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.
Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WCHS) — A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.
Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.
The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”
In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.
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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
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