IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF TYLER COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
JB EXPLORATION I, LLC , a West
Virginia Limited Liability Company,
Petitioner,
Civil Action 23-P-46
-vs-
Hon. Jeffrey D. Cramer, Judge
CONNIE S. PASKO, WANDA M. MOSSOR, ROBERT E. EASTHAM, RANDALL
SCOTT EASTHAM, MINDY SUE DAMERON, LAURA LEE WILEY, MICHAEL E.
CHAPMAN, BENJAMIN STANLEY CHAPMAN, JEFFREY D. WILEY, ORPHA R.
MCHENRY, FLOSSIE CHLOE THOMPSON, MINNIE GAY CARSON, HARRIET
PEARL BODE, MARTHA ELZENA STRINGER, RUSSELL STANLEY WILEY,
RONALD W. ASTON, ROBERT MARK HUFFMAN, JULIA DOAK KING, WILLIAM
BRYAN KING II, ROBERT BRUCE KING JR., CAROLINE HOLYMAN KING,
EMILY KING SCHAEFER, CHAD W. JOHNSON, AMY E. DOAK BLACK MEADS,
ALLYSON PAIGE DOAK, ELZENA BAKER WILEY, HOMER L. (HL) MCINTYRE,
ASHBURY C. MCINTYRE, ORA E. MCINTYRE, IRA BLISS MCINTYRE, DONNIE M.
MCINTYRE, LESLIE P. MCINTYRE, LEMMIE L. (LL) MCINTYRE, MAMIE H.
MCINTYRE, MARY MABEL MCINTYRE ALBERT, L. T. MCCLAIN, LANDORA
BEVERLIN, DENNIS BRUNO BAKER, GEORGE ARLINGTON BAKER aka G. A.
BAKER, DAVID OSCAR BAKER aka DAVID O. BAKER, MAHLIN SIMPSON
BAKER, CECIL MARIE WALTERS, WANDA D. RAKOCKY, JESSIE A. GLOVER,
PHILLIP MCINTYRE, JEFFREY MCINTYRE, SHARON LYNNE GRIFFETH, SCOTT
A. CRAMER AND MELANIE E. CRAMER AS TRUSTEES OF THE SCOTT A.
& MELANIE E. CRAMER REVOCABLE TRUST DATED 10/21/2013, SANDRA LEE
EPPERSON, ARTHUR J. WALTERS, STANLEY WALTERS, WILLIAM
WALTERS, MARIE WALKER, CHARLES WALTERS, KIMBERLY D. RIBOVICH,
SAUNDRA K. TAYLOR, MICHELLE GREEN, CHARLOTTE L. EDDY, MAXWELL
BEN STILLWAGON, CONNIE SUE STEPHENS, NINA FYE, MAXINE W. MERLING,
T & B NATURAL RESOURCE VENTURES LLC, DAVID T. STETSON, JAMES W.
STETSON, KATHERINE L. STETSON, NICOLAS T. STETSON, GENEVA
GALLABRESE, BILLIE JEAN STEVENS, APRIL DAWN SHIELDS, RUSSELL
ALLEN WILEY, CHARLES LEE WILEY, KATHLEEN J. TENNANT, JOYCE ANN
HAUGHT, WAYNE EUGENE EASTHAM JR., JOAN SCHWEITZER, JANICE WILEY,
EDITH LEE GORDY, MARION P. WILEY, KAREN BURKHART, KENNETH R.
KLINE, ROGER L. KLINE, GLADYS E. CONLEY TRUST C/O JOHN D. GRAMPA,
TRUSTEE, VICKERY ENERGY EXPLORATION II MINERALS, LLC, a Delaware
Limited Liability Company, and the remaining unknown heirs, devisees,
successors, assigns and/or creditors of FRANCIS MARION BAKER a/k/a F. M.
BAKER and/or of any of the above and all other unknown persons or Defendants,
who own or claim to own an interest in and to the oil and gas within and underlying
that certain tract or parcel of real estate situate on the waters of Grass Spring Run,
McElroy District, Tyler County, West Virginia, being McElroy District Tax Map 7,
Parcel 47, said to contain 33 acres, more or less, but variously
escribed in former Deeds as containing 18 Acres, 18.75 Acres, 25 Acres, 30 Acres,
33 Acres and/or
35 Acres, more or less,
Defendants.
SECOND AMENDED ORDER OF PUBLICATION
To: The above named Defendants, their unknown heirs, devisees, successors or
assigns, if any.
Comes now the Petitioner and gives notice of the pendency of the above captioned
suit and Verified Second Amended Petition for Appointment of a Special
Commissioner for the Lease of Oil and Gas Owned by Unknown, Missing and/or Abandoning Owners (W. Va. Code §55 12A-1 et seq.) and for Declaratory
Judgment and to Quiet Title (“Second Amended Petition”)
filed therein on April 21, 2026.
The object of the above entitled action is for the appointment of a Special
Commissioner for the sale, execution and delivery of a lease of the Defendants’
interests in and to the oil and gas underlying that certain tract of land situate on
the waters of Grass Spring Run, McElroy District, Tyler County, West Virginia, being
McElroy District Tax Map 7, Parcel 47, said to contain 33 acres, more or less,
but variously described in former Deeds as containing 18 Acres, 18.75 Acres, 25
Acres, 30 Acres, 33 Acres and/or 35 Acres, more or less (the “Subject Oil and Gas
Property”) pursuant to West Virginia Code 55-12A-1, et seq. The Subject Oil and Gas
Property is more particularly and variously described as follows:
Bounded on the West by the lands of F.M. Baker, S.W. by the lands of Andrew
Matthews, N.E. by Thomas McCormick, and S.E. by Margaret A. Wright.
Also described as:
Beginning at a stone at or near a walnut by a rock that sticks out of the hill in a
line of A. Matthews, thence with his line northwest to a stone corner to
Matthews and Baker, thence with the said F. M. Baker line northwest to a stone
corner in a line of Thos McCormick, thence with the said McCormick’s line
eastward to a stone corner, thence southwest with a line of Margaret A. Wright
to the beginning containing 18 acres be the same
more or less.
Also described as:
Beginning at a stone at or near a walnut by a rock that sticks out of the hill in a
line of A. Matthews, thence with his line northwest to a stone corner to
Matthews and Baker, thence with the said F. M. Baker line northwest to a stone
corner in a line of Thos McCormick, thence with the said McCormick’s line
eastward to a stone corner, thence southwest with a line of Margaret A. Wright
to the beginning containing 18 3 4 acres more or less.
Also described as:
Beginning at a stone at or near a walnut by a rock that sticks out of the hill in a
line of A. Matthews, thence with his line northwest to a stone corner to
Matthews and Baker, thence with the said F. M. Baker line northwest to a stone
corner in a line of Thos McCormick, thence with the said McCormick’s line
eastward to a stone corner, thence southwest with a line of Margaret A. Wright
to the beginning containing according to former deeds eighteen and
three-fourths acres, more or less, but supposed to contain by proper
measuremen thirty acres.
Also described as:
Beginning at a stone corner to F. M. Baker in the original line thence with
Thomas McCormick’s line S 41 E 72 poles to a stone thence S 19 W 2 poles 33
links to a chestnut S 47 W 33 poles to a walnut on the run bank below Andrew
Mathews thence 82 poles up the run with its several meanderings and bearings thereof to the beginning containing 25 acres be the same more or less.
Also described as:
A certain piece or parcel of land containing Thirty five acres more or less,
situated on Grass Spring in the County of Tyler State of West Virginia being
the same land conveyed to Ingabee Wright by Christopher Seese.
Further being the same property described in those Deeds of record in the
Office of the Clerk of the County Commission of Tyler County, West Virginia
in Deed Book 9, at Page 266, in Deed Book 29, at Page 316, in Deed Book 29,
at Page 317, in Deed Book 29, at Page 318, in Deed Book 29, at Page 315 and
in Deed Book 29, at Page 329.
Bounds (Now or Formerly)
North: WSD Properties LLC
East: WSD Properties LLC
South: Jeffrey A. Davis
West: Jeffrey A. Davis
Further being all of the oil, gas and minerals underlying the aforedescribed
tract of land as shown on the tax map for Tyler County, McElroy District as
Tax Map No. 7, Parcel 47.
It appearing by affidavit filed in this action that the whereabouts of the above named
Defendants, and their unknown heirs, devisees, successors or assigns, if any, are
unknown and/or that such individuals or entities are nonresidents of the State of West
Virginia; that there are or may be persons other than those named above who are
interested in such oil, gas and minerals, whose names are unknown to Petitioner, and
who are made parties to the Second Amended Petition filed in this action by the
general description of unknown defendants, and the Petitioner having made
diligent but futile efforts to locate some or all of said Defendants; it is accordingly
ORDERED that each of them do appear and serve upon William Crichton VI, Lawyer,
whose address is 511 28th Street, Vienna, West Virginia, 26105, an answer or other
defense to the Second Amended Petition filed in this action on or before the 10th day
of June, 2026 , otherwise judgment by default will be taken against them at any
time thereafter.
A copy of said Second Amended Petition can be obtained from the undersigned
Circuit Clerk at her office located at 230 Main Street in Middlebourne, Tyler County,
West Virginia.
The names of the Petitioner and the Defendants, as they are known to be by the
exercise of reasonable diligence by the Petitioner, are as set forth above in the
caption of this civil action.
The last known address of the Petitioner is as follows:
JB Exploration I, LLC, 23 Eganfuskee Street, Suite 126, Jupiter, FL 33477.
Petitioner, upon diligent inquiry and investigation, is not aware of the last known
addresses of the unleased Defendants, other than the following unleased Defendants:
1. Wanda M. Mossor, 217 Camino Toluca, Camarillo, CA 93010
2. Robert E. Eastham, 2122 Lucille Ave., Kingman, AZ 86401
3. Randall Scott Eastham, 1600 W. Hwy 158, Gold Smith, TX 79741
4. Mindy Sue Dameron, 1446 Brashiers Chapel Rd., Arab, AL 35016
5. Laura Lee Wiley, 3363 E. Upper River Rd., Somerville, AL 35670
6. Michael E. Chapman, 14100 Gladys St., Unit S, Gulfport, MS 39503
7. Benjamin Stanley Chapman, 2704 Pennsylvania Ave., Weirton, WV 26062
8. Jeffrey D. Wiley, 327 Chimney Drive, Joppa, MD 21285
9. Ronald W. Aston, 1212 Courtland Road, Weirton, WV 26062
10. Robert Mark Huffman, 3916 W. Lake Drive, Florence, SC 29501
11. Julia Doak King (for Life), 1803 Kelly Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
12. William Bryan King II, 2845 Astoria Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208
13. Robert Bruce King Jr., 4606 Virginia Ave. SE, Charleston, WV 25304
14. Caroline Holyman King, 4205 Allistair Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27104
15. Emily King Schaefer, 125 Parkview Ave., Fayetteville, NC 28305
16. Chad W. Johnson, 70 Professional Pl., Bridgeport, WV 26330
17. Amy E. D. B. Meads, 4901 Trailwood Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407
18. Allyson Paige Doak, 485 Florida Circle N., Apollo Beach, FL 22572
19. Phillip McIntyre, 17427 Saint Theresa Drive, Olney, MD 20832
20. Jeffrey McIntyre, 524 Annapolis Drive, New Cumberland, WV 26047
21. Sharon Lynne Griffeth, 25098 E. Alder Drive, Aurora, CO 80016
22. Scott A. & Melanie E. Cramer Revocable Trust DTD 10/21/2013, 1213 Gates
Ave., Norfolk, VA 23507
23. Sandra Lee Epperson, 301 Clearfield Ave., Apt. 4030, Chesapeake, VA 23320
24. Kimberly D. Ribovich, 246 Quincy Hollow Rd., Belle, WV 25015-1892
25. Saundra K. Taylor, 678 Carroll Dr., Belle, WV 25015-1896
26. Michelle Green, 14720 Kilhaven Ct., Manassas, VA 20112-3937
27. Charlotte L. Eddy, 720 3rd Ave., Apt 617, New Cumberland, WV 26047-9565
28. Maxwell Ben Stillwagon, 3870 W 213 Street, Fairview Park, OH 44126
29. Connie Sue Stephens, 3955 Millstone Rd., Columbus, OH 43207
30. T & B Natural Resource Ventures, LLC, P.O. Box 906, Bridgeport, WV 26330
31. David T. Stetson, 3649 Centerville Rd., Bedford, VA 24523
32. James W. Stetson, 2027 Cambridge St., Montrose, CO 81401
33. Katherine L. Stetson, 2028 Bradford Dr., Montrose, CO 81401
34. Nicolas T. Stetson, 5013 John St., Chesapeake, VA 23321
The instruments which immediately created the unleased mineral interest at issue are
as follows:
1. By a Deed dated September 10, 1886, and of record in the said Clerk’s Office in
Deed Book 29, at page 317, David Flinn conveyed “all his right title & interest to a
certain tract or parcel of land conveyed by Christopher Sees Sr. to Ingobee Right &
situated on Grass Spring run a branch of Indian Creek in the county & State aforesaid
& bounded on the west by the lands of F.M. Baker, S. W. by the lands of Andrew Matthews N.E. by Thos McCormick & S.E. by Margaret A. [W]Right ” to
Francis M. Baker, without reservation.
2. By a “Deed for interest in Ingoby Wright land on Grass Spring Run” dated
December 10, 1888, and of record in Deed Book 29, at page 318, Eli Pitts and
Amanda E. Pitts, his wife, Edmund Flinn (Edward Flinn) and Mary Flinn, his wife,
James Barr and Amanda Barr, his wife, conveyed ” a certain tract of land lying on
the waters of Indian Creek containing 25 acres ” to F. M. Baker, without reservation.
Upon information and belief, the said Francis M. Baker a/k/a F. M. Baker died
intestate on or around January 15, 1892, survived by his wife, Nancy Booth Baker, and the following children as his heirs at law:
1. Elzena Wiley;
2. Dennis Bruno Baker;
3. Landora F. Beverlin;
4. Kinzy Russell Baker;
5. Mahlin C. Baker;
6. Hilda Jane Gray;
7. George Arlington Baker; and
8. David Oscar Baker
Zimri Seldon Baker was a ninth child who predeceased his father, Francis M. Baker,
in the year 1881 without issue.
The action is brought for the purpose of authorizing the execution and delivery of a
valid and present mineral lease for development of the particular minerals described
in the Second Amended Petition, and thereafter, in the case of any defendant or heir,
successor or assign of any defendant who does not appear to claim ownership of the
defendant’s interest within seven years after the date of the lease, for the Court to
order a conveyance of the defendant’s mineral interest under W.Va. Code § 55-12A-7,
subject to the lease, to the owner of the surface overlying the mineral interest.
Petitioner has not requested in its Second Amended Petition and Petitioner does not
seek a Special Commissioner’s Lease of any interest in the Subject Oil and Gas
Property leased to JB Exploration I, LLC or Vickery Energy Exploration II Resources,
LLC f/k/a Tribune Resources, LLC.
Incident and in addition to the above relief, Petitioner requests in its Second Amended
Petition that the Court enter an order of declaratory judgment determining the location of the Subject Oil and Gas Property, determining the legal descriptions of the Subject Oil and Gas Property, determining the ownership of the oil and gas underlying the Subject Oil and Gas Property and quieting title in and to the Subject Oil and Gas
Property.
Any Defendant who has executed and returned a lease in favor of Petitioner JB
Exploration I, LLC (or Vickery Energy Exploration II Resources, LLC f/k/a Tribune
Resources, LLC) is included in the action solely for purposes of obtaining declarations
determining the description, location and ownership of the Subject Oil and Gas
Property and quieting title in and to the Subject Oil and Gas Property.
Entered by the said Court this 24th day of April, 2026.
Teste: s/Candy L. Warner
Clerk of said Court
By: s/Amy B. Adams
Deputy