By Toni Milbourne, The Journal
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — It was reported in Tuesday’s edition of The Journal that warrants had been issued for the arrest of two Jefferson County commissioners, Tricia Jackson and Jennifer Krouse.
The arrests were carried out following the early conclusion of the commission’s budget session Tuesday morning. Sgt. Jonathan Meeks, West Virginia State Police, arrived at the commission meeting room, where, after speaking quietly with Jackson and Krouse, he proceeded to place them in his vehicle and transport them to Jefferson County Magistrate Court, where they were arraigned.
Krouse and Jackson face 42 misdemeanor counts, ranging from failure to fulfill their job duties to conspiracy. The criminal complaint had charges filed by the West Virginia State Police under the direction of a special prosecutor, John Ours, who serves in Grant County.
The charges stemmed from a period of time between Sept. 21 and Nov. 16, 2023, when the commissioners chose not to attend the regularly scheduled commission meetings. The two contended, at the time, that a process to name a fifth commissioner to a vacant seat was unclear in State Code, as Jefferson County has five commissioners, and State Code is written for those counties with three commissioners.