GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — A former Calhoun County commissioner and elementary school teacher pleaded not guilty to hundreds of alleged sex crimes against a child.
Jacob McCumbers, 39, of Arnoldsburg was in Calhoun County court Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty to 172 counts of first-degree sexual abuse and 86 counts of sexual abuse by parent or guardian.
A Calhoun County grand jury last week indicted McCumbers on those charges.
McCumbers had been free on bond, but his bail was raised to $400,000 during the hearing. McCumbers was taken into custody afterward. If he posts bond, he will be subject to home confinement.
A change of venue request was approved by the judge Tuesday as well. The trial will now begin Oct. 27 in Roane County, with the pretrial hearing taking place in Calhoun County Sept. 17.
McCumbers, the former teacher at Arnoldsburg Elementary School, was arrested last September after authorities with the State Police Child Victim Unit were told about his alleged actions during a child forensic interview.
The alleged victim told investigators that McCumbers had started abusing him when he was younger than 10 and continued for eight to nine years. The alleged victim also told investigators that McCumbers threatened to hurt him if he told anybody.
McCumbers resigned his seat on the Calhoun County Commission in October 2025.