radioNOVO News for WV for 09-03-26

Good morning.A state prison inmate serving a sentence for murder at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex has pleaded guilty to stealing more than three-hundred-fifty thousand dollars in veterans benefits. Federal prosecutors say thirty-eight-year-old Zachary Hess Dawson made false claims to the V-A alleging he suffered from P-T-S-D while serving in Afghanistan. Dawson faces up to ten additional years in federal prison.In Lewis County, a restaurant worker detained during high-profile federal immigration raids in Weston earlier this summer has been deported to Guatemala. Family members say Erick Cristal Cumes is now reunited with relatives abroad after being taken into custody by I-C-E officers at a local Don Patron restaurant in May. His wife reports she is currently making arrangements to move to Guatemala to join him.In Ritchie County, law enforcement authorities are warning parents and students about a viral AI-generated social media trend using images of the "Cat in the Hat" to target schools with threatening messages. Local deputies caution residents against sharing the posts online and urge the public to report any suspicious or threatening content directly to police.State police say no foul play is suspected after a fifty-five-year-old Point Pleasant man was found dead inside a Mason Police Department cruiser. Surveillance video showed Gregory Roush voluntarily climbed into the unlocked vehicle in the station parking lot on Sunday before being discovered Tuesday.In the Northern Panhandle, Ella McCardle has officially been sworn in as Ohio County’s new Circuit Clerk. The Wheeling native served as deputy clerk for the past eight years under long-time clerk Brenda Miller, who retired last week.And in Mountaineer sports, West Virginia University will officially retire legendary quarterback Pat White’s number five jersey this Saturday ahead of the football season opener against Coastal Carolina at Milan Puskar Stadium.For more news, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News, a service of Seven Mountains Media.