Harry L. Snow was appointed Thursday by Circuit Court Judge Christopher Wilkes to be the fifth Magistrate for Berkeley County. Magistrates serve as judges and handle virtually all criminal cases and many civil cases in Magistrate Court, often called the front door of the judicial system because they are the first stop for most defendant. They also handle other civil and domestic cases.
Snow is a life long resident of Berkeley County.
He said he wants to help take the load off the other magistrates who have struggled with an increasing caseload in recent years. First he has to learn the specifics of the jobs, he said. But magistrates are not required to be attorneys. Snow said he earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from Hagerstown Community College in 1977 and knows all but one of the magistrates personally. I think common sense will help me.