“Gene and I have known each other for quite awhile,” said McMillion. “He and I really got to know each other when I was over here in 2005, when I was working for the Public Defender Corporation. He and I saw each other almost on a daily basis for about three to four years. He knew where I was at and where I was practicing, and he came and saw me and told me he had this position open. He and I have always gotten along real well and I thought it seemed like a prime opportunity to jump back into criminal prosecution with folks that I know. I already knew most of the courthouse staff around here from when I was here with the Public Defender’s Office.”
McMillion grew up in Canvas and graduated from Nicholas County High School. He attended West Virginia University, where he obtained a degree in business administration in 1983.
“Probably about my junior year of high school, I started thinking about the legal profession,” he said. “I thought practicing law would be more suitable to me because it’s a people skills type job and I like working with people. Frankly, I wasn’t all that great in terms of math or anything for engineering or chemistry. I felt that going into law and helping people would be a good thing to do. At one point, I thought about devoting my time to accounting and being a CPA, but I couldn’t see myself sitting at a desk all day. At least in this profession, you get to go out and be in the courtroom and litigate cases. You’re not tied to the desk eight hours a day.”
McMillion attended the University of Akron Law School, where he earned a J.D. degree in 1986. He went into private practice in the Summersville area and, a few years later, was hired as Assistant Prosecutor in Nicholas County.
“I was Assistant Prosecutor over in Nicholas County for eight years,” he said. “Then I was elected Chief Prosecutor twice for two four-year terms. So, I served as Chief Prosecutor for eight years. So, a total of 16 years experience in criminal prosecutions.
After eight years as Chief Prosecutor, McMillion worked for the Greenbrier County Public Defender’s Office for four years, including casework in Pocahontas County. He then returned to civil practice for six years, until Simmons showed up with the job offer.
McMillion said he’s waiting to get his feet on the ground in the new job before moving to Pocahontas County.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “It all depends on the job and how well I transition into this. If the future is bright enough and I’m still here and everybody’s satisfied with what I’m doing, perhaps I might consider moving over this way.”
When he’s not in the courtroom, the new prosecutor enjoys the great outdoors.
“If I’m not working, I’m usually hunting or fishing,” he said. “That’s a lot of what I do when I’m away from the office. I hunt deer, squirrels and turkey and I like to trout fish. I especially like to fish for native brook trout.”
