KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. –Longtime Kanawha County Magistrate Joe Shelton has died.
Shelton passed away Wednesday.
He was first elected as a magistrate in 1976 and became the first magistrate elected following the 1974 West Virginia Judicial Reorganization Amendment that replaced the former justice of the peace system with magistrate courts.
His first tenure as magistrate was from 1977 to 1980. After that he took a position with the Division of Highways, where he worked from 1980 to 1997. He then worked for the State Treasurer’s Office from 1998 to 2003.
In 2003, he was once again elected as a Kanawha County magistrate and served until his death.
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Haley Bunn issued a statement Wednesday evening following his death.
“The West Virginia judiciary mourns the loss of Magistrate Shelton, who had a long history of distinguished service to the people of Kanawha County and our state,” Bunn said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and colleagues at this difficult time.