In reading the editorial about the Wirt County Assessor, I have to agree with most of your points, with one exception. I do not agree with the statement that law enforcement and the prosecutor looked the other way in regard to the matters investigated by the West Virginia Ethics Commission.
As a former Child Protective Services worker in Wirt County, I was working closely with law enforcement and the Wirt County Prosecuting Attorney during the period of time in which the the Wirt County Assessor Debbie Hennen was being investigated. I believe the matters sanctioned by the West Virginia Ethics Commission were part of the investigation.
Wirt County Prosecuting Attorney Leslie Maze did what was ethically required of her when the allegations were reported to her. Prosecutor Maze requested an independent investigation through the West Virginia State Police and removed herself from the case, have a special prosecutor appointed. The West Virginia State Police and the special prosecuting attorney then made all decisions about the investigation, including what, if any, criminal charges should be filed against the assessor.
The editorial implies that Prosecutor Maze looked the other direction, which is not accurate. Rather, because she did what was ethically required of her, Prosecutor Maze has been continuously blamed by some for requesting the investigation and turning the matter over to an independent special prosecuting attorney, instead of dealing with the matter "in-house." It seems to me that this was a no-win situation.
Connie Settle
Elizabeth
