--- title: "Mark Shelton | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-shelton-wv-magistrate-mcdowell" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Mark Shelton West Virginia Magistrate Court, Mcdowell County · Magistrate ## Profile - Court: West Virginia Magistrate Court, Mcdowell County - State: West Virginia - Role: Magistrate - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - In summary: Judge Mark Shelton is a West Virginia magistrate judge with a strong law enforcement background, serving in McDowell County since 2023, and is not to be confused with the unrelated Kansas City case involving a man of the same name. - Magistrate judge in the McDowell County Magistrate Court in West Virginia, appointed in 2023, with a career in law enforcement including chief deputy sheriff and police officer roles. - This is a different individual from the McDowell County magistrate judge - Police Officer — City of War Police Department ### Education ### Additional information - WVVA reports that McDowell County chief deputy Mark Shelton became a magistrate in August2023 after a magistrate retired. - That case involved a 2022 liquor store shooting and resulted in a guilty plea to first‐degree involuntary manslaughter and a six‐year prison sentence. - A lifelong county resident, he began policing in War about33years before the report, joined the county sheriffs department in1994, served on its regional drug/violent-crime task force and as River View High School resource officer, and ended his policing career as chief deputy. - Chief Deputy Sheriff — Office of the McDowell County Sheriff - As a magistrate judge, Shelton presides over cases in the McDowell County Magistrate Court, which handles a range of matters including traffic, criminal, and civil cases at the local level. - While the provided sources focus on his judicial and law enforcement background, there is also a separate legal case involving a man named Mark Delano Shelton in Kansas City, Missouri, unrelated to the West Virginia judge. - He also served on the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force and is a lifelong resident of McDowell County. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### camera and audio equipment Scope: statewide West Virginia Trial Court Rule 8 makes courtroom camera and audio equipment subject to the presiding circuit judge's or magistrate's permission. Evidence excerpt: Cameras and audio equipment may be permitted in and around the courtrooms at the discretion of each presiding circuit judge or magistrate. [West Virginia Trial Court Rules, Rule 8: Media Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ### advance media request timing Scope: statewide West Virginia Trial Court Rule 8 directs the presiding officer to decide requests for camera or audio coverage made at least one day before the proceeding, and lack of advance approval may preclude use. Evidence excerpt: Requests made by a party or any other person at least one day in advance of the proceedings. [West Virginia Trial Court Rules, Rule 8: Media Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/mcdowell_county) - [Official roster](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/mcdowell_county) - [West Virginia Judiciary official judicial roster](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/mcdowell_county) - [West Virginia Trial Court Rules, Rule 8: Media Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents) - [West Virginia Judiciary McDowell County directory](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/mcdowell_county) - [www.wvva.com](https://www.wvva.com/2023/08/15/mcdowell-county-chief-deputy-appointed-next-magistrate-judge/) - [www.courtswv.gov](https://www.courtswv.gov/node/32699) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-shelton-wv-magistrate-mcdowell", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-shelton-wv-magistrate-mcdowell", "name": "Mark Shelton | KnowJudges", "description": "Mark Shelton, West Virginia Magistrate Court, Mcdowell County. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents). Collected 2026-07-27.