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Gilmer County Prosecutor Jerry Hough has been appointed by the
Prosecuting Attorney's Institute of West Virginia to investigate perjury
allegations against Trooper Doug Starcher.
Court records indicate Starcher may have lied about evidence used against
Chloe resident Kelley Mace in a drug case.
Mace requested Calhoun Prosecutor Tony Morgan to investigate the issue,
after which he recused himself and Judge Thomas Evans III asked for a
special prosecutor in February, 2002.
Bill Charnock, the Executive Director of the West Virginia Prosecutors
Institute, said "Hough agreed to be the investigator this week," and the
paper work is being forwarded.
The Institute told The Herald a few weeks ago they were having difficulty
finding a prosecutor to investigate the situation.
Court records appear to sustain Mace's allegations of perjury, after which
she was indicted and prosecuted in Calhoun courts for nearly a year. She
was charged with possession with intent to deliver an illegal drug, when no
such drug was found. Several State Policemen raided her home in the
summer of 2000, in what Sgt. John Bonazzo described as a million dollar
drug operation.
Starcher is being investigated internally by the State Police, led by Logan
officer Sgt. J. B. Schoolcraft. Schoolcraft did not return phones calls
regarding the status of his investigation. Starcher has been assigned
out-of-county to special duty for several months.
Trooper Starcher is currently linked to two civil suits in the county, one by
Grantsville resident Richard Whystell, after the trooper threw a MagLite
through his car window. Whytsell claimed he broke no laws.
Trooper Starcher brought charges against Whytsell and failed to report the
MagLite incident on his police report. In what appeared to be a case of
mistaken identity, Whytsell said Starcher was in a rage, threatening him.
State Police declined to replace Whytsell's rear car glass. "That was pretty
much what I wanted them to do," he said.
Kelley Mace, whose case is currently being investigated by the system, is
pursuing a civil suit against the State Police for damages.
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