A Morgan County grand jury indicted 14 individuals after meeting for their January term on Tuesday, January 14. Of those indictments, two were for misdemeanor offenses and 12 individuals were indicted on felony charges. Arraignments in the cases will be held on February 6, when the accused will enter pleas in their cases and future hearings will be set.
Among those indicted was Carla Ruppenthal, former Morgan County Magistrate Clerk, who had been removed from her position roughly a year ago.
Charges of felony embezzlement have been filed against Ruppenthal by the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office.
Ruppenthal is accused of using her position as the clerk of the Morgan County Magistrate Court to collect court costs and fees and then convert them to her own personal use fraudulently.
According to court documents, she is accused of embezzling more than $1,000 of the court funds between January 1, 2022 and January 31, 2024. Court records don’t specify the actual amount of money she is alleged to have stolen for personal use.
Danielle N. Ahern, 37, and Jonathan A. Ahern, 42, of Paw Paw were indicted on two charges each of gross child neglect creating risk of death or serious bodily injury and cruelty to animals.
The couple is accused of grossly neglecting a minor under the age of 12 by living in a home in 2024 “with extremely deplorable household conditions”. The two are also accused of cruelty to animals for withholding food, water and medical treatment for their dog. Trooper Styles of the West Virginia State Police led the investigation.
Robert Cobb, 62, of Greenbrier County was indicted for soliciting a minor and travelling to engage a minor in prohibited sexual activity. Cobb is accused of using a computer between July 1, 2024, and August 3, 2024 to solicit a Morgan County teen and then traveling to Berkeley Springs to pick the minor up and transport her back to his residence in Greenbrier County for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. He is being held in the Southern Regional Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond. Cpl. Hedrick of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Christopher L. Cosenza, 49, of Paw Paw was indicted for strangulation and domestic battery. He is accused of wrapping a dog leash around the victim’s neck, causing her bodily injury, in October of 2024. Deputy Butts of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Justin B. Coyle, 39, of Barboursville, W.Va. was indicted for stalking. He is accused of watching and harassing a 522 bypass construction worker between July 19 and August 15, 2024, violating a personal safety order lodged against him. Lt. Seth Place of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Thomas C. Davis, 66, was indicted for domestic battery, third offense. He is accused in October 2024 of striking a female victim with the vehicle he was operating. Davis was previously convicted of domestic assault in July of 2024 in Morgan County Magistrate Court and of domestic battery in October 2008 in Morgan County Magistrate Court. Cpl. Shambaugh of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Christopher J. Hopkins, 46, of Hedgesville was indicted for driving revoked for DUI, third offense, in June of 2024. Hopkins was previously convicted of driving revoked for DUI in April of 2024 in Frederick County, Va. and in March 2006 in Morgan County. Trooper Branham of the West Virginia State Police investigated the case.
John W. Payne, 56, of Berkeley Springs was indicted for failure to update a sex offender registration in May and June of 2024 by not notifying the State Police of his change in employment. Trooper Meyers of the West Virginia State Police investigated the case.
Guy J. Ridler, 72, of Berkeley Springs was indicted for accumulating more than 1,000 waste tires and knowingly allowing waste tires to be transported to a disposal site without a valid permit or license. Ridler is accused of gathering the old tires between August 2019 and December 2024, and then allowing them to be transported illegally between January 2023 and December 2024. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection lodged the felony charges against him.
Korey R. Shank, 34, of Ranson was indicted for financial exploitation of an elderly person, 12 counts of fraud in connection with an access device and conspiracy. Shank is accused of misusing the funds of a man over the age of 80 for more than a year, with a total estimated loss of $117,427 from the elderly man’s accounts. Shank is accused of making 988 unauthorized charges to an American Express card and through multiple payment apps between May 2023 and June 2024 that amounted to $76,604 and writing 49 fraudulent checks to his conspirators in the amount of $40,823 from December 2023 to May 2024. He is accused of conspiring with three men to pass the checks or handle the funds made through apps in order to get the victim’s money. Shank reportedly told police he needed $40-50 per day to pay for opioids. Trooper Meyers investigated the case for the West Virginia State Police.
