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Pending cases against Grantsville resident John M. Richards, 39, have been continued in Gilmer and Calhoun County. The
Gilmer hearing was postponed this week because of the illness of Richards' attorney.
Richards has been charged with multiple crimes in several jurisdictions in West Virginia and Ohio, from stolen property in
Calhoun and Gilmer, to an assault at McDonald's in Glenville. He has also been charged with the attempted abduction of a
Marietta woman and her teenage daughter from a car wash in Reno, Ohio.
Richards has been charged with receiving about $13,275 in stolen property from at least three different locations in
Calhoun and Gilmer counties.
He has been free on $12,000 cash bond in Calhoun, and has issued statements to regional media proclaiming his
innocence, including charges against him for the Ohio abduction.
Braxton County Prosecutor Brian Lanham has indicated he may revoke Richards' $100,000 bond in that county related to
a fugitive warrant from Ohio.Richards has appealed his extradition to the West
Virginia Supreme Court, which is currently hearing the case.
The more recent criminal complaint in Calhoun alleges Richards is connected to stolen property from a building site where
work was being done by Mountaineer Log Homes and building material from a shed at Hardman Supply in
Grantsville.
Items from these locations were discovered at Richards' residence in south Grantsville on June 20th, after the Calhoun
County Sheriff's Department and the West Virginia State Police executed a search warrant.
State Police said on June 25th they received a report of a breaking and entering at Middletown Homes in Gilmer County.
Kitchen items valued at $4,125 were removed from that site. The items were discovered in a shed on the Richards'
Grantsville property, said the criminal complaint.
The initial search warrant on the Richard's property was issued after Parson's One-Stop reported beer, cigarettes and
sports equipment valued at about $10,000 was stolen. The merchandise was taken from their establishment during an early
morning burglary a few months ago.
Hardman Supply said underpinning and mulch was taken from their establishment. Items found that belonged to
Mountaineer Homes included wall-mounted heaters, a stackable washer-dryer, assorted tools and a bathroom vanity.
Richards is a registered sex offender and has been found guilty of numerous sex offenses in several different counties.
Richards said he believes law enforcement knows he is not guilty, but is "just looking for information from me."
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