Embezzlement suspect waives preliminary hearing in Hancock County
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NEW CUMBERLAND -- A man accused of embezzling from a local youth sports organization will be heading to Circuit Court.
David Andrew Brown, 54, of Chester, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Hancock County Magistrate Court Thursday morning before Magistrate Steve Svokas. Arrested in late July by Hancock County Sheriff's deputies, he is accused of embezzling at least $11,000 from the Oak Glen Junior Bears Baseball and Softball Association, where he had been serving as the organization's treasurer.
Just before the hearing's scheduled time, however, Brown's attorney, Kevin Pearl, announced a decision to waive the preliminary hearing.
"We're actually going to waive this matter and take it over to Circuit Court," Pearl said.
Svokas explained that, by doing so, there would be no further hearings on the matter at the magistrate court level.
When asked if he understood the plan, Brown nodded in affirmation.
Brown was arrested July 28, according to Magistrate Court records, by Hancock County Sheriff's Department deputies following an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of more than $11,000 from the youth sports organization.
Detective Scott Little previously explained the department had been approached in June by other representatives of the Junior Bears association with suspicions about what they believed were abnormal practices in the association's financial records.
Among the alleged actions were the use of checks from the association to pay Brown's personal power bills, the purchase of money orders to pay credit card accounts belonging to Brown and other family members, and the use of bank debit cards and accounts through Amazon and Sam's Club to purchase various personal items, including clothing, grooming supplies, motor vehicle parts, food, home cleaning supplies, security camera systems and more.
The initial investigation included records from 2024, 2025 and 2026.
In West Virginia, embezzlement charges may carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.