| Judge Thomas Evans III has rejected a plea agreement for a woman accused of demanding money from a man who was having sex with her 12-year-old daughter in exchange for keeping her mouth shut.
Monday's decision in Spencer means that 32-year-old Marsha Kay Nichols now faces trial on three counts of extortion. The trial is set for May 17.
Under the plea agreement, the Kanawha County woman had agreed to plead guilty to attempted extortion, which is a misdemeanor.
State police started investigating the case in January 2004. They say that when Nichols, a resident of Elkview, discovered that 42-year-old Bruce Stover was seeing her daughter, she threatened to go to the police if the Roane County man didn't pay her.
Kanawha officials have blamed the Roane County Circuit Court for what they claim is light sentencing to Stover, although the case was mostly tied to Kanawha County.
The criminal complaint said that during one of three visits to Stover's Walton-area residence to collect money, Nichols watched Stover and her daughter kiss and hug several times.
Press reports indicated the girl's mother may have wanted cash to use to purchase drugs.
Stover was sentenced in November to 90 days in jail and five years probation after pleading guilty to three counts of third-degree sexual assault.
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