Photo by Joselyn King Wheeling resident Jody Miller, left, speaks with William Ihlenfeld, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia, prior to her receiving the office’s award for public/community service during a ceremony on Thursday.

WHEELING — The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia on Thursday honored individuals for outstanding criminal investigations and community service work in the region.

The ceremony was not open to the public or the media as many of those to receive awards are undercover officers, U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld explained. Approximately 22 law enforcement officials were honored for cases they’ve worked on over the last 18 months, he added.

A career award also was presented to Ohio County Prosecutor Scott Smith, who took over the job in 2001 after serving as an assistant prosecutor in the county.

“I worked with him, I worked for him, and he has had an incredible career,” Ihlenfeld said. “He will be recognized.”

Local accolades also went to The Marshall County Drug Task Force received the award for “outstanding wiretap investigation,” while the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force was recognized for “outstanding drug trafficking investigation.”

“Both of those cases were far-reaching and had significant community impact,” Ihlenfeld said.

In addition to law enforcement agents receiving awards, public servants also were honored.

This year’s recipient of the community service award from the U.S. Attorney was Wheeling resident Jody Miller, noted for her efforts with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE).

Everyone in his office was given the nomination form, and asked to think about the most impactful cases they’ve worked on in the last 12-18 months, Ihlenfeld explained. The last awards ceremony took place in late 2022 in Clarksburg.

“It might be a gun case, it might be a drug case, or it might be a white collar case,” he said. “Then a committee reviews all the nominations that come in. Selections are made by the committee as to ultimately will receive the awards.”

Their choices are “multi-faceted,” Ihlenfeld continued.

“It’s the law enforcement officers who wear the uniform and the badge, but it’s also the individuals like Jody who are making an impact in a different way,” he continued. “The community has become safer through the work she does.”

Miller commented that the award was “really quite an honor.” She has been active in community service since her daughter’s death in a vehicle crash in 2008.

“It makes you feel like your hard work is appreciated and may be paying off,” she said. “It is about sharing her legacy, and spreading the word once again.

“In honor of her legacy I just want to keep plugging because I don’t want any other family to go through what we did.”

Ihlenfeld noted other public servants honored in the past by the U.S. attorney included Suff. Bishop Darrell Cummings and the Wheeling Park High School speech and debate team.