In Around West Virginia: journalism students explore prison overcrowding and inmate violence, a principal clears up a viral tweet alleging student mistreatment, 11 animals are abandoned, and more.
n Journalist students at the WVU Reed College of Media write about Je'Ron Hawkins, a 19-year-old inmate killed at North Central Regional Jail, and explore the topic of prison overcrowding. Anthony Young, who killed Hawkins, was supposed to be incarcerated in a state prison, but was at the jail because of prison overcrowding.
n After a tweet alleging that an autistic student at Hedgesville High School was mistreated went viral, the principal says that the student who tweeted the post was ill-informed, according to The Journal. After seeing the girl with a box on her head, the boy tweeted "So when a mentally ill child is crying we just tell them to shut up and put a box over their head :) go hedgesville." Principal Ron Lyons says the boy didn't see the whole incident. Lyons said the boy didn't realize the girl had put the box on her own head and was playing peek-a-boo.
n Three Fairview residents allegedly left the state and abandoned 11 animals within their home, WBOY reports. Melinda Kennedy-Bennett, 49, Virginia Kennedy, 32, and Robert Bennett, 70, are each charged with three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. They allegedly left 10 dogs and one rabbit. The animals were found with no food or water.
n Beckley Police Department plans to hire its first black female police officer, The Register-Herald reports. The potential hires will triple the number of women the city has on its force - from one to three. Recruit Charlene Diggs, 24, hopes to build trust between the black community and the police department.
"As a minority, you can't help change the system if you don't get involved in the system," she said.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.
