Earl Whittington was sworn in as a judge last week, taking the place of former magistrate Mike Ferrell, who resigned at the end of January. Judge Maryclaire Akers said Whittington was chosen from a pool of 17 candidates. Whittington has 30 years of experience in law enforcement and served as Kanawha County Security Officer for the past decade. He was also Dunbar’s chief of police for eight years.