Fire Marshal Suspicious Over Dropped Charges

The West Virginia fire marshal says he’s investigating why arson charges against a volunteer firefighter were dropped, possibly because she is also a Mason County dispatcher and the daughter of the county’s 911 director. Kim Blake, 24, and two other firefighters were arrested earlier this year on charges they set fire to the porch of a house and several trees. Fire marshal Sterling Lewis said he never received a subpoena to appear at Blake’s preliminary hearing, and so the prosecutor dismissed the case. Sheriff Scott Simms admitted that the subpoena was never delivered and had “dropped through the cracks.” Simms denied that the inaction was politically motivated. Blake had been on leave since her arrest, but county commissioners say they must now consider allowing her back. Read more about the case here.