by Ron Gregory
CHARLESTON — Members of the State Senate Confirmations Committee report they have already received “numerous” calls and emails from those upset with the appointment of Teresa Maynard as chief of hearing examiners by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.
Tomblin made the appointment yesterday, immediately after Maynard stepped down from her position as Mingo County Prosecutor. The Lenore attorney had been appointed to that prosecutor position by Tomblin as well.
The hearing examiner appointment triggered a wave of controversy since Mingo voters rejected Maynard by a lopsided margin in the May primary election. When Maynard retired at the end of the day Monday, the primary winner, Jonathan “Duke” Jewell, was appointed in her place. Many have also questioned Maynard’s qualifications for the new job.
Most blame Maynard’s defeat as Prosecutor for her refusal to effectively prosecute those involved in crime in the county. Chief among those complaints is that Maynard failed to prosecute the two men identified as beating 18-year-old Dawson Isom into a coma in May 2015. Isom remains in the comatose condition but those who videos show perpetrated the crime remain free. In fact, Maynard went so far, a few weeks ago, as to get the investigation files in the case sealed by Circuit Judge Miki Thompson.
The Chronicle editor will appear on the Tom Roten Morning Show at 7 a.m., Friday, September 16, to discuss Maynard’s appointment as well as give an update on the Isom proceedings in civil court.
The Tom Roten Show is heard each morning on 80AM-WVHU in Huntington. The program is also available at the WVHU Internet site.