Top County Officials Plead Not Guilty to Misdemeanor Charges

By Mat Cloak, contributing writer

All three Tucker County Commissioners, who each face one misdemeanor charge of “unauthorized expenditure,” pleaded not guilty Tuesday during brief court appearances.

The small Tucker County courtroom was filled with about 20 people, mostly supporters of the commissioners, including family members and county employees.

The charging documents allege that County Commissioner Fred Davis used a loan program intended exclusively for sheriff’s deputies to purchase $3,991 in weapons, ammunition, and related items for himself. He repaid the interest-free loans through deductions from his county paycheck.

Commissioner Tim Knotts and Commission President Mike Rosenau were also charged because they allegedly approved the disbursement from the “Sheriff’s Incentive Program,” which was adopted by the county commission in 2019 and rescinded in June 2026.

Davis was represented by attorney Paul Gwaltney, who declined to comment after the hearing. Knotts is represented by attorney David Jecklin, and Rosenau’s attorney is Shawn Morgan.

Circuit Judge H. Charles Carl, III, released the commissioners on personal recognizance bonds and set a pretrial date for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 10. Carl noted that the charges carry penalties of up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. He added that a finding of guilt could lead to forfeiture of public office.

The prosecution is led by Special Prosecuting Attorney James Shay Jr. and Mike Taylor, fraud investigator from the state auditor’s office.

Shay is Preston County Prosecutor. Carl typically hears cases in Hampshire, Hardy, and Pendleton Counties. Carl and Shay were appointed to the case after Tucker County officials recused themselves. Shay declined to comment after the hearing.

By Mat Cloak, contributing writer

While Thomas remains Tucker County's primary hub for artistic activity, Canaan Valley has a new art and furniture gallery to call its own.

Yax Workshop, owned by Max and Mallory Yax, opened earlier this month at 465 Cortland Road. The art and furniture on display thematically match the surrounding natural environment. “Our emphasis is on quality and craftsmanship rather than carrying a large inventory,” Mallory Yax said. “Every piece has a reason to be there.”

The lineup of mostly local artists featured in the gallery include Max and Mallory Yax, Holly Hinkle, Eric Parker, David Skoog, Charlie Waters, Nannette Seligman, Stacy Cook, Forest Boyland, Kate Richards, and William Hendricks.

The gallery also has studio space for artists to rent. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. The couple says they plan to add additional days when the gallery will be open.

State officials affirmed that Fundamental Data has “legal site control” over a 291-acre parcel where it has proposed building a power plant to provide electricity for data centers.

Opponents of the power plant had challenged whether Fundamental Data had legal control of the site, which is required for the state to issue an air quality permit. The state approved that permit a year ago.

In response to a request from state officials, Fundamental Data submitted a heavily redacted version of its agreement to purchase the land from Western Pocahontas Properties, the largest private landowner in Tucker County. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection ruled that the redacted document met the legal requirement that Fundamental Data controls the site.

“This is exactly what we said from the beginning: Fundamental Data had legal control of the site when we applied for the permit, and the information we certified to the State was accurate,” Casey Chapman of Fundamental Data stated in a press release.

Opponents of the proposed power plant said that the heavily redacted purchase agreement was an example of Fundamental Data’s lack of transparency about its intentions.