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After being cleared by his agency for sexually harassing three female employees, a top State Police officer has been sued by
the women. The charges against him were "not sustained" last week.
A suit has been filed against Capt. B .D. Gore, who served as chief of executive services and head of the Professional
Standards Unit that handles police misconduct. After the incident, Gore was moved to the detective bureau which required a
demotion.
Gore allegedly harassed three women who worked with him at the South Charleston headquarters. The three women have
similar stories of Gore making sexual advances, according to the suit. One of the women said she was involved in a
consensual affair with Gore last year, and she went on a trip funded by the State Police.
Sherry Lawson, Dreama Crowder and Andrea Shepherd filed separate lawsuits Thursday in Kanawha Circuit Court through
their attorneys, David Moye and Thomas Kirk.
Moye is the Executive Director of the Troopers Association and Kirk is a former State Police superintendent.
"Crowder alleged Gore called her at home and would ask for sexual favors and repeatedly inquired about her having sex
with a black man. Gore is black," according to the Charleston Gazette.
Lawson filed a sexual harassment complaint against Gore in July 2002, alleging he would ask for, and receive sexual favors
while on duty."
All three women alleged the officer interrupted their workdays by calling them to his office and giving them gifts or making
sexual advances.
"Lawson claims she filed her complaint with Maj. Charles Bedwell, who served as deputy chief of staff at the time. Her
complaint, however, was halted soon after Bedwell wrote about the violations in a letter to Col. Howard Hill, State Police
superintendent," said the Gazette.
Hill and his legal counsel, Kelly Ambrose allegedly prohibited Bedwell from being involved in Lawson's complaint, with the
lawsuit complaint going through attorney Ambrose only, according to the lawsuit.
The suit says even after complaints had been filed, Crowder and Shepherd continued to be harassed, annoyed and
embarrassed until earlier this month by Gore.
All three women filed complaints with the department last week, which responded by saying the charges were not
sustained.
The State Police have waded through several millions of dollars of taxpayer paid lawsuits for professional misconduct in
recent years, some relating to personal or abusive behavior and others for mismanagement of cases, sending the wrong
people to jail and problems related to the police lab.
The agency has fought any kind of civilian review board that would help evaluate internal problems.
The West Virginia Legislature has not expressed interest in the reorganization of the agency.
A recent lawsuit against Calhoun Trooper Doug Starcher and the State Police is pending.
The suit, filed by Chloe resident Kelley Mace, claims she was taken through court on drug charges, although police found no
evidence when they raided her house.
Starcher, according to court records, testified the agency found an illegal drug after a warrant described Mace was involved
in a "million dollar" drug ring. Officers also claimed several thousands of dollars in stolen guns were on the Mace property,
but none were found.
Calhoun Prosecuting Attorney Tony Morgan dropped the case against Mace. He then requested a criminal investigation of
Trooper Starcher. The results of that year-long investigation have not been made public by a special prosecutor. The State
Police also conducted an internal investigation of the incident, but declined to release the results after a Freedom of
Information request from the Hur Herald.
Both Capt. Gore and Trooper Starcher's cases will be heard in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
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