason Wharton.
Coe was indicted on charges of fleeing from an officer while under the influence of alcohol, third-offense driving under the influence, third-offense driving under the combined influence of alcohol and any controlled substance of other drug and third-offense driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.
Coe has two prior convictions for driving under the influence on Feb. 13, 2007 and April 29, 2005.
Wood County Schools Superintendent Bill Niday said he is waiting to review the indictment.
"I have talked with the prosecutor and he will send me a copy of the indictment," Niday said. "We (the Wood County Board of Education) will review it and then we will make a decision on what our next move will be."
Niday did not say when the board will make a decision regarding Coe.
According to police reports, on June 9 Coe was the operator of a 2004 Cadillac traveling north in the 2500 block of Murdoch Avenue when Parkersburg police Sgt. J.D. Hart observed a vehicle make an illegal right turn onto Lakeview Drive from the center lane in a no turn on red area.
Hart said he activated his lights and sirens to attempt to perform a traffic stop. Coe allegedly continued to drive, refusing to stop, disobeying the activated light and siren, and finally stopping at his residence.
Upon exiting the cruiser, the complaint states, Hart gave loud verbal commands for Coe to stop and place his hands behind his back because he had left his vehicle. Coe allegedly continued to ignore the request, causing Hart to use force necessary to place restraints on Coe, police said.
Upon contact, the complaint said, Coe was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and appeared to be disoriented. He failed the three standard field sobriety tests and refused to submit to a breath sample with the intoxilyzer but requested a blood sample, which was performed at St. Joseph's Hospital, police said.
After he was given his Miranda warning by Hart, Coe advised he had consumed alcohol and was taking several types of medication, police said.
Other indictments returned in the special session were:
- Marty Lewan Bass, 39, 702 Franklin Ave., Belpre, indicted on charges of third-offense driving while under the combined influence of alcohol and any controlled substance or other drug and driving while license revoked for driving under the influence of alcohol from October 2008.
- Dennis Joseph Burke, 51, 2509 22nd St., Parkersburg, was indicted on 10 counts of possession of material depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct from August 2008.
- Troy Allen Keller, 32, 608 Elder St., Parkersburg, was indicted on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and sexual abuse by a custodian from May 2009.
- Robbie Allen Omlor, 30, 10 Hillcrest Apartments, Parkersburg, was indicted on two counts of entry of a building other than a dwelling from April 2008.
- Michael David Sams, 37, 60 Meadowbrook Acres, Parkersburg, was indicted on charges of failure to provide notice of registration changes as a sexual offender and refusing to provide accurate information when required to do so as a sex offender from February 2008.
- Richard Wix, 62, 703 1/2 Main St., Belpre, was indicted on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sexual assault from June 2009.
(Editor's note: Indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.)
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MaeLeeWV
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07-10-09 10:08 PM
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The blocked out word is H E L L and I mispelled his last name. I put Cow instead of Coe but I think I like my mispelling of his last name better. It suits him better..lol
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MaeLeeWV
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07-10-09 10:05 PM
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Jacqueline, I would be willing to sign a petition too. He was very rude to me and my children also. My children are on SSI disability and I have hometaught them since age 5. John Coe forced the 13 year old to go back to school and he went through living*****for months. He threatened to put me in jail if I hometaught again, which is my legal right to hometeach. John Coe than decided it was ok for me to hometeach again. Later I found out he had no right to do this. John Cow couldnt remember from one minute to the next, or remember who I was or what my childs name was from one day to the next. I have an attorney who gave me some legal help so John Coe backed off after receiving a phone call from her. If you want to get a petition started, I would be more than willing to help.
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Jacqueline
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07-10-09 7:28 PM
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As far as the rehab, they have to want the help. He has almost 5 yrs of getting caught. Some he was never convicted of. It might be public record. I know for a fact he was caught in August of one year and in July of the same year convicted of neither. He has a good lawyer. I am sure they pay this man in upwards of $50,000 if not more. I wonder how many times he really has been arrested and not convicted of this. He does have a problem, drinking. And this town is letting him mentor our children. SHAME
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Jacqueline
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07-10-09 7:18 PM
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Mr. Coe has worked in attendence and around children and has a terrible attitude. How can he mentor children and tell them they have to go to school or he will put them in jail. I have a problem with that. How can the schools keep personnel that have that kind of record. These are our children and the parents need to stand up to the board of education. I reccommend someone file a petition to dismiss Mr. Coe. I will gladly be part of that. That man was very mean to my son and my son had issues. They really need to rethink that whole program.
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Lizzard
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07-10-09 12:01 PM
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Court-mandated treatment doesn't have a great success rate, as a person who refuses to believe that he or she has a problem will not usually be receptive to ideas presented in AA or any other treatment program.
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MrAlex
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07-10-09 10:42 AM
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I think Vickie Myers was drunk on the job. Mr. Coe drinks and drives, but doesn't go to work while intoxicated, as far as I know. Every time he gets in trouble, he's driving his car off of work time. He does have a problem he needs help with, but I don't know if that problem has ever affected his job. Anyone know? I'm not sure how or why Mr. Coe gets to keep his job through all this, unless they just look at it that he never does this to where it affects his job and he doesn't do it during work hours. He does it on his own time away from work. Not that it makes it any better, but at least he's not doing it around the kids or his co-workers. Let's just hope he gets the help he needs.
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JustSayIt
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07-10-09 8:54 AM
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OMG doesn't this town get it!!! The good old boy system. They keep and even create jobs for the 'boys' in the BOE. Yes, Coe needs helps but Vicki Myers was fired for drinking, why hasn't Coe? Niday does need to go!!!!
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voyager65
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07-10-09 8:16 AM
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Do you not think that after each of the first two incidents that he was told to get help? With the position that he is in, working with children, he needs to be setting an example of a responsible adult. Especially with the "at-risk" children that he deals with. Alcaholism is a very sad disease, but it also isn't an excuse for such behavior. I do know many people who have lost their jobs because if it and the demands of their jobs for a clear driving record. There are positions that demand this. Even though teaching has room for forgivness, I think after a third offense, the chances are up.
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MrSmith
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07-10-09 7:58 AM
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Firing people isn't going to solve anything. Allow the guy to get some help and call the issue "over". Firing people for factors that do NOT affect their on-job performance only makes matters worse. How Bill Niday came into this conversation, I have NO idea...
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TheUmp
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07-10-09 7:27 AM
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ranger your comments are absurd. Alcholism is a disease. If employers fired everyone that had a disease then a whole lot of people would be jobless. What Mr. Coe needs is treatment not unemployment. I am not usre what your profession is but I can promise you that there are a few "diseased" persons working it it also. Should they be fired or just Mr. Coe becasue he works for the BOE?
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ranger400
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07-10-09 7:14 AM
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Help..He needs help.What really need to be done, is the removal of BILL NIDAY. Bill Niday should have booted Mr. Coe back in 2005. Whats it take to get fired from the BOE. Bill Niday AND Mr. Coe BOTH SHOULD BE FIRED. All of West Virginia is laughing at Parkersburg. I guess its against the law to bring drugs or alcohol to school in Parkersburg, buts its ok to employ alcoholics,right bill.
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MrAlex
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07-10-09 2:19 AM
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Mr. Coe needs to stop this behavior and get some help. With this being his 3rd offense over the past few years, it really seems like he needs to get some professional help and just give up drinking all together before he hurts or kills someone or himself with his car. Can the court not force him in to rehab or some other program? He needs some help.
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