WEIRTON, W.Va.

Weirton police said four people are facing charges in connection with a raid of a downtown business.

They searched Club Sensations in the 3000 block of Main Street Friday night.

Detectives said the arrests stemmed from a long-term investigation into the distribution of marijuana.

Micahel Burns and ZjaondezelDouglas, of Weirton, are both facing charges, along with Marquel Jeter of Steubenville.

Chris Bishop, of Weirton, is charged with obstructing an officer.

Stay with NEWS9 for continuing coverage.

A tractor-trailer accident left a big mess along a highway in Harrison County on Friday night, when its trailer flipped over, dumping a load of coal it was hauling onto the roadway.

It happened on State Route 9 in New Athens Township about 5 p.m. Police said the truck was traveling south when the incident happened.

When I arrived on scene crews had the majority of the roadway clear of the coal, but between the trailer and the coal, traffic was tied up for several hours.

But how did it get there? Even after hearing from the driver, emergency crews aren't 100 percent sure.

"He advised me that there was a vehicle traveling on the yellow line. The subject's not here at this time. So, he was charged with failure to control a motor vehicle, which is a minor misdemeanor," said Eric Derrington of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Derrington said a safer speed might have prevented the driver from losing the load.

"He would have been better off going a little slower if the car was on the yellow line. He may have had more time and the ability to be able to handle the evasive action better," said Derrington. "This is a windy, hilly road that it does happen a lot, and you have a lot of coal mines in the area, so it's going to happen."

Everyone is just thankful that no one was hurt.

"We were fortunate there was nobody traveling down the hill at the time of the accident," said Chief Randy Culbertson of the New Athens Fire Department. "We're very thankful for that."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich says creating a pilot program to tie welfare benefits to clean drug tests would help protect tax dollars and provide help for people who are poor and using drugs.

Kasich said such a program could be an opportunity for advocates for the poor to help tackle drug abuse.
Opponents say that drug testing welfare applicants is discriminatory and attacks the poor, but Kasich said he doesn't see it that way. He said it would not only save taxpayers money, but it would also address the growing problem of drug abuse in Ohio.

GOP state lawmakers had added the contentious pilot program to a wide-ranging midterm budget bill being considered by the Legislature, but the provision was removed this week before the legislation cleared the Senate. Now, the welfare drug-testing provision is expected to be taken up in a separate bill at a later date.

Jefferson County Department of Job and Family Services officials said at least 20 percent of the county's population gets public assistance through Medicaid or food stamp programs. If the pilot program it is passed, welfare recipients would have to be tested for drugs.

Under the program, if someone fails the drug test, they could receive treatment but could not receive welfare benefits for at least six months.

So far this year, four states have already approved similar programs for drug testing welfare applicants.

Local residents had varying ideas about the proposal.

"You're not going to make everybody happy no matter which way you go with this, but I still believe that the idea itself speaks for itself, and anything else, as with legislation, there may be loopholes that need to be fixed," James Swearengen said.

Others said they were concerned about privacy.

"It's like an invasion of privacy in a sense because some people are drug addicts, some people are alcoholics," said Brandy Taylor, of Mingo Junction.

Stay with NEWS9, WTOV9.com and WTOV9 Mobile for continuing coverage.

A Brooke County water line project to replace aging pipes along one street near residents' homes is more than halfway complete, according to Wellsburg city officials.

The project targets old water lines on Marianna Street, and the road has been ripped up as crews work to replace pipes underneath.
City Manager Mark Henne said workers need to lay down at least 700 more feet of pipes before they can repave the road. It will help water pressure in these homes, Henne said.

Residents said it's a means to an end.
"We're fine. I'm sure that they will finish in a reasonable time, and we can put up with that," said Evelyn Rogers, who lives on Marianna Street.

Rogers also commented on the construction workers' attention to residents' accessibility to their homes. She said they were "so courteous that they worked late one night, maybe two nights, because those people don't have another access out of their way."

Officials said there should be about two to three more weeks of construction, and it will also help water access for firefighters.

The new valves will help with water access to residents during water main breaks, Henne said.

Once the project is done, the city will continue working on upgrades to the water treatment plant, Henne said.

A former assistant prosecutor has been charged in connection with an incident last year in which a man overdosed on heroin and died weeks later.

Don Humberson, an attorney from Weirton and former assistant prosecutor in Hancock County, is charged with battery and possession of a controlled substance.

Investigators said Humberson went to Steubenville with John Schlotter on May 25, 2011 and bought 10 stamp bags of heroin for himself, Schlotter and Scott Roach.

According to a police complaint, Humberson and Roach overdosed.

Days later, a relative of Humberson's found Roach unresponsive and called 911. Roach was taken to a hospital and died several weeks later.

Investigators said CT scans suggested Roach was struck in the head at some point. In a criminal complaint, witnesses said Humberson kicked Roach, knocking Roach out of a chair.

Hancock County Magistrate Judge Scott Hicks, who presided at the hearing, said Humberson will be free on a personal recognizance bond until his preliminary hearing.

Weirton detectives who are handling the investigation referred NEWS9 to the special prosecutor assigned to the case, Scott Smith of Ohio County. Calls to Smith were not returned as of Friday afternoon.

During his court appearance Friday, Humberson requested that counsel be appointed to him. His next court appearance is tentatively set for 9 a.m. June 26.

Stay with NEWS9, WTOV9.com and WTOV9 Mobile for continuing coverage.

WHEELING, W.Va.—

Sledd Co. of Wheeling announced Friday that the company would be expanding and constructing a $13 million, 83,000-square-foot facility adjacent to their current building in the Elm Grove area of Wheeling.

The project has been in the works for a good 10 years, and finally came to fruition when Sledd Co. purchased the former Elm Grove Bowling Lanes and Foggy Bottom Country Club.

“There has been a lot of activity here the last few months. The demolition of the lanes and country club are complete, and the ground is finally level. We are ready to start,” said Sledd Co. Vice President Randy Emanuelson.

Numerous city officials were on hand to be a part of Friday’s ceremonial groundbreaking, including Mayor Andy McKenzie, City Manager Robert Herron, Vice Mayor Gene Fahey, and councilmen Gloria Delbrugge, Don Atkinson and Robert “Herk” Henry.

“This is such a great investment for the city of Wheeling,” said McKenzie. “Not only are you having local people working in the construction field building this facility, but when it is complete, Sledd will be hiring.”

Emanuelson said that the facility will be used as additional space for freezers, coolers and dry storage warehouse space for the products that they supply to local convenience stores.

“We distribute items to six states, West Virginia being our largest,” said Emanuelson.

The project is expected to be completed by January 2013. Once opened, Sledd Co. will look to hire an additional 60 employees over a three-year period.

The stage is set and after 12 years of planning and work, the historic Strand Theatre in Moundsville will officially reopen next week.

The theater closed indefinitely in 1996 and was purchased by a nonprofit group in 2000. The original group who worked to get this far said they expected to reopen the theater a few years after the group formed, but tough economic times forced them to wait.

"At first, people would ask us, well how long is it going to take us to finish the theater? As soon as we signed on and started the project, we said, 'Well, well probably five years.' Well it took 12 years," said Dave Knuth of the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce. "Once we start something, we are going to finish it, and that has been the intention since we signed on."

The Strand was built in 1920 and crews have been doing a lot of work for the past few years.

"We've decided now that we should have some sort of celebration with people involved with the theater over the years to help renovate it," Knuth said.

The grand reopening next week will be invitation only with a screening of the movie "Fool's Parade." The movie, which has a scene in it about the theater, features Jimmy Stewart and was filmed in Moundsville in the 1970s.

After the event, he said the theater will be a place for residents to enjoy.

"The community is welcome to come in. We can have various types of events here, which we have since August 20," Knuth said.

It took $1.2 million to renovate the theater and Knuth said about $400,000 worth of work still needs to be done. Organizers are looking to get new seats, a sound and lighting system and a new concession area. He said that will happen, but will take some time.