Cabell County Prosecutor who expedites criminal cases through the court system

The constitution guarantees the right to a fair and speedy trial, but the backlog of cases in the national court system can sometimes slow down processing. In Cabell County, an effort is underway to move criminal cases.

On Wednesday, Joshua Wilson was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for DUI causing death and DUI causing serious injury by Cabell County Circuit Judge Sean Hammers. Wilson’s sentence is coming five months after the accident that killed a 17-year-old, a time frame that lawyers said was unusually fast.

“For a case of this nature, it’s extremely rare,” Cabell County Assistant Prosecutor Glen Conway said.

He said it usually takes several years to solve a case. As a former defense attorney, Conway says it’s a common strategy to delay a case anyway you can.

“You hope the offer gets better and sometimes it does because the case changes. Victims move out of town, victims become less passionate about what they want,” Conway said.

Cabell County District Attorney Jason Spears has made speedier trials a key issue during his campaign. One of his strategies is to have more grand juries to keep cases from piling up.

“It’s more difficult to solve these cases, and the sooner you can solve a case, the more likely you are to be successful with it,” Spears said.

Moving cases also benefits taxpayers, Spears said, by costing him less money. He said a speedy trial could also show whether an alternative sentence that reduces costs is appropriate.

“By closing cases quickly, we can lower the jail bill,” Spears said. “Which in turn means someone is not sitting in the Western Regional Jail any longer than they have to.”

Perhaps most importantly, expedited trials provide closure to the victim’s families so they can begin the healing process sooner rather than later.

When asked if speeding up trials could mean someone is wrongfully convicted, Spears said they don’t rush cases. Eliminate unnecessary delays in cases.