West Virginia

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

Published

1 hour 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 Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Daily 3 on May 5, 2026

Published

13 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Press Room

The results are in for the West Virginia Lottery’s draw games on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on May 5.

Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 5 drawing

12-22-50-51-55, Mega Ball: 10

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from May 5 drawing

7-1-6

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 4 numbers from May 5 drawing

2-1-0-0

Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 25 numbers from May 5 drawing

03-04-05-09-10-14

Check Cash 25 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the West Virginia Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:59 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto America: 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Daily 3, 4: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.
Cash 25: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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West Virginia

Verizon outage reported in West Virginia

Published

1 day ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Verizon outage reported in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – The Verizon Network is currently experiencing a widespread outage across West Virginia.

A service alert was sent to residents in Kanawha County.

Verizon customers should still be able to call 911.

If a Verizon customer experiences an issue with contacting 911, a landline should be used if possible.

However, only contact 911 if there is a true emergency.

At this time, Verizon is not giving an estimated time for restoration.

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West Virginia

First official Alyssa’s Law funds announced

Published

2 days ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

First official Alyssa’s Law funds announced

JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Alyssa’s Law passed through the West Virginia Legislature, creating a fund to bring panic buttons and other life-saving technology to schools statewide.

Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, who helped create Alyssa’s Law, said, “Every teacher, every staff member equipped with a wearable panic button that allows them a literal one push to the 911 center, to local law enforcement and EMS.”

Alyssa Alhadeff was a 14-year-old who died alongside 16 other students in the Parkland school shooting in 2018. Her parents are giving the first official funds to West Virginia through the organization called Make Our Schools Safe.

“They’ll make a contribution this evening of $48,888,” Pinson said. “That number 8 is recurring because it was Alyssa’s volleyball number.”

The state Department of Education is giving $348,888 to the fund, as well.

In Jackson County, local funding helped bring in panic buttons, and deputies are required to spend time in schools every week.

Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger said the panic buttons give local law enforcement maps and an alert to their phone.

“It’s a pretty big lift to get the money and we’re looking at $9.5-10 million to get this thing done, and the sad reality is if we had a school shooting tomorrow, we would bend over backwards to get you the money then, but at that point it’s too little too late,” Mellinger said.

He said he wants to be proactive and encourages other counties to do the same.

Pinson said the cost of technology will drop over time, and Alyssa’s Law allows more safety upgrades in the future.

Pinson said Jackson County is a perfect example of what kind of upgrades are possible.

“Right here in Jackson County, they are unveiling AI driven cameras that can immediately alert the school and local law enforcement if a person of concern were to come on campus,” he said.

Leaders hope this technology can save lives across West Virginia. Pinson said the initial cost for panic buttons is about $20,000 per school and the fund is held with Homeland Security until hitting the goal of about $10 million.

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