West Virginia
Deputies assist after northern W.Va. floods
PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office traveled to Ohio County, West Virginia, where people are still recovering after devastating floods took away their homes.
“You see it on Facebook and the news, but you don’t really know what it’s like until you experience it. Driving through it was definitely eye-opening,” Detective Anthony Adkins said.
Putnam County Sheriff Bobby Eggleton said the West Virginia Sheriff’s Association put out a call for help.
Deputies spent three days helping law enforcement in the area in any way they could.
“That’s what people forget, they don’t get to go home, you know they’re affected, their families are affected, they’re worried about taking care of their own,” Eggleton said.
Detective Anthony Adkins spent time patrolling and monitoring speed in the Triadelphia area to keep everyone safe in the clean-up process.
“It was mainly just one area that was hit really hard and that area is still in really bad condition, so right now they’re just putting rubble together, they’re putting trash on the side of the road trying to get it cleaned up,” Adkins said.
Eggleton said the Ohio County Sheriff first requested help with preventing looters from coming in and taking from those affected.
“Houses, storage units, everything is just out in the open,” Adkins said.
Eggleton said, “That’s heartless, you know these people were devastated. They’re trying to put their lives back together, they’re trying to find their loved ones, and we send people up there to stop that.”
Eggleton said his department is blessed to have the resources to help, and he’s confident others would help Putnam County in times of need.
Multiple agencies from our region have spent time on the ground helping, including deputies from Boone, Putnam and Kanawha counties.
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West Virginia
Morrisey signs Baylea’s Law, increasing criminal penalties in W.Va. for DUI causing death
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey officially signed House Bill 4712 into law on Friday.
The bill, better known as Baylea’s Law, increases criminal penalties against those who are convicted of driving under the influence resulting in death. The bill is named after Baylea Bower, a 24-year-old woman from Boone County who was killed in a car crash on Easter in 2025 caused by a drunk driver.
The bill passed the House in February, with several of Bower’s family and friends gathered at the West Virginia Capitol in support of the bill.
“Obviously we’re going to be heartbroken,” Bower’s friend India Henderson said. “We have the lifetime sentence of not having Baylea. But if this does help save a life in the future and cause someone to not want to go out and cause this tragedy, then that is a win.”
In accordance with the passage of the bill, Baylea’s Law will take effect on June 12.
“West Virginia will no longer allow those who drive while impaired to escape the full weight of justice,” Morrisey said Friday in a press release. “Baylea’s Law gives our legal system the teeth to demand absolute accountability for the most heartbreaking crimes. Today, our laws stand firmly on the side of victims and their families.”
Specifically, Baylea’s Law introduces the offense of aggravated DUI resulting in death, which will carry the following mandatory sentences, according to a release from Morrisey’s office:
- Five to 30 years in prison
- Fine of $2,000 to $10,000
- Lifetime revocation of the offender’s driver’s license
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