WESTON (WV)
WBOY 12 [Clarksburg, WV]
February 3, 2026
By Joey Rather
Tuesday marked the first hearing in Lewis County court for John Radcliff, a former pastor accused of sexually abusing young girls over a period of several years.
Tuesday began the pre-trial motion hearing. Prosecutor Christina Flanigan moved to continue the case until the June term and informed the court that the investigating officer has learned of another named alleged victim who lives out of state.
Flanigan requested that the prosecution be given time to track down this new alleged victim to potentially pursue additional charges against Radcliff. The defense did not object to this motion, which was granted by Judge Jacob Reger.
The next pretrial hearing in Radcliff’s case is scheduled for June 3 at 9:15 a.m. Jury selection is set for June 15 at 9 a.m.
Radcliff was indicted in Lewis County in July 2025 on 47 felony charges against eight victims, including sexual assault, sexual abuse and incest. During Tuesday’s hearing, the charge count was reduced to only 42, pending the addition of more by the alleged victim, who lives out of state.
Criminal complaints filed at the time of Radcliff’s arrest list some of the victims as being as young as 3 or 4 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. Multiple victims told investigators that Radcliff has forced them to touch his genitals and perform oral sex on him, the complaint said.
Radcliff is also facing charges in Braxton, Harrison and Nicholas counties.