Logan County judge retiring

LOGAN – Longtime Logan Circuit Judge Roger L. Perry is retiring at the end of June.

Perry, who first was elected to the position in 1992, submitted his letter of resignation to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin last month.

In the letter, Perry cites health issues as the reason for his retirement.

"I am grateful to the people of Logan County for the opportunity to serve in this position," Perry wrote. "The position has been challenging, exciting, at times frustrating, but always rewarding."

In an interview with WVOW Radio, Perry said he has had health issues since 2010.

“In the last couple of months they have kind of aggravated some, and I’m going to have to address those," he said. "I just don’t feel like I can adequately address those in a situation where I’m as busy as I am and as much pressure as there is.”

Perry told the radio station he likely wouldn't have ran for re-election in 2016.

“It’s seems like it’s the right time,” Perry said.  “I had said I wasn’t going to run again, but I figured I would fill out my term until this stuff came up.  It seems surreal.

"I’ve been a judge for more than 22 years and I’ve been a lawyer over 30 years.  The idea of not doing that and being involved in it seems kind of strange, although I hope, at a later time, I will do what we call senior status judging.”

Perry was elected in 1992 to a term beginning Jan. 1, 1993. He was reelected in 2000 and 2008. He was born in Logan and grew up in Neibert.

Perry graduated from Logan High School in 1967. He attended West Virginia Institute of Technology and Marshall University, graduating with a degree in chemistry and science in 1971.

He worked as a public school teacher for two years and public health inspector for five years before obtaining a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 1982.

He practiced law in Mingo County for a few months before returning to Logan to serve as a part-time assistant prosecutor while also maintaining a civil law practice.

Perry is active in family and civic activities. He is an elder and adult Sunday School member and teacher, a past member of the Executive Board of the Buckskin Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and past president of the Logan Lions Club. He and his wife, Susan, have two sons and two grandchildren.

Tomblin will select a replacement for Perry to fill the remainder of his term from a list of nominees submitted to him by the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission.