Courts and Crime

    A New York man who exposed himself on a web cam to investigators on multiple occasions is facing up to 210 years in prison following his conviction in Bedford County Circuit Court on Friday.
    Charles Welsey Olmstead, 39, entered no contest pleas to seven felony charges of computer solicitation at the plea hearing.

    Some cases are just more difficult than others. This one, involving the alleged murder of a 2-year-old child by his mother, is about as difficult as it gets, authorities said Friday.

    Such was the case for one investigator last week, who, after finishing his duties, called his grandson, because it had affected him so deeply.
    Shana Marie Witt, 24 of Bedford, has been charged with strangling her 2-year-old child to death.

    Expert testimony on the effect a concussion allegedly had on a Forest man’s behavior will be allowed at his hearing.
    Judge James Updike made that ruling last week at a motions hearing; Assistant Com-monwealth’s Attorney John Wheelock had filed a motion to exclude the testimony. Wheelock questioned whether a concussion qualifies as a mental defect or mental disease.
    Corey Bauer, 33, is charged with felonious assault on an officer.

    A Forest woman will spend three years in prison for embezzling $109,000 from Witt Mechanical over a four year period, starting in 2009.
    Vicki Elkins McPhearson, 60, was employed by Witt as a bookkeeper and embezzled the money between September, 2009, and June, 2013 when the thefts were discovered.
    Jeff Witt, Witt Mechanical’s owner, testified, at McPhearson’s sentencing hearing Tuesday morning about the damage the embezzlement caused his business.