West Virginia

West Virginia couple charged in York County COVID-era rent fraud cases

Published

2 months ago

May 6, 2026

West Virginia couple charged in York County COVID-era rent fraud cases

The Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General filed charges in York County against a West Virginia man and woman, who allegedly got thousands of dollars in COVID-era rent assistance funds under false pretenses.

Chester Joseph Little, 41, and Dawn Lea Caltrider, 43, of Orma, West Virginia face felony theft and forgery charges filed Monday, May 4, in York County in connection with getting funds through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) through filing fraudulent applications.

According to court documents, on Nov. 8, 2023, the assistant director of the York County Department of Human Services contacted the Office of the State Inspector General about suspicious ERAP applications and suspected that Little and Caltrider received funds under false pretenses.

On Sept. 24, 2021, court records indicate that Caltrider applied for ERAP funds for rental assistance for a residence in the 1500 block of Route 116 in Spring Grove, which Little claimed was his property and was paid $1,500 a month in rent and had not been paid between February 2021 to October 2021. Little asked York County Community Progress Council (CPC) to pay him for the months Caltrider was behind in rent plus rent for October 2021 through January 2022 and $18,400 was deposited in Little’s bank account.

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It was later found that the owner of the property on Route 116 was Caltrider’s sister. Caltrider and Little had lived there for a period before they moved out. Little had allegedly presented a fake lease and mortgage agreement as part of the ERAP application, and Caltrider falsely claimed she lived at the address.

Court documents also indicated that Little signed an application for ERAP benefits Oct. 6, 2021 for a home in the 400 block of Rear Pleasant Street in Hanover and reported Caltrider as his landlord. Caltrider allegedly filled out the landlord portion of the application and said that she was paid $2,000 a month and Little had not paid rent from February 2021 to October 2021. She applied to the York County Community Progress Council (CPC) to pay her what was in arrears plus rent from November 2021 through January 2022 and requested funds, totaling $24,000, be deposited into her bank account.

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A 2023 investigation uncovered that the property in the 400 block of Rear Pleasant Street was a self-storage business and was not owned by Caltrider, who allegedly presented a fake lease and homeowner insurance policy as part of the ERAP application.

More charges were filed against Caltrider after she allegedly provided another false application on Oct. 22, 2021. According to court documents, Caltrider applied for rental assistance for an address in the first block of Abbie Road in Spring Garden Township posing as her daughter and claimed to be the landlord of the address and received $17,200 in ERAP funds. Investigators found that the daughter had never lived at the address after questioning her. Authorities say Caltrider presented a fake lease and homeowner insurance policy and presented an altered Pennsylvania birth certificate in that case.

Caltrider alone faces five counts of felony forgery and one felony count each for identity theft, theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception in this particular case.

As of Wednesday, May 6, neither Little nor Caltrider had seen a judge regarding the charges.

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West Virginia

West Virginia police launch high-visibility speeding enforcement campaign

Published

6 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Press Room

West Virginia police launch high-visibility speeding enforcement campaign

Community Bulletin

The WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Rural Health Clinic is now accepting newborns at its Buckhannon office, with two providers — Rachel Burns, CPNP, and Sara Chipps, FNP-C — taking new pediatric patients. Read more →

This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners

CHARLESTON, WV — The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are reminding drivers that speeding has legal consequences. As part of the Speeding Slows You Down high-visibility enforcement campaign, drivers will see more law enforcement on the roads. West Virginia’s mobilization runs from July 6 through July 31, 2026.

This campaign is designed to underscore the grave consequences of speeding and urge motorists to reduce their speed. This mobilization emphasizes the commitment of law enforcement to curb speeding behaviors and raise public awareness regarding the increased presence of officers on our nation’s roads during this mobilization period.

Speeding-related fatalities affect communities nationwide every year. In 2024, there were 11,288 speed-related traffic fatalities, accounting for 29% of all traffic fatalities. Young drivers have a higher chance of being involved in speeding-related crashes. In 2024, 39% of male drivers and 20% of female drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding.

In West Virginia, in 2024, speeding-related fatalities decreased 8% from the previous year, from 85 to 78. Our ultimate goal is zero fatalities, which points toward the importance of campaigns like this.

“Speeders don’t just put themselves in danger of serious injuries and death, they put other road users, including passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, at risk as well. We are asking drivers to please slow down; our goal is to save lives, and we’re putting all drivers on alert. The posted speed limit is the law. No excuses,” said Jack McNeely, GHSP Director.

The consequences of speeding can lead to a costly ticket, potential jail time, or worse, a crash resulting in injuries or death.

For more information on speeding, visit NHTSA.gov/Speeding.

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.

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West Virginia

Guard activated for duty in flood zone – WV MetroNews

Published

17 hours ago

July 5, 2026

Press Room

Guard activated for duty in flood zone – WV MetroNews

Flood debris piles along Route 85 have been growing for more than a week. PHOTO: Chris Lawrence

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia National Guard will be dispatched this week to the areas of Boone, Raleigh, and Logan Counties which are under a State of Emergency today.

The Governor declared the State of Emergency following heavy rains on June 22nd which caused high water that damaged more than 120 homes in Boone County alone.

“Missions like this we’ve done in the past. It’s basically conducting debris removal operations,” said Captain Mike Garcia of the West Virginia National Guard.

The number of guard personnel who will be activated is not yet known, but Garcia guessed it would be in the neighborhood of 15. The teams will be equipment operators with loading and hauling equipment to move household debris to a collection location.

“We’ve got loader teams, dump teams, and skid-steers and we’ll go around those areas and take any debris caused by the weather and the flooding and it is piling up, we’ll be able to remove that, ” he explained.

Garcia said at this point there has been no mission to haul relief supplies to victims as has been done in previous flood events. They are also disallowed from doing any work to assist homeowners on their own private property.

“West Virginia National Guard is not legally authorized to enter or conduct work on private property. Residents need to move any debris and bring it to the curb so that as we get on the ground, we’ll be able to assess where it will go,” Garcia added.

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West Virginia

Ex-WVU Guard Kerr Kriisa Arrested by FBI in Alleged Fraud Scheme

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2026

Press Room

Ex-WVU Guard Kerr Kriisa Arrested by FBI in Alleged Fraud Scheme

A stunning report dropped on the 4th of July from Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim of On3 that former West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa had been arrested by the FBI on alleged fraud charges.

According to the report, Kriisa’s arrest was “in connection to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme dating back to his time at West Virginia as a Mountaineer in 2023-24. He’s being extradited back to West Virginia with a court hearing scheduled for next week.”

No further details have been released at this time.

Kriisa’s time as a Mountaineer

Jan 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kerr Kriisa (3) celebrates with students after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Kriisa transferred from Arizona to West Virginia in the summer of 2023, expecting to be the point guard for Bob Huggins’ next team. Obviously, that went to the wayside when Huggins had his own off-court incidents that summer that ultimately led to his resignation.

Despite it being a brief period of time, Kriisa had developed a strong relationship with Huggins, and once the news dropped that he would no longer be the program’s coach, he put his name back in the portal. Interim head coach Josh Eilert had multiple conversations with him, and two days later, he withdrew his name, remaining a Mountaineer for a season.

Kriisa was suspended for the first nine games of that season after he admitted to accepting impermissible benefits during his time at Arizona.

During that extremely brutal year for WVU, Kriisa had the best year of his collegiate career statistically, averaging 11 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from both the field and from three-point range.

Kerr’s two other stops post-WVU

Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Kerr Kriisa (11) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After one season in Morgantown, Kriisa transferred to Kentucky, but only appeared in nine games before suffering what would be a season-ending foot injury. In those nine games, Kriisa saw limited action off the bench, getting roughly 17 minutes per night.

To round out his collegiate career, Kriisa made his way back to the Big 12, landing at Cincinnati. There, he was bothered by a separated shoulder, causing him to miss several games, including the matchup against the Mountaineers in Morgantown. He did play in the second game against West Virginia and was held scoreless on 0/2 shooting in 15 minutes of action. Ironically, that would be the final game he would play for the Bearcats.

In 19 games with Cincinnati, he averaged 5.8 points, three assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game, connecting on just 33% of his shots.

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