Wife of slain W.Va. sheriff succeeds him, will continue his campaign to crack down on drugs

Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury swears in Crum.
(Photo by Chris Dorst, The Charleston Gazette)

The widow of a slain West Virginia sheriff will serve out the rest of his term, after being sworn in as interim sheriff Thursday following a unanimous vote by a commission that said Rosie Crum was the best person to continue her husband's quest to rid Mingo County of its drug problem, Rachel Baldwin writes for the Williamson Daily News.

We reported Wednesday that Eugene Crum, who was elected in January on a promise to clean up the county's drug problem, was killed that day while eating lunch in his car. Tennis Melvin Maynard was arrested for the crime.

County Commission president John Mark Hubbard said at Thursday's meeting that Gene Crum was elected "because of his platform, beliefs and promises," and "the best plan to fulfill this obligation is with the person who knew Eugene the best. The person who knew his stand on crime and drugs, who knew his plans for Mingo County and who was his best friend and soul mate. To appoint someone outside of the Crum family would be unacceptable, and our deputies have told us they would be honored to serve under Rosie as the interim sheriff." (Read more)

UPDATE, April 6: The local prosecutor says there is no evidence that the shooting "was in retaliation for [Gene Crum's] stance against prescription pill abuse," despite "rampant speculation and conjecture," Travis Crum of The Charleston Gazette reports. The shooter's father said the son "was mentally disturbed and had no particular vendetta with law enforcement," Crum writes.

UPDATE, April 12: The local prosecutor said Maynard should have been barred from owning a gun, but got his hands on a weapon after his background check was delayed by "kinks in the chain," Matthew DeLuca reports for NBC News.