Lawsuit on file against Wood County BOE member

WTAP
By Shyla Florence
January 23, 2025

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PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – A lawsuit has been filed against a Wood County Board of Education member.

The Wood County Circuit Court has a petition for writ of mandamus on file against Debra Hendershot. The petition was filed by Chad Conley.

The petition is asking the court to void and nullify the Wood County BOE’s appointment of Hendershot for the magisterial District C seat.

Hendershot was appointed the seat on November 14, 2024, after Sarah Townsend left the seat vacant for health reasons.

According to the petition, Hendershot was not a resident of District C at the time of her appointment. It claims she was residing in District A.

The petition states that Hendershot did not change her address to District C until November 15, 2024, the day after her appointment.

However, her address change was allegedly not effective with the W.Va. Secretary of State until November 19, 2024, five days after her appointment.

The appointment of Hendershot would have put three members on the board residing in District A, which is in violation of West Virginia Code 18-5-1, according to the petition.

The petition reads, “Amending an address on a voter registration record or driver’s license to satisfy eligibility requirements is a blatant misrepresentation to manipulate the Wood County Board of Education to accept her application for appointment, and subsequently appoint her to the board based on this gross misrepresentation.”

This is a developing story. WTAP has reached out to all parties involved and is waiting a response from both sides. We will continue to provide information as it becomes available.