BRIDGEPORT — A Morgantown man was among 33 people named by a federal grand jury, indicted on counts of methamphetamine distribution in parts of Harrison, Marion, Barbour, Upshur, Doddridge and Monongalia counties.
Kareem Sampson, 29, of Morgantown, was among those named in a 27-count indictment.
“The poison being distributed on the streets of north-central West Virginia is taking lives and destroying families,” Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker said. “We see how addiction is affecting crimes in our neighborhoods and making our residents feel unsafe.”
Charges include a 40-count indictment against 19 individuals, alleging a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Harrison County and elsewhere between fall 2017 and this month.
- Kedric Pearson, 34, of Waynesboro, Miss.
- Paul Casto, 55, of Clarksburg
- Stormy Hawkins, 25, of Clarksburg
- William Koch, 33, of Anmoore
- Jacob Wright, 36, of West Union
- Donald Hickman, Jr., 43, of Reynoldsville
- Cody Boley, 24, of Wallace
- Byron Higginbotham, 36, of Clarksburg
- Jodi Denkenberger, 28, of Mount Claire
- Erica Herron, 37, of Clarksburg
- David Weaver, 33, of Clarksburg
- Taylor Espinoza, 21, of Bridgeport
- Stephen Richards, 40, of Fairmont
- Solomon Cottrill, 32, of Salem
- Nathan Crites, 34, of Clarksburg
- Russell Clark, 64, of Clarksburg
- Faith Martin, 20, of Shinnston
- Jesse Pack, 23, of Clarksburg
- Justin Jackson, 40, of Baltimore, Md.
“I think this will make a significant dent in some of the methamphetamine dealing that has been going on here for quite some time,” U.S. Attorney Bill Powell said. “Unfortunately, these investigations take time, because we not only want to find the local dealers, but we want to find out where the drugs are coming from. And, sometimes, that takes some development time.”
In a separate case, the grand jury indicted 14 on methamphetamine charges, accused of distributing meth in Harrison County and elsewhere between October 2017 and this month. The 27-count indictment includes the following:
- Juwan Floyd, 26, of Tallahassee, Florida
- Kareem Sampson, 29, of Morgantown
- Ramiro Pimentel Jr., 31, of Clarksburg
- Kelly Wright, 36, of West Union
- Teressa Hall, 33, of Bristol
- Nicholle Knotts, 24, of Philippi
- Chance Ward, 19, of Buckhannon
- Ashley Wagner, 27, of Clarksburg
- Brittany Miles, 28, of Clarksburg
- Brandon Mays, 30, of Fairmont
- Joshua Langbien, 28, of Buckhannon
- Ann Marie Stankus, 24, of Buckhannon
- Rodney Rowan, 23, of Buckhannon
The following remain at-large:
- Donald Hickman
- Faith Martin
- William Koch
- Erica Herron
- Ashley Wagner
- Russel Clark
- Jesse Pack
- Nichole Knotts
- Kendric Pearson
The government is also seeking forfeiture of four vehicles, a house on Winding Way in Clarksburg, and more than $33,000 seized as a part of the investigation. Law enforcement has also seized 15 firearms.
“This crystal methamphetamine is pure crystal meth, and it’s a very potent substance and made in laboratories,” Powell said. “So it’s being shipped here.”
The meth is believed to come from California, Florida, Mississippi and elsewhere throughout the U.S.
“We want to know who is supplying drugs into West Virginia,” Powell continued. “Some of them think — I think — because of the size of our state that we’re not going to be interested in prosecuting those kinds of things. Maybe those people are small-time dealers in Los Angeles, but here they would be significant dealers. No matter where they are, we’re going after them — whether they are in California, Mississippi, Florida or any place else.”
“Cutting off the supply is the big part of the investigation from a federal standpoint.”
Tweet @wvradiospiel. Email Alex.Wiederspiel@wvradio.com
