For the first time in history, Wetzel County has a full-time prosecuting attorney.

Over the last 12 years, incumbent Tim Haught served as the part-time prosecutor and operated a part-time private law practice. Every case, whether misdemeanor or felony, has a right to a fair trial.

But over time, the case loads have doubled and the prosecutor's job has become more demanding than ever.

"I started to see the change about halfway through that 12 years," Haught said. "As a result, that increased volume of cases. I decided I needed to go full-time. I consulted with the Wetzel County Commission and they agreed that the prosecutor should be full-time."

Many cases that are increasing Haught's caseload is related to an epidemic sweeping the nation: prescription drug abuse.

"Prescription pill and heroin drug abuse, we're seeing a rise in burglaries, breaking and enterings, automobile breaking and enterings, (forgeries), utterings," Haught said.

He said some people might not believe it for Wetzel County, which has a total population of 16,000, but the numbers prove it.

"I think the first year I was prosecutor, we had 50 or 60 criminal cases, felony cases. Last year, we had 135 felony cases (and) almost 600 misdemeanors," Haught said.

On his list of cases is another investigation he's monitoring: Discovering what happened when interim Sheriff Mike Koontz reported firearms and money from the Sheriff's Office disappeared last year.

"The county commission has asked for an independent audit of the Sheriff's Office under the former administration, and that audit is ongoing," he said.

He said all of the firearms in the Sheriff's Office have been recovered, but the money is still unaccounted for. He credited Koontz for locating the missing guns.

Koontz resumed his role as a corporal when John Brookover took over on Jan. 1 after the November election.