What if a woman decides she doesn't want to press charges against her attacker, a magistrate asked Kanawha officials in charge of the county's domestic violence pilot program.
"Do you all still prosecute?" he asked.
The answer was a resounding, "Yes."
Kanawha Magistrate Julie Yeager on Thursday answered that question, among others, and told a room full of about 100 magistrates from across the state about the success Kanawha's domestic violence program has had over the past three years.
The Kanawha program, which began in 2012, is the first and only of its kind in the state. The program streamlines cases of domestic violence to protect victims and prevent future offenses. It was recently given the green light by state Supreme Court justices to run for another year, Yeager said.
Kanawha County, the state's most populous county, sees about 700 more domestic violence cases per year than any other county, according to the state's Family Court Service Division.
Before the program, 10 magistrates and five family court judges handled domestic violence cases. The family court judges addressed the civil aspects of the cases while magistrates dealt with criminal charges.
Until last year, when Kanawha Family Judge Mike Kelly retired, he helped Yeager with the program. But Judge Joe Zak, who replaced Kelly, didn't want to participate, so Yeager has taken on all of the domestic violence cases in magistrate court.
And while that may sound overwhelming, Yeager said Thursday she's managing fine - and actually likes it better this way.
"Now I really know everything that's going on," she said, adding that provides even more safety for victims.
Yeager spoke to her colleagues during their training conference at the Marriott hotel and explained that they have the chance to make a difference in cases of domestic violence.
"We're on the front lines, we see these women or these men who come before us," she said, noting an important goal of the program is to inform the public about the changes the program provides.
"In my county there's still a philosophy of, 'Oh, she won't show up (so the charges will be dropped).' That's not how it is anymore," Yeager said, before adding with a laugh, "I heard recently that the word on the street is, 'Yeager don't play.'"
But it's true, she added, with a serious tone in her voice.
Her hope is that other magistrates will be encouraged to start their own version of the program.
Reach Kate White at
304-348-1723 or
@KateLWhite on Twitter.