West Virginia
West Virginia man sentenced to life for rape, child pornography charges
Dalton Ramsey is being charged with with rape, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a weapon, and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime. (Coweta County Sheriff’s Office)
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. – A 31-year-old West Virginia man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including rape, kidnapping, and possession of child pornography.
SEE ALSO: App, alligator leads to rape suspect’s arrest, investigators say
What we know:
Dalton Allen Ramsey, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, took a plea deal on Monday in the Superior Court of Coweta County, just before his trial was set to begin.
Ramsey pleaded guilty to one count of rape, one count of kidnapping, four counts of aggravated assault, one count of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, and one count of sexual exploitation of children. Senior Superior Court Judge Matthew Simmons presided over the case and ordered Ramsey to serve life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, as mandated by Georgia law.
The backstory:
The charges stem from an incident on Sep. 5, 2022, when Ramsey began communicating with a 17-year-old victim via social media. The following day, he traveled from Buckhannon to Columbus, Georgia, under the pretense of helping the victim travel out of state. Instead, Ramsey drove her to the BT Brown Reservoir in Coweta County, where he strangled, bound, and raped her at knifepoint.
A sign outside of B.T. Brown Reservoir Park warns about alligators. (FOX 5)
After the assault, Ramsey attempted to drive the victim northbound against her will. However, the victim managed to text emergency personnel, leading law enforcement to locate and stop Ramsey’s vehicle in Habersham County. Deputies arrested Ramsey and seized knives, tape, rope, and other evidence from the vehicle.
Further investigation revealed child sexual abuse videos and images on Ramsey’s phone, including communications requesting “rape porn” prior to the kidnapping. The disturbing content included videos of child rape.
What they’re saying:
District Attorney John Herbert Cranford, Jr. commented on the case, stating, “Dalton Ramsey is an example of the evil and depravity that exists in communities throughout Georgia and the United States where sexual predators create and distribute child pornography. By acting on his sick fantasies, Ramsey’s case demonstrates why the policy of the Coweta Circuit is that every possessor of child pornography should be sent to prison and forced to register as a sex offender for life. I am relieved for this victim and what would have been Ramsey’s future victims that he will now spend at least the next 30 years in a Georgia prison.”
Coweta County deputies say surveillance images show the vehicle of a rape suspect. (Coweta County Sheriff’s Office)
What you can do:
The arrest was facilitated by the victim’s use of a smartphone app called Noonlight, which allowed her to send a distress signal and share her location with authorities. An alligator warning sign at the reservoir helped confirm the location of the crime, leading to charges against Ramsey.
The Source: The Coweta County District Attorney’s Office provided the update to this story. Additional details were sourced from previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports.
West Virginia
Former WV GOP Chair broke child’s confidentiality during Marion County trial, troopers say
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — The former West Virginia Republican Party Chair has been charged after allegedly breaking a child’s confidentiality during a trial in Marion County.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Marion County detachment of the West Virginia State Police, on Oct. 23, troopers received information from the prosecutor’s office regarding a possible violation of West Virginia code during a trial.
Troopers learned that Elgine McArdle, 61, of Wheeling, had “disclosed protected information and did so in a public manner” … “on 13 separate occasions” during the trial for Ryan Lane, who was charged in the 2022 murder of Henry Silver, troopers said.
On Nov. 13, 2024, Marion County Circuit Judge David Janes entered a protective order for any disclosures of information or recordings that took place at the Child Advocacy Center (CAC); Marion County Circuit Judge Patrick Wilson also entered the same order on July 15, 2025, according to the complaint.
On Dec. 31, 2024, McArdle filed a pretrial motion to dismiss the charges, wherein Elgine “identified a child witness by name” and gave “public notice the child had provided a statement.” On Feb. 18, McArdle filed a competency hearing for one of the child witnesses, again identifying the juvenile by name and mentioning the child advocacy center interview, troopers said.
On July 15, McArdle “emailed a copy” of a video showing an interview with a child witness to the court reporter “in an unencrypted email,” as well as another copy of the same video to Lowell Maxey, who was recently charged for investigating the case without a license, according to the complaint.
On July 17, McArdle requested a “white sheet” be made from the child advocacy interview, and did so in a motion which was “of record in a public court.” McArdle also filed a response to “a motion of the state” in which she “duplicated portions of the CAC interview,” troopers said.
On Aug. 1, McArdle filed copies of the whiteboard used in the child advocacy interview, copies of the CAC referral form, which included the name and address of the child witness, the identity of the child witness’s parents and a summary of the interview,” according to the complaint.
Troopers stated that the information which McArdle made public included items that “only the defendant” may review with their attorney and that “this information must be approved in advance by the court” if it is to be shared with any other person.
McArdle has received 13 counts of the misdemeanor charge of “confidentiality of recorded interviews of children.” According to the WV Courts website, a personal recognizance bond of $2,000 was set on Oct. 27, which she posted on Oct. 28.
There are no future court dates listed at this time.
West Virginia
Mountaineers Set to Host Marshall on Halloween Night – West Virginia University Athletics
Nick Farrell and Adam Zundell have the call of Friday’s contest on ESPN+. The game also can be heard on 91.7 FM (WWVU) in Morgantown, and live stats are available at WVUsports.com.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com or calling 1-800-WVU GAME. Tickets for WVU students are free with a valid student ID. Fans can enter a raffle to win a ball signed by the entire Mountaineer squad.
With two games remaining, the Mountaineers sit third in the Sun Belt standings with 15 points, one behind Marshall and three behind Kentucky. The top two teams in the Sun Belt host the first two rounds of the conference tournament which begins on Nov. 9.
Overall, West Virginia is 10-3-2 this season and are trying to rebound after a 1-0 loss at No. 25 Kentucky on Sunday.
Junior Pablo Pozos leads the Sun Belt with 10 goals this season while senior Marcus Caldeira has seven. Caldeira has a team-high seven assists while sophomore Isaac Scheer has six and Dekel Daks has four. Caldeira and Pozos both have 21 points, tied for most in the conference.
Friday night will also be Senior Night for the Mountaineers as nine players – Caldeira, Carlos Hernando, Marc Bonnaire, Bryce Swinehart, Nicolas Scargle, Antonio Lima, Felix Ewald, Ethan Dekel Daks, and Dante Huckaby – will be honored before the match.
Marshall is 8-1-5 this season and 5-1-1 in the Sun Belt a year after finishing as national runner-up.
Rai Pinto leads the team with four goals while Yasha Schaerer has a team-high five assists. Eddie Demarco has made 16 saves and has a .727 save percentage in eight games played this season.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
West Virginia
Houston vs. West Virginia football odds and betting trends | 11/1/2025
The No. 22 Houston Cougars (7-1) host a Big 12 clash against the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-6) on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at TDECU Stadium.
The Cougars head into the matchup after winning 24-16 over the Arizona State Sun Devils in their last outing on Oct. 25. Last time out, the Mountaineers lost 23-17 to the TCU Horned Frogs.
Conner Weigman had 201 yards on 17-of-22 passing (77.3%) for the Cougars in that matchup against the Sun Devils, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also added 21 carries for 111 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Dean Connors totaled 48 rushing yards on 20 carries (2.4 yards per carry). He also had two catches for 17 yards. Tanner Koziol had 100 yards on seven catches (14.3 per reception) with one touchdown in that game.
Scotty Fox Jr. threw for 301 yards for the Mountaineers against the Horned Frogs, going 28-for-41 (68.3%) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Diore Hubbard put together a 14-carry, 32-yard game (2.3 yards per attempt), while also adding three receptions for 32 yards . Cam Vaughn caught six passes for 85 yards (14.2 yards per catch).
The Cougars are favorites by double-digits (13.5 points) over the Mountaineers. The total is set at 49.5 points.
Check out: US LBM Coaches Poll powered by USA Today sports
Houston vs. West Virginia odds and lines
College football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 10:16 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Spread favorite: Houston (-13.5)
- Moneyline: Houston (-552), West Virginia (+405)
- Total: 49.5 points
Houston betting splits
- Houston’s record against the spread is 6-2-0.
- Houston has yet to lose ATS (3-0) as a 13.5-point favorite or greater this year.
- Houston has played eight games this year, and five of them have gone over the total.
West Virginia betting splits
- West Virginia is 4-4-0 against the spread this season.
- As a 13.5-point underdog or greater, West Virginia has two wins ATS (2-1).
- West Virginia has seen three of its eight games hit the over.
Houston leaders
- Weigman: 1,581 PASS YDS / 197.6 YPG / 63.7% / 12 TD / 2 INT / 86 CAR / 357 RUSH YDS / 8 TD
- Connors: 135 CAR / 586 YDS / 73.3 YPG / 4 TD / 18 REC / 130 YDS / 16.3 YPG / 1 TD
- Amare Thomas: 30 REC / 535 YDS / 66.9 YPG / 4 TD
- Koziol: 43 REC / 450 YDS / 56.3 YPG / 4 TD
- Stephon Johnson Jr.: 13 REC / 275 YDS / 45.8 YPG / 2 TD
- Eddie Walls III: 17 TKL / 5.0 TFL / 5.5 SACK
- Jalen Garner: 38 TKL / 1.0 TFL / 2.0 SACK
- Wrook Brown: 21 TKL / 4.0 TFL / 2.5 SACK / 1 INT / 1 PD
West Virginia leaders
- Nicco Marchiol: 720 PASS YDS / 180.0 YPG / 67.3% / 2 TD / 2 INT / 40 CAR / 56 RUSH YDS / 1 TD
- Khalil Wilkins: 54 CAR / 243 YDS / 48.6 YPG / 2 TD
- Hubbard: 49 CAR / 156 YDS / 31.2 YPG / 3 TD / 7 REC / 54 YDS / 18.0 YPG / 0 TD
- Vaughn: 27 REC / 419 YDS / 52.4 YPG / 3 TD
- Rodney Gallagher III: 20 REC / 159 YDS / 22.7 YPG / 0 TD
- Grayson Barnes: 16 REC / 157 YDS / 22.4 YPG / 2 TD
- Chase Wilson: 32 TKL / 4.0 TFL / 3.0 SACK / 2 INT / 2 PD
- Fred Perry: 48 TKL / 3.0 TFL / 2.0 SACK
- Wilson: 32 TKL / 4.0 TFL / 3.0 SACK / 2 INT / 2 PD
Houston vs. West Virginia game time, local, how to watch
- Game date: Saturday, November 1, 2025
- Game time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Venue: TDECU Stadium
- TV channel: Fox Sports 1
- Live stream: Watch on Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Watch Houston vs. West Virginia on Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
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