A Westover man charged with multiple felonies was arraigned Aug. 13 in Monongalia County Magistrate Court and is being held on $100,000 bond.
According to police reports, officers from the Westover Police Department executed a search warrant Aug. 6 at an apartment on East Street in Westover. The residence was occupied by Wallace Anthony Booth, 29, of Westover.
During the search, officers located 1.95 pounds of marijuana, 11 grams of cocaine and 1 ounce of methamphetamine inside Booth’s bedroom, criminal complaints said.
Along with the drugs, officers found large amounts of packaging material, a weighing scale and a ledger containing the illegal sales of narcotics.
Law enforcement also discovered a handgun in the bedroom that was concealed behind a picture frame.
A check of Booth’s criminal history showed previous drug convictions in Maryland from 2011, 2012 and 2013, the complaint said. He had also been convicted of multiple felony charges for first degree burglary, third degree burglary and theft in 2012.
Booth was also found to have several previous convictions in West Virginia, including daytime burglary, robbery by force or violence and conspiracy in 2014, first degree robbery and conspiracy in 2015, and first degree robbery and conspiracy in 2017, according to the police report.
The previous felony convictions prevent Booth from legally possessing a firearm.
Police said Booth is a suspect in a separate investigation involving a firearm and multiple witnesses identified Booth as possessing a firearm similar to the one discovered in the apartment.
In addition to three counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics and illegal possession of a firearm, Booth is charged with child neglect creating risk of injury.
Police said a 16-year-old juvenile also resides in Booth’s residence and the illegal narcotics were not secured and were easily accessible. The firearm was found fully loaded, was not secure, and was easily accessible, the report states.
Officers did not witness any type of lockable or security-style storage on the premises and said the juvenile had access to the entire residence and all of the contents inside the apartment.
According to the complaint, officers did discover a schedule I narcotic inside the juvenile’s bedroom, but could not comment on the type of drug or amount.
Booth is being held at North Central Regional Jail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Aug. 22 in Magistrate Court.
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