This case is the best argument we know of why we should get rid of the magistrate system in WV. This poor lady is actually being persecuted by the court system. There was no actual proof that any sheep were every killed, no state required reports. The trial was a circus. The case was dismissed once by Judge Rowe and refiled by the infamous Tony Tatano in order to make this woman pay for sheep that were never proven to be killed.
She was beaten up but the sheriff's office never investigated her charges. The harassment caused her to have a stroke and she has paid out many thousands of dollars to defend herself in court against these false charges.
Fortunately, a major law firm in Charleston has picked up her case pro bono and is fighting to vindicate her civil rights to due process. This may well prove to be the case that ends the magistrate system in Wv as we know it.
The problem is that no effort is being made to follow the law at all. Beware this could happen to you anytime.
