you did an incredible job with all of this ... very nice work. I hope it does some good and corrects the wrongs that have been done in West Virginia.

Justin,

You have done a remarkable job with your investigation. The next step is to get Mr. Jones freed. After reading page after page of the mistakes made by the prosecution, I wonder what Mr.Jones knows that the state police don't want known to the general population. As a former police detective myself, I cannot believe the shoddy work done by the prosecution and investigators. The investigators for Fayette County must be on their toes with all of the murders that have gone unsolved. Maybe the investigators need to be investigated. I do hope that in the near future, justice will prevail and the judges see fit to release Mr. Jones. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Justin, please keep up the good work. There are a lot of wrongly accused people depending on you.

Thanks Judy and Pavlov.

Justin,

I absolutely love the site. You've done a great job, and the information is completely accurate. Lee and I have been fighting this now for 10 years, and we will never quit. I only hope and pray that at some point in the near future, that someone realizes the EVIL that has transpired to my husband and our family. I wished I could say that I don't bear hard feelings to those that have done this, but I do...and always will. What they have done is an evil beyond comprehension...until you've gone through it yourself.

At this point, our most recent appeal has been turned down - which is amazing considering the recantations that have occurred. And the reason for the denial of the appeal? In essence, the judge said "The nice prosecutor and nice state troopers would never do anything like this." Thankfully, the Federal Judge that has already reviewed this case does not agree with him. Soon, he will get an opportunity to review the case again.

It's hard to believe in a state where Fred Zain could lie for years sending potentially hundreds of innocent people to prison - that anyone could still have the misconception that WV State Troopers would be incapable of such heinous activities. Granted, I do believe that not all State Troopers are bad, nor are even all prosecutors. But there are some.

In my humble belief, they were all working together on this case, and my husband and I are paying the consequences.

We will not give up. Whether it take another 52 weeks, or another 52 years - this will be resolved and light will be shed upon what has happened. I can only hope that is much sooner, rather than later. We've already lost too much because of these lies. With help like you've provided bringing attention to Lee's case, perhaps that hope will be realized sooner!

Thanks again for the terrific work. Congratulations on the great website and great project. Thank you for adding Lee's case to your portfolio. This can only be good for us!

Take care and thanks again!

Mrs. Lee Jones (aka Donna)

PS You are exactly right - this COULD happen to anyone. Look at us.

Why place innocent people behind bars? What is wrong with our system of justice? The courts let the guilty go free and the innocent are locked up. This man has been incarcerated for almost nine years for something he did not do. Where's justice?

In the court it was proven that there was no red truck, the two were together alone, there were wrong dates, there were changed dates, all proved he was innocent. Where was the jury? I feel there was jury tampering - twelve people could not be that dumb!

Carl Harris said "Fayette County court systems were fair" then why isn't Lee home especially after having received two recantations from major players in this game played by the WV State Police.

It has been said "truth will always prevail".

Thanks Justin for exposing all the wrong doings in Lee's case.

Having served on the jury in Fayette County we were told to watch for any reasonable doubt and to ignore that testimony. Sad to say this jury should be questioned as to why they failed to see all the doubt in this case and yet managed to send an innocent person to prison for life. One wants me to believe that the "red truck" did not flash a bright light to the jury members. The red truck was only one part of all the doubt that the jury members ignored in this case.

No one in their right mind could have overlooked all the doubt that was in this case. You, Justin, did a good job in pointing out the doubt in your investigation. Hard to believe that the jury could not see all the doubt as they were in the courtroom daily and I only read it in the newspapers and knew all the doubt that had been revealed.

When we were deliberating a case it took us hours to come to an conclusion of guilt or innocent. This jury took less than one hour to say he was guilty on all 54 counts - of which all were made up and the current recants proved it.

Sadly even with two recant statements Mr. Jones is still in prison for a crime that he did not commit. And Carl Harris says that "Fayette County Court System Is Fair"? If it is fair, then why didn't Fayette County bring Mr. Jones home?

I can understand where Judge Hatcher is coming from when he said the State Troopers and prosecutor were very experienced and he could not visualize what McCallister and Roop said in their recantations. However, no one expects the state officials to be involved in such misconduct themselves! News Flash: They are guilty of misconduct. Strangly the court system belived what McCallister and Roop said when they stood before God almighty and swore to tell the truth. Now they expect us to believe that they do not believe them when they said "Oh, by the way we lied".

Good job!

Sir:

Wouldn't you say Jones is a "counterfiet prisoner" made and delivered by the WV State Police. I heard the names - SAGE, MANKINS, WHEELER, and of course VANMETER and SLOAN (S.C. Detective)and of course there was one other that for some reason retired shortly after the trial. Everyone knows who that is!

How many do you have to have to call this a conspiracy, to take a man down. Maybe even an interstate conspiracy. I will keep watch! And perhaps keep counting those in this conspiracy.

Jeremy -

Are you the same kids that Adam Roop claimed to have played with every Saturday morning for nearly 6 years? Unbelievable that after playing with you guys for that length of time that he did not know your names. Also, I know for a fact that you guys attended Church on Saturday mornings - therefore, you guys must have played together at Church! Althought one doubts that Adam Roop has ever stepped foot in any church!

One wonders where that story came from. Could it have have been produced by the same person(s) that did not have the correct dates when the indictment was obtained, Michael Roop in knowing what room number he stated in at Myrtle Beach, the story of the red truck, we were together alone, apartment descriptions and the two bed room house.

All were made up stories. All were lies. All sent an innocent person to prison for life.

I hope all the quilty parties who had a part in placing Lee Jones behind bars will find their place in hell someday. Why do this to an innocent man? One could not find a more wonderful person in the Gauley Bridge area than Lee Jones. He would try to find justice for others. Why can't we do the same for him? He would go out of his way to help others in need. How many people are standing up for him now? Where are all of his supporters? I've grown up in Gauley Bridge, where I have known some of these people who have stabbed Lee in the back. My family lived next door to some of them. I thought they were my friends as well as Donna and Lee's friends. What wonderful friends we all had. This is a day and age where you can't trust anyone. Some of the boys have come forward and recanted their stories and still Lee remains behind bars. Lee has lost his home, his truck, his valuable time he could have spent with Donna and most of all his freedom. Why? What has this town accomplished by keeping an innocent man behind bars for almost nine years? Where is justice?

I live in Montgomery, WV. Have known Lee Jones since Spring of 1980. Lee and I volunteered at the, then, Valley Ambulance Service. Never have I had such a compassionate friend; dedicated to serving the public.There is no way that Lee could be guilty of the hayness crime that he has been framed and convicted of doing. Having been a victim of abuse in my pre-adolescence years, Lee never exhibited any of the predatory profiles that I had seen before in my life. Please, let justice prevail and Lee be returned to his family and friends. God and everyone else knows that he is innocent. Why can't we get him released?

To Hay -

To all those officers you wrote about, plus all the others that were involved with this case, and the prosecutor I would like to nominate them all to the "NATIONAL HALL OF FRAME". No doubt about it! Also, I would like to nominate then to the "NATIONAL HALL OF SHAME". How many years has he been incarcerated? It is plain to see, he did not commit the crime so why does he have to pay the time? Shame - shame on everyone that had a part in this "their crime".

I would like to congratulate the last person who wrote the last comment about Lee Jones. He is a wonderful person and I don't know why more people aren't speaking up for him. He deserves more respect from all of us. I know he could not have committed such horrible acts. Why accuse someone of doing such evil things? Gauley Bridge used to be such a wonderful place to visit. It is turning into such an evil place. I don't know why anyone would want to go there. The police are pulling people off and fining them for lots of money and locking what good police officers we had behind bars. Where's justice? As I said before I hope all the people who had their part in placing Lee Jones behind bars will find their place in hell someday. I want to welcome Lee with open arms when he returns to Gauley Bridge one day.

I have known Lee Jones for a long time. Actually I worked for a short time in City Hall. No one could find a better person than Mr. Jones. He was the best friend a person could every have – he was my friend. He was the caretaker of that community. He would do anything for anyone. I know that at times you didn’t have to ask him for help / he would just show up and lend a helping hand. I can’t understand how after reading this report how the jury could find him guilty. The jury must have been sleeping. I only pray that the jury members somehow read this report and try to make a difference. After all it was because of their ignorance that Mr. Jones is in prison. And taking about a set-up by the WV State Police – they really did their job in making sure that he was found guilty. And people in this state wonder why the WV State Police can’t be trusted. This is a prime reason! I know that he is not guilty and I don’t understand why he is still in prison especially after having two recants to prove the set-up. Something is really wrong in the Fayette County judicial system. No I take that back – something really stinks in the Fayette County judicial system and I think it is the judges and the prosecutor.

Why would this poor man (Mr. Jones) have to be in prison for the crime of all the other people involved in this case? From where I stand put the others in prison and let him go free - Yeah - how many years has he been in prison serving time for their crimes - it’s craze! Where has true justice gone - only in West Virginia can something like this happen. Fred Zain would be proud to have Trooper VanMeter and the other troopers involved in this case with him today. May they all rejoice together in * @ ##.

I have heard a lot about the wrong doings of some of the State Police and this story only confirms what I have heard from others that have had dealings with them. After all look what Fred Zane did to this state. One lie after another and one innocent person after another sent to prison; and why, so that Fred Zane could get those pats on the back, more stripes on his uniform and raises. This event (Mr. Jones being sent to prison) is so sad! An innocent person put behind bars by the same individuals that are paid to protect us. I only hope that I never confront them and I do believe that if they want you they will get you no matter what form the getting is in. I can’t believe that this actually took place in West Virginia and even worse knowing that with several recants this gentleman is still in prison! ! Wonder who is being paid to keep him where he is? And why is he still there? Does no one really care what takes place in this state? As the comment was made earlier “This can happen to you�. You citizens of this state better wake up before it is too late and you find yourself setting with Mr. Jones in prison.

I don’t understand why the family of Lee Jones doesn’t file some type of law suite against the State of South Carolina especially if what was said in this report was true. How can a state arrest someone without making sure that the allegations are correct and obviously the detective from S.C. didn’t have anything correct. He even stated that he never talked to the victim because the city would not pay for his travel. My questions is “How can someone obtain a warrant for anyone’s arrest without interviewing the victim?� Doesn’t the United States Constitution prohibit acts such as this? I only hope that the family does goes after South Carolina and end up owning Myrtle Beach. It appears that the detective didn’t have anything correct and as reported by the writer of this report neither Detective Sloan or the Myrtle Beach Police Department would respond to the writer’s calls. What are they trying to hide? It sounds as if Detective Sloan was trained by the WV State Police - or - is it true that Mr. Sloan was once a WV State Trooper. Maybe he was trained by West Virginia’s best known Trooper - you know “The Great Honorable Fred Zain“.

Justin -

Thanks for your report on the Chief Lee Jones’ case! You are the only one in this entire United States to show all the wrong doings. When a man has to stand alone against a group of “SUB-CULTURED WARRIORS� what kind of a chance does he have? None! Thanks again for your boldness in exposing the real story. You have done what no one else was brave enough to do . “God Bless You and may His force be with you!�

The South Carolina authorities can and will do nothing for Lee Jones. It has been checked into. Since West Virginia convicted Lee, South Carolina turned their backs on him. And, yes, you can be arrested on just accusations. Just ask around. People are arrested after a person files a complaint, regardless of the truth or lies involved. Officers will come into your work place/school and arrest you simply based on another person's word. They do not investigate. Now, you are guilty unti you can prove yourself innocent.

You know, I've tried to keep up with the Lee Jones story and it is so wonderful to see the work that you have done, Justin. Thank you so much for getting the facts out for others to see. It amazes me that Innocent people can be sent to prison for life and that no one does anything about it. The authorities who could help all have excuses and turn away. The authorities who are caught up in all of this just gleefully slap one another on the back, making Fred Zane proud of them...they learned well from him. Maybe with people like you printing the facts for everyone to see, something good will come out of this. For Lee and Donna, we certainly hope so. Keep up the good work, Justin...there are many innocent people in prisons with no one helping them. They need you.

Justin, You have done such a wonderful job on this website for Lee. It is such an terrible thing that he has been locked away for all these years. For the people who care about him there is not a thing they can do to get him out of jail. I have prayed many times that Lee will come back to Gauley Bridge and his accusers will be put to shame. What a terrible thing to do to someone who has been such a kind wonderful person. He sure made a lot of enemies being a police officer. He deserves something better from the town of Gauley Bridge. I hope many other people keep sending the positive comments to support Lee. I was born and raised in that town and I saw very few people there as wonderful as Lee Jones. He would go out of his way to do anything for anybody and what does he get in return. He gets a slap in the face. Is that what we call justice? More of Lee's supporters need to send in their comments.

This is directed to Prosecutor Carl Harris: If your goal is to make sure that justice is done in Fayette County then why did you prevent Mr. Jones’ lawyer from New York City to defend Mr. Jones at the January 2007 hearing? What was you afraid of? Someone coming into this state and showing all the wrongs that have been done in this case - or was you afraid that he could out-do you in front of Judge Hatcher? It can’t be called prosecutorial misconduct but it sure could be called prosecutorial ignorance. You want to make sure justice is done - then you should make sure that you do what is just in the eyes of God. After all He will be the last Judge that you will ever come before.

Dear Justin,

Thank you for such an excellent job. So many in this beautiful state have told the family of Lee Jones to let the System handle this...everything will be ok. They do not want to really get involved! However, you have had the courage to speak clearly about this terrible injustice! Lee and Donna have been fighting a very corrupt system. No one in the WV justice system will help...they all say that they must protect the interests of the state...(that is...MONEY and POSITION)!! It is a shame that innocent people are railroaded into prison by the corrupt officials in power. Fred Zane surely taught the WV police/judicial system well. This system will do anything just to get a conviction...guilt or innocent are no longer important. The Prosecutor in Lee's case and the lead state trooper should face the same disciplinary action that was handed out in the Raliegh-Durham situation! There the Prosecutor was exposed for the hurt he was doing in order to gain more power and fame! Those innocent Lacrosse players from the University were finally freed and he now stands disbarred! That's how it should be!!! This Fayette County Prosecutor and immoral state investigator have done so much damage and hurt deliberately! Not one single INNOCENT person should ever be railroaded into prison!!! They both should be serving Lee's sentence and Lee should be free!! How can we turn this around and let the innocent out? What is the next step? Justin, you know they will keep him locked up as long as they possibly can. So, what do people do now? Thank you for at least having the courage to speak out. I am afraid of those state troopers as you can see...I won't even put my name down. Sorry!!!!

Justin you did a wonderful job in telling it like it was and what exactly took place when evil overcame the good. For all those out there that are afraid to speak up in order that the truth be known I only have one thing to say to them:

“WE will have to Repent in this Generation not merely for the Hateful Words and Actions of the Bad people, but for the APPALLING SILENCE of the Good people.�

Truth can set Mr. Jones free but only when those that know the truth are human enough to let it be known. God is watching us - God is watching us!

No No - We are not Satisfied until Justice rolls down like Waters and Righteousness like a Mighty Stream

Thanks for all the comments every body. Travel and work has kept me very busy and away from the site for a long time. I'm sure Lee and his family appreciate that so many are concerned and thinking about him.

Justin -

Tell me! After seeing your report on the case of the Chief of Police seems like a total envolvement of all these State Police and the Prosecutor. Really puts a bad light on the entire State of West Virginia. Since we depend on our tourism as a great resource, who would want to come to this state? When this whole thing "BLOWS' we will become an obsolete state. Thanks State Troopers!

My apologies to those of you receiving errors when you try to leave comments. They are registering (I always have to manually approve and publish anonymous comments) despite the error messages you receive.

If you'd like to avoid the error message (until I can get it fixed) you can register and ensure that your comments post immediately. Thanks!

Justin