Terms Used In West Virginia Code > Chapter 7 > Article 14C - Deputy Sheriffs; Procedure for Investigation

• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Deputy sheriff: means any person appointed by a sheriff as his or her deputy whose primary duties as deputy are within the scope of active, general law enforcement and as such is authorized to carry deadly weapons, patrol the highways, perform police functions, make arrests or safeguard prisoners. See West Virginia Code 7-14C-1
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Hearing: means any meeting in the course of an investigatory proceeding, other than an interrogation at which no testimony is taken under oath, conducted by a hearing board for the purpose of taking or inducing testimony or receiving evidence. See West Virginia Code 7-14C-1
• Hearing board: means a board which is authorized by the sheriff to hold a hearing on a complaint against a deputy sheriff and which consists of three members, all to be selected from deputy sheriffs within that agency, or law-enforcement officers or firefighters of another agency with the approval of the sheriff and who have had no part in the investigation or interrogation of the deputy sheriff under investigation. See West Virginia Code 7-14C-1
• in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, or figures, whether by printing, engraving, writing, or otherwise. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Punitive action: means any action which may lead to dismissal, demotion, suspension, reduction in salary, written reprimand or transfer for purposes of punishment. See West Virginia Code 7-14C-1
• State: means a state of the United States, or the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See West Virginia Code 48-14-601
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• under interrogation: means any situation in which any deputy sheriff becomes the focus of inquiry regarding any matter which may result in punitive action. See West Virginia Code 7-14C-1