Clendenin, West Virginia Speed Traps

Clendenin is a sleepy little town in Kanawha County with high enforcement. If you are traveling Interstate 79 South your best bet is to go to the next exit which is Elkview, for fuel, food, lodging, etc. If you are going north on Interstate 79 do not take the Clendenin exit if at all possible. Keep going to the next available exits to avoid the Clendenin police. If you choose to take the Clendenin exit, remember you are doing so at your own risk.

The Town of Clendenin is a Class IV town and by WV law cannot use radar thus the local PD has devised a charge of "too fast for road conditions". This charge in reality is a "contributing factor" in accidents, however, the PD doesn’t care about that and issues these citation regardless of what the weather and where no accident has occurred. Ask for a hearing and you get slapped with an exhorbant high cash only bond or go to jail. To get out of the situation, you then must plead guilty and waive your right to counsel.

NOTE: Radar use by City Police Departments is prohibited by WV State law for towns the size of Clendenin. Without radar, the City Police Officer has no concrete proof of speeding, however, if you are new to the area or if they think they can get away with it, they will ticket you. You have the right of appeal to the Circuit Court of Kanawha County and if you appeal the charge will most likely be dropped before the appeal process is completed, but the Circuit Court will dismiss the charge if it goes that far. Deputy Sheriffs and State Police can enforce the speed laws in Clendenin, however, it is rare that they do.