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ELKINS -- The bond for a Randolph County man charged with murder was reduced to a total of $250,000 during a hearing in Randolph County Circuit Court Monday afternoon.
The motion by Stephen Ray Cross' defense attorneys to modify the bond was granted with no objection from Special Prosecutor John Ours, the Grant County prosecuting attorney.
During an open-court bond hearing in the case of Cross, 54, Circuit Judge David Wilmoth granted the defense's motion to modify Cross' bond, with his defense citing that the "conditions have changed dramatically since the bond was initially set." Cross' bond was initially set at $2 million in 2023.
Ours told the court that the defense council had spoken to him "extensively" before filing the motion and that he had no opposition to modifying Cross' bond.
Ours was appointed as special prosecutor after the previous special prosecutor, Upshur County Prosecuting Attorney Bryan Hinkle, requested his own removal from the trial in April after discovering a case witness was a former childhood friend.
The Cross defense team of lawyers includes Ryan Donovan of the Hissam Forman Donovan Ritchie law firm in Charleston, and James Hawkins of Buckhannon.
Cross was granted bond Monday on the conditions that he is not allowed to live at his residence at Chenoweth Creek Road; he is to be under electronic monitoring and home confinement; he is not allowed to have any firearms present at the location where he will be serving in confinement; and he must give up his passport.
His bond was set at $100,000 cash and $150,000 in property, making $250,000 in total. Cross is allowed to deposit the total amount in cash if he wishes.
The defense attorneys said Cross will be residing at a property in Beverly. Only his wife and children will be able to visit him.
Ours did raise questions about whether or not there have been any issues with Randolph County's electronic monitoring systems, citing recent issues in Grant, Hardy and Hampshire counties. He and the court were informed there have been no recent problems in Randolph County.
Cross is accused of taking the life of Jonathon Chenoweth, 48. He was arrested and charged in March 2023 after an incident had occurred at his home on Chenoweth Creek Road.
According to the criminal complaint, when officers with the Randolph County Sheriff's Office and West Virginia State Police arrived on the scene, they witnessed Chenoweth slumped over the center console of a UTV, appearing to have suffered a fatal gunshot wound. Police found at least three bullet holes through the windshield of the UTV.
Officers received a written statement, according to the complaint, from a witness who said that Chenoweth pulled into Cross' driveway unarmed. The witness then said they saw Cross, who was standing 5 to 10 feet away behind a white van, produce a sidearm and open fire, shooting five to eight times at Chenoweth.
Police are said to have found a total of seven spent shell casings from a 9mm gun at the scene, but no weapons were found near the victim.
The criminal complaint cites that officers were already en route to Chenoweth Creek after Randolph County 911 received a call about a person shooting a dog before they were redirected to Cross' home.
Cross is currently an inmate at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.