Two Democrats are running for Wetzel County Sheriff: Johnny Cool and incumbent James Hoskins.



Johnny Cool is married and lives in New Martinsville with his wife Sara. He has two daughters, Lori Knowlton and Kimberly Baratta; five grandchildren, Zachary and Emily Knowlton; Roman, Luke, and Landon Baratta.

He currently works at Bayer Corporation and plans to retire on June 30. He has 25 years of experience in management, having responsibilities for efficient operations, capital spending, and operating budgets. For more than 20 years he has served as a certified Emergency Responder Team Leader. Cool also served four years in the U.S. Marines from 1967 until his honorable discharged in 1971.

Current Wetzel County Sheriff James Hoskins is committed to Wetzel County. He was born here, graduated from Magnolia High School, worked in the Wetzel County Physical Therapy Department, and met his wife of 12 years, Amanda, here. Together they are raising their twin daughters, Brynna and Brooke. As a family they attend the New Martinsville United Methodist Church.

Hoskins is a certified veteran law enforcement officer who began his career as a Wetzel County Deputy Sheriff. He became sheriff in 2004. He has developed new programs for the county including two K-9 units, formed the Special Response Team, and initiated the Officer in the School Program.

He serves as a board member of Local Schools Improvement Council, Open Door Ministries, W.V. Sheriff’s Association, and is coordinator for the Officer in the School Program.

He has been endorsed by several local organizations, including the Wetzel County Education Association, Upper Ohio Valley Building and Construction Trades Council, Marshall-Wetzel-Tyler Labor Council, United Steelworkers Local #5724, Laborer’s Local #1149, Boilermakers Local #667, Carpenters Local #899, Mid Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, International Association of Heat/Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Local #2, West Virginia Sheriff’s Association, and West Virginia State Auditor Glen B. Gainer III.



If you are elected sheriff, what would you keep and what changes would you make in the county and why?



Cool: If elected sheriff, I would look at the programs already established within the department.

If current programs are found to be satisfactory for the county I would keep them, if not I would meet with county officials and residents to discuss the needed changes.

I would talk to the county officials about implementing an anonymous Hot Tip line to report any illegal activities in the county to the sheriff’s office. I believe that to have any effective/positive programs for the county, input from the residents is needed.



Hoskins: Since being elected Sheriff, I have obtained two K-9 units to work with us in our efforts to deter drug activity. These K-9 units are effective in locating illegal drugs. One K-9 unit is also trained to track individuals if the need arises. I have developed the Wetzel County Multi-jurisdictional Special Response Team (SRT).

The SRT is a valuable asset in efforts to apprehend those involved in drug and other criminal activity. The SRT’s primary goal is community safety. The team members are highly trained and efficient in the apprehension of criminal suspects.

In a cooperative effort with the Board of Education, we initiated the Officer in the School Program. This program is beneficial to the schools because we have established a more effective way to interact with students and staff. Each law enforcement agency is assigned specific schools to visit. Having assigned schools allows us to be more effective in our ability to keep our schools safe.

I have obtained grants to increase DUI patrols and better equip the WCSO. I have worked with the county commission to increase and save Wetzel County revenue. I am in the process of obtaining grants for a School Resource Officer, Crimes Task Force and a specialized deputy.



A parent telephones you. He is concerned because his teenage son is getting out of hand; he is running with a rough crowd, but as yet has not gotten into legal trouble. He wants you to talk to the youth to try to send him in the right direction. Would you talk to the youth, and if so, what would you say? What advice would you give to the parent?



Cool: Yes, if asked by the parent I would definitely talk with the youth, but first I believe I would listen to the youth, let him talk about problems and issues he may be dealing with.

My talk to the youth would be about how important it is at a young age to not do anything that could effect him for the rest of his life. I would give him real life examples of adults who as teenagers made mistakes that they now regret.

My advice to the parent would be; to be involved with family activities with the teen. Know his friends, know where they are going as much as possible. Talk with and listen to him. Set rules and guidelines that you monitor and expect to be followed. Most important do not give up ! Times have changed and the pressures on our youth have grown.



Hoskins: I would advise the parent it depends on the age of the youth as to how it could be handled in the event he does become involved in legal trouble. If he is 18 or older, then he would be dealt with as an adult. If he is under the age of 18, then he would be dealt with as a juvenile. I would accept the parent’s invitation to speak to the youth if the youth was under the age of 18 and the parent was also involved in the conversation.

If the youth is 18 and has not committed a crime, then it would be at the 18-year-old’s discretion to speak to me if he so desired to do so. I may also ask the Juvenile Probation Officer to be involved in the conversation so that the juvenile understands the role that the Probation Officer plays in the event a crime is committed.

I would advise the parent that there is counseling available to help families that may need this type of service. Counseling may find an underlying problem as to why the youth is not headed in a good direction.



What would you recommend to solve problems in towns without their own police presence?



Cool: I would recommend to the towns to set set up a community crime watch program, and again I recommend an anonymous Hot Tip line to the sheriff’s office.



Hoskins: As in most cases of towns without their own police force, it is about the lack of funding. Smaller communities are in desperate need of funding to alleviate other problems and continue with services they provide. I am in the process of obtaining grant funding for a Deputy Resource Officer for Valley High School with cooperation and acceptance of the Wetzel County Board of Education. This deputy will be assigned to Valley High School, but if needed for other law enforcement activity in the area, the deputy will be available to respond to the needs of citizens in the area immediately.

It is helpful if citizens contact law enforcement immediately if they observe any criminal or suspicious activity.

This will allow law enforcement to begin an investigation or respond to the incident as quickly as possible. Wetzel County is a large area and I have regularly increased patrols in areas without a municipal law enforcement presence.