Preston County Commission appoints interim sheriff

KINGWOOD, W.Va. (WBOY) — Following the sudden death of Sheriff Paul “Moe” Pritt on the night of May 13, the Preston County Commission appointed Jim Fields to the position.

The Preston County Commission held an emergency session Tuesday to appoint an interim sheriff for the remainder of the late Sheriff Pritt's term.

Jim Field volunteered to help the commission during the transition and also has previous experience serving as Preston County Sheriff years before Sheriff Pritt.

12 News spoke with Preston County Commissioner Samantha Stone about the death of Sheriff Pritt.

“The commission continues to extend our sincere condolences to Sheriff Pritt’s family. This has been nothing short of devastating, not only to our county government, but also to Preston County and many areas around its roadways through law enforcement across the state. We will miss him. Additionally, we believed that the appointment of Jim Fields would be something that Sheriff Pritt would approve of,” Stone said.

Fields also belongs to the same political party as Sheriff Pritt.

Fields was originally appointed temporarily, but will now serve until December 31, 2024 for Sheriff Pritt's unexpired term.

The Preston County GOP has already chosen Scott Spiker of Reedsville as its candidate for sheriff in the upcoming general election.