Both the Newcastle Police Department and Weston County Sheriff’s Office are planning to purchase police dogs to serve the city and county. The sheriff’s office has one canine that will be retiring in the near future, according to Deputy Dan Fields, while the city department’s purchase will mark the...
The Newcastle City Council has voted to end the discussion on possibly dissolving the Newcastle Police Department and moving all city police services to the Weston County Sheriff’s Office.
As previously reported by the News Letter Journal, Councilman Tyrel Owens first suggested on Sept. 5 that...

Photo by Walter Sprague/NLJ
The City of Newcastle held a town hall meeting at the Weston County Senior Services center on Monday to ascertain the thoughts of the public regarding the Newcastle Police Department, and whether to keep the police force or to combine it with the Weston County Sheriffs Department. Above, Dan Bau gives support for ideas expressed by councilman Tyrel Owens to open up a preliminary discussion regarding the possibility of rolling the police department into the sheriffs department, reminding the public that the meeting was intended to find out what residents want, instead of the city making any policy and department changes.
The general sentiment shared by the public in attendance at a town hall to discuss city vs. county policing was support for the Newcastle Police Department and the continued need for their service. The meeting was hosted by the Newcastle City Council. Others who spoke encouraged the council and...

Photo by Walter Sprague/NLJ
On Monday, Oct 16, Police Sergeant Derek Thompson smiles as the Newcastle City Council votes unanimously to promote him to chief of police during the city council’s regular meeting in the council chambers at city hall.
The Newcastle Police Department officially has a new chief after Sgt. Derek Thompson accepted the position offered to him on Oct. 16 and Mayor Pam Gualtieri swore him in to his new post during the City Council meeting. The previous chief, Chuck Bowles, was terminated on Oct. 2.
Gualtieri...
Following a mixed response to his original proposal that the Newcastle City Council consider dissolving the Newcastle Police Department to move to Weston County Sheriff’s Department-led policing, Councilman Tyrel Owens again asked on Oct. 2 that the city schedule a town hall to discuss the topic...
The Newcastle Police Department is once again without a chief after the official termination last week of the recently hired Chuck Bowles, after a tense exchange erupted and an executive session was called to discuss personnel issues, during the Oct. 2 Newcastle City Council meeting.
As...
The Weston County Health Services Board of Directors and the hospital’s CEO have been seeking ways to improve hospital safety and security, and recently held discussions on the matter.
At a board of directors meeting on Sept. 27, CEO Judd Dawson told board members that several staff members are...
Cambria Heights owner Don Taylor wants to know how he came to be issued a citation by the city for an incident that occurred when he was out of town. Taylor is also a Weston County commissioner, and despite the citation’s dismissal he has requested a slew of public records from the city.
On Sept...
The joint powers board to oversee dispatch operations for emergency responders is one step closer to taking over those services in Weston County after the selection committee chose Austin Baker and James Curren as at-large board members, according to Newcastle City Councilman Don Steveson. Both...
With a short staffed-police department, crumbling infrastructure and a hefty police budget, Councilman Tyrel Owens suggested that the Newcastle City Council consider holding a public meeting to discuss the dissolution of the Newcastle Police Department, with a switch to Weston County Sheriff’s...