West Virginia GOP County Commissioners arrested over skipping meetings in protest

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two county commissioners in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle are facing criminal charges after being accused of purposefully jilting their duties by skipping public meetings.

Jennifer Krouse and Tricia Jackson — who is also a Republican candidate for state auditor — were arraigned Tuesday in Jefferson County Magistrate Court on 42 misdemeanor charges ranging from failure to perform official duties to conspiracy to commit a crime against the state.

The charges stem from seven missed meetings in late 2023, which State Police assert in court documents that Krouse and Jackson skipped to protest candidates selected to replace a commissioner who resigned. They felt the candidates were not “actual conservatives,” among other grievances, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint asserts that between Sept. 21 and Nov. 16, 2023, Krouse and Jackson’s absences prevented the commission from conducting regular business, leaving it unable to fill 911 dispatch positions, approve a $150,000 grant for victim advocates in the prosecuting attorney’s office and a $50,000 grant for court house renovations.

The county lost out on the court house improvement grant because the commission needs to approve expenses over $5,000.

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